By HOI ABC
NORMAL – A special meeting is set for next Monday in which the Normal Town Council will be asked to sign off on a multi-million dollar project to repair a deteriorating roadway serving Rivian Automotive.
According to our news partner HOI ABC, it would cost an estimated $9.35 million to remake West College Avenue, from Rivian Motorway to White Oak Road.
The town would apply for the maximum $5 million to be awarded through the state’s Rebuild Illinois public infrastructure grant program, but the council has to commit to spending $1.27 million from motor fuel taxes for the project.
Almost $3.1 million would come from federal surface transportation funds.
“The ongoing community impact of Rivian Automotive and the potential for economic growth and development along the W. College commercial corridor makes this project an excellent candidate for the public infrastructure grant program,” staffers said in a report to the council.
“The rehabilitation of West College Avenue is crucial to support the ongoing operations of Rivian Automotive and to promote the economic potential of the corridor,” the report also said.
Planning, environmental, and design engineering work would be done over the next two years. Construction would begin in the summer of 2022.
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