ROCK FALLS — Plans are taking shape to build a multi-million dollar travel center just south of Rock Falls.
In the past few weeks, multiple municipal governments within the Whiteside-Carroll Enterprise Zone have approved ordinances asking the state to amend the zone boundaries to add area just south of the Rock Falls city limits. did. The proposed travel station would be located at the interchange of State Route 40 and Interstate 88, according to a project plan submitted to the Fulton City Council, which approved an ordinance Monday night calling for the boundary changes. It will be located at 2801 Hoover Road, northeast of the city. .
However, although plans are taking shape, they have not yet been finalized.
“This is an ongoing process,” said Gary Cammarano, Whiteside-Carroll Enterprise Zone Administrator and Whiteside County Economic Development Director. Cammarano said he would not comment further at this time.
The Enterprise Zone incentives are critical to the project and the project will not proceed unless they are received, the plan description states.
The proposed plan states that if approved, the project is expected to cost an estimated $18 million and create 55 full-time jobs. Plans for the travel center include a gas station, electric vehicle charging station, restaurant, convenience store and short-term overnight parking for long-haul truck drivers. It will be connected to the city's water and sewerage system.
“This project will be of great benefit to the local economy, travelers, traffic flow and local businesses as there are no travel centers within an 80-mile radius of the proposed site that can service large volumes of trucks, buses and passenger vehicles. ” As planned.
The Walmart distribution warehouse center, three miles west of the proposed site, handles more than 250 trucks per day, but “due to tight delivery and pickup schedules, trucks have been designated at the distribution center. “You need a convenient place to park and refuel while waiting for your time slot to recharge,'' the plan description states.
Once built, the travel center would “generate much-needed sales tax” for Rock Falls and Whiteside County and “serve as a catalyst for further commercial development in Rock Falls,” according to the plan. That's what it means.
