Fayette Avenue Project Included in New State Construction Plan

The Illinois Department of Transportation and Governor J.B. Pritzker released the six-year capital improvement plan for the state this week.

The plan includes the Fayette Avenue reconstruction project.

Jeff Myers, who serves as Region 4 Engineer for IDOT, oversees District 7 based in Effingham and District 6 based in Springfield.

Myers Thursday said the Fayette project will be done in two major phases; from the Raney Street intersection east to Banker Street, and from Banker Street east to the Willow Street intersection. The work involves land acquisition, utility adjustments and actual construction. Myers said there is still design work to be completed.

Some of the design work on the west end of the project has been completed so that end is expected to move ahead first, then the work from Banker east to Willow.

This is a big project. 

$14 million is budgeted for land acquisition from Banker Street to east of Willow Street. Another $14 million is budgeted for land acquisition from west of Raney to Banker. Myers said there are 25+ parcels of property to acquire for the project.

$1.5 million is budgeted for utility adjustments from Banker to east of Willow, while $2.4 million is budgeted for utility adjustments from west of Raney to Banker.

$15.2 million is budgeted for additional lanes, curb and gutter, and storm sewer from west of Raney to Banker, while $10.1 million is budgeted for additional lanes, storm sewer, curb and gutter, and ADA improvements from Banker to east of Willow.

Other components of the project: $500,000 for overlay work from Banker to east of Willow; $2.2 million for engineering on the initial construction from Banker to east of Willow; and $1.3 million for overlay work west of Raney to Banker.

Myers said all of the work is projected for the six-year life of the multi-year plan, but said it's not a certainty that all of the actual construction will be completed in that span of time.