Metra awards contract to Elgin firm for Milwaukee District North Line bridge project

A $27-million contract was approved by the Metra Board of Directors to replace a 121-year-old bridge and repair two others along the Milwaukee District North Line on Chicago’s Northwest side.

The project, which is expected to begin in 2021, will replace a railroad bridge over Milwaukee Avenue that was built in 1899. The new double-track bridge will have a ballasted deck, requiring that the tracks, as well as the platforms at the adjacent Grayland Station be raised. The work at Grayland Station will also include a new passenger shelter, ramps and stairs. In addition, the bridges over Addison Street and Irving Park Road will be repaired.

Elgin-based IHC Construction Companies, LLC was the lowest responsive and responsible bidder out of the five firms that submitted proposals. As part of its bid, IHC has agreed to subcontract 25 percent of the total work to minority- and women-owned firms.

The $27-million project is being funded with a combination of federal formula funds and a $17.8-million grant from the Federal Railroad Administration’s Federal-State Partnership for State of Good Repair Program, which helps fund capital projects to repair, replace or rehabilitate publicly owned railroad assets, as well as to improve intercity passenger-rail performance. In addition to Metra Milwaukee District North Line trains, the bridges are also used by Amtrak’s Hiawatha and Empire Builder routes.