https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com


First elevated train gets fresh coat of paint

First elevated train gets fresh coat of paint

Chicago's Green Line, the elevated train platform running for 22 miles through Chicago's South Side to downtown, was the nation's first elevated train.
  • Written by American City & County Administrator
  • 1st August 1995

Chicago’s Green Line, the elevated train platform running for 22 miles through Chicago’s South Side to downtown, was the nation’s first elevated train. Portions of the line were built more than 100 years ago, and the West Side portion of the line, on Lake Street, featured the world’s first electrically operated rapid transit, put into operation in 1895. Since that time, thousands of commuters have come to rely on the trains daily. But time has taken its toll aesthetically so, the Green Line is being painted for the first time in 40 years.

The refurbishment of the Green Line is part of the $300-million, publicly funded Urban Mass Transportation Rehabilitation Project for the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), being implemented under the coordination of the city’s Department of Transportation, the Northern Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Authority, Chicago & Northwestern Railway Company and Beltway of Chicago. Thirty-five million dollars of the money is earmarked for painting.

CTA-specified protective coatings and procedures for painting the structure are based largely on the results of a survey conducted by a team of corrosion and industrial maintenance painting experts. Conducted to determine the state of the existing metal and performance requirements, the survey found that, while some surface rust was present, the structural steel was in surprisingly good condition considering the age of the latticed columns and beams that comprise the platform.

However, the project was complicated by the fact that lead-based coatings had been used years earlier, requiring the use of lead-containment procedures during surface preparation and making the job one of the nation’s largest lead-abatement projects ever. Also, the elevated platform is located on a major roadway crowded with traffic, so the containment systems had to be designed that minimized interference with traffic flow.

Weather conditions, too, affected the specifications. Temperatures in Chicago during the spring and fall — when much of the painting had to be scheduled — often drop below 50[degrees] F, so coatings were required that could be applied in low temperatures.

The system used was comprised of Epoxy Mastic Aluminum II and Corothane II Polyurethane from Sherwin-Williams, chosen largely for the ability to provide a high-build, long-lasting, high-performance protective film for SP-6 commercially sandblasted surfaces. The primer is a high-solids aluminum-filled epoxy coating, offering good adhesion over sandblasted steel and provides a chemical and moisture barrier. The low VOC coating gives painters greater freedom to work around weather conditions. Specifications called for the coating to be applied in a single coat to achieve a total of seven mils DFT. The topcoat is a two-component aliphatic acrylic modified polyurethane that provides a high-build satin finish and offers touch-ups without additional surface preparation. It was specified for application at two mils DFT.

The major portion of the project began in early 1994, when tracks and railroad ties were removed from the line, clearing the way for the supporting steel structure to undergo maintenance painting and repair.

Contractors submitted plans showing the arrangement and type of material to be used for the containment, the size of the containment, the location of a negative air machine and procedures for the collection and storage of the blasting debris.

They were required to hire a U. S. Environmental Protection Agency certified independent air monitoring laboratory to perform personnel air monitoring and environmental monitoring.

Although the width of the structure remains constant at 38 feet in the section being painted, the height of the platform varies from 25 feet to 45 feet, making it difficult to provide containment. The solution to this problem called for six mobile, prefabricated aluminum canopy structures for containment of 100-feet to 120-feet long. Each structure is designed to be water tight and to keep humidity out. Once erected, the structures can remain up for 50 bents to 70 bents, depending on obstacles.

Faced with a variety of obstacles, the painting contractors came up with several solutions. For example, coal slag is used to remove the existing paint on the structure. To paint in very tight areas around the lattice columns that are sometimes considered inaccessible, the contractors use 45[degrees] nozzles with conventional spray equipment.

Additionally, a central site has been set up for staging the project. Equipment for the job is staged at the fixed site, and employees start and end the day there, returning to the decontamination trailer nearby to shower after leaving soiled and potentially contaminated clothing on the site for proper disposal. Each contractor expects to be completed with the Green Line project by July 1995, before the October deadline.

Tags:

Most Recent


  • Report: Local and state governments are facing a retention crisis; the worst could be yet to come
    When the pandemic struck in 2020, public retention was hit hard: jobs in local government plummeted by 8.5 percent; state employment dropped by 4.4 percent. Two years later, local and state government jobs have rebounded by about half—to 4.1 and 1.9 percent below pre-pandemic levels respectively, according to a new report from Mission Square Research […]
  • Amid an unprecedented increase in federal spending, cities and counties stand to benefit from partnerships
    The so-called “American dream” of upward mobility has more or less stagnated: Today, a little more than 40 percent of children raised at the bottom of the income ladder remain there as adults, according to Pew Charitable Trusts, and only half grow up to earn more than their parents. This data points to a concerning […]
  • hybrid technology
    Governments using technology to harness data and improve decision-making
    There’s one kind of technology that state and local governments covet, says Rob Carey, president of Cloudera Government Solutions. “While supporting multiple state and local government agencies, our team has noticed an increase in the need for hybrid cloud solutions.” A hybrid cloud is the combination of both public and private cloud deployment models. In […]
  • Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
    Infrastructure highlighted by city leaders as top priority in analysis of 60 mayoral addresses
    After two years of ping-pong lockdown orders, mask mandates, unprecedented vaccine drives and economic uncertainty, cities across the United States are beginning to emerge in the pandemic’s aftermath, and they’re prioritizing infrastructure, according to a report published Wednesday by the National League of Cities (NLC).  “The new normal, as we now understand it, is here,” […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • VCPWA Water and Sanitation to install money-saving battery energy storage system
  • NACTO announces 10 winners of Streets for Pandemic Response and Recovery grants
  • Why state and local governments need to future-proof their sales tax processes with technology
  • ASCE releases new manual to plan and design for hazards

White papers


How to Assemble a Rockstar Website Redesign Steering Committee

7th June 2022

Hand Hygiene: Compliance Matters

23rd May 2022

What it Takes to Build a Winning Esports Program

23rd May 2022
view all

Events


PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

Report: Local and state governments are facing a retention crisis; the worst could be yet to come dlvr.it/SSnmS7

24th June 2022
AmerCityCounty

Amid an unprecedented increase in federal spending, cities and counties stand to benefit from partnerships dlvr.it/SSkGBn

23rd June 2022
AmerCityCounty

Governments using technology to harness data and improve decision-making dlvr.it/SSk3H0

23rd June 2022
AmerCityCounty

Infrastructure highlighted by city leaders as top priority in analysis of 60 mayoral addresses dlvr.it/SSgBck

22nd June 2022
AmerCityCounty

Oklahoma City puts the focus on employees when implementing changes in office technology dlvr.it/SSfyns

22nd June 2022
AmerCityCounty

We want to hear from you! Please take this brief survey and let us know how your organization is managing your budg… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

22nd June 2022
AmerCityCounty

Buying smart solutions: Technology is now part of (almost) every government purchase dlvr.it/SSbj3Z

21st June 2022
AmerCityCounty

Amid tech labor shortage, outsourcing digital services could provide relief dlvr.it/SSbj23

21st June 2022

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2022 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X