Whether you have a personal interest or you’re just curious about the long-promised Illinois Route 29/Galena Road reconstruction project, you can learn about its progress and get some questions answered at an Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) open house on Wednesday, March 20.
The informational meeting will be held from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at the Peoria Heights Grade School gymnasium, 500 E. Glen Ave.
In 2019, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker announced that the road was in line for $68.5 million for a wholesale reconstruction project through the state’s Rebuild Illinois capital plan, which pledged to spend nearly $45 billion in total over six years, some $33 billion of it on transportation needs across the Land of Lincoln.
The Route 29 project encompasses that stretch of road from the McClugage Bridge to just north of Gardner Lane and sits within the boundaries of both the Village of Peoria Heights and the City of Peoria. The road is to be widened and repaved, among other improvements, with recreational paths constructed along the bluff on its west side. Route 29 is a major commuter corridor in this part of central Illinois and part of the Illinois Scenic Byways corridor.
The project is now in the Phase 1 stage of its development, with IDOT engaged in data collection from direct stakeholders in the corridor – residents, business owners, other property owners and tenants. Those responses will help IDOT do an environmental justice analysis and provide other documentation required by this investment.
If everything goes as planned, it is hoped that ground can be broken on the project beginning in 2027-28.
“Big projects take time,” said Peoria Heights Mayor Michael Phelan. “The infrastructure in this corridor has long needed attention, and one of the big payoffs will be a significant improvement in road safety well worth the study that goes into it.
“In many ways, this promises to be a transformational project for us.”