They gathered under and around the shelter built in the middle of the bridge called Petunia Crossing to celebrate a project that has been 20 years in the making.
“Those of us who grew up in Dixon during the ’80s can remember walking across the old Illinois Central Railroad bridge,” said Mike Venier, a member of the Dixon City Council and the master of ceremonies for the event. Many in the crowd nodded and chuckled while they remembered. “This bridge will be much safer to walk on.”
With the American flag hanging