Construction of Dixon’s $12M pedestrian bridge, Project Rock, kicks off with celebration

DIXON — The city of Dixon on Tuesday announced the start of its multi-million dollar project that will build a pedestrian bridge over the Rock River at the band shell in Page Park.

The $12 million development known as Project Rock will extend the multi-use path that runs west of Heritage Crossing with a pedestrian bridge over the Rock River using the old Illinois Central Railroad piers, construct an additional 2.8 miles of multi-use path and resurface just less than a mile of Page Drive, which is maintained by the Dixon Park District.

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Dixon mayor Glen Hughes heaps praise on some of the visionaries who helped get Project Rock to this phase during a speech Tuesday, April 8, 2025. The building of a pedestrian bridge and path extension is underway at Page Park in Dixon. (Alex T. Paschal)

At Tuesday’s event, Mayor Glen Hughes, Illinois Secretary of Transportation Gia Biagi, IDOT District 2 Local Roads Engineer Shawn Ortgiesen and state Sen. Li Arellano’s chief of staff, Nancy Naylor, spoke about how impactful the completed project will be on the community.

The rock in Project Rock represents the river, but it also stands for “revitalizing opportunities for our community and kids. It is a transformational amenity,” Hughes said.

It is an “anchor project of public safety and economic development” that will greatly improve quality of life, Naylor said.

Part of the project is constructing new parking and new curb for Page Drive. The multi-use path will connect to the existing pathways on the other side of the river while also running through Page Park and connecting to park district facilities and Dixon High School. It’s intended to increase walkability in Dixon by acting as another mode of transportation for residents, Ortgiesen said.

It’s planned to be completed in June 2026, which is months ahead of the originally projected date of December 2026, Hughes said in an interview with Shaw Local.

The majority of the project is funded by an $11.9 million grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity program. So far, the Dixon City Council contributed $895,000 in local funds as part of the grant requirements, according to a resolution approved by the council Aug. 5, 2024.

“This project is just one example of what we’re trying to do all across the state,” Biagi said as she referred to the Rebuild grants.

Its completion will close out the city’s riverfront development master plan, which began in 1998. The plan includes four projects: the construction of Heritage Crossing, completed in 2009; the installation of a multi-use path that extends east along River Road from Galena Avenue to Route 2, also completed in 2009; the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program multi-use path that runs west along the Rock River, completed in July 2024; and finally Project Rock.

“This is a real team project,” Hughes said.

The city has partnered with the Dixon Park District, the Illinois Department of Transportation and worked with Dixon High School to turn the project into a reality. The speakers also singled out Larry Reed of Dixon as instrumental in its creation.

Reed, who died in May 2024, was appointed to the Dixon Riverfront Commission in 1998 and was at the forefront of developing the riverfront master plan in 2002.