Millstadt is gearing up to begin a small streetscape project on about two blocks of one of the town’s main roads. 

Mayor Michael Todd said the work covers state Route 158 from the four-way stop to Jackson Street. 

“It’s just new curbs, gutters and sidewalks,” he said. “We didn’t get anything for concrete or anything like that.” 

This beautification project has been in the works since before Todd took office as mayor, as he said the village has been trying to get it done for around a decade. 

It has run into delays because state funding has dried up at various points. 

“The money went away from the state for a while, but then it came back,” Todd said. 

The scope of the project has also changed over the years. 

“It’s pretty much a general (construction project),” Todd explained. “When they first started, they were hoping to get the lighting, but that wasn’t part of the grant, and the village couldn’t afford that.”  

The village is partnering with the Illinois Department of Transportation on the project through an Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program Grant. The grant amount awarded to Millstadt in 2018 was $245,150.  

Millstadt has completed all easements necessary for the work and is now awaiting IDOT’s OK to get bids for the project. 

Once that is done, a more exact estimate and timetable for the project will be established.