Story posted Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Extend Milwaukee Improvements?
Grant May Fund Project Expansion
By TOM ROBB Journal & Topics Reporter
Niles village officials received a $520,000 state transportation enhancement grant earlier this month that could extend the Milwaukee Avenue Corridor project past Neva Avenue to Oakton Street.
"We will soon see portions of the beautification plan come to fruition by next summer and with these additional grant funds the project may now continue north as far as Oakton Street," said Niles Mayor Robert Callero in a written statement.
Current plans including street widening, resurfacing, water main installation, crosswalk and landscaping improvements, traffic signal modernization, sidewalk replacement and pavement re-striping along Milwaukee from Albion to Neva Avenue are scheduled for completion by next June. No plans have been drawn up for work beyond the current scope.
The $520,000 grant awarded on Friday, Dec. 18 combined with a $475,000 federal transportation grant recently secured for Milwaukee Avenue by U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-9th) could extend the work north on Milwaukee.
To date the corridor project has been awarded $1.8 million in grants.
Assistant Village Manager Steve Vinezeano said the PACE Bus system is looking for additional grants to run a bus from the Golf Mill Mall to the Jefferson Park CTA and Metra station in Chicago.
The Milwaukee Corridor Committee will soon meet again to consider next steps with the project.
That committee consisted of trustees Louella Preston and Kim Biederman. Biederman recently resigned from the village board and Callero has yet to name her successor to the village board or Milwaukee Corridor committee.
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