JERSEYVILLE – Jerseyville officials are applying for over $2 million in grant funds for sidewalk, crossing and safety improvements in an area frequented by joggers, cyclists and more.
Jerseyville City Council members voted to apply for an Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program (ITEP) grant from the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) at their Sept. 29, 2026 meeting. Councilman Tony Steckel was absent.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
The proposed project calls for the installation of several new sidewalks, shared use paths, crosswalks and a new bike lane which would connect with existing sidewalks in the area of Highway 109, Rosewood Drive and Commerce Boulevard. These upgrades would allow pedestrians and cyclists to get around the area more easily and safely.
“We have a lot of different user groups here. We have seniors, affordable housing,” Public Works Director Bob Manns said. “Some people don’t have vehicles who are trying to get to work, to the Walmart complex and that area. And of course, we have the middle school complex – kids riding bikes, walking … so that’ll be a nice improvement.”
A site plan prepared by Heneghan Associates, Inc. shows plans for 5-foot-wide sidewalk upgrades near the Brookshire Estates and Diamond Apartment Complex, which would extend south past Crawford Funeral Home to the Villas of Hollybrook assisted living facility. Two new crosswalks would also be installed at the intersection of Commerce Boulevard and Highway 109 to help pedestrians safely cross both roads.
Sidewalk upgrades would also be made on the opposite side of Highway 109 from R.P. Lumber to Commerce Boulevard, where the sidewalk would transition into a 10-foot-wide shared-use path. The shared use path would then wrap around the corner of Highway 109 and Essex Street, extending along the south side of Essex to the Sinclair’s grocery store parking lot. A new bike lane would then connect the shared use path to the existing sidewalks that lead to Walmart.
A new crosswalk going across Essex Street at its intersection with Highway 109 would help users of the shared use path safely cross Essex. The shared use path then continues north, where another new crosswalk guides walkers and bikers across 109 before wrapping around 1st MidAmerica Credit Union and meeting an existing crosswalk going across West County Road.
Future sidewalk improvements are also planned on the eastern side of Highway 109 (McClusky Road) from Rosewood Drive to West County Road. Manns said the city would coordinate with IDOT to determine new speed limits throughout the project area.
Manns said the project carries a total estimated price tag of $2.8 million. If approved, the ITEP grant would cover 80% of this amount with the city covering the other 20% in local matching funds. Manns said $2.2 million would be covered by the grant if approved, leaving the city responsible for the remaining $600,000.
IDOT is offering $157 million in ITEP grants to local communities this grant cycle, with applications due Oct. 5, 2026 and projects capped at $5 million each. With funds being awarded in the spring of 2027, Manns estimated it may be six to eight months before the city knows whether its application was approved.
