PROJECT BUDGET
Illinois Jobs Now: $ 40,300,000.00 City of Joliet: $ 7,511,000.00
BNSF: $ 2,200,000.00 Total: $ 50,011,000.00
- BACKGROUND: Governor Pat Quinn has committed more than $40 million from the Illinois Jobs Now! (IJN) Capital Program to the City of Joliet to develop the Joliet Regional Multi-Modal Transportation Center (JRMMTC) in downtown Joliet. The new station will be built adjacent to the existing Joliet Union Station, immediately east of the existing Burlington Northern and Union Pacific tracks.
- What are the benefits of this project? JOBS, JOBS, and MORE JOBS: Construction is expected to generate more than 400 jobs. In addition, this project will help distressed communities by laying the groundwork for future Transit-Oriented Development that will generate additional office/retail employment.
- SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS: In addition to providing a new station building, the project will improve the safety of 800,000 passengers by separating passenger and freight rail traffic, thereby eliminating the ongoing problem of passengers crossing working freight tracks. All passenger platform and waiting areas will be moved east of the existing three-way intersection of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe, Union Pacific and Metra Rock Island District Line tracks. The project also includes a new 400-space parking lot, as well as pedestrian tunnels that connect to Pace bus service, inter-city buses and other forms of ground transportation Construction will begin in September 2012 with the new parking lot; project completion is expected in 2015.
- BENEFITS TO FREIGHT RAIL: The Transportation Center complements the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) Program – the public-private partnership led by the U.S. Department of Transportation, the State of Illinois, 6 of the nation’s Class I freight railroads, Amtrak, Metra, and the City of Chicago. The separation of passenger from freight at Joliet will ease freight congestion in one of northeastern Illinois’ most crowded areas.
FUNDING:
This $50M project includes $7.5M from the City of Joliet’s local funds and an additional $2.2M from the BNSF. Other funding related to the project includes a portion of $15.7 million being contributed by the Union Pacific Railroad, our partner on the Chicago-St. Louis high-speed rail project, as a match to the federal high-speed rail grant that’s helping IDOT build the new 110 mph high-speed corridor. Finally, Metra and Joliet are contributing an additional $2.4 million from a federal grant originally obtained by former Congressman Jerry Weller.
As of Sept. 21, 2012
Groundbreaking kicked off the first phase of construction—the main commuter parking lot. P.T. Ferro Construction Company, which exceeded the parking lot project’s 25% Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) goal with 26.4% DBE participation, will be the general contractor.
