Roadwork

The Normal Town Council approved two contracts on Monday related to street resurfacing projects in the town. The council accepted bids from and awarded two contracts to Rowe Construction, a division of United Contractors Midwest Inc.

The Bloomington City Council on Monday approved plans to annex land on Washington Street to allow construction of a community-scale solar energy project. Members also waived the formal bidding process for a resurfacing and pavement preservation program to update streets and sidewalks.

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.

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.

The city will borrow the money from public loan programs, and pay Champaign-based Clark Dietz up to $2 million for engineering designs.

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.

Bloomington Deputy City Manager Billy Tyus said tax revenue is up and the public has said road improvements should be a priority.

Seven McLean County road projects are included in the Illinois Department of Transportation's annual plan to repair the state's roads and bridges. Projects include work on Interstate 55, U.S. Routes 24 and 136 and bridge repairs at the Funks Grove rest area.

Becky Slightom is the person you see at the start of a roadwork zone—the one directing traffic and keeping workers and drivers safe.She's a flagger, but…