The City of Salem has passed a resolution to seek a $2.4 million Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program grant.
Milano and Grunloh Engineer Lee Beckman told a public hearing prior to Monday night’s city council meeting that the grant would pay 80 percent of a just over $3 million plan to replace sidewalks and improve lighting in the downtown area.
“It’s for pedestrian transportation to get people to and from places without cars. So the concept of this is two-fold. It is for pedestrian transportation in the downtown area to allow them to get to businesses. It will also enhance areas in regards to some lighting, decorative items, and things like that.”
The blocks selected for the improvement project are Main from Pearl to Jefferson, McMackin from Pearl to Broadway, and Broadway from Alley to Church. All would get new ADA-compliant sidewalks on both sides of the street.
If approved, the city’s share of the project would be $599,346.
The city will be seeking letters of support for the project before the September 30th deadline to file the application. An announcement of the grant awardees would likely not come until the first quarter of next year with actual construction beginning in 2026 or 2027.
