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Route 59 Metra station improvements under way in Aurora

Work to ease congestion in and around the busiest of all 27 Metra stops on the BNSF line will last through the fall at Route 59 in Aurora.

Ken Schroth, the city's director of public works and city engineer, said the $2.1 million project, including replacing 448 parking spaces and installing new traffic signals at Station Boulevard and Meridian Lake Drive, will be complete around late October. Minor improvements, such as security camera upgrades and landscaping, may continue into next year.

Work is being done in multiple phases, beginning on the east side of the parking lot and progressing toward the west, to ease confusion for commuters and minimize the number of parking spaces that will need to be closed on any given day.

The train platform will be open for the duration of construction.

The work "should improve access to the facility by providing additional exits as well as a signalized intersection," Schroth said. "The drive isles serving the parking stalls will be orientated in a north-south configuration to improve the safety of pedestrians walking to and from the platform."

Commuters, especially those who park in the station's lot, should plan for slightly longer commutes.

They are encouraged to seek alternate parking and use Pace Park-n-Ride facilities.

Temporary on-street parking is available on Meridian Lake Drive and Station Boulevard. Commuters parking outside of designated areas will be ticketed. Daily and monthly parking fees within the parking lot are still required.

Schroth said the new configuration also will provide a dedicated bus staging area with a priority traffic signal.

The station currently has more than 2,200 parking spaces, a 100 percent occupancy rate and a waiting list for permits.

City officials estimate the depot improvements will encourage more people to take the train and could eliminate about 5,200 auto trips a day in Aurora.

The project is being paid for, in part, with a Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Grant through CMAP, an agency working to develop a comprehensive plan for the seven-county Chicago region. The grant pays roughly $1.6 million of the $2.1 million project.

  The $2.1 million renovations to the Route 59 Metra station in Aurora will last through the fall. Mark Black/mblack@dailyherald.com
  Commuters, especially those who park in the Route 59 Metra station's parking lot, should plan for slightly longer commutes during construction. Mark Black/mblack@dailyherald.com
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