Chicago Construction News staff writer
The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) last week announced a $1.5 million resurfacing project for South Alpine Road in Rockford.
“I’m proud to announce the first tranche of funding to renew South Alpine Road,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Up and down the Rockford region, we’re restoring and rebuilding, creating jobs, and making sure working families have the opportunities and resources they need to build good lives for themselves and their families.”
South Alpine Road is an unmarked state route between U.S. 20 and Charles Street. The segment from Harrison Avenue to Charles Street, measuring just under a mile, is scheduled to be resurfaced starting this spring, providing a safer, smoother driving experience.
Previous improvements included a traffic signal replacement at the intersection of Cleveland Avenue and Florida Drive in 2021 and resurfacing from Harrison Avenue to Sandy Hollow Road in 2014.
IDOT and the city of Rockford are using state funds for engineering costs to reconstruct and modernize the corridor. The city will serve as the lead agency in the effort to determine the full scope of improvements, with IDOT providing funding through construction. At the conclusion of the project, the city will accept a jurisdictional transfer of Alpine Road from the state.
The cost of preliminary engineering for the project has been estimated at $5 million.
“These interim improvements are just a first step toward creating a multimodal corridor in a busy area of the city that will improve quality of life and make South Alpine Road safer and more accessible for all residents,” Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman said.
Rebuild Illinois has funded several projects in Rockford this year including:
- $6.6 million expansion of East State Street from Mid America Drive to Buckley Drive
- $12.4 million resurfacing of U.S. 20 from near Winnebago to South Main Street
- $1.3 million deck overlay of the Interstate 39 bridges over the Kishwaukee River
- $6.5 million improvement that added a new lane of traffic in each direction with green space and other features to encourage walking and biking
- $227 million project to expand I-39 between Harrison Avenue and north of Blackhawk Road, including the west interchange with U.S. 20 in Cherry Valley, is estimated to start in 2024 – work includes reconstruction of the west U.S. 20 and Harrison Avenue interchanges and the Mulford Road bridge. A separate project will replace the Perryville Road bridge.
