The July 24 Peoria City Council Agenda has been posted on the city’s website. There are a few items of interest on the docket next week.
One of them is a funding switcheroo from the Northmoor Road project to the Sheridan Road project. The city wants to widen Northmoor Road between Allen and Knoxville to three lanes. But since they would be using IDOT funds, they have to get IDOT approval. Well, IDOT insists that if we’re going to use their funds, we have to make it a minimum of four lanes. So the city staff is requesting that we delay that project for the time being while we keep trying to persuade IDOT to change their mind and let us make the road three lanes and pedestrian-friendly.
In the meantime, in order not to lose state money, they would like to use those dollars to fund another project: widening Sheridan from Notre Dame (near Glen Ave.) to Giles/Knoxville. They don’t believe they’ll have any trouble getting IDOT to agree to three lanes there. I’m glad to see the city staff proposing this action, and I hope the council concurs.
Meanwhile, old projects that have been on the books for years are ignored. Screw Sheridan Rd, how about older neighborhoods like the South Griswold upgrade? That was shot down by the council a few meetings ago. Just what they need out there in Northmoor, another new road. I would love to see some street improvements in the southside like sidwalks and rain sewers which I don’t have.
We are trying to get Sheridan reduced to three lanes from Nebraska to McClure. That is only the cost of paint to restripe. It is too narrow for the current four lane configuration. We have buses and cars hitting or driving up on our curbs. Even those of us who sprung for new ones are already seeing them get cracked. This area is mostly residential and does not need to support the flow of traffic that it does. Sometimes it’s going at pretty high speeds as well.
That, Paul is not only an excellent idea but it also is the safest reality for that part of Sheridan Road. It may slow down traffic also as traffic now tends to pass on the right the slower traffic. With one lane each way and a safe left turn lane in the middle, traffic speed will be dicated by the flow. It costs only the paint to do this. A simple quality of life issue which is why the council can’t do it. It just is too simple of a fix.
That makes sense, Paul. And then I’d like to see wider sidewalks and some diagonal parking between Loucks and McClure on Sheridan as part of the improvement in the form district there.
I liked Gary’s idea last night, which I hadn’t thought of, with the two lanes of traffic and two bike lanes. Would be happy to substitute the three lane idea.
Em, Randy Oliver is on board, my understanding is that we are waiting for some future meeting with the Sheridan Triangle business district, although they alreay have reduced lanes there.
CJ, we brought up the diagnal parking on Sheridan, but if we increase the sidewalks at the Sheridan Triangle Business District, there isn’t enough room. Sheridan narrows a little more at McClure (North) into the business district. We (the neighborhood) were hoping for parking in the rear, wider sidewalks with trees, benches, an outdoor cafe, and hopefully the Furniture store front being a coffe house with speciality shops in the warehouse. Also suggested was the de-sluming and weeding of gang bangers out fo the 700-1000 blocks of W. McClure, sidewalks that one without a sucide pact can navigate, and a little more lighting. No one in their right mind is going to drive down McClure and leave their car to walk along Sheridan. I have to hand it to the police, they have been slamming down pretty hard on the thugs, Several bad houses are now empty of the thugs and there is peace between tenants, now, if we can get the landlords to invest in paint, grass seed, and screen the reduce the number of felons/delinquents per square foot in the rental houses, we’ll have it made.