By WMBD-TV
NORMAL – Preventing floods and improving roadways, that’s what residents in the Twin Cities can expect from more than $4.3 million in federal funding.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen announced the funding during back to back press conferences in Normal and then Bloomington Wednesday afternoon.
“Bringing taxpayer funds back from Washington is one of the most important things I can do,” the Rockford Democrat said. “It means we ease the burden on property taxes. And this is an investment because our kids are directly impacted by the things that we’re doing today.”
Normal will get $2.35 million which will cover two projects. Roughly $1.5 million will go to recondition the city’s stormwater system while $850,000 will pay for road improvements to Vernon Avenue near Colene Hoose Elementary School.
Bloomington will get $2 million to upgrade its stormwater system to prevent sewer overflows and reduce flooding of homes and businesses.
“This particular area, what we’ve worked on is slowly but surely taking one piece of it,” said Bloomington Mayor Mboka Mwilambwe. “That’s why it is a nine phase project. So we’re taking one piece, replacing, and then moving to the next one.”
“The one that really got us looking at it was a pedestrian death,” said Normal Mayor Chris Koos. “There was a runner near Colene Hoose who was killed, and the fact that there are so many kids walking to school because there are a lot of kids in that neighborhood, it really gave us concern that we need to improve the safety around that school.”
The Vernon Avenue project is currently in its first phase, and is expected to be completed in the next three years.
