The city of Peoria is applying for funding to convert Fulton Plaza into a two-way street next year.
The city is hoping for a $1.85 million Rebuild Illinois grant to fund the conversion. The city also would provide $150,000 in downtown TIF funds as a grant match.
The goal is to create a safer route for drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists as they navigate downtown between the Civic Center and the riverfront. The project also coincides with work at the adjacent new OSF headquarters and Distillery Labs.
Sara Malliacheruvu, an urban planner with the city, said a more walkable downtown also is a higher priority due to the lower-income areas flanking it.
For example, she said parts of the nearby South Side have vehicle ownership rates of only 20 percent.
"Folks need to be able to safely walk. So this is part and parcel in developing a downtown that is kind of more equitable for everyone," she said.
Josh Naven is a senior urban planner with the city.
"With everything else that the city is dealing with, with the COVID-19 virus and things like that, an opportunity to maybe provide a little capital into the city. Maybe an injection to kind of see some progress downtown," he said.
Naven said the project is part of the city's larger streets plan, including the conversion of some downtown one-way streets into two-way thoroughfares.
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