Prospect Road redesign gets early Village Board OK

Prospect Road will be narrowed from five to three lanes including a center turn option downtown and its sidewalks widened to accommodate pedestrian traffic and al fresco dining as part of a $20 million plus reconstruction of that corridor, the Peoria Heights Village Board has decided.

The vote to establish a curb line or road width was necessary to allow the Phase 1 engineering study and planning for the corridor to move forward on a reconstruction project that will run the length of Prospect through the Village from War Memorial Drive to Tower Park.

Ultimately, the vote was unanimous to move forward with the so-called “road diet” plan, minus a previously considered bike lane, but not before some trustees expressed concerns regarding the potential for traffic congestion and the hardships on businesses during construction.

What seemed to sway the Board was the recognition that this project is about much more than aesthetics, given the need to replace the out-of-date infrastructure along and beneath the road – the water mains, for example – along with the crumbling pavement. That makes the need to tear up the road at some point inevitable, at a cost that is well beyond the budget capacity of a community the size of Peoria Heights.

Meanwhile, the construction likely will be phased, a part of Prospect will remain open throughout the expected 18-month construction period, and the burden on businesses temporary. No start date has yet been chosen for the project and external funding sources must still be found for it.

Beyond that, Trustee Brandon Wisenburg seemed to move the board with his appeal on behalf of the elderly and disabled in the community who find it difficult if not impossible to get around the downtown area now.

“Since getting elected in 2019, I have had a lot of people come up and tell me that are wheelchair-bound that they cannot get through downtown Peoria Heights when dining is going on … Sometimes, you can’t even walk,” Wisenburg said. “If we are going to ensure that our elderly, our disabled patrons can also enjoy a good meal, we have to do something with ADA (the Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance. I don’t think it’s possible without reducing the streets because the buildings aren’t going anywhere.”

Ultimately, it’s a “dignity” issue for all of the Village’s residents, which trumps being “a little inconvenienced,” he said.

The Village’s engineering consultant, Hanson Professional Services, had offered the Board three options. A “status quo” option that would keep four driving lanes was not one of them. Even that would require becoming ADA compliant after ground is broken, and possibly on the Village’s dime, consultant Mark Lee told the Board.

Trustees Nate Steinwedel and Teresa Symmonds expressed an initial preference for four lanes, voicing reservations about “bottlenecks,” “this strangling of these lanes,” the impact on commuters and replicating the traffic snarls on Peoria’s Main Street near Bradley University. Steinwedel also mentioned emergency vehicle access and messing with the formula of “a very successful downtown,” the epicenter of the Village’s tax base.

“I just don’t see how that’s going to be a winning situation,” he said.

One alternative that would keep four lanes and meet ADA obligations would be to sacrifice the on-street parking on Prospect downtown, said Lee, which no one wanted. The street seats will go away with this plan, which will free up some additional parking. Meanwhile, Lee and Hanson representatives reassured the Board that based on software modeling, “you’re not going to see a dramatic difference” in travel times through the downtown with three lanes based on current and projected traffic counts.

Lee acknowledged the hit of future construction on businesses, saying “it’s going to be painful for them during the process. On the flip side, this process is going to happen one way or another sometime in the future. Eventually, you have to do it” given the current condition of the corridor. Trustee Sarah DeVore said that Business Development District funds potentially could be used to offset losses for local businesses during construction, as they were during COVID.

Meanwhile, decisions like these do matter to the Illinois Department of Transportation and whether it gets behind future funding,” said Lee. “We don’t want to risk that,” said Mayor Matt Wigginton.

Hanson is doing the Phase 1 engineering and design work at a cost of $2.5 million, 80 percent of which is coming from a federal grant secured through Congressman Darin LaHood's office. Hanson's final recommendations are expected late next year.

The east side of the corridor south of Lake Avenue is in the City of Peoria, which reportedly is on board with the three-lane option.

Ultimately, “we need to create a space that’s full of life,” said one Hanson representative. “You could have something that’s really special. Like, nobody else has this.”

“It’s really about creating an even greater place,” said Wigginton.

