The Chicago Heights drivers service facility is still being renovated after being damaged in a fire last year, but two local state legislators report that a temporary facility will open this week at Prairie State College, 202 S. Halsted St.
Illinois Sen. Patrick Joyce and state Rep. Anthony DeLuca announced in a video statement posted online May 2 that a full-service drivers facility would hold a soft opening with limited capacity on Thursday, May 6.
The soft opening will last for three days, DeLuca said, to make sure systems are fully functional. There will be a ribbon cutting ceremony on May 10 with Secretary of State Jesse White in attendance, according to Joyce.
The Prairie State location will be open 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. It is closed Sundays and Mondays.
The permanent facility on 209th Street in Chicago Heights is expected to reopen sometime this summer.
“Several weeks ago, we visited that facility to see first hand the progress being made and to determine a timeline for reopening,” DeLuca said in the video. “We have now been made aware of additional constructional delays that we have determined to be unacceptable for our community.”
Joyce said the community deserves to have better access to drivers license and other services, so he and DeLuca worked with Prairie State officials and the secretary of state’s office to find a solution.
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