By: Diane Benjamin
West College was despicable when the Normal Town Council approved a plan to fix it clear back in 2020:
https://blnnews.com/2020/06/23/normal-on-fixing-west-college/
According to the Community Investment Plan the Town first had to extend sewer lines to the West side of Rivian Motorway. That work should have been completed in FY 2023 which ended 3/31/2023.
Fixing the road should have started too. Part is listed in FY 2023 with the rest this fiscal year. The Town got a $3,000,000 grant.
More details are available at the link to these 3 projects:
Has any work been done? Since the grant was awarded more than 3 years ago, has inflation made it inadequate?
Below is what is posted for the Underpass:
That’s $27 million dollars to save 50 Feet
See this story which shows the cost is even higher and an email proving the “50 feet”: https://blnnews.com/2023/01/02/normals-community-investment-plan-for-the-underpass/
It is currently 5 months into Fiscal Year 2024. Anything happening? Inflation is still increasing the cost, what is the total up to now to save 50 feet that vehicles can’t use to avoid trains?
When Linden is put on a “road diet” for Uptown South where will all the vehicles sit while waiting for trains to clear the tracks?
I’m glad no work has started because it’s all a waste of our tax payer money anyway. That tunnel project is one of the most ill-conceived ideas ever proposed. Intelligence is sorely lacking on the part of these central planners.