EDWARDSVILLE - Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski and Edwardsville Mayor Art Risavy held a press conference to discuss a $21,241,730 grant that the City of Edwardsville has received from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The grant is part of the federal Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program. The money will fund the Goshen Road and Liberty Trail Multimodal Transportation Improvement Project, which will introduce improvements along Goshen Road and Old Troy Road. Risavy noted that this “incredibly impactful project” goes beyond creating a shared-use path.
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“We see this project as an opportunity,” Risavy said. “We see it as jobs, so many great jobs for the many companies in a highly skilled workforce in the area…We see it as connectivity, creating new options for recreation, for employment, for shopping and for all the other daily journeys we make during our lifetime. We see this project as environmental enhancements…And we see it as strengthened access to emergency services, as road improvements will ensure public safety providers from Edwardsville and surrounding communities would be able to get to the people who need us most.”
The Goshen Road and Liberty Trail Multimodal Transportation Improvement Project will reconstruct 1.75 miles of Goshen Road and Old Troy Road, providing solar lighting and green medians. It will convert three intersections into roundabouts and create 2.9 miles of shared-use path along Goshen Road and Old Troy Road. As part of the project, there will also be the addition of ten new electric vehicle charging stations and three bicycle parking facilities. The project will also update a bus station and rehabilitate 0.6 miles of Goshen Road due to stream-related flooding.
The project’s total cost is projected to be $22,641,730. The RAISE grant will fund the majority of the project. Budzinski noted that the RAISE program is highly competitive.
“This is a very nationally sought-out grant program, and for Edwardsville to win this, it really speaks so highly of the local leadership here to compete and to bring this home, to really transform Goshen Road and Old Troy Road into the 21st century,” Budzinski said. “Public transportation projects like this one have been made possible through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law signed into law by President Biden, creating good-paying union jobs right here in our community, making our roads and bridges safer for all of our families, and helping to drive further economic development, which is so exciting and happening throughout this region.”
Budzinski added that a few other municipalities in the 13th district have received RAISE grants, including Decatur and Savoy. She thanked local and state government officials for working together to make this possible.
“In my first term in office, I have really tried to prioritize bringing home as many federal dollars as I can to the 13th District, and this is the most recent,” she added. “We’re so excited to see these investments coming home to Edwardsville.”
Risavy thanked Budzinski and other local elected officials, including Senator Dick Durbin, Senator Tammy Duckworth, Representative Mike Bost, Representative Mary Miller and many others. He noted that the Goshen Road and Liberty Trail Multimodal Transportation Improvement Project will take time to complete, but he looks forward to sharing this with the residents of Edwardsville.
“I know I have to be patient with this project, because a project like this will require planning, engineering and preparation, but I'm excited to get this journey underway and see the opportunities unfold for everyone who lives here, works here and visits Edwardsville,” Risavy said. “This is an investment in our city that will be enjoyed for many generations to come.”
City officials will meet with the Illinois Department of Transportation in the next week to determine a timeline for the project.
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