(rshsdepot) Tinley Park, IL

[Bernie Wagenblast <brwagenblast_@_comcast.net>]

Station work back on track

Tinley Park preparing for May opening of new Metra depot

Sunday, April 13, 2003




By Anne Bowhay
Staff writer



Commuters waiting at Tinley Park's new Metra station on Oak Park Avenue will
soon wait in style.
That's because after two years of planning, a year of construction and a few
delays, the $4.4 million rail station is expected to open sometime next
month.

The station is designed to anchor Tinley Park's historic district, a hub for
the 1,193 commuters that Metra says board there each weekday.

The 3,800-square-foot station, with its slate roof and copper trim, will
feature a three-story clock tower with observation deck, a Mojoe's
coffeehouse and an 800-foot-long boarding platform with heated overhang.

Grand opening events are set for May 28 and 29, but the public may start
using the station earlier, said Patrick Rea, the Tinley Park trustee
overseeing the project jointly funded by the village, Metra and the Illinois
Department of Transportation.

"It was intended to be a landmark, and it's turning out to be that," Rea
said. "We have had a couple people, probably tongue in cheek, apply to hold
weddings there."

"It's going to be a beautiful station," Metra spokeswoman Audrey Renteria
said.

Once the station is done, village attention will shift toward Tinley's busy
west side station, at 80th Avenue north of 183rd Street. With 2,297
commuters using that station daily, the village hopes to work with Metra in
building a larger station there by 2005 or 2006, according to Rea.

"We are committed to the construction of a new station out there," said Rea,
noting that a more contemporary design is likely for the 80th Avenue stop.

The 80th Avenue station is the fifth busiest of Metra's 236 train stations,
including the South Shore Line. A fall survey showed 475 more people board
there now than three years ago, Renteria said.

By comparison, the area's next busiest station is Oak Forest at West 159th
Street and Cicero Avenue, which ranks 17th with 1,591 riders. Tinley's Oak
Park Avenue station ranks 40th, Renteria said.

At groundbreaking ceremonies in April 2002, officials said the Oak Park
Avenue station could be largely completed as soon as January. Rea said it
was not expected to be finished, but it was hoped the station could be used
for shelter instead of the temporary station now available.

In December, the Phase 1 finish date was put off to sometime in March, then
pushed back again. But no contract penalties will be imposed because a
contracted completion date of June 23 will be met, according to Rea and
acting village manager Scott Niehaus.

Some key delays occurred early on. The station is built on the site of a
storage yard and parking lot once used by Conserv FS, a farm supply store
that is Tinley's oldest business. Soil had to be removed where there had
been a diesel fuel leak, and crushed gravel had to be laid to give the
station a better foundation.

A few weeks' slowdown was blamed on a delay in ordering the stone masonry
that lines the outside walls of the building, and delays in delivering wood
trestles. The final delay is due to a staircase for the observation deck,
due for delivery the first week in May.

"We didn't want any grand opening without people being able to go up for a
look," Rea said.

"This is the kind of facility you wouldn't want to rush because of the
special work in it, so you just have to let it unfold," he added.

Tinley Park's share of the project cost is $500,000, IDOT paid $1.9 million,
and Metra $2 million. Metra covered another $600,000 in platform
improvements. About $1 million more has been spent on nearby landscaping,
from 66th Court to Oak Park Avenue. It includes Zabrocki Plaza, named for
the mayor of 22 years, Ed Zabrocki.

"The standard we use is no public building will be undertaken if it does not
contribute to the ambiance and the value of homes and businesses in the
area," Rea said.

Grand opening events will include a May 28 greeting for morning commuters,
and an evening event May 29 for Metra and other officials, Rea said. The
station was designed by Legat Architects, and built by George Allen
Construction of Frankfort.

The first rail station at Oak Park Avenue was built in 1854 on the north
side of the tracks. It was replaced in 1945 by the station that was
demolished in June 2001, two months after it was damaged in a fire.

After construction is done, the station will continue to offer parking for
729 cars. At 80th Avenue, there are 1,831 stalls for $1-a-day parking,
Renteria said.

Work will be done this summer to add parking for 320 cars in a new 80th
Avenue lot south of Timber Drive. A new outlet street for lots south of the
station will be built from Timber to 76th Avenue at 183rd, along with a
traffic light for the intersection. The $1.8 million project is funded by
Metra, IDOT and a federal grant.

By next fall, Metra also plans to pilot an electronic sign system at 80th
Avenue and the Mokena stations that would tell commuters where to park or if
a lot were full, Renteria said.

Anne Bowhay may be reached at abowhay_@_dailysouthtown.com or (708) 633-5995.


=================================
The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org

------------------------------