In the Heights, we are blessed this Thanksgiving

As we approach another Thanksgiving Day, I wish each and every Peoria Heights resident a healthy and happy holiday filled with family, with faith if that is your tradition, with feasting and fun.

All of our personal stories fit within the general story of the Village, and no chain is stronger than its most vulnerable link, but all in all we have much to be grateful for as we celebrate Thanksgiving 2025.

Our local economy is growing as we welcome private and public investment alike. Hardly a month has gone by this year in which ground was not being broken on some project somewhere in the Village, especially in our destination downtown. We’re witnessing that right now at Pearl Insurance, at the Pabst Building, at Trefzger’s Bakery and elsewhere, and we expect more of it in 2026. Our restaurants continue to do brisk business, our sales tax revenues prove it, and fresh new faces and storefronts are being added to our restaurant row and retail rosters.

People are drawn here in part because of our commitment to public safety. We have a new police chief, Chris Ahart, overseeing a dedicated department that continues to do an outstanding job. We have put unprecedented funds in our fire department and we believe we have a good fit in our new interim chief, Austin Szentes.   

Measurable progress is being made on our public infrastructure front, especially with our locally owned water system. Hundreds of lead water lines are being replaced throughout the Village, at no cost to our residents. The wholesale, $80 million-plus reconstruction of Illinois Route 29 through our community with an accompanying recreational path on the bluff overlooking the Illinois River is now within the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, we are setting the stage for growth on our riverfront with a 4th TIF District that will encourage compatible economic development there. We are moving forward on the $20 million-plus reimagination of Prospect Road through the heart of our community. Our public library is in line for needed renovation and expansion.

There will be some inconveniences as we go along, but all of these contributions will, in the long run, make our Village an even better and more viable place for our residents, first and foremost, but for visitors, as well.

Meanwhile, we are very fortunate that we have been able to attract millions upon millions of dollars in grants to relieve the burden on our local taxpayers. Our budgets have been balanced and then some with annual, consecutive surpluses that we are able to pump into more and better services for our residents.   

Like every community, we have our challenges, and collectively we are trying to address those. On Thursday, for example, our fire and police departments once again will team up to deliver food essentials to some of our neighbors who may have been priced out of providing for their family’s Thanksgiving meal. Beyond that, each one of us has it within our capacity individually to do something kind, to make someone else’s life better if even in the smallest way. I encourage that, on this Thanksgiving Day and every day. We never want anyone to feel left out of our blessings.

Finally, I hope to see Tower Park packed over the next two weekends, starting with the ceremonial lighting of our Christmas tree and our annual visit from Santa at 6 p.m. this Friday. Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.

Mayor Matt Wigginton

FREEZING TEMPS ARE BACK!

HOW TO AVOID FROZEN PIPES

As the weather turns colder, the Village of Peoria Heights would like to remind you of the importance of preparing for the cold weather. Please remember these tips as you are preparing and protecting your pipes this winter:

Prior to this winter:

  • Become familiar with the areas of your home such as basements and crawl spaces. Also be aware that unheated rooms and outside walls are particularly vulnerable to freezing.

  • Eliminate sources of cold air near water lines by insulating walls, fixing broken windows, closing off crawl spaces, and eliminating drafts near doors.

  • Locate your main water shut-off valve. If a pipe freezes or bursts, shut the water off immediately.

  • Protect your pipes and water meter by wrapping exposed pipes with insulation or an electrical pipe heater. Newspaper and fabric may be used as well.

  • If your pipes freeze:

  • Shut off the water immediately. Do not attempt to thaw frozen pipes unless the water is shut off. Freezing can often cause unseen cracks in pipes or joints.

  • Apply heat to the frozen pipe by warming the air around it, or by applying heat directly to the pipe. Use a hair dryer, space heater, or hot water. Be sure not to leave space heaters unattended and avoid the use of kerosene heaters or open flames.

  • Turn the water back on slowly once the pipes have thawed, and check for cracks and leaks.

    4901 N Prospect Rd, Peoria Heights, IL 61616 P 309-686-2375 | F 309-686-2387 PeoriaHeights.org