Joliet Breaks Ground on Transportation Hub, the 'Gateway' to the Future

The first step in what will be a major transformation of downtown Joliet was celebrated Friday morning with a dias full of dignitaries and the traditional breaking of "ground."

What it all symbolized was the official beginning of the Joliet Gateway Center, a $53 million project that's designed to make the city a major transportation hub for train, bus and car traffic and potentially the first stop on what could be a high-speed rail line crossing the state from Chicago to St. Louis.

"We want Union Station to come up to 21st century standards," said Gov. Pat Quinn, who served as a master of ceremonies of sorts, introducing speakers that included Illinois Transportation Secretary Ann Schneider, Joliet Mayor Tom Giarrante, Will County Executive Larry Walsh and the owners of J M Construction, whose company will do some of the work.

The bulk of the ambitious project is being funded with $32 million in state grants awarded through the Illinois Department of Transportation. When complete, the hub will include:

• A new 10,000-square-foot, two-story train station;
• Two new 650-foot train platforms -- one to serve Metra's Heritage Corridor line and the other for Metra's Rock Island line;
• The realignment of the BNSF and Union Pacific train tracks;
• A 3,900-square-foot bus station for Pace, Greyhound and Burlington Trailways;
• A 13-berth bus passenger loading station;
• A 400-stall gated commuter parking lot.

There are also plans for a privately owned, multilevel parking deck to be built on land across the street from Silver Cross Field on Jefferson Street.

Construction of the first phase -- the commuter parking lot on Chicago Street, across from the Will County Adult Detention Center -- starts this fall. It was on that site that Friday's groundbreaking was held.

The rest of the development will roll out in segments over the next three years, with the entire project to be completed by fall 2015.

"Words cannot express what this means to the city of Joliet," Giarrante told the crowd. "It's no secret that we're committed to making downtown Joliet thrive again."

But it also means putting people to work, both temporarily with about 400 construction jobs that will be needed ane in the long-term, with new positions to be created as the new stations open, Quinn said.

"As long as I am governor of this state, we have to get jobs. ... and the way to do that is to invest in transportation and infrastructure," Quinn said. "We have to invest in things that create jobs for the future."

Some of Quinn's comments were indirectly intended for the group of 30-plus state employees who gathered nearby and chanted and booed throughout the event. The protesters, members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, are opposed to Quinn's decision to close several prison facilities, including the Illinois Youth Center in Joliet.

Walsh also did not have patience for the picketing employees, using a booming voice to praise the governor for recognizing the potential Joliet has to become the state's transportation center. The new hub coupled with the CenterPoint intermodal facility brings all facets of commuter and commercial transportation to the city and county, he said.

"(Quinn) has brought the greenbacks with him in order to make this work," Walsh said.

Quinn echoed Walsh's sentiments.

"Transportation and location are the two things Will County really has going for it," he said.

In addition to the state money, the project will also receive $7.5 million from the city of Joliet, money it received in 2008 through its annexation agreement with CenterPoint Properties; $2.2 million from BNSF; and $200,000 from Metra.

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