Express DMV closing in downtown Wheaton

The secretary of state's express driver services facility at 128 W. Liberty Drive in downtown Wheaton is closing for good this Thursday. Daily Herald file photo

A Wheaton express driver services facility is closing this week after the owners of the downtown building decided not to renew its lease.

The Illinois Secretary of State's office has operated a facility there since at least 1996, the furthest its records go back.

The facility nearly closed in 2016 during the state's two-year budget impasse, but survived to the relief of angry Wheaton drivers accustomed to the convenience and well-regarded customer service of the Liberty Drive location.

But this time, the facility will close for good Thursday, secretary of state spokesman Dave Druker said.

Driver services will shut down in the building because the landlord declined to keep leasing the street-level space to the secretary of state, Druker said Monday. The property owners apparently are looking to go in a different direction, he said.

The secretary of state's office plans to relocate driver services to a new site "within a few miles" of the Wheaton location, Druker said.

The downtown site currently handles about 5,200 people a month.

"We are committed to the community to staying in the area," he said.

He couldn't confirm social media speculation that the facility would relocate to Carol Stream. He also couldn't provide a time frame for the opening of a new site.

"We don't have a specific location yet," said Druker, citing negotiations.

The 12 employees who work at the facility will be reassigned to other locations. Drivers are encouraged to visit facilities in Lombard or Naperville. For a complete list of locations, visit Cyberdriveillinois.com.