(The Daily Southtown posted the following article by Courtney Greve on its website on October 16.)
CHICAGO — Planning and construction on new or improved Metra stations in Palos Heights and Palos Park has dragged on for years, but officials believe an end is in sight.
Construction of the new $7 million Metra station near 114th Street and Southwest Highway in Palos Heights began in December 2000.
The depot and a 500-space parking lot is to open late next year, more than two years behind schedule and $1.1 million over budget, Metra spokeswoman Audrey Renteria said.
In Palos Park, village officials said they anticipate giving final approval in the next few weeks to improvement plans for the station at 123rd Street and 82nd Avenue.
Construction on a new 1,760-square-foot depot and a parking lot with about 250 additional spaces should begin this spring, more than two years after Metra purchased the 41/2-acre Johnson Lumber property, Renteria said.
The Palos Heights and Palos Park stations are located less than two miles apart on Metra’s SouthWest Service Line.
Officials hope the expanded stations will alleviate congested parking lots in Worth, Chicago Ridge, Palos Park and Orland Park.
“Parking is at 95 percent capacity at eight of the nine stations along the line,” said Clayton Weaver, Metra technical services director, at a recent Palos Park plan commission meeting. “It’s important that we add capacity at all of the station sites along the line.”
The Palos Heights station will have 500 parking spots, but Renteria said Metra is also negotiating the use of land owned by the Worth Park District to add more commuter parking at that station.
Worth Park Board President James Kennelly said Metra contacted them two years ago about building a 250-space parking lot on vacant land southeast of the railroad tracks. The property is adjacent to the park district’s Terrace Centre, 11500 S. Beloit Ave.
Kennelly said a tunnel may be built under the tracks so Worth commuters could access the Palos Heights station. The Worth Park District would maintain the parking lot by collecting daily or monthly parking fees, he said.
Palos Park Mayor Carolyn Baca said commuters will be able to use the existing parking lot during construction.
Despite delays, Baca said residents should know about the work that has been done “behind the scenes.”
“Metra’s original proposal was unsatisfactory,” she said. “We’ve been working for 21/2 years to get Metra to give us upgrades to the building, landscaping and design so that it looks like it belongs in Palos Park.”
Palos Heights officials told a different story for their station.
“It’s taking forever. It’s taking way too long,” Mayor Robert Straz said. “We’re at a loss because there’s nothing we can do about it. It’s totally their project that they’re funding.”
Renteria said complications with construction of the access road from Southwest Highway to the station has caused much of the delay. Crews are expected to finish widening easements, installing signals and turning lanes, and building retaining walls by fall 2004, Renteria said.
“It’s a very busy highway and work can only be done during off-peak hours,” she said.