Joliet, Ill., has high hopes for $42-million transit hub
Written by jrood
With a $32-million grant in hand, Joliet, Ill., officials are hopeful that a new transportation center will put the city on the map as a regional transportation hub, the Chicago Tribune reports. Joliet officials recently learned of the state grant, which came just one week after the city was turned down for a federal grant for the project. The state grant, announced Oct. 28, will allow for the construction of a transportation center immediately south of Union Station.
City officials declined to
pinpoint a target date for the project’s completion; some suggested parts of it
could be done in the next two years. The proposed center, which would be the
only one of its kind in the Southwest suburbs, would be a hub for commuter rail
service, high-speed rail and local and long-distance buses. Joliet officials
also hope to link four of the city’s major bike trails to the facility.
"Everything would come
into one centralized location, from shoe leather all the way up to high-speed
rail," said Jim Haller, the city’s director for community and economic
development. "You can walk downtown and take a bus to an airport or take a
train to downtown Chicago and points beyond," he said, noting Joliet would
be the first stop on a proposed high-speed rail line from Chicago to St. Louis.
"It really does open up Joliet to make it more accessible to the
world."
Others viewed it as an
economic boost to the downtown district.
The project, which includes
a new passenger platform, is expected to cost $41.7 million. The state is
providing $32 million through its capital program. Joliet will pay $7.5 million
out of its transportation fund, and $2.2 million is expected from BNSF. The
project is expected to create about 400 construction jobs, said Kendall
Jackson, the city’s planning director.
City officials also expect
the facility would draw an additional 400 commuters a day. Currently, about 750
commuters a day go through Union Station.
Plans for the
transportation center include a new parking lot and parking deck. Parking
spaces would more than double, to 1,300, Jackson said.
City officials noted that
Joliet is close to two interstates and said having two commuter rail lines will
help make the project a success. The new facility also would serve as a
collecting point for nine bus routes.
"We already have the
public transportation," City Manager Tom Thanas said, referring to the
commuter rail and bus services. "Having all those located in one spot in
downtown Joliet will make the connection among all those forms of
transportation much more efficient."
Some are hopeful a new
transportation center would help bring residences to the downtown area.
"It’s the first type
of project for downtown that will actually create the possibility for some new
residential development," Greuling said.
