Chicago Construction News staff writer
Rockford is gearing up for the largest five-year Capital Improvement Program in the city’s history.
The $345 million plan includes major road and infrastructure improvements and work on the worst residential streets. The 1.5 million priority allocation – 50% more than the largest prior budget – will allow resurfacing of more than 220 neighborhood blocks this year.
According to a staff report, “the city will make more improvements than ever to our aging roadway, bridge, sidewalk, storm water and water facilities within the next five years, including adding more funds to the Neighborhood Program, creating a new Traffic Safety Program and adding more investment into our aging water production wells.”
View the entire plan at www.rockfordil.gov/…/engineeri…/capital-improvement-program/.
Highlights include:
South Alpine Road – estimated $58 million to reconstruct a 2.5-mile stretch from Linden Road to Charles Street
- engineering work to begin next year and construction will start in 2027
Madison Street – $5 million for reconstructing Madison Street expected to start in 2023:
- repaving, burying utilities and improvements to railroad tracks and streetscape
- $3.7 million in water funds to replace aging water mains along the street
- phase one from Prairie to State streets should be completed by 2024 and phase two in 2026
Chestnut Street – $22 for reconstruction and modernization of Chestnut Street with protected pedestrian and bicycle amenities:
- work includes removing ramps by fall 2025, reconstructing a bridge and conversion of 6th, 9th and Longwood streets to two-way traffic
- completed by 2026
Whitman Street Interchange – $14.5 million project to remove a tangle of ramps, resurfacing Sixth and Ninth streets and reconstruct Third, Sixth, Ninth and Longwood streets north of State Street:
- completed by fall 2025
