SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) is partnering with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and the Capital Development Board (CDB) to resurface three main roads on the Illinois State Fairgrounds.
Main Street from the Main Gate to Illinois Avenue, Central Avenue from Main Street to 8th Street, and Illinois Avenue from East of Main Street to the Northwest side of the Grandstand are all slated to be milled and resurfaced before the start of this year’s state fair.
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Work is scheduled to begin on Monday, July 9. The project is expected to be completed in four weeks.
“The Illinois State Fair is one of our state’s great institutions and deserves the best possible stage,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Randy Blankenhorn. “We are proud to partner with the Department of Agriculture on these improvements that will make the fair safer and more enjoyable for its hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.”
“It has been well documented that there is an overabundance of deferred maintenance on the Illinois State Fairgrounds,” says Agriculture Director Raymond Poe. “We are committed to making sure the buildings and roadways are safe for fairgoers and we are thrilled to see that progress is being made just in time for this year’s fair.”
These improvements are being funded through a $30 million appropriation that the Capital Development Board received as part of a Capital Bill specifically aimed at making infrastructure upgrades and repairs on the state fairgrounds. Priorities for projects on the fairgrounds include the Coliseum, structural improvements to the Multi-Purpose Arena, roof repair on various buildings, and roadwork.
