Dan Ryan Red Line Station Improvements
Our long-standing relationships with subcontractors and experienced office management teams allow us not only to excel at meeting DBE participation goals and EEO commitments, but also at providing the detailed reporting that owners need and want.
“F.H. Paschen hit our EEO and DBE diversity goals, while positively impacting the community in the project footprint.”
– Matt Moss, Project Executive
The Dan Ryan Red Line Station Improvements project consisted of making a wide variety of improvements to eight stations on the Dan Ryan Red Line from the Cermak-Chinatown station to the 87th Street station. The station improvements were performed concurrently with track renewal work completed by an adjacent contractor, requiring extensive ongoing coordination.
In order to complete this project, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) closed all eight stations for a total of 140 days, which caused significant disruptions for commuters. Community relations are always important to the CTA and were of particular significance during this project.
Given the diversity of the surrounding community, DBE participation goal was set at a relatively high 40%.
F.H. Paschen achieved 49.7%.
With a long and successful history of partnering with DBEs, we were able to develop bid packages to best leverage our extensive network of subcontractors. This encouraged subcontractors to bid with a clear understanding of scope and challenges. We also worked with the CTA, the Chicago Urban League, and local Aldermen to organize information sessions for DBE subcontractors and job fairs, application intake days, and other resources for local residents to encourage participation in the project. As a result of these efforts, subcontractors were able to make competitive, appropriate bids that reflected our EEO commitments.
Ultimately 12 DBE subcontractors were selected, and local hiring initiatives, along with close collaboration with the DBE subcontractors, resulted in a workforce that was 50% African American. This aligned well with neighborhood demographics and helped to strengthen community relations.