New home for RMTD

"It's always nice to move to a new home," said Rides Mass Transit District (RMTD) CEO Bill Jung about the district's new Harrisburg maintenance and operations facility.

Rides Mass Transit District is the public transportation provider for Illinois' 18 southernmost counties<span class="s1">.</span>

The new facility is situated near the busy Route 13 corridor, and will provide a central hub for drivers and dispatch staff. Previously, the RMTD's Harrisburg facility was across the street from the Illinois Youth Center on the Harrisburg Bypass, an area that has been deemed a flood area. In addition to its poor location, the RMTD has outgrown the former facility at 1200 W. Poplar.

"We'd outgrown the other place, twice, three times," said Adam Lach, procurement coordinator for RMTD.

The new facility includes office space, a lounge and locker room for employees and a kitchen, plus a garage and bus wash. In the winter, a waste oil heating system that recycles used oil from the buses will heat the facility, and water used to wash the buses will also be recycled.

Funded entirely by a state grant through the Illinois Jobs Now program, the new facility was a project three years in the making. Harrisburg Mayor Dale Fowler said he and the city of Harrisburg welcome the new facility as an economic force that will host more than 40 employees.

"This is an amazing economic engine. We've got a lot of construction coming, and so it's a great complement for the times," the mayor said, hinting at new business coming to Harrisburg.

The project was completed by Lipps Construction and Hurst-Rosche Engineers and Design Architects, Inc.

The District's service area is a total of 7,379 square miles and has a combined population of 306,981. Last year, RMTD provided transportation to 12,000 to 13,000 residents per month