Chicago's Metra opens ARRA-funded parking lot

On Monday, Chicago-based transit agency Metra marked the opening of expanded parking facilities at the Elburn Station on Metra’s Union Pacific West Line during a dedication ceremony in Elburn, Ill.

The project added 329 spaces to the 300 spaces that already existed at the Elburn Station. Spaces in the lot are available for a daily fee of $1.25. The project also included the construction of two new stairways to the platforms. A bus bay and landscaping will be completed in the spring.

The $1.1 million project was funded through $1 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, and $100,000 from the village of Elburn, which covered the cost to install eight electronic payment boxes. Construction provided 15 full-time jobs for the contractor, Chicagoland Paving Contractors Inc. of Lake Zurich.

Metra is receiving $140.9 million as its share of stimulus dollars. Other Metra projects that are being funded with these dollars include locomotive remanufacturing, bridge replacements and station additions and renovations.