Here’s an interesting little factoid: Did you you know the El Monte bus station is the busiest bus station west of Chicago?

As part of the ExpressLanes project that will convert the carpool lanes on parts of the 10 and 110 freeways into toll lanes, the El Monte bus station is going to be rebuilt and expanded to double its current size — that’s a rendering of the new station above and at right. But first a temporary bus station must be built to replace the current one during construction.

That work begins next Tuesday and it also means some parking is going to be shifted around at the current site. All the details and another couple of renderings are in the press release after the jump.

Upgrade of El Monte Station Part of ExpressLanes Project
Metro to Begin Construction on a Temporary Bus Terminal at El Monte Bus Station

Metro will begin constructing a temporary bus terminal on Tuesday, April 20 in preparation for the ultimate construction of a new El Monte Bus Station. The construction will take place in the parking lot of the station located to the right of the main entrance at Santa Anita Ave. and Ramona Blvd. in El Monte.

Parking at the El Monte Station during this construction period will be restricted and a chain link fence will be erected around the parking lot while construction of the temporary bus station proceeds. Completion of the temporary facility is expected in August 2010.

El Monte Station patrons can use an additional parking facility set up at the former Chevrolet dealership lot just off Santa Anita Avenue adjacent to the San Bernardino Freeway.

Metro will make every effort to minimize impacts to patrons during the construction period. Signs guiding both vehicles and pedestrians around the transit center will be posted and pedestrians will be redirected to safe areas outside the construction zone.

Following completion of the temporary bus terminal, the existing bus station will be closed for further construction work. All buses will be redirected to the temporary bus terminal.

The $45 million El Monte Station construction project will consist of a new two story building that will house a public bus and terminal station with limited retail space, a customer service center and surface parking. Final construction is anticipated to be completed in January 2012.

Currently, approximately 22,000 patrons use the facility daily. It is the largest bus station west of Chicago and is used by Metro, Foothill Transit, LAX FlyAway, Greyhound, El Monte Transit and Metrolink Shuttle.

Once completed, the facility will be twice its current size and include modern amenities including variable message signs, intercoms, closed circuit television, solar panels, wayfinding equipment and information displays, new elevators and escalators, a transit store, bike stations and lockers and public art.

The project is funded by a $210 million congestion reduction demonstration grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation as part of the ExpressLanes project.

Metro and Caltrans District 7, along with Foothill Transit, Gardena Transit, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, MetroLink and Torrance Transit are partnering in a one-year demonstration project during which existing carpool lanes on the I-10 El Monte Busway (between Alameda Street and I-605) and the I-110 Harbor Transitway (between Adams Blvd. and the Artesia Transit Center) will be converted to High-Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes called ExpressLanes.

The upgrading of the El Monte Bus Station is an essential part of the success of the ExpressLane project in an effort to provide commuters, regardless of income level, with new and better travel options along two of LA County’s most congested corridors. ExpressLanes are scheduled to open in 2012.

For construction updates and information, the public can call Metro’s Community Relations Construction Impact Hotline at 213-922-7900 or visit metro.net/elmonte.