CTA Damen Green Line Station

Chicago

United States

Damen Station on the CTA Green Line—a revival of a transit landmark that first welcomed passengers in 1893 as Robey Station. After a long absence, the new station returns to its roots with a modern design that fuses architectural legacy, advanced engineering, and innovative construction practices.

Among its standout features is a glass-covered pedestrian bridge that features CAST CONNEX Diablo Bolted Splices (DBS). The pedestrian bridge enables seamless foot traffic between the station’s inbound and outbound platforms while offering expansive views of the city skyline. The bridge’s signature green steel trusses reference both the Green Line and Chicago’s iconic steel bridges—celebrating the city’s architectural and infrastructural history.

Architect: Perkins&Will

Structural Engineer: Simpson Gumpertz & Heger

Steel Fabricator: Lockport Steel Fabricators

General Contractor: F.H. Paschen

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To achieve AESS 4 requirements, fabricator Lockport Steel Fabricators assembled as much of the bridge as possible offsite. However, the oversized structure could not be trucked to the project site using traditional methods. Instead, the bridge was divided into two halves and transported via barge up the Chicago Sanitary & Ship Canal, then moved by truck for the final 4.5 miles to the jobsite.

Installation took place during a 52-hour weekend shutdown of the CTA tracks. The two bridge sections were then connected using a combination of welded joints and DBSs. The DBS connectors enabled Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) by simplifying field assembly and eliminating the need for complicated field welding, contributing to schedule certainty and worker safety. The castings were seamlessly concealed beneath thin-gauge cover plates, maintaining the clean, polished appearance required for AESS 4 applications.

The interior of the station features AESS columns capped with standardized CAST CONNEX Architectural Tapers + Universal Pin Connectors (ART+UPC). These slender connections bring elegance and efficiency to the steel-to-steel interfaces, enabling crisp architectural expression with consistent, repeatable quality.

The Damen Station project is a shining example of how smart connection solutions and collaborative planning can realize complex architectural goals under tight constraints.

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