The Village of River Forest — in cooperation with the Village of Oak Park, the Village of Forest Park, and the Illinois Department of Transportation — is conducting a study for the reconstruction the railroad bridge that carries the CTA and Metra rail lines over Harlem Avenue just south of Lake Street. This bridge is also known and the Union Pacific, or UP, bridge over Harlem Avenue.

The purpose of the reconstruction project is to eliminate the congestion problems caused by the configuration of the existing structure, which has remained essentially unchanged since its construction nearly 100 years ago. Streetscape enhancements are also being considered as part of the project.

In 1999 the villages of Forest Park, Oak Park, and River Forest together conducted a feasibility study for the reconstruction of the UP bridge over Harlem Avenue. The bridge was originally built in the 1920s to support the Chicago and North Western Railway tracks. With few exceptions, it has not changed in almost 90 years, despite significant increases in traffic along Harlem Avenue.

The villages have selected at team of engineers, planners, and architects to conduct a study for the replacement of this structure. The primary objectives for the “Harlem Avenue Underpass Project” is to study the elimination of the center bridge piers and the widening of Harlem Avenue to five lanes.

As the study progresses, this web site will be expanded to include a variety of information related to the Project. Please visit often to access the latest information.

Note: This website contains documents in PDF format. To download the Adobe Acrobat Reader, click here.