City of Alton - Committee of the Whole Meeting
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ALTON – A resolution to allocate nearly $184,000 to design “streetscape and transportation improvements” on East Broadway is on its way to the Alton City Council.
Committee of the Whole members on Monday approved a resolution appropriating $183,914 in Riverfront Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District Funds, or as much is needed to complete the design portion of the project. According to the resolution, the project requires additional funding through the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), resulting in a Joint Funding Agreement between the city and IDOT.
The full scope of the project consists of “professional design services including civil engineering, land surveying, and landscape architecture for the design of streetscape and transportation improvements,” according to the Joint Funding Agreement. The designed improvements are set to span 0.59 miles of East Broadway from Market Street to Ridge Street.
Also passed on Monday was an Engineering Services Agreement between the city and Sheppard, Morgan and Schwab, Inc. (SMS) for preliminary and design engineering services related to the Broadway streetscape project. SMS would serve as the prime consultant on the project, while Hitchcock Design Group would serve as consultants on the project. The amount for all work to be completed by both firms totals $683,914.
In September of 2022, Senator Tammy Duckworth’s office secured $500,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending for the City of Alton to complete Phase 1 of the city’s Great Streets project, aimed at improving downtown and promoting economic development. With $500,000 in federal funding secured, the Joint Funding Agreement between the state and city seeks to cover the remaining amount with matching funds.
Under the city’s agreement with SMS, the project schedule includes preliminary design from October to December 2025, schematic design from January to March 2026, design development from April to July 2026, and the preparation of construction documents from August to September 2026.
With the committee’s approval, both resolutions now go to the Alton City Council for final consideration and approval this Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025 at 6:30 p.m. Stay tuned to the discussion and vote on this and other agenda items live on Riverbender.com/video.
A full recording of the Sept. 22, 2025 Alton Committee of the Whole meeting is available at the top of this story or on Riverbender.com/video.
