Joliet's Far West Side: This Construction Was A Long Time Coming

JOLIET, IL — Several thousand people have moved to Joliet's far west side in recent history, but one modern convenience they don't have is a gas station. There are no Joliet gas stations west of Route 59. The closest one is across from the Hawk Auto at Route 59 and Caton Farm Road.

But the days of Joliet's far west side being without a gas station are coming to an end.

Real fast.

Lenny's Food N Fuel will be open by spring. Lenny's will feature a convenience store, a $3 car wash, plus a Dunkin' Donuts and a Ta Canijo Tacos restaurant.

Prominent Joliet development and real estate attorney Mike Hansen was hired by Tinley Park businessman Leonard McEnery to obtain the Joliet City Council's approval.

Hansen said the business development is great for the far west side of Joliet, and it's sorely needed for that particular area where Joliet's expansion has occurred.

On Thursday, Joliet Patch visited the construction site.

Executive Construction Senior Superintendent Mark Olson told Patch that crews will be installing several trees and landscaping along Drauden Road to make sure the people in the nearby subdivisions find the development attractive.

One of the other great pluses is that Lenny's Food N Fuel is employing dozens of skilled union laborers to build the new gas station development, Hansen said.

The following union crafts are working on the project:

Operating Engineers, Teamsters, & Laborers for site excavation and underground work. Cement finishers and laborers for concrete pours. Carpenters, tile setters, plumbers, electricians, painters and sheet metal workers for buildings and interiors.

Ironworkers, painters and operators for canopy installation. Pipefitters and plumbers for tank and pump installation.

Michael Rowe, owner of Complete Canopy Services Inc. of Waterloo, Indiana, was on site Thursday as were members of Local 444 to work on the canopy over the fuel pumps.

Joliet Patch captured the following photos Thursday afternoon as more than a dozen workers were on site, busy building the new Lenny's Food N Fuel for Joliet: