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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – They’re calling it the “first step to (a) permanent facility.”
As first reported several weeks ago, the Sangamon Mass Transit District (SMTD) has purchased 25 acres of land on Springfield’s south side, that will serve as a secondary transportation hub, replacing a sidewalk area with several bus shelters first put into use in 2019 at Junction Circle off MacArthhur Boulevard.
The new location will be at 350 W. North Street, and almost across the street from Junction Circle — north of Stanford Ave. and south of North Street.
The $1.5 million purchase price was mostly covered by state and federal grants, with $74,000 coming from the district’s own money. In addition, the land, previously owned by the Wanless Trust, which donated the remainder of the appraised value.
“SMTD believes the area around the current on-street transfer point at Junction Circle will develop quickly over the next decade, and a major product of this move to a permanent off-street facility is improved safety for passengers, bus operators, and the driving public by getting out of what could develop into a very busy, very congested area,” said Steve Schoeffel, Managing Director of SMTD, in a news release. “The location is also close to the proposed trailhead for ‘The LINC’ Greenway, which will provide a new pedestrian and bicycle connection to downtown and beyond on the current 3rd Street rail corridor.”
Schoeffel says $6.9 million has been secured to build a new facility, with more being sought. A state grant application to that end has been made. If successful, the project could be completed in the next five years.
It’s expected the new secondary hub could have “improved shelter from the weather in the form of larger canopies, improved passenger information screens similar to the downtown transfer center bus bays, and possibly ticket vending machines as the types of amenities the community can look forward to,” said the release. There also is expected to be enough room for future growth.
“In 2019, SMTD integrated the Junction Circle Transfer Point into our service, connecting several routes west and south with the downtown transfer center via an express route,” said Schoeffel. “The on-street transfer point was intended as a proof-of-concept effort to improve efficiency by not having every route in our system have to travel all the way downtown every trip every day, and it has worked well.”
Schoeffel will join the WTAX Morning Newswatch Friday at 6:40 a.m. to talk more about the project.
