Construction of Dixon’s $12 million pedestrian bridge project underway

DIXON — Construction of Dixon’s multi-million dollar economic development project began last week as crews mobilized at Page Park in Dixon.

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Heavy equipment is seen Feb. 28, 2025, at Page Park in Dixon as Project Rock moves forward with the building of a pedestrian bridge over the Rock River. (Alex T. Paschal)

Known as Project Rock, the over $12 million development, which is primarily grant funded, will extend the multi-use path that runs west of Heritage Crossing with a pedestrian bridge over the Rock River using the old Illinois Central Railroad piers, construct an additional 2.8 miles of multi-use path and resurface just less than a mile of Page Drive, which is maintained by the Dixon Park District.

Construction crews headed out to Page Park on Friday to get their equipment in place. Their first task is completing tree removal in preparation for the construction of the pathway that will be adjacent to Page Drive, City Manager Danny Langloss said in an interview with Shaw Local.

The multi-use path will also run through Page Park and connect to some park district facilities as well as Dixon High School. It’s planned to be lined with LED lights and is intended to increase the city’s walkability by acting as another mode of transportation for residents, according to a project agreement approved by the Dixon City Council at its June 17, 2024, meeting.

The city plans on putting together a tentative construction schedule and hopes to minimize disruption to any community events happening in the park during construction, Public Works Director Matt Heckman said in a previous interview with Shaw Local.

“It’s a long, long project,” Heckman said. “The time frame between now and final project closeout is expected to be pretty close to two years.”

It’s expected to be completed by Dec. 1, 2026, according to the approved construction agreement.

The project was put out for bid in September 2024 and Willett Hofmann & Associates, an engineering consultant firm in Dixon, was selected through a qualifications-based process, which is mandated for projects that use federal dollars, Heckman said.

The majority of the project is funded by an $11.9 million grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity program.

So far, the council has agreed to contribute a total of $895,000 in local funds to its preliminary engineering and construction as part of the grant requirements, according to a resolution allocating the funds approved at the Aug. 5, 2024, City Council meeting.

Within the city’s budget, the council has allocated a total of $3 million from fiscal 2022 and 2023 “turn ins” - money that was left over after the city audit was complete - to the project, Heckman said.

The proposed fiscal 2026 budget asks the council to allocate another $1.3 million left over from the fiscal 2024 audit. It also estimates that $700,000 will be left over from fiscal 2025, which ends April 30, and asks for that money to also be allocated as well, Heckman said.

The project will complete the city’s riverfront development master plan - which began in 1998. The plan includes four projects: the construction of Heritage Crossing, completed in 2009; the installation of a multi-use path that extends east along River Road from Galena Avenue to Route 2, also completed in 2009; the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program multi-use path that runs west along the Rock River, completed in July 2024; and finally Project Rock.