Edwardsville receives $21.24M ‘check’ from Congresswoman Budzinski for multimodal project

 

By MELISSA CROCKETT MESKE
[email protected]

As announced in late June by Mayor Art Risavy, the City of Edwardsville had been awarded a $21.24 million federal grant to undertake the Goshen Road & Liberty Trail Multimodal Transportation project. 

A check presentation was hosted on Aug. 12 at Edwardsville’s City Hall to celebrate the awarding of the federal RAISE grant funding. The event further allowed many of the people who were instrumental in pursuing and supporting the grant funds for Edwardsville to gather at City Hall and celebrate this monumental accomplishment.

Organized by U.S. Representative Nikki Budzinski (D-IL-13) and her team, city officials welcomed this chance to say thank you, and to tout the impact this project will have on the entire area.

The city also noted that this massive undertaking is in the very early stages, with perhaps a couple of years ahead of design work, engineering and preparation before construction can get fully underway. Mayor Risavy said that this project will be “incredibly impactful” for Edwardsville, and for the surrounding area. 

“The Goshen Road & Liberty Trail Project will bring needed road improvements along our Goshen corridor; it will add a 2.5-mile shared use path to connect the many businesses, subdivisions and homes that line and surround Troy Road to the sports amenities at Plummer Family Park. It also will offer the promise of economic growth to come, as the Park North district and the I-55 corridor continue to develop,” said Risavy.

“We would not be here today without the support and fierce determination of our congressional and legislative officials. They have been ardent partners, helping to push this important series of improvements over the finish line,” he added.

This project will transform the Edwardsville area’s growing southeastern corridor with road improvements and much-sought safety, environmental and connectivity enhancements. With this project, the city will launch a series of infrastructure improvements that will provide safety, connectivity and environmental enhancements along Goshen Road and surrounding areas. 

Among the planned improvements, as previously announced: 

• Reconstruction of 1 mile of Goshen Road spanning the distance between the Edwardsville YMCA Meyer Center, 7348 Goshen Road, and the Sports Park Drive entrance to Plummer Family Park. The work will include green medians. 
• The addition of the Liberty Trail, a 2.5-mile shared use path along the north side of Goshen Road from Old Troy Road to Plummer Family Park, including solar rapid flashing beacons. 
• Reconstruction of approximately 0.3 miles of Old Troy Road from Goshen Road to Madison County Transit’s Goshen Trail and the addition of a shared use path connecting Goshen Road and Goshen Trail. 
• The installation of roundabouts with clearly marked pedestrian crossings at three Goshen Road intersections – at Gerber Road, District Drive and Ridge View Road. Roundabouts have long been shown to increase safety for pedestrians and drivers and provide efficiencies in terms of reduced emissions and lower maintenance costs. 
• Electric vehicle charging stations at Plummer Family Park and bicycle parking along the shared use path. 
• Stream bank stabilization at the Goshen Road culverts. 

This was the city’s third attempt to win federal RAISE funding, which helps communities complete critical transportation infrastructure projects. The effort was led by City Engineer Ryan Zwijack and Economic and Community Development Coordinator James Arnold, working with the engineering firm Oates Associates. The city’s application had drawn widespread backing and letters of support from more than two dozen congressional, legislative and local leaders, as well as area school districts, businesses and organizations. 

(Editor’s note: This story also appears in the September 2024 print edition of the Illinois Business Journal.)