Local and state officials joined Metra to celebrate the groundbreaking on the complete rehabilitation of the 147th Street/Sibley Boulevard Station on the Metra Electric Line in Harvey, Ill.
Attendees included Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, U.S. Rep. Robin L. Kelly (D-IL-2), Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, State Sen. Napoleon B. Harris III (D-15), State Rep. William Davis (D-30), Harvey Mayor Christopher J. Clark, Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) Chairman Kirk Dillard, Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman and Metra Executive Director/CEO Jim Derwinski.
The work, which will require the closure of the station for 12 to 15 months starting on May 16, is the first major upgrade to the facility in three decades. For the duration of the project, passengers are advised to use the Ivanhoe Station at 144th Street or the Harvey Station at 154th Street.
“When I proposed the state’s $45 billion Rebuild Illinois capital plan, it was with the direct purpose of modernizing transportation infrastructure like the 147th Street Sibley Metra Station, which had been neglected for far too long,” said Gov. Pritzker. “This gleaming and accessible new station is just one of the investments our capital plan is bringing to Harvey – and with the doubling of state funding for the city’s local infrastructure projects, residents should expect to see more new sidewalks, bike paths and other local improvements.”
Metra CEO/Executive Director Jim Derwinski added, “Access to public transportation is an essential building block to a healthy community and today’s groundbreaking marks a new day for the city of Harvey. My Metra’s goal is to provide a safe, warm, and welcoming place for all our riders at all our stations. Our investment here will make our service more attractive and easier to use for existing and potential customers.”
The project will replace the station’s existing concrete platform with a longer-lasting composite material. The existing headhouse and passenger shelters will also be replaced, and a canopy covering most of the platform area will be added. The new facility will also include elevator access to the platform, making it accessible to people with disabilities.
IHC Construction Companies LLC was awarded a $13-million contract for the project in November 2021.
The 147th Street project also includes significant improvements at street level, including a new entrance with a covered staircase, converting the gravel parking area near the station entrance to a paved kiss-n-ride and adding bicycle parking. The project will also improve pathways to the main parking lot on the east side of the tracks, and new lighting will be installed on the platform and along the sidewalk under the tracks.
The budget for design and construction is $20 million, with funding from the state’s Rebuild Illinois program, the Federal Transit Administration and a Cook County Invest in Cook grant.
“Better transportation for people of our community means a stronger Harvey,” said Harvey Mayor Christopher J. Clark. “I am excited that our great state and federal governments, as well as Metra, have invested in our community to build a better Harvey.”
