Slowing down traffic and creating Downtown Monmouth as a more pedestrian friendly space is the goal of the beautification project and design, explains Mayor Rod Davies:
“These are IDOT approved designs and designed by our engineering firm Hutchison Engineering, with IDOT approval. Again, it is to slow down traffic through the downtown and make the downtown more pedestrian friendly. In our public meetings, we heard that from a lot of the residents and downtown business owners that it would be nice to make the downtown more pedestrian friendly. I think once we get the pavement done and the striping on the pavement, a lot of these entrances and exits will start making a lot more sense. It is about traffic flow and moving the flow away from the stoplights and trying to get people in quadrants while others are able to continue around the circle. The diagonal parking in the 100 blocks will add some parking capacity, which downtown businesses were asking for.”
As for the landscaping around the Public Square in the rain garden areas, Mayor Davies informs it is part of Porter Brothers contract to plant grasses, bushes, and trees.
