Route 66 bikeway section gets stimulus funding

A proposed Route 66 bikeway from west Bloomington to Shirley, Ill., will receive $1.44 million in federal economic stimulus funds, reported the Bloomington Pantagraph.

Apparently, the bikeway got money for the project a little quicker than expected:

McLean County Highway Engineer Eric Schmitt said all the work that a variety of groups have done on the project through the years likely is the reason it was one chosen for the money.

More details about the bikeway:

Schmitt said the project likely will go out for bid in March. Construction may start in May or June and finish by the end of summer.

The path will start near Fox Creek Road, travel on the west side of old Route 66 for 1½ miles, then switch to the east side of the road near Shirley, Schmitt said.

Proponents of the Route 66 bikeway hope it will eventually extend from Chenoa to McLean.

So it appears a new section of a bicycle path along Route 66 will be finished by late summer next year. And another way to get tourists on the old road is a good thing.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.