$45.6 million of construction projects coming to Bureau County in 2024

Bureau County is slated to receive $45.6 million worth of improvements to its infrastructure in 2024, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation’s multi-year program.

In July, Gov. JB Pritzker’s office and IDOT announced their largest multi-year program to fix and repair infrastructure in state history: $40.99 billion over six years through 2029. The new program is the first time in more than a decade IDOT is releasing a comprehensive approach to invest in all modes of transportation, including roads and bridges, aviation, transit, freight and passenger rail, waterways, as well as bicycle and pedestrian accommodations.

In the coming year, Bureau County is slated to see 11 construction projects begin countywide.

Among those projects, South Main Street at Peru Street in Princeton is slated for $60,000 in safety improvements, $843,000 for intersection improvement and $30,000 for construction engineering.

The largest project in Bureau County is scheduled for Interstate 80. At a cost of $14 million, 5.26 miles of roadway will be overlaid from 1 mile west of Route 89 to 0.7 miles west of Route 251 in La Salle County.

Other construction projects include:

• $6.9 million for the bridge replacement on Interstate 180 southbound over Bureau Creek; $7.5 million for a bridge replacement on Interstate 180 northbound over Bureau Creek.
• $3.4 million for a bridge superstructure replacement on Interstate 180 southbound over the Tiskilwa Bottom Road, 1.4 miles south of Route 26; $3.4 million for another bridge superstructure replacement on Interstate 180 northbound over the Tiskilwa Bottom Road, 1.4 miles south of Route 26.
• $50,000 for railroad engineering and $60,000 for crack and joint sealing at the Burlington Northern Railroad at Buda to the Stark County line.
• $3.4 million for 4.36 miles of designed overlay on Route 92 from 0.1 mile east of Route 40 to Walnut.
• $3.9 million for 5.02 miles of designed overlay for the Tiskilwa spur from 0.7 miles north of Lovers Lane Road in Princeton to 0.3 miles south of 1075 N Road.
• $350,000 for a bridge replacement on 2500 E Road at Trib Masters Creek, 4 miles west of La Moille, plus $14,000 for engineering.
• $350,000 for a bridge replacement on 2500 N Road at Masters Creek, 3 miles southeast of Ohio, Illinois, plus $14,000 for engineering.
• $1 million for 3.5 miles of overlay on County Highway 8 (Wyanet-Walnut Road/Wyanet Road) from the Lee County line to Route 92 on Wyanet-Walnut Road, then from Walnut city limits to County Highway 22 on Wyanet Road.
• $350,000 for a bridge replacement on County Highway 12 at East Bureau Creek, 2 miles west of Arlington, plus $14,000 for engineering.

“Rebuild Illinois has increased safety, efficiency and opportunities for residents all over the state – and over the next few years, we will keep building on that progress, with all 102 counties of Illinois included in the multi-year program,” Pritkzer said over the summer.

The Fiscal Year 2024-29 Proposed Highway and Multimodal Improvement Program aims to invest $27.03 billion in roads and bridges, with $4.6 billion identified for the current fiscal year.

Several more projects are slated in Bureau County from 2025-2029.