Overhaul of Harvey hub serving Metra, Pace riders gets boost from $20 million federal grant

It will soon be the end of the route and the start of a new one for Pace’s busiest bus hub in its suburban system.

Already in line for a major overall, the Harvey Transportation Center will get a boost from a $20 million federal grant going toward the overall $70 million cost of the project, officials said at a news conference Tuesday.

Another $12.3 million is coming from the state’s Rebuild Illinois capital program, while Pace and Metra are covering the balance of the cost.

At 154th Street and Park Avenue, next to one of Harvey’s stops on the Metra Electric Line, the Pace station serves nearly 2,500 people daily and is a hub for a dozen Pace routes. According to Pace, the Harvey center handles more passengers than any other suburban station.

Construction is scheduled to start next year, and work is scheduled to continue through at least part of 2027.

The work won’t involve a total shutdown of the transportation center, although some detours and alternate boarding locations may be in effect, according to Pace and Metra.

Under mostly overcast skies and with a chilly wind blowing, attendees at the news conference got a taste of what Pace riders experience using the center.

While there are two bus stop shelters under roof, riders are largely exposed to the elements, with no indoor waiting area and no restrooms, two issues the new center will address.

The existing stop, some three decades old, will be demolished, with the larger station abutting the Metra station at 154th Street and Park Avenue.

Although Park Avenue runs north and south between the Metra stop and Pace station, Harvey is working to transfer the street from the Illinois Department of Transportation to the city to allow for the new station to be built, according to Pace and Metra.

Attendees Tuesday huddled around a handful of propane heaters set up in a parking lot just west of the transportation center, awaiting speakers who promised the transportation center project will be a more comfortable, welcoming facility.

Harvey Mayor Christopher Clark, who envisions residential and commercial development coming to the area near the transportation center, said the rebuilding is a boost to those plans.

“I remember a time in the city of Harvey that we didn’t have this type of investment,” he said.

Clark praised the various agencies involved in making the federal grant, and the overall project, a reality.

“As a mayor, it definitely blows my mind,” he said.

Romayne Brown, Metra’s chairperson, said the facility will have improved lighting, more bus bays, an expanded kiss-and-ride stop and be compliant with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. According to Pace, there will also be retail space available.

“It’s a win-win for Metra, it’s a win-win for Pace, it’s a win-win for Harvey and it’s a win for our riders,” Brown said.

The Harvey facility is the latest in a string of significant transportation projects announced in the south suburbs.

This spring, Metra officials kicked off reconstruction of Harvey’s 147th Street/Sibley Boulevard station on the Electric Line.

That work, which will take more than a year to complete, will include replacing platforms and adding an elevator to make the station accessible to people with disabilities.

Metra said the project is the first major upgrade to the station in three decades, and that Elgin-based IHC Construction Cos. is overseeing the project.

Metra this week also announced that IHC is heading renovations of Metra’s Electric Line stop in Homewood, awarding IHC a $14.5 million contract.

The passenger station is being rehabbed in conjunction work Amtrak is completing adjacent to the Metra stop.

Work on the Metra station is expected to get underway next spring and take about two years to complete.

That project includes ADA-accessible entry, a renovation of the station platform, warming house and improved ventilation and lighting, according to Metra.

mnolan@tribpub.com