EDWARDSVILLE – The largest grant ever received in Edwardsville history will go towards a major reconstruction project to bring multimodal transportation upgrades near Plummer Family Park.
Aldermen approved three related agreements at their Oct. 20, 2026 City Council meeting, including one with the U.S. Department of Transportation regarding a grant of over $21 million for the Goshen Road and Lincoln Trail Project.
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Public Works Director Ryan Zwijack said the city received a $21,241,730 grant under the DOT’s RAISE program in 2024, adding: “We’re ready to kick-start and get this going.”
Mayor Art Risavy thanked Zwijack and his staff for their work on the project, which Zwijack said has been five years in the making.
“This the biggest grant, by far, that we’ve ever received,” Risavy said. “Talk about a game changer for that end of town, and not really just for that end of town because of how many people go out to Plummer Family Park. Now you can ride your bike there and be safe on the streets.”
The project will bring about 1.75 miles of roadway reconstruction along Goshen Road and Old Troy Road. It will also add three roundabouts at the intersections of Goshen Road with Gerber Road, District Drive and Ridgeview Road.
A new Liberty Trail shared-use path measuring approximately 2.9 miles will be built along Old Troy Road and Goshen Road as part of the project, which also includes plans for an updated bus stop at Friar Tucks on Target Drive and three bicycle parking facilities.
A related agreement agreement with Oates Associates to perform preliminary engineering and design work on the same project was also approved for a total of $3,076,366. Since $2,583,000 of this amount will be covered by the federal grant funds, Zwijack said the city’s share of engineering costs is just under $500,000.
The third agreement, a joint funding agreement with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), allows the state agency to handle the federal funds for the large-scale construction project, while the city facilitates the work on the project itself. Zwijack said this is the most efficient way of handling projects of this size.
Zwijack said he hopes to have the project out for bid in 2029, with construction expected to begin in 2030. Once construction begins, Zwijack estimated a completion timeline of two years.
