Chris Kaergard
A request for $5 million of federal highway money could be the latest piece in a years-long puzzle to refurbish — and eventually extend — Pioneer Parkway.
U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood's request for the funds to repair the intersection with Allen Road was included among transportation projects in a highway bill passed in the House last week and now headed to the Senate.
Meanwhile, $3 million is on tap from state capital bill funds, and another $42 million of future work is planned with state money.
It's all part of an overall $81 million needed for the entirety of a project that would see intersections reconstructed for Pioneer at both Knoxville Avenue and Allen Road.
But it would also extend Pioneer westward to Illinois Route 6, creating an easier link into the interstate highway network since Route 6 southbound quickly turns into Interstate 474.
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Why the extension of Pioneer Parkway?
The extension has been on the city's legislative wish list for many years.
LaHood and state Rep. Ryan Spain, who advocated for the state funding, both point to what a renovated and extended road could mean for industrial and commercial businesses, and even residential growth.
"I think of Pioneer Parkway as a huge opportunity for Peoria, especially in a corridor that contains a lot of jobs with the potential of creating many more," Spain said in a phone interview early this month.
The prospective repairs and upgrades have come after "a lot of collaboration, a lot of input," LaHood said, praising the uniform support on city, state and federal government levels so far, and pointing out the corridor brings with it a "real opportunity for growth."
That's the long-term goal.
In the short term, Spain agrees, "the existing conditions of Pioneer Parkway are in terrible shape, and they have to be addressed immediately" with some resurfacing ahead of plans for the extension.
Connecting the road to Route 6 is meant to do more than benefit existing businesses, too.
"The city has been growing to the north and northwest, but there's kind of a hole that's been left in the Pioneer area and the Townline Road area," Spain said.
With people expressing concerns about urban sprawl, Spain notes that new construction along an extension would "allow for an efficient deployment of city services because we have the right assets already in place surrounding this area."
In other words, it'd be easier to get core services there, whether water and power or police patrols and fire department access.
Where's all the money coming from? And what's it being used for?
In the $81 million worth of work, at least $53 million is already lined up or – as with the federal funds – in progress.
Spain previously secured $3 million in the state's capital construction bill for repairs to the intersection of Pioneer and Knoxville.
LaHood's proposed $5 million would cover the intersection at Allen, but also be used for some work at University Street and Harker Drive, according to details he filed with the House Transportation Committee. It's among a series of local projects he proposed.
Previously:From riverfront to Peoria Stadium, capital dollars could see major impact in Peoria area
Some $42 million is set in the state's multi-year highway construction plan for an extension of the road.
And the city previously secured a federal grant for $2.4 million for the fiscal year 2024 to rebuild more of the Pioneer-University intersection, and spent several years making improvements on University north of the intersection to aid businesses there.
More:7 troublesome stretches of Peoria roads slated for improvements in coming years
More funds clearly are needed to get to that $81 million figure, and "for a project of this magnitude, we're going to have to tap a lot of different sources," Spain said, pointing in particular to hopes of a larger federal infrastructure plan. LaHood has previously expressed hope for a plan spending around $1 trillion nationwide.
"I do think as we see details of an infrastructure package become more clear in Washington, we should know by this fall how we can execute it and what the right sequence of steps will be to accomplish the whole project," Spain said.
