SPRINGFIELD - The City of Springfield is one step closer to achieving a centralized public transportation hub following the announcement of a $41 million state contribution earmarked for the Springfield-Sangamon County Transportation Center, advanced in the General Assembly by State Senator Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill).

The landmark investment is part of the state’s latest Multi-Year Plan under Rebuild Illinois.

“This is a transformational investment in Springfield’s future, especially for East Side residents. The plan will make everyday commutes shorter, safer and more efficient for Springfield drivers and residents using all modes of public transportation,” Manar said. “In addition to modernizing our transit system, the project will boost economic development in a neighborhood that has lacked investment in recent years. I was proud to champion this effort in the General Assembly, and I look forward to continuing to support the Springfield rail consolidation project as a whole.”

The Springfield-Sangamon County Transportation Center will combine Springfield Mass Transit District buses, the Amtrak station, intercity buses, paratransit vehicles and taxis at one location along the Tenth Street corridor with an adjacent parking garage.

The project is a component of the Springfield Rail Improvement Project – a cooperative venture of IDOT, Sangamon County and the City of Springfield – to finalize long-awaited plans aimed at reducing train-related traffic stoppages that will improve public safety while upgrading the high-speed commercial rail service between Chicago and St. Louis that passes through Springfield.

The project will ultimately relocate all passenger and freight traffic from Third Street to the Tenth Street rail line, consolidating them into one common corridor. It will also construct new underpasses and one overpass at critical rail crossings on the Tenth Street and 19th Street corridors in order to reduce street-level rail crossings.

Set to begin in the current fiscal year, construction for the Transportation Center is to be completed in 2025 based on projections according to consulting firm Hanson Professional Services, Inc.

“Transportation systems can be a driving factor in any city’s growth or decline,” Manar said. “I appreciate the state, local, and federal leaders who share my vision for Springfield and are committed to seeing it through.”