Rides creates hub in Marion
MARION - Legislation to create a transit hub to create transportation availability to and from the Marion Veterans Administration has been signed into law.
State Sen. Gary Forby (D-Benton) sponsored the legislation signed by Gov. Bruce Rauner on Friday.
The legislation allows for the state to sell two tracts of land on Main Street, adjacent to the Marion VA hospital to Rides Mass Transit District, according to Larry Luster, a communications staff member of Senate President John Cullerton.
"The state owns a small portion of land where they (Rides) wants to put in a hub," Luster said. "This legislation allows the land to be sold through Central Management Services for $1."
Rides Mass Transit District, based in Harrisburg, covers 7,379 square miles, the largest rural transit system in the state. RMTD provides public regional transportation service to 18 counties in Southern Illinois.
"This has been an ongoing project. We got funding for it in the Illinois JOBS program through the Illinois Department of Transportation," explained Rides CEO Bill Jung. Delta Region Authority participated in the program on the federal level, he added.
"We're trying to create a little better access to transportation and services needed for the VA hospital that crosses the Illinois 13 corridor," Jung said.
Jung said the hub will include a transfer center and park and ride area.
"We have 10 routes that come out of Harrisburg across Illinois 13 that will interface with this. With South Central Transit coming from Franklin County and Shawnee from the south, it will allow all of the services to interface across Marion and Carbondale.
"It will create more systematic availability of services that should reduce duplication."
Forby said the location of the new transportation hub will allow veterans better access to healthcare services.
"Providing accessibility to medical facilities for our veterans is a responsible and considerate step in honoring their service. Our veterans shouldn't have to worry about transportation to medical facilities because they allowed us the opportunity to not worry about our safety," Forby stated in a news release.
Jung said he hopeful bids can be received within the next 90 days with construction moving forward this fall.