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Urbana staff preview FY27–31 capital plan and defend Lincoln Avenue demonstration
Summary
Public Works presented a draft five‑year CIP (FY27–31), reviewed funding sources and major projects, and defended a temporary Lincoln Avenue lane‑reconfiguration demonstration designed to test safety improvements ahead of grant‑funded construction.
Public Works staff gave committee members a first look at the City of Urbana’s draft five‑year Capital Improvement Plan for fiscal years 2027–2031 and discussed project priorities and funding sources.
Interim city engineer Justin Swinford and assistant city engineer Carmen Franks outlined the plan’s revenue mix — dedicated fees (local motor fuel tax, sanitary sewer benefit tax, stormwater utility fee), CRNI transfers, and external grants — and highlighted major projects that include Springfield Avenue resurfacing, a RAISE‑funded Florida Avenue reconstruction, and corridor work on Lincoln Avenue. Swinford said the draft CIP will be posted on the City website and brought back as a resolution for adoption on June 1 so funding can be carried into the FY27 budget ordinance.
The Lincoln Avenue corridor demonstration drew sustained council attention. Staff said the demonstration is a temporary three‑lane configuration installed under a Safe Streets for All demonstration grant and is scheduled to be reverted to the prior four‑lane striping in June. "The intention of the project is to slow people down so that we have fewer crashes," Justin Swinford said, explaining the change is intended to improve safety for pedestrians, bicyclists and transit users and to position the project for additional federal safety funding. Staff said data collection and public outreach will inform whether the final reconstruction keeps lane changes and pedestrian islands and that design funding and construction will follow if additional grants are secured.
Councilmembers asked about specific safety elements — mid‑block crossings with rapid flashing beacons, the potential for dedicated left‑turn signals, and accommodating bus riders and schoolchildren — and staff explained the tradeoffs and the constraints of grant funding. Staff also described maintenance programs (sewer televising/lining, bituminous surface treatments and resurfacing) and a sanitary sewer lateral lining pilot in the Doctor Ellis neighborhood that has secured >90% resident participation.
The committee encouraged the public to review the posted CIP and the interactive project map; staff committed to provide follow‑up detail on pavement condition reports and to return with further project programming as design and grant agreements are finalized.
