Rockford seeks grant to pay Hard Rock Casino road construction
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City officials plan to widen East State Street turn lanes to accommodate expected traffic increases from the planned opening of the Hard Rock Casino Rockford in late August 2024.
Rockford plans to hire Loves Park-based Arc Design Resources Inc. for $325,735 to design the roadway improvements. The project includes turn lane improvements, new streetlights and the extension of a multiuse path in front of the casino. It is estimated to cost $2.5 million and be done next construction season.
Rockford Capital Improvement Program Manager and City Engineer Tim Hinkens said plans are to tap a $2 million Illinois economic development grant to pay for the project. Any costs beyond that will be covered by Hard Rock, he said.
"We are agreeing to accept the money from the state for Hard Rock, but the developer is responsible for everything including any costs that go over," Hinkens said. "This will be a net zero cost to the city. We are just taking the money."
Hard Rock is building a 65,000-square-foot casino on East State Street at the Interstate-90 exit with about 1,300 slot machines, a sportsbook and 44 table games featuring blackjack, roulette and craps among many others. It will also feature a poker room of about six tables. There will be a Hard Rock Café and Hard Rock Live event center that can serve as a 23,500-square-foot conference center or a roughly 1,600-seat live concert venue.
Its opening along with other additions like a nearby truck stop is expected to mean a traffic increase of up to 20% at the casino entrance and at Lyford Road during peak hours on weekends by 2034. On Saturdays, East State may go from having 34,000 vehicles per day to 40,000 vehicles per day, Hinkens said.
Pending City Council approval, the project will be initially funded with Rockford motor fuel taxes until the city is reimbursed.
In addition, plans are to add via street re-striping a southbound left turn lane from the tollway onto East State.
