Dixon council approves $1.5 million engineering contract for Project Rock

DIXON – The city entered into a $1.5 million engineering contract for the massive project to build a pedestrian bridge across the river and expand the trail system.

In November, the city won a $12 million U.S. Department of Transportation’s the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity, or RAISE program grant, for Project Rock, the last phase in the city’s riverfront master plan created three decades ago.

[ Dixon wins $12 million grant to build pedestrian bridge across river, extend path system ]

The project includes constructing a pedestrian bridge on the old Illinois Central Railroad piers, adding 2.8 miles of multiuse path, doing new sidewalks and crossings, and resurfacing Page Drive, which is maintained by the Park District.

There will be new trails and pathways in the wooded area of Page Park commonly used for the Reagan Run, as well as a new pedestrian pathway to the baseball fields and tennis courts. Improvements will be made to Page Drive, the baseball field, parking and the boat docks.

The Dixon City Council had a brief special meeting Tuesday to vote on contracting with Willett, Hofmann and Associates for Phase I and Phase II engineering design and construction-related engineering services for the project.

The city put out a request for proposals in July and received four submissions, which were reviewed by a committee of city staff before conducting interviews, Public Works Director Matt Heckman said.

The agreement, for about $1.53 million, will also need approval from the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Preliminary engineering will be due by November 2023, and the project is slated to go out to bid in August 2024, Heckman said.

Mayor Li Arellano Jr. said the contract is “another step on the path” for the much-anticipated project.

The total project is estimated to cost around $12.8 million

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.

In 2016, the city received a $2 million Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program grant for that work and then received $1.4 million more from the state for the project about a year ago. The city is hoping to win another $2 million for that project, which has risen to about $7 million in costs.