CHESTER – A public hearing will be held Thursday on the city of Chester’s application for a $250,000 grant under the Safe Routes to School Program.
The City of Chester intends to use the grant to make improvements along Illinois Route 150 at its intersection with Swanwick Street by Chester High School and Illinois Route 3 near Chester Elementary School to increase the safety of students walking and biking to school from the local community.
The plan is for five painted crosswalks to be added along Opdyke Street (Route 3) that are used to reach Chester Elementary School. At two intersections with Opdyke Street, there will also be sets of flashing beacons installed to slow down traffic and alert vehicles of students crossing. These flashing beacons will be post mounted and solar powered.
Along this route there will be approximately 2,200 square feet of sidewalk removed and replaced with 3,275 square feet of new 6-foot and 5-foot wide sidewalk, with 100 feet of aluminum pipe handrail near a section with an embankment to one side.
Near the entrance to Chester High School, there will be 140 square feet of sidewalk removed and replaced, and repairs made to sidewalk and ramps along with a painted crosswalk at the intersection of Lee Street and Swanwick Street. There will also be a painted crosswalk with flashing beacons added to where students cross State Street (Route 150) at the Swanwick Street intersection.
The cost of this project is $250,959 and the City is requesting $250,000 in Safe Routes to School grant funding to cover the expenditures that are needed to be made to make it safer for students to walk and bike to school.
This grant funding will cover the costs of adding the seven new painted crosswalks on routes students take to get to the Elementary and High Schools, pedestrian activated flashing beacons at two crosswalk locations crossing busy highways, improvements to sidewalks and curb ramps, and a new bike rack for secure parking.
The school district feels the Safe Routes to School grant award would greatly improve the safety of walking and biking to school for every student in the district, as well as every member of the community, by improving the safety hazards of crossing busy roadways in school zones.
All interested parties are invited to review the project documents and attend the public hearing on Thursday, October 2nd, 2025, at 10 a.m. at Chester City Hall, 1330 Swanwick Street, Chester, IL, 62233.
Verbal comments will be accepted at the public hearing.
Written comments may be submitted to the attention of Lori Reiman at: J.T. Blankinship, Inc., 401 S. 17th Street, Murphysboro, IL, 62966 or l.reiman@jtblankinship.com.