Peoria Standard

As the finishing touches are being placed on Peoria’s budget for the upcoming year, a number of the area’s most troublesome roads have been tagged for repairs.

The county has received grants to help facilitate repairs on some of its most troublesome roads. The Journal Star reported Amy McLaren, the head of the Peoria County Highway Department, said stretches of county roads on Glen Avenue and Lake Street will be brought up to city standards so they can be taken over. The county and city will work together on a number of joint projects.

Among the roads set aside for significant work include the core of the Downtown area. Adams and Jefferson streets will be converted to two-way streets at an estimated cost of $5.3 million, with work to start in 2021. Glen Avenue from Sheridan to Knoxville is slated for construction in the summer of 2022, which will come with sidewalks, curbs and gutter with storm sewers. The cost will be $4.8 million and will be funded with $1.274 million in federal funding with the remainder split between the city and county.

Amy McLaren | Contributed photo

Four roads have been set aside for construction work. Lake Street between Sheridan and Knoxville will undergo a construction project with a price tag of $4.8 million. Funding will come through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Western Avenue will require robust work with a cost of $8.65 million. The project start is slated for April 2021 and is hoped to spur economic development within the area. Survey work has begun on Glen Avenue between War Memorial and University. The project will cost an estimated $5.7 million, which will provide a completely reconstructed road complete with curbs and gutters, drainage adjustments and improvements to the driveways and sidewalks. Work is scheduled to begin summer of 2021.

The city is receiving a Surface Transportation Block Grant of $2.4 million for 2024. The Illinois Legislature has also identified the parkway for $3 million in funding but it’s unknown when the funding would be released. While Prospect Road has not been slated for a project, evaluations indicate work is needed.

Two sweeps have been performed on city roads, in 2014 and 2017, with results leading to planned projects. The roads have been divided in three categories based on Pavement Condition Index. The system rates from 0 to 100 with pavement preservation at 70 and above. Million and resurfacing is needed for streets with a PCI of 50 to 70. Reconstruction is used for streets 0 to 100. Streets like Lake Street and Western Avenue registered a 35 and 39, respectively.

“We have been looking to do these stretches of roads for a long time now, and now that we just got some grant money, it helps us to complete these joint projects with the city’s public works department,” McLaren said.