(The Associated Press circulated the following on February 18, 2010.)
NORMAL, Ill. — A central Illinois community is celebrating its selection to receive a large chunk of stimulus money.
Federal authorities say $22 million will go to help pay for a $40 million transportation center in downtown Normal that’ll serve Amtrak trains, as well as buses and taxis. It’ll also house new city council chambers.
The facility will replace the existing, much-maligned Amtrak station some call “Amshack.” It’s expected to be a stop along a high-speed train route between Chicago and St. Louis.
Normal Mayor Chris Koos tells The (Bloomington) Pantagraph he’s “elated” by the news.
The stimulus money was part of $1.5 billion distributed to projects nationwide. The Chicago area got $100 million for projects to reduce rail congestion.