For about six months this fall, CTA commuters in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood will be under a transit microscope of sorts. The No. 35 Bus Route temporarily will be extended during a 180-day pilot program.
Currently the No. 35 bus travels west from 35th and Cottage Grove, to 36th and Kedzie. Once the enhancement is in place, the buses will travel this regular route, then continue north on Kedzie all the way up to 31st, then turn west on 31st to Cicero, then head north on Cicero to the existing CTA bus terminal at 24th Place.
At a recent CTA Board meeting, members voted to approve the test extension, at a cost of around $600,000. Officials from CTA would like to beef up service in this area, and the trial extension marks a first step.
CTA President Forrest Claypool said in a statement, "(the extension) also strengthens the connection to an existing transportation network that serves the Chicagoland region through the combination of CTA, Pace and Metra Services."
The goal is to provide this extended service between 5 a.m. and 8 p.m., at a frequency of 10-20 minutes. As a result, riders should experience improved connections to the CTA's Red, Green and Orange rail lines, other CTA or Pace routes, and Metra's Cicero station on the BNSF line.
Supporting this experiment is Illinois Senator Martin Sandoval. Sandoval said in a statement, "The Little Village neighborhood is a growing community, and (the Mayor's) new team at the CTA, led by Forrest Claypool, are addressing the concerns of the community."
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