Durbin, Ardis Announce $10 Million for Peoria Warehouse District
Project will spur development and create hundreds of jobs
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mayor of Peoria Jim Ardis announced that the City of Peoria will receive a $10 million grant to design and build a complete street network that is safe, walkable and attractive in the Warehouse District. This project is a key component of the city’s plan for revitalizing the Warehouse District which will create jobs and promote economic development. The funding was awarded today by the Department of Transportation through the Transportation Investments Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER II) program.
“With a wealth of historic buildings and closeness to both downtown and the Illinois River, the Warehouse District is a prime location for redevelopment,” said Durbin. “I want to thank Mayor Ardis and State Representative Jehan Gordon for bringing this project to my attention and Secretary LaHood for realizing its potential. Today’s funding is the boost that this area needs to start attracting significant economic development.”
“Revitalizing the Warehouse District is one of our top priorities in Peoria,” said Ardis. “Changing the character of the streets in the area will change the character of the neighborhood and attract much need investment. I want to thank Senator Durbin and Secretary LaHood for their support of this project.”
A new complete street network in Peoria’s Warehouse District is expected to remove obstacles to development in the area. While the Warehouse District is a prime location for investment, the current condition of District’s infrastructure is hindering development. Improving the nearly 15,000 feet of streets in the area will alleviate this situation. Specifically, the project funded today will narrow Washington Street from five to two lanes between MacArthur and State, and from seven to five lanes from State to Hamilton. This project is expected to create 470 jobs.
Nearly $19 billion in bids was submitted nationwide for the $600 million – meaning $32 in requests for every $1 available – that was made available today through the TIGER II program which was created by Congress in the 2010 Transportation Appropriations Act for capital investments in surface transportation infrastructure. The TIGER II program is similar, but not identical to the TIGER program that was authorized under the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Roughly $57 billion in bids were submitted nationwide for the $1.5 billion that was made available for grants through the original TIGER program. In February, three Illinois transportation projects received a total of $128 million in funding.