PEKIN, Ill. — Illinois Gov. J-B Pritzker Wednesday announced new grants for 27 projects statewide, including one in Pekin.
The City of Pekin has been awarded $2 million for the revitalization of Court Street. Mayor Mark Luft said it’s a project years in the making.
In 2008-2011, Pekin contracted with the State of Illinois to put in Veterans Drive, which later became the new Rt. 9, and to turn Court Street back over to the city.
Pekin was supposed to use federal funds to complete the rest of the project.
“So, this has been a process of putting grants and funds together with what was left over from the contract to make Court Street whole again,” Luft said.
Over the past few months, Pekin has pulled in $24.1 million to complete the Court Street project.
Luft said work on phase one, from Veterans to Hilltop, is expected to begin within the next month, and be completed by this winter.
Funding for Pekin’s project, and others statewide, is supported by the Rebuild Illinois capital plan and will be used to accelerate shovel-ready public works projects as well as long-term infrastructure upgrades in underserved communities.
