News Local/State

With Budget In Place, MCORE Work To Resume Monday

By Jim Meadows and Brian Moline
 
Section of Green Street in Champaign under construction for the MCORE Project.

This section of Green Street east of the Canadian National railroad tracks in Champaign was briefly opened to traffic when the MCORE project was delayed, due to lack of a new state budget. Jim Meadows/Illinois Public Media

Passage of a new state budget in Springfield means it’s back to work for construction crews on several road projects in Illinois — including the MCORE project in Champaign-Urbana’s Campustown.

Work on the project had just started when the new fiscal year began July 1st without a budget. But local officials say MCORE work will resume Monday on two sections of Green Street – in front of the U of I Illini Union in Urbana … and just east of the Canadian National railroad tracks in Champaign.

Green Street near the Canadian National tracks has been open to traffic this week — but officials say it will close again on Saturday, so construction can resume.

The MCORE project is what is known as a "state let" project. Funding from a federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant is directed to the Illinois Department of Transportation, which then acts as contracting agency for the project.

Without a state budget, IDOT could not distribute the grant funds to construction crews.

Champaign City Engineer Dave Clark said in a news release that crews are ready to get back to work.

“We are pleased that a resolution has been reached in the legislature," Clark said. "Our contractor is eager to resume work on this important project for our communities.”