The Danville Area Transportation Study Group’s Policy Committee advanced three projects Thursday which are seeking federal funds. But Danville Mayor Scott Eisenhauer questioned whether federal funds should be used for one of the projects – replacing sidewalks along Webster Street in Catlin. The location is near Salt Fork Elementary School.
Mayor Eisenhauer says he certainly supports having more transportation projects outside of Danville, but he is concerned that using federal STU (Surface Transportation Urban) dollars could ‘’open Pandora’s Box’’ with other communities asking for some of the federal funds allotted locally to go to sidewalks.
The Illinois Department of Transportation says the Catlin project qualifies for the use of federal funds. Catlin has requested $140-thousand dollars in federal funds for the sidewalk replacement project.
Two other projects also advanced Thursday with the committee’s stamp of approval. One of them seeking $600-thousand dollars in federal funds, is a proposed round-a-bout intersection at English and Jackson Streets in Danville. The City’s match in Motor Fuel Tax money would be $150-thousand dollars. The project is not expected to get underway, though, until the 2018-2019 fiscal year if it wins final approval. Mayor Eisenhauer says there is still some property to be acquired in that area.
The other project approved by the DATS Policy Committee is for an estimated $9-million dollar project involving improvements in an area along the Denmark Road. It includes sanitary sewer improvements and other work along Denmark Road and parts of Old Ottawa Road and Rue Bienville in the Chateau Estates area. The project is not expected to see construction work get underway until the 2019-2020 fiscal year, if funding is approved.
