Access to the Quad Cities river taxi will soon be improved. With construction starting this summer, MetroLINK will add a dock, fleeting area, and pedestrian bridge for the Channel Cat at the Celebration Belle Landing in Moline.
Jennifer Garrity, from MetroLINK, says their goal for the homeport is to have more space for the three boats and accommodate people with disabilities.
The new Channel Cat Homeport will also have a passenger waiting area with displays showing when boats will arrive, plus bike parking and direct connections to the Great River Trail and Western Illinois University in Moline.
Garrity says the Channel Cat started about 20 years ago with two boats, but has expanded to three.
MetroLINK received $850,000 for the new homeport--90 percent came from the Federal Transit Administration and the rest of the project was funded locally. Construction will start late this summer.