Aurora advances Safe Routes to School project with $530,000 local appropriation
Aurora City Council approved funding and engineering steps July 14, 2026, for a multi-location Safe Routes to School project serving portions of School Districts 129, 131 and 204. The action advances sidewalk, accessibility, crossing and traffic-safety work across several Aurora corridors, but the reviewed records do not establish a construction start date or confirm completion before the 2026-27 school year.
What the council approved
Resolution 25-0764 authorizes three connected actions: a joint funding agreement with the State of Illinois, a Phase 3 construction-engineering services agreement with V3 Companies, and a $530,000 appropriation from Aurora’s Motor Fuel Tax funds.
The V3 Companies agreement is capped at up to $144,100. That is a construction-engineering services authorization, not the project’s total construction cost, and the council record does not state that the full amount has already been spent.
The Illinois-Aurora joint funding agreement identifies the project as Section 22-00349-00-SW and describes a Safe Routes to School project at various Aurora locations. Its scope includes asphalt removal and patching, asphalt courses, pavement markings, replacement of concrete sidewalks and curb and gutter, and landscape restoration.
The funding agreement lists approximately $1.05 million for participating construction and up to $144,100 for construction engineering. It identifies $744,288 in federal Safe Routes to School participation from three grants and an estimated $449,812 local share across construction and engineering. The agreement says those figures are approximate and that final costs and the local share depend on final federal and state participation.
Aurora’s $530,000 Motor Fuel Tax appropriation is therefore a local funding action connected to the project, not a statement of the entire project budget. The council record also documents the three grants for Districts 129, 131 and 204, totaling $744,288.
Where work is planned
The official scope distributes the work across multiple Aurora corridors rather than concentrating it at one school. Named locations include Charles Street, Morton Avenue, Randall Road, Elmwood Drive, Gates Street, Sheffer Road, Lehnertz Avenue, Front Street, Fenton Street, Stonebridge Boulevard and Hamman Way.
The scope lists new sidewalk, ADA ramp, pavement-marking, signage and ditch-grading work on Randall Road from Randall Court to Plum Street. It also lists new sidewalk or related improvements on Charles Street, from 907 Charles Street to Harrison Avenue; Morton Avenue, from Charles Street to 314 Morton Avenue; and three Elmwood Drive segments.
Other listed locations include Gates Street between Ashland Avenue and Simms Street; Sheffer Road from Greenview Drive to Ohio Street; and Lehnertz Avenue from Ohio Street to Sherman Street. The plan identifies ADA ramp, curb-bumpout and pavement-marking work at Front Street intersections with Loucks Street and Kendall Street.
The scope also includes work at Fenton Street and Trask Street, Fenton Street and Loucks Street, several Stonebridge Boulevard intersections and a Stonebridge Boulevard segment between Courtland Place and Sheffer Road. Hamman Way work is listed between Firestone Lane and Glen Eagle Drive. One Stonebridge Boulevard intersection is marked as having no work because it was constructed under an earlier contract.
What the project may add
Depending on the location, the planned improvements include new sidewalks, ADA ramp upgrades, curb bumpouts, pavement markings, traffic and pedestrian signs, tree placement, ditch grading and speed-feedback signage.
The scope specifically lists speed-feedback signage on Village Green Drive. Stonebridge Boulevard locations include combinations of ADA ramp upgrades, curb or median-radius changes, pavement markings and signage.
Illinois’ Safe Routes to School program funds infrastructure and engineering initiatives, along with non-infrastructure activities, to improve walking and bicycling conditions near schools. Aurora’s project documents describe the local work as filling sidewalk gaps, improving crossings and updating accessibility features for students, including students with disabilities.
Construction timing remains unresolved
The July 14 approval confirms the city’s authorization, local appropriation, state-local funding agreement, engineering agreement and planned project locations. It does not provide a precise construction start date, a schedule for individual street segments or a completion date before the 2026-27 school year.
For families, students, commuters and nearby residents, the next useful notice will be a city, state or project update identifying when construction will begin and whether walking routes, crossings, parking or traffic patterns will be affected. Until that information is issued, the project should be understood as advancing toward construction—not as completed work.
Sources
- City of Aurora — Resolution 25-0764
- Illinois Department of Transportation — Safe Routes to School Program
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