By Ricky Rieckert
Dear readers,
This week, I’m starting with Aurora’s special bicycle lanes on S. River Street, from North Avenue, north to W. Downer Place.
The lanes are a great idea for an eco-friendly city, and one that had so much money that they could still burn it in the incinerator on S. River St., which is now home to the Hesed House.
I guess money from the Hollywood Casino was burning a hole in someone’s pocket, or rather an attempt in competing against a neighboring city.
The project was completed in May of 2016 and I have never seen a bike on those lanes yet. At night when heading south on River Street and turning left (east) or heading north and turning right (east), onto North Avenue, the pole markers and the median jump out at you, as you look at westbound traffic on North Avenue.
In addition, there are bicycles for rent outside the Santori Library, which I have never seen rented. I’m not being negative, because I know that the bicycle trails do get a lot of use. In fact I have a couple of friends that take trips to West Chicago, St. Charles, and Sugar Grove to name a few, on the many bicycle trails.
Maybe that money came from a State grant for recreational activities in Illinois cities.
Now to S. Broadway, where construction work has begun downtown, causing considerable traffic jams for quite a while. The Broadway Streetscape Project, is funded in part, by a $3 million grant from the State’s Rebuild Illinois Downtowns and Main Streets Capital program, in which Aurora was awarded in 2022, with work beginning in 2024 and continues in 2025.
Initially, angle parking on both sides of Broadway was proposed, similar to downtown Oswego and Geneva.
That has since, been taken off the table. The plan is to fill in the basement vaults on both sides of Broadway, that many years ago had water pipes in the vaults, which were heated by coal, then natural gas, to heat the sidewalks in the winter to be snow and ice free. The City would pay each business to compensate.
Under this new phase two plan, after filling the vaults, they would also work on the underground storm sewers and illuminate parking on both sides of Broadway from E. New York Street and Benton Street and increase the sidewalks to have outside seating and gathering for the businesses and more pedestrian walkways.
The final phase will include replacing old curbs, gutters, and sidewalks. In addition, this would include installing new streetlights, landscaping, and resurfacing the roadway.
In February 2025, the Aurora City Council approved incentives for redeveloping several properties, including The Aurora National Bank building at 2 S. Broadway and the Franz building at 62 S. Broadway.
These redevelopment projects are expected to add 88 new residential units to the downtown area.
The new Eastbank Apartments will be the first of any new high rise residential development projects, built from the ground up, in two decades. The development is at 100 North Broadway, on the east bank of the Fox River, just north of E. New York Street.
The five story building will house 258 apartments with amenities such as private balconies, a swimming pool, and a dog park. A 310-space parking garage is also part of the project, that will provide more downtown parking. Work continues, at the present time.
Next week, Fox River dams, removal pros and cons.
Have a terrific week, as the autumn leaves turn to pretty colors.