Construction is set to begin in the coming days on the new Metra commuter rail station in Morton Grove, part of a multi-million dollar project that the mayor expects will provide a more welcoming “gateway” to the north suburb.
In an electronic newsletter from the village, officials stated construction is scheduled to start Oct. 14 and wrap up next summer.
Morton Grove will pay for the estimated $2.5 million project with funds from the Lincoln and LeHigh Tax Increment Financing District, Village Administrator Chuck Meyer previously explained.
The Village Board voted in January to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with Metra to build a new commuter station and reconfigure the parking lot at 8501 Lehigh Ave.
“That whole train station is going to be awesome,” Village President Dan DiMaria previously said. “I can’t wait.”
Officials explained in the newsletter that, during construction, commuters will be able to park at the station, which is served by Metra’s Milwaukee District North line that runs between Union Station in downtown Chicago and far north suburban Fox Lake.
“Metra service will continue to be provided using the existing station and platform. The existing station will be demolished once the new station building is operational. The goal is to avoid service disruptions to Metra commuter rail,” officials stated in the newsletter.
However, the newsletter explains, the number of parking spaces available in the lot at the station will be reduced from 98 to between 26 and 45 “depending on the phase of the project.”
But commuter parking will still be offered at other locations along Elm Street and Lehigh Avenue.
Also, the village will provide about 50 new spaces near Main Street and Nagle Avenue, according to the newsletter.
In addition to paying for construction costs with the TIF district funds, the Village Board, throughout the year, approved of other spending associated with the new Metra station.
At the start of the year, Morton Grove received a $300,000 grant from Metra to help rebuild the train station – which one village official called an “embarrassment” – and the adjacent parking lot.
In July, the Village Board voted to spend up to $284,582 to convert a grassy triangle into Gateway Plaza, a public plaza spanning 10,000 square feet at Ferris and Lincoln avenues. That work is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
“We used to call it the triangle,” Village President Dan DiMaria said at that time. “It’s a little area over by the train station. I’ve been wanting to develop it. … I want to make it a welcoming spot for when people get off the train and come into town.”
Gateway Plaza will sit just east of the Metra station. The property is currently used as a grassy open space, an emergency accessway serving the Woodlands subdivision and public bicycle parking, Trustee John Thill said in July.
“To enhance use of the property and the appearance of the transit-oriented district, the village plans to construct a public plaza at the property that includes bicycle parking, bench seating, and landscape areas, and maintains the existing emergency accessway,” Thill said.
DiMaria said the plaza will welcome visitors to Morton Grove and residents who use the Metra train.
“It’s a great spot,” he said. “You have to do more than have a little triangle of grass.”
Lake Forest-based RM Swanson Architects, the same firm that recently handled the redesign of the Libertyville Metra station, is providing architectural services for the Morton Grove station.
“I’m very pleased,” DiMaria previously said. “This is one area I wanted to turn around. I’m sick of other communities getting nice train stations and Morton Grove getting left in the cold. I’m thrilled to change the entrance to the village and for all the passersby to get to see what Morton Grove really is.”
Freelancer Phil Rockrohr contributed.