DMT and CRIS add transportation services

Local News

Discussion

October 11, 2008

BY BARBARA GREENBERG The Commercial-News Sat Oct 11, 2008, 10:32 PM CDT

DANVILLE — Recent federal funding will soon make getting around easier for area residents who rely on public transportation.

Both Danville Mass Transit and CRIS Senior Services, along with 16 other agencies and local governments in the central part of Illinois, were recently awarded funds through the Job Access and Reverse Commute Program or the New Freedom Program. DMT received $339,060 and CRIS was the recipient of $159,000. These grants will enable these agencies to either establish new transportation routes or extend the hours of service on existing routes.

Dick Brazda, DMT director, said although the grants were just announced Tuesday, “they were a done deal. These projects were selected three or four months ago.

“We knew we had the approval,” Brazda said. “We’ll begin implementing the changes in a few weeks, around the end of Oct. or in early Nov.”

City bus riders should be pleased to hear of the changes. Buses will run an hour later, with the last trip beginning at 7:15 p.m. Mondays-Fridays.

New DMT service will also include Lynch Road during rush hour and three new Saturday round trips between Georgetown and Danville.

“This will make jobs more accessible for low-income individuals and those who are currently unemployed,” he said. “We’ll also be offering expanded service to those who attend DACC (Danville Area Community College) or who work later in the day.

“As details become available,” Brazda said, “we’ll issue a new version of both our map and our schedule.”

Amy Marchant, CEO of CRIS, said those who use CRIS transportation will also have to wait until expanded service is implemented.

“The grants have been in the works for up to a year,” Marchand said, “but we still don’t have official notification of this award.”

Information came to the Commercial-News in the form of a press release from Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s office. The release indicated that the grants were from Illinois Department of Transportation’s Division of Public and Intermodal Transportation.

But Paris Ervin, spokesperson for IDOT, said her agency simply distributed federal funds that were already awarded.

Before applying for the grants, CRIS held a series of meetings with community leaders from the northern part of the county, Marchant said. “We met with representatives from Hoopeston, Rossville and Bismarck. Hoopeston Multi-Agency contributed ideas. We wanted input about what the people in that area needed.

“Service on a vehicle we’ve nicknamed the Corn Cruiser should begin in about a year,” she said. “It will take people from the northern part of the county to doctors in Danville, to Wal-Mart, to the Village Mall .

“It’s exciting to me that by using our routes people from Hoopeston will be able to go anywhere Amtrak goes via Champaign,” she said.

“People will have to stay tuned for when the service begins,” she advised.

Text Only

Local News

Community Briefs
The Danville Lions Club will meet at noon Tuesday at the Days Hotel, 77 N. Gilbert. The topic: “Know Your Lions.”

May 28, 2012
Community Calendar
Memorial Day ceremonies at area sites — 8:30 a.m., Curtis G. Redden gravesite in Spring Hill Cemetery; 9 a.m., World War I monument; 9:30 a.m., Korean War Memorial on Hazel; 9:30 a.m., Maj. Kenneth Bailey gravesite in Spring Hill Cemetery; 9:30 a.m., Jewell Whyte family site in Spring Hill Cemetery; 9:30 a.m., at the lagoon at the VA for all service people lost at sea; 9:45 a.m., Women’s Memorial behind the Vermilion County War Museum; 10:45 a.m., all veterans’ groups gather at the Danville National Cemetery.

May 28, 2012
Tropical Storm Beryl strengthens, nears U.S. coast
Tropical Storm Beryl was wrecking some Memorial Day weekend plans on Sunday, causing shoreline campers to pack up and head inland and leading to the cancellation of some events as the storm approached the southeastern U.S.

May 27, 2012
CASA seeks volunteers
May 27, 2012
Classes transition online
May 27, 2012
Dad welcomes baby — while a world away
Like most fathers, Brandun Schweizer wanted to witness his first child’s birth. There was just one problem, however — he was thousands of miles away in Afghanistan.

May 27, 2012 2 Photos
Veterans ask people to pause
Although the Memorial Day weekend is a time for picnics and pool parties, veterans’ groups hope people pause to remember those who gave their lives in the line of duty, as well as others who have died.

May 27, 2012
Martha Stewart learns family’s roots
Television viewers have been treated to two series lately dealing with genealogy.

May 27, 2012
Haiti touches her heart
Janis Ostiguy of Danville experiences many emotions each time she visits Haiti — sadness at the poverty, happiness with the children, warmth for the people and their spirit.

May 27, 2012 3 Photos
Turtles return to race
Collected turtles are being fed fruits, meat and vegetables and will be ready to go for the 48^th Annual Turtle Races.

May 27, 2012
More Local News Headlines

Local News

Search Results

Discussion

DMT and CRIS add transportation services

Site Map

Contact Us