Road Construction

There are a lot of road-closed-except-to-local-traffic signs out there in the Town of Normal this summer during the height of the street repair season.

Included in the proposed new $223 million budget for the Town of Normal is the hiring of six new positions. Mayor Chris Koos said they all relate to services delivered by the town.

A pro hockey team has the potential to bring more than $20 million in rent and profits over the next two decades if it plays at the City of Bloomington's Grossinger Motors Arena. That’s according to a proposal coming before the Bloomington City Council on Monday.

The McLean County Board on Thursday rejected a proposal calling for the board to oppose tax-supported services for certain groups of immigrants. The 13-to-7 vote followed nearly two hours of public comments before a standing room-only crowd.

As the new year kicks off, the Town of Normal is looking forward to more capital projects, more equipment purchases, and more economic activity. City Manager Pam Reece said last year was a very busy one with capital improvements and a lot of accomplishments.

A Champaign County jury has ruled in favor of the City of Urbana and against the Bloomington-based firm of Stark Excavating over faulty road construction. The award of nearly $2.9 million is a rarity. Stark is widely used in central Illinois for many municipal construction projects.

The Illinois Department of Transportation says it plans to complete $48 million in McLean County road projects yet this year. The six projects are part of the fifth year of the Rebuild Illinois capital program.

Of the more than $41 billion in infrastructure repairs announced by the Illinois Department of Transportation, the district that includes McLean County will receive around $756 million in upgrades to highways and bridges.

You can expect delays along a busy stretch of Veterans Parkway that's undergoing construction for the next three months.

The new five-year capital projects blueprint for the Town of Normal includes more than 400 projects and an estimated $157 million in spending. The town council takes up the Community Investment Plan Monday evening.