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Peoria council approves roughly $470,000 to design Westward Skies Drive serving Amcor site
Summary
The City Council approved a budget amendment to fund design of Westward Skies Drive (about 1,650 linear feet) to improve access to the 5 North area and serve the planned Amcor facility; the city expects reimbursement of up to $3 million under a pre‑annexation agreement with the State Land Department.
Peoria City Council on Jan. 28 approved a budget amendment to begin design work for Westward Skies Drive, authorizing roughly $470,000 to start plans for roadway, drainage and utilities extending about 1,650 linear feet from 5 North into Vistancia Boulevard.
The funding is intended to speed design so the road could be in place before construction of a planned Amcor Technologies facility. Mike Faust, deputy city manager, told the council the city is "asking for about $470,000" to start the project and noted a pre‑annexation and development agreement with the State Land Department requires parcels south of 5 North to reimburse the city "for up to $3,000,000 of the construction of that road, which would include the design costs."
Why it matters: Council members said the connector will add ingress and egress for the roughly 472‑acre 5 North area and help circulation around Vistancia. During the presentation staff cited engineering constraints — distance to the Jomax interchange, an existing high‑voltage power line corridor and local topography — as reasons the new alignment connects to Vistancia rather than directly to Jomax Road. Faust summarized traffic counts the team used in the analysis, saying current volumes are about 5,900 vehicle trips per day on Jomax Road, about 16,000 on Vistancia and roughly 33,000 on Happy Valley Road east of the Loop 303, and said those patterns informed the route choice.
Council discussion and vote: Councilor Bullock said the road "is logical" for the area even without the Amcor project and emphasized the need for additional ingress and egress for the 5 North properties. After discussion, a motion to approve the budget amendment for the Westward Skies design passed 7‑0.
Details and next steps: City staff told the council the full project is included for consideration in the draft FY2026–FY2035 Capital Improvement Plan; the advance funding approved Jan. 28 covers preliminary design and related items so right‑of‑way actions and final design can proceed. Staff did not identify a construction start date; they said starting design now increases the chance the roadway can be completed before Amcor begins site work.
The council action was limited to authorizing design funding; no construction contract or final project budget was approved at the meeting.
