'Three-year journey': Train station back on track as BUILD projects advance
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Heritage Johnstown has finally outlined a plan for using the more than $11 million it was awarded in U.S. Department of Transportation Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity grant money to refurbish the Johnstown Train Station.
The goal is to restore the structure, located at 47 Walnut St. downtown, to its original 1916 appearance while adhering to modern Americans with Disabilities Act and environmental standards.
Dan Solomon, chairman of Heritage Johnstown, said the final idea was developed after meeting with Jennie Louwerse, the transportation business line leader for WSP, an engineering firm brought on by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to help with the project.
Together, the organizations 'simplified the scope,' according to Solomon.
Environmental engineering still needs to be done.
But afterward, Phase One will consist of fully restoring the grand concourse and ticket office section, completing exterior restoration and ensuring structural stability for the second floor and baggage area.
That part of the work is expected to cost approximately $7.2 million and be completed between November 2026 and April 2027, depending on when Amtrak builds a new platform as part of a separate project.
The second phase will involve installing an elevator, restoring the second floor and improving the baggage area.
Solomon expects Phase Two to last into late 2028.
'It's really a three-year journey,' Solomon said.
Johnstown Train Station
Johnstown Train Station on Walnut Street in downtown Johnstown on Thursday, June 12, 2025.
'Reinvigorate the core'
Three local entities were awarded nearly $24.5 million combined in grants through the then-RAISE, now known as Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD), program in 2021.
The City of Johnstown received $8 million for a Main Street corridor redevelopment project. Cambria County Transit Authority got almost $880,000 for repairs to the Johnstown Inclined Plane and $3.6 million for upgrades to the Transit Center on Main Street.
All of the money must be used for the specified transportation initiatives and cannot be directed elsewhere.
The projects also 'have to be in lockstep,' regarding environmental studies and other plans, according to Johnstown City Manager Art Martynuska.
Johnstown City Council has not picked a final Main Street design yet, but the idea is to add modern lighting, arts spaces, new sidewalks and safety features. Work on the rest of the corridor is expected to start after renovations are done to Central Park using a separate pool of American Rescue Plan Act federal dollars.
It will be the first major redesign of Main Street since the years after the 1977 Flood.
'I think the last time we looked at anything was in the late '70s, early '80s,' Martynuska said. 'That's obviously when there was federal revenue sharing and some other things that happened, Main Street East (Parking Garage), so on and so forth. It's to reinvigorate the core of the city and hopefully move forward from there.'
The Inclined Plane money will be used to 'replace three wayfinding signs and to improve the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ramp used to access the pedestrian overpass/crosswalk over the Johnstown Expressway (PA‐56),' according to the project description from 2023.
Meanwhile, 'the CamTran Downtown Transit Center will be upgraded with a dedicated bus lane in front of the center, along with passenger facility upgrades including an enhanced passenger waiting area, advanced passenger information systems, pedestrian/cyclist accessibility improvements to and around the station,' per information provided by the transit authority.
All BUILD, formerly RAISE, funds must be expended by Sept. 30, 2029.
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