Pace was thrilled to welcome U.S. Rep. Bill Foster (D-IL-11), Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant and Mayor of Bolingbrook Mary Alexander-Basta to celebrate Community Project Funding secured by Foster to create a passenger waiting area at the agency’s Bolingbrook Park-n-Ride, offering riders a more comfortable place to wait for the bus.
“Thanks to Congressman Foster, a new waiting area will take this facility to the next level and make using public transit a much more attractive option for riders,” said Pace Executive Director Melinda Metzger. “Because Pace and our sister agencies in northeastern Illinois are facing a ‘fiscal cliff’ after 2025, we need to take advantage of every opportunity to enhance service within our limited budget. This funding from Congressman Foster does just that: Offers benefits to transit riders in this community and attracts new ones without a need for new operating funding.”
The new building will shield waiting riders from inclement weather and will be fully accessible to riders of all abilities. The waiting area will include modern amenities, such as restrooms and a vending machine for reloading Ventra Cards. This facility has already seen recent upgrades, including an increase in the number of parking spots and the installation of an electronic bus tracker sign.
“With a growing population in the far suburbs, it's important that we keep up with the demand for safe and reliable public transportation options—and that’s exactly what Pace’s Park-n-Ride represents," Rep. Foster said. "I was proud to secure $1.2 million in Community Project Funding to support the construction of this new, fully accessible indoor facility. This project will help connect passengers to work, schools, local businesses and more and produce positive economic and environmental impacts for the community.”
The Bolingbrook Park-n-Ride is served by Pace’s I-55 bus-on-shoulder service, which has been one of the most successful services in the agency’s history. A change in state law in 2011 made bus-on-shoulder service possible in Chicagoland. In the first eight years since Pace got approval to use the shoulder, bus ridership on the I-55 corridor increased almost 700 percent. On-time performance—which previously averaged less than 70 percent—is now over 90 percent.
“This phenomenal success led to what we in the public transit business call ‘good problems to have’: Overflowing buses and overflowing park-n-ride lots along the I-55 corridor. As we emerge from the pandemic, ridership continues to grow and improved passenger facilities like the one we will soon see here will be a key part of making sure that trend continues,” said Pace Chairman Rick Kwasneski.
