West State Street in Rockford reopens for traffic after $6.5M rebuild
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
Get our newsletter
ROCKFORD — A roughly mile long stretch of West State Street has reopened for traffic after months of reconstruction.
The city of Rockford and the Illinois Department of Transportation on Friday reopened the roadway from Day Avenue to Independence Avenue. The road has been rebuilt from two lanes to four with new storm sewers, signals, sidewalks and a multiuse path.
“I want to thank IDOT for the incredible partnership on this $6.5 million project,” Mayor Tom McNamara said in a news release. “This work has transformed the west entrance to our city and now provides a warmer welcome for our residents and visitors.”
More news: Introducing Colman Yards: A first look at the vision for Rockford’s Barber-Colman complex
That stretch of roadway sees roughly 8,000 vehicles per day, according to IDOT daily traffic counts.
“Remaking West State Street is a top priority at IDOT and one of our more successful projects because of the input, coordination and teamwork with our local and community partners in Rockford,” Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman said in a news release. “Investing in infrastructure can have transformational impacts and improve quality of life for an entire region. The West State Street project is no better example of that.”
A formal ribbon-cutting ceremony is slated to take place in the coming weeks to celebrate the project.
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas.
