Taxpayers funding $52.8M Route 9 upgrade; residents raise safety concerns

(The Center Square) – Illinois is set to receive $52.8 million in federal taxpayer funding to overhaul roughly 6 miles of Illinois Route 9, but a proposed sidewalk near Bloomington High School is drawing sharp opposition from nearby homeowners who say the project creates new safety risks and disrupts long-standing neighborhoods.

The IDOT project, funded with federal infrastructure dollars, includes road, drainage and pedestrian upgrades along Route 9 through Bloomington.

Empire Street homeowners near Bloomington High School told city leaders they were blindsided by plans for a new sidewalk on the residential side of the road.

Longtime resident Sharon Trowitch warned the sidewalk would pose a “serious public safety issue” for students and neighbors.

“There is already a sidewalk on the south side of the street, on the school side,” Trowich said. “Putting a sidewalk on the north side will create an attractive nuisance that encourages students to cross a busy state highway where there is no stoplight or stop sign.”