A long-sought rehabilitation of one of Peoria’s major South Side roadways will get underway in the next few weeks.
The $10 million overhaul of MacArthur Highway has been years in the making after State Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth helped secure state funding for economic development along the corridor in 2023.
“As everyone is well aware, there are many roads in Peoria that need some attention, and this was one that’s been high on our list,” said City Engineer Andrea Klopfenstein. “The city applied for an Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity [DCEO] grant and was awarded that funding, which is what is making this project possible.”
The Peoria City Council gave the improvement project a green light when it approved a contract with Rockford-based William Charles Construction as part of the consent agenda during the council's July 8 meeting.
Klopfenstein said the road work and bicycle lane upgrades will assist the Community Development Department’s ongoing efforts to revitalize “a very important corridor” on the city’s South Side.
“We’re hoping that the road project spurs the redevelopment,” she said. “Between the infrastructure improvements and the projects that Community Development are doing, we’re hoping that brings in more economic opportunities for other businesses to come into the area.”
A key component of the measure approved by the city council is an agreement with Illinois American Water that calls for the utility company to reimburse Peoria close to $1 million for covering the initial cost to replace the water main along MacArthur as part of the road construction.
“They pay for all their water main improvements, but it helps with coordination and scheduling so that the work gets done at the same time,” said Klopfenstein. “So instead of the public being disrupted for a water-only project before and then the road project, or a new road and then the water company coming in and tearing the new road up, it’s all done together so it’s much more effective and much more efficient for everyone.”
The realignment will create a three-lane roadway — one for travel in both directions, plus a center turn lane — on MacArthur from Fourth Street, just south of the MacArthur Bridge, to the Howett Street intersection. A multi-use path will be constructed on the east side of the highway, separated from vehicle traffic by a curb.
The pavement will be upgraded and new traffic signals will be installed at the Howett, McBean Street, and John H. Gwynne Avenue intersections. A raised intersection at Hurlburt Street will feature flashing beacons for pedestrians crossing the highway to get to Martin Luther King Jr. Park.
Klopfenstein said construction is expected to begin in mid-to-late August, with a majority of the work targeted for completion by late next year. But she cautions that road work timelines are always subject to change based on weather conditions and material availability.
“Prices and supplies are still in flux, with things that are going on at the federal level with tariffs and other things,” she said. “We are seeing that impact the prices of construction materials. and it’s not all construction materials equally across the board.
“On this project in particular, the water main items were expensive, the storm sewer items were expensive, and electrical items were even more expensive than what they’ve been in the past. So, we are definitely dealing with the very volatile market as far as pricing, and then also material availability is challenging.”
Klopfenstein said the city has been fortunate so far to not have weather delays impact other key infrastructure projects such as the one-way to two-way conversion of Adams and Jefferson, improvements at University Street and Pioneer Parkway, and the rehabilitation of Moss Avenue.
She said the hope is to keep the traffic disruptions from the MacArthur project to a minimum.
“There will be lane changes and people moving one way or another as we’re tearing parts of the roadway out and replacing them,” she said. “We will allow traffic to get through, so we won’t block all cross streets. But it will impact them as we go through those intersections and make those improvements.”
