TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Greg Ruddy, Director of Public Works
SUBJECT:
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Ordinance Accepting a $3,500,000 Grant from the Illinois Department of Transportation for the Joliet I-80 Des Plaines River Bridge Community Plan and Amendment of the 2026 Budget to Receive and Expend Grant Funds
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BACKGROUND:
From 2020 through 2022, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) engaged consultant firm CDM Smith to work with residents affected by the proposed reconstruction of the Interstate 80 Bridge over the Des Plaines River in order to identify potential mitigation measures. This process identified the following possible neighborhood improvement projects:
* A new walking and biking trail connecting the South End neighborhood along the Des Plaines River between Varnado Park to areas where the existing I-80 bridge will be demolished
* Enhanced lighting for safety and aesthetics
* A Historic plaque for Reverend Varnado Park and historic identifiers
* Traffic calming measures along Water Street
At the June 21, 2022 meeting, the City Council adopted Resolution #7778 approving a Letter of Intent (LOI) with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to accept a $400,000 Statewide Planning and Research Funds Grant. This allowed the City to lead the effort to further vet potential neighborhood improvement projects through the preparation of a Community Plan for the area affected by the relocated Des Plaines River Bridge. In this LOI, IDOT further committed to provide $3,500,000 to the construction of improvements identified in the Community Plan.
The Community Plan process began in the fall of 2024. The plan is now 2/3 complete. The project team has led two community meetings and four steering committee meetings during which details of the above noted concepts have been further refined. IDOT has continued to engage with the City throughout the project and has prepared an Intergovernmental Agreement to formally enable use of the $3,500,000.
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