Light at the end of the tunnel for Joliet bus station

The on-again, off-again Joliet bus station project has been underway since April without fanfare.

Although the project has been planned for more than 10 years, crews did not hold a groundbreaking ceremony because of the COVID-19 pandemic conditions at the time construction began.

If construction goes smoothly, Pace bus riders in Joliet will have indoor shelter downtown before the end of the year. It will be the first Pace bus station in Joliet.

“We’d like to be active by winter,” said Lisa Dorothy, a Joliet civil engineer who has been the project manager for the Joliet Gateway Center.

The Gateway Center is the transportation complex being built around the old Union Station. It includes the train station that opened in 2018 along with new boarding platforms for Metra passengers. The bus station is the last part of the project, which was announced in November 2010 by then Gov. Pat Quinn with a pledge of state grants to pay for it.

The city focus was on the train station. As construction costs went beyond budget, the bus depot was put on hold. However, at the grand opening ceremony for the train station, Pace announced it would commit $7.5 million so the bus depot could be built.

The construction site is tucked away, although the future address is 50 S. Chicago St. It’s east of the commuter parking lot across from the Will County Adult Detention Facility. It’s bordered on two sides by railroad tracks, and the south end is near Osgood Street, where the Pace garage is located.

Dorothy said the project still is in the excavation stage with underground work being done on sanitary and storm sewer lines.

The $9 million bus station will be 2,800 square feet in size with a turn-around area for Pace buses when completed.

Although the project was downsized from original plans because of funding issues, Dorothy said the downsizing affected office space for Pace not depot space for passengers.

“The amenities for the public weren’t downsized,” Dorothy said. “We were able to shrink the square footage of the building without eliminating any of those services.”

Those services are becoming common sights in public areas – seating, restrooms and WiFi access. However, it will be the first building for Pace riders in Joliet.

“It’s really convenient for people who want to transfer from bus to train or from vehicle to bus or train,” Dorothy said.

The bus station is on the southwest side of the railroad tracks that cross at the train station, providing Metra riders with service on the Rock Island and Heritage Corridor lines. But two pedestrian tunnels will provide a connection between the bus and train stations.

The turnaround area in front of the station will have parking for 13 buses. Eleven of those are exclusively for Pace, and the city is talking with inter-city bus companies about potential use of the other two spaces.