The CTA is planning to bring back express bus service on Ashland and Western avenues during evening rush periods, according to a press release. The faster 9 and 49 routes will stop roughly every four blocks and expect to save commuters around 12 minutes each way compared to regular service.
The city phased out the express X9 and X49 bus routes along the same roads in 2010 due to a lack of funding. The city did not make any explicit correlation between the reintroduction of the express services and the seemingly dead in the water Ashland BRT, which would revamp the avenue in a similar fashion to the Loop Link project (currently in progress). That service would bring the installation of bus platforms to the middle of Ashland Avenue every four blocks, an extra bus lane in each direction, and would make a trip between Beverly and Wicker Park take about 45 minutes.
The Chicago Department of Transportation also recently delayed the demolition of the Western-Belmont overpass, which is dilapidated and crumbling. That construction was originally slated for last spring but has been pushed backed several times and is now scheduled to begin early next year.