Rep. Gregg Johnson Announces IDOT Grants to East Moline for Downtown Rebuild, Moline for Streetscaping

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – State Rep. Gregg Johnson, D-Rock Island, announced that the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) just released a $1.9 million grant to East Moline to fund their Greater Downtown Revitalization project and a $1 million grant to Moline for their River Drive Streetscaping project.

“Continuing to fund development projects for Moline and East Moline will stabilize economic growth for the entire surrounding region,” Johnson said. “Investing in important centers of commerce fosters tourism and its accompanying economic benefits for the entire Central Illinois area. Grants like this are a smart and fiscally responsible use of taxpayer dollars that will bring significant returns for thousands of working families.”

East Moline’s new event center, hotel and music venue—along with many new shops and restaurants—are drawing residents and visitors to downtown and improving quality of life. However, lack of pedestrian infrastructure prevents foot traffic from carrying over to the greater East Moline area. This IDOT grant for $1.9 million will go towards a new multi-modal path for pedestrians and bicyclists, increased lighting, traffic calming measures, streetscaping and wayfinding improvements.

Moline’s grant for $1 million will pay for major streetscaping on central downtown corridors to connect businesses with major city infrastructure. The project addresses deteriorating sidewalks, tripping hazards, missing crosswalks, outdated signals and ADA-compliant upgrades to several intersections.

“Investing in modernized infrastructure improves public safety, it incentivizes economic development, it creates good-paying construction jobs; projects like this are what I fight for during the budget process every year,” Johnson said. “Illinoisans—not just in my district but across the state—want efficient spending that helps deliver a more prosperous future. This is a great example of that kind of thinking and I’m eager to see the impacts on our community in coming months and years.”