Renovations are planned for a less-traveled section of Abraham Lincoln's old neighborhood in Springfield.
The city has approved a $600,000 beautification project for the area just south of the Lincoln Home National Historic Site. It'll include new period lighting, landscaping and upgraded sidewalks.
Federal transportation funds will cover $475,000 of the cost. The city will pay the rest. Work should begin in the fall.
More than 200,000 people visit the Lincoln home in the designated historic area. But comparatively few wander farther south.
There's been concern about higher crime rates in the area. But former Sangamon County Clerk Tony Libri says the 2008 relocation of the Illinois State Police headquarters nearby has helped.
He says it's a historic neighborhood on "its way back."
Abe's old neighborhood gets a makeover
