Mary Hansen
The State Journal-Register
Walking from South Side Christian Church at the corner of MacArthur Boulevard and Highland Avenue to the Hy-Vee grocery store presents some challenges, according to Daniel Shelton, a pastor of the church and member of the MacArthur Boulevard Association.
Crumbling pavement and missing sections of sidewalk make the nearly half-mile walk difficult, he said during an association meeting last week.
Association members and aldermen who represent the area are looking for ways to jump-start action on a recently completed feasibility study that recommended repaving the road and adding room for cyclists and pedestrians. But challenges remain in finding funding for the project that could cost tens of millions of dollars and reaching common ground with business owners along the boulevard who could lose parking spaces or even storefronts.
A lack of state funding for the planning and construction phases, and a slow-moving process make the path forward uncertain.
The goal for MacArthur, which sees 21,400 cars a day, is to provide better pedestrian accessibility, bicycle accommodations and drainage, and increased capacity north of Laurel Street.
The city and state commissioned a study in 2015. The Illinois Department of Transportation examined six options, ranging from simply repaving and widening the boulevard to adding various sizes of bike paths and sidewalks.
IDOT recommended last week two options: a 10-foot wide bike path on the west side of MacArthur and 5-foot sidewalk on the east, or a 7-foot shared path. Both options included repaving the road and replacing curbs and gutters.
IDOT estimated the cost for the overhaul to be between $20.6 million and $21.7 million, which splits about evenly between construction costs and money for land acquisition needed to widen the lanes and sidewalks.
Lost parking and signs
Getting business and property owners along the boulevard to agree to a plan for improvements is key, said Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin, who represents the neighborhood. “We have to come up with something tangible that enough people are satisfied with,” McMenamin said.
But that agreement may not come easy since many of the options could mean loss of parking spaces or signs, or even relocation for a few businesses. Between nine and 15 buildings along MacArthur Boulevard would be affected if either of the two preferred options were implemented, according to the IDOT study.
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Having a “walkable” neighborhood where residents want to spend time is the goal, said Ward 6 Ald. Kristin DiCenso.
Funding
Beyond figuring out how to improve MacArthur, finding money from state, local and federal sources is a challenge. Some boulevard association members expressed frustration at the timeline but also resolve to push the process forward.
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Joe McMenamin for Ward 7 