Illinois DOT

Now that some of the preparation work is finished, actual construction of the new I-74 is next.

On Midwest Week — an update and a timetable. 

A rest area along I-74 in Henry County just got a little greener. Thanks to the Illinois Department of Transportation, a new wind turbine was built at the Krisdala Baka rest area between Moline and Galesburg.

Spokesman Brian Williamsen says the turbine was built in an area with plenty of wind. 

The turbine cost almost 220-thousand dollars, funded through the DOT's capital improvement budget.

It's 100 feet tall and generates up to 250 thousand kilowatt hours per year. Williamsen says this is the first wind turbine the Illinois DOT has built at a facility. 

The renovation and expansion of the Galesburg Amtrak station is now complete. The 14-hundred square feet was added to the 31-year old building.

Officials in Moline want to hear what residents think about future transportation projects. This week, a Community Open House Workshop will be held to discuss phase two of a big development plan along the river. City Planner Jeff Anderson says Moline completed first phase about a year and a half ago.

The riverfront plan includes improvements in the Floreciente and Edgewater neighborhoods as well as downtown Moline. Phase two includes five projects, such as improving the connections between Western Illinois University's riverfront campus and the neighborhoods that surround it.