$35M Kankakee Welcome Center nears completion
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As Indiana seeks to improve how it welcomes visitors, the Kankakee Welcome Center is the subject of a $34.7 million renovation.
The rest stop is southbound on I-65 from Chicagoland in Jasper County near mile marker 231. The new building is replacing a more than 40-year-old building, which was said to grow difficult to upkeep. It will now feature ADA-compliant and energy-efficient bathrooms, more parking, walking trails and other amenities.
The welcome center is one of many the state is overhauling as part of its $275 million effort, aimed at rehabbing aging, well-trafficked stopping points by 2032. Each new rest area will be reflective of the area’s highlights.
The Kankakee exterior features a roof tailored to look like two wind turbine blades, a patchwork of glass as an ode to Lake Michigan and a trademark wavy partial roof inspired by lakeshore sand dunes. Inside, there will also be interactive exhibits teaching about monarch butterflies, a herd of buffalo, sandhill cranes and wind generation.
The site will also have adult fitness equipment, a playground, picnic shelters and a wetland, according to our partners at the Times of Northwest Indiana.
Calumet City- and Munster-based Hasse Construction are the contractors on the project. Around 150 people have worked on the project over the past two years.
The Times reported the state plans for the center to be completed by September and hold a grand opening with the governor in October.
“Welcome Centers many times provide our visitors with a first impression of Indiana and are our opportunity to put our best foot forward. These stunning new welcome centers will do just that,” said Elaine Bedel, Indiana Destination Development Corporation Secretary and Chief Executive Officer, in a 2021 news release.
New welcome centers are also planned near Terre Haute and in Posey County, celebrating the state’s racing history and Abraham Lincoln, respectively. The Steuben County rest area opened in 2020 after $4.4 million refresh.