PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Drivers in North Peoria, take heart. One more pothole garden could be going by the wayside if the Peoria City Council gives its okay.
At their meeting on Tuesday, the council will be asked to approve spending just over $4 million on reconstructing the intersection of Pioneer Parkway and University Street. That’s roughly two-thirds of the overall $6.6 million cost with the rest of the money coming from a federal Surface Transportation Block Grant.
If all goes according to plan, construction could begin next spring with the roadwork being completed by the end of the year, said Andrea Klopfenstein, the city’s engineer. Then, she said, in the spring of 2025, it’s possible some smaller work on sidewalks and landscaping would be finished.
The intersection has long been on the city’s radar and let’s face it, most of us who drive there worry about a bent rim or a possible blown tire. But last spring, City Hall put a Band-Aid on road, smoothing things out and easing our pain, at least for a bit, by doing a “mill and overlay” repair.
But some might ask, why redo a road that was just done?
“It was a band aid and an emergency repair that the road was in such bad shape that we couldn’t wait,” she said.
The idea is pretty simple. Cut off the top few inches of the roadway, patch up some holes and then smooth it over. But that doesn’t replace all the bad sections that are in the base of the road.
Plus, the new project will have new sidewalks, a bike path and repositioned traffic signals.
Also on the agenda for Tuesday are:
- For the city to enter into a new-five year deal with Flock Safety, Inc., the Georgia-based company behind the city’s license plate reader cameras. The city currently leases 59 cameras for $2,500 a year which includes maintenance. The new contract will add 12 cameras, funded by a grant, and cost the city an average of $177,000 a year.
- For those around the Horseshoe to hear about the Police Department’s new transparency portal. Peoria’s top cop Eric Echevarria has long discussed his desire for a public safety transparency portal or dashboard that will give updates on statistics and try to lift the veil behind what the department is doing. Tuesday night’s meeting will be the debut.
- And of course, next year’s budget is expected to be approved. After weeks of discussion and several public meetings, the council is expected to approve the $321 million spending plan for the city.
