A study recently released by Good Jobs First found that Uptown Station construction project in Normal, Illinois created 140,000 hours of work for construction workers in at least 13 different crafts, including LIUNA members. The $49 million project was supported by a $22 million Transportation Infrastructure Generating Employment Recovery (TIGER) grant, which was a part of the federal stimulus.

The Uptown Station construction project created work for ironworkers, electricians, bricklayers, plumbers, sprinkler fitters, and sheet metal workers. The private spinoff development anchored by the transit center, totaling $220 million, is already revitalizing Uptown Normal. It is now a best-practice model of long-range neighborhood planning focused around transit investments.

“The Uptown revitalization plan has been greatly successful in providing an increased quality of life for all residents. The transportation center created hundreds of jobs during its two-year construction period and continues to create jobs within the community. The current 30+ million-dollar hotel and residential project has also created good construction jobs for the hardworking men and women of our community,” said Normal Mayor Chris Koos.

 

“The Uptown Station was a perfect partnership: the federal government, the State of Illinois, the Town of Normal, local contractors and local unions delivering a high-quality facility on time and on budget,” said Rich Veitengruber, president of the Livingston and McLean Counties Building and Construction Trades Council.

View the entire study at http://www.goodjobsfirst.org/normal.