The city of Rockford, Illinois, has approved its largest Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) in city history, carving out $385.3 million for infrastructure projects.
The city council anticipates Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 being a big year for citywide projects, with $145 million from the FY 2026-2030 CIP being used for construction in the coming year alone. Projects featured in the plan will prioritize roadway construction, neighborhood investments, transportation infrastructure, flood control, water system improvements, stormwater management and development along major corridors.
Programs funded through the five-year CIP include the:
- Water Capital Program – $120.3 million.
- Capital Roadway Program – $75.2 million.
- Highway and Bridge Structure Repair and Replacement Program – $57.4 million.
- Community Enhancement and Economic Development Program – $51.3 million
- Neighborhood Improvement Program – $45 million.
- City-Wide Maintenance Program – $15.9 million.
- Sidewalk and Active Transportation Program – $13.4 million.
- Stormwater and Drainage Program – $3.7 million.
- Traffic Improvement Program – $3.1 million.
A selection of the largest major projects featured in the CIP include:
The city will spend $28 million to build the Well 46 Water Treatment Facility (WTF). The facility will include a filter vessel, reservoir and associated pumping equipment. The facility will replace Well 24, a previously decommissioned site. Bidding is expected to open in 2026 with construction beginning later that year.
A total of $22.4 million will be invested in the Rockford Complete Streets Revitalization project. Plans include transforming the US-Bus-20 stretch of roadway to comply with Complete Streets and Streetscape standards laid out in the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant program. Letting and construction are expected to begin in 2026.
The city will allocate $20.3 million to replace the 15th Avenue Bridge. The bridge’s design will likely incorporate a three-lane bridge section. Letting is anticipated to open in 2027, with construction beginning shortly after.
The $20.2 million interim phase for the Reconnecting Rockford initiative will open for bidding and construction in 2027. The project will consist of converting 9th Street/Longwood Street into two-way streets. Additional work will include removing a bridge, interchange ramps and building active transportation connections to the Rock River.
Rockford will invest $18 million in a two-phase project to reconstruct the Well 45 Reservoir. The reservoir will replace the 100-year-old, 5-million-gallon water reservoir which currently serves as the largest in the central water pressure zone. Plans include demolishing the current reservoir and building a new one in its place. Additional work will consist of improving the existing operations center and parking area. Construction for Phase 1 is anticipated to begin in 2026, with Phase 2 slated for 2027.
The city will kick off a $10 million effort to convert Church Street and Main Street into two-way traffic lanes in 2026, with construction slated to begin in 2027. The city also plans to transfer State Route IL-2 onto Church Street as part of the project.
Photo by Ben Jacobson (Kranar Drogin), CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, from Wikimedia Commons
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