$7.1M federal grant to help Rockford convert Sixth and Ninth streets to two-way traffic

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — The city has won a nearly $7.15 million federal grant that will help fund plans to remove a series of ramps known as the Whitman Street interchange and convert Sixth and Ninth streets to two-way traffic.

It’s a project that’s been discussed in the city for roughly 15 years. The U.S. Department of Transportation announced the grant on Wednesday as part of $3.33 billion being distributed to 132 communities across the country.

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In Rockford, the grant will help pay for plans to remove the ramps and bridges and convert Sixth Street to two-way traffic from the Illinois 251 and Whitman Street interchange to First Avenue. Ninth Street would become two-way traffic from the interchange to Charles Street, according to Jeremy Carter, the city’s traffic and development engineer. Future phases of the project would convert Sixth and Ninth streets to two-way roads further south.

The project will change the area from an urban interchange to a more traditional grid system.

It would reconnect neighborhoods that have been separated since the interchange was built, and it would provide better access for emergency vehicles to travel from west of the Rock River on Ninth Street to UW Health SwedishAmerican Hospital.

Carter said the Rockford Fire Department estimates response times will reduce from one minute to three minutes.

“That’s a big deal when someone needs critical care fast,” he said.

A new signalized roadway would also connect Olive Street to Greenwood Avenue to provide safe access between neighborhoods east and west of the interchange.

“Right now, trying to walk or bike through that is a near impossibility,” Carter said.

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It hasn’t been determined when the project will move forward. The work was initially in the city’s capital plan for 2027, but the receipt of federal funds could change the timeline. The grant covers about 50% of the total cost. The city will use motor fuel tax, infrastructure sales tax and other state and federal funds to cover the rest of the cost.

“We had the funding to do the project. This is going to free up money to go to other projects,” Carter said.

The city will now evaluate its capital plan to determine how the federal funds will affect its ability to tackle more construction. “Hopefully in a week or so we’re going to have a better idea of what projects we may be able to move up in our capital improvement program,” Carter said.

The city took down 109 homes when it built the Whitman interchange in the 1960s, Carter said. The removal of ramps will reclaim 11 acres of green space along the new Olive Street and Greenwood Avenue roadway for potential commercial or multi-family residential development, according to the Department of Transportation.

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas