CTA Tattler

Creosote platform crud gets sticky in heat

During the early-August heat wave, I got this email from a Tattler reader:

"What is up with the tar on the Sheridan Red Line stop? When I first started taking the L the platform was normal wood. Then one day it was just covered in tar, and eventually a lot of it wore off. But when it rains the remaining stuff gets all sticky and gets on your shoes. Plus it smells."

CTA spokeswoman Noelle Gaffney reports: "It is a result of the very hot temperatures last week.  The platforms at some older stations are constructed of wood that has been treated with a preservative called creosote.   During extremely hot weather, such as last week, the creosote can soften and become sticky."

Here's some info on creosote. Bottom line is it's an EPA-approved use on the platform, but you don't want to walk barefoot on it -- especially when it's really hot!

And here's a semi-related observation: Freelance writer Scott Gordon blogged recently about a loose and brittle platform plank he found on the Brown Line Southport platform. Good thing the Brown Line construction project is under way.