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Here's a look at all things Peoria County road work this summer construction season, and beyond

As the road construction season picks up heading into the summer, some Peoria County projects have been slowed by material delays and labor shortages.
Joe Deacon
/
WCBU
As the road construction season picks up heading into the summer, some Peoria County projects have been slowed by material delays and labor shortages.

Peoria County Highway Department Engineer Amy McLaren says there's two seasons in Illinois: snow season and road construction season. Now is definitely the latter of those two.

Current projects

Peoria County is currently working with the city of Peoria on a joint project to finish up the $6 million improvements to Glen Avenue between Knoxville and Sheridan this summer. The roadway is currently under county jurisdiction, but it'll be transferred to the city following completion.

McLaren said there's also a couple projects happening in the Elmwood area: a $1.3 million culvert project on Graham Chapel Road, and an $800,000 bridge beam replacement on Pulsifer Road.

There's also a $5 million project planned for Old Galena Road near Mossville Grade School that includes the addition of new turn lanes.

"It'll be easier flow in for the school. And also on the other side of the road, there's a large soccer complex, so that'll help folks get in and out that easier," McLaren said. "So we have had some crashes at that location. And yes, we did want to make sure that was improved to minimize our crashes at that location."

McLaren said this is the last leg of improvements on Old Galena Road running from the roundabout to the south up to E. Cedar Hills Dr. in the north.

The county highway department has already checked a $160,000 guardrail repair and replacement project off the to-do list for this year.

What's coming up

McLaren said long-awaited improvements to the portion of Maxwell Road out by the Greater Peoria International Airport and the Walters Bros. Harley-Davidson motorcycle dealership are set to kick off next year.

"This is a big project. We've been saving up for it for many years, maintaining the road as it is as best we can. It's not in great shape," she said.

It's actually two projects. Next year, McLaren said bridge improvements are coming so the heavy vehicles carrying loads over that stretch of roadway can navigate the area. In 2025, the highway department will focus on the roadway itself between Illinois 116 and Middle Road.

"It'll be curb and gutter, storm sewer, sidewalk. It'll be much, much nicer than it is now. So we're excited to finally be delivering that to the public, because they've been they've been asking for it for quite some time," she said.

Looking further ahead, improving the county-owned stretch of Lake Street from Knoxville to Sheridan in the city of Peoria is a long-standing priority, but McLaren said funds haven't been secured yet. The county-owned portion of Sheridan Road north of Northmoor is also on that list.

"We're always searching for those opportunities. But I think the the big one in the future is Maxwell. And then Lake Street is what we see coming in the near future," she said.

Have a problem? Call, but know that everything's contingent on funding

McLaren said her crews want roads to be safe, and they want to know about problems.

"Anything that you see, let us know. Let us know you see potholes. And we'll we'll do the best we can. We obviously want great roads. I'd love to have roads that are so good that I put myself out of business. I'd love to get to that point. Right now, we're not there," she said.

But she said the public also needs to be aware of what she's working with.

"A lot of folks think that, you know, we have no idea what's going on the roads. We do know," she said. "A lot of times our limiting factor is funding, and I know people get sick of hearing it, I totally get that. We are trying to do the best we can to, to make it as nice as possible. There's limitations."

McLaren said improving road safety is a big federal funding priority for the next couple of years ahead. She said there's particularly a focus on making roads safer for vulnerable road users like pedestrians and bicyclists.

Tim is the News Director at WCBU Peoria Public Radio.