The city of Dixon has received a $12 million grant to build a pedestrian bridge across the Rock River at Page Park and extend the path system. The pedestrian bridge will be built on the old railroad structures and will join the bike path that runs in front of the high school.
The project will include:
- Constructing a pedestrian bridge on the old Illinois Central Railroad piers
- Adding 2.8 miles of multi-use path
- New sidewalks and crossings
- Resurfacing Page Drive
Shaw Local News states that for the last 4 years, the city has applied for a U.S. Department of Transportation's Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development, or BUILD grant, for Project Rock. This will be the last phase in the city's riverfront master plan that was created 3 decades ago.
The 2021 grant, renamed as the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity or RAISE program, consisted of $1 billion in competitive funding for projects that enhance transportation opportunities in communities throughout the nation.
The city previously improved its application by including a benefit-cost analysis, which the city budgeted $10,000 for. The city also launched a community survey to show the level of interest and use the community would get out of the project. They received 1,525 surveys and about 95% of respondents were in favor of the project and said they would get a lot of use out of it.
There will be new trails and pathways in the wooded area of Page Park commonly used for the Reagan Run and would also include:
- A new pedestrian pathway to the baseball fields and tennis courts
- Improvements to Page Drive
- Improvements to the baseball field and parking
- Boat dock upgrades
City Manager Danny Langloss stated that the goal will be to have the project completed in 3 years.
"This will be transformational for Dixon. This will provide significant enhancements for our trail system, pathways and roadways. This takes it to the next level. It's going to be incredible for not only our community but also with people coming here. It's really going to enhance what we have to offer."
City Manager | Danny Langloss
The grant will cover the fourth and final phase of riverfront development. The third phase is to extend the bike path 1.6 miles - stretching east on River Road toward Raynor Garage Doors and west along the river with a ramp to the viaducts running to Seventh Street.
NRG Media reports that the Dixon City Council voted to approve the company and bid for the design and engineering of the pedestrian bridge. The company will be Willett Hoffman and Associates of Dixon for $1.5 million.
Since the RAISE Grant is federal money, there is a long list of rules on how the money is to be spent and what has to be done. Part of this is the selection process for the company to do the design and engineering. The four companies that applied had to go through an interview and selection process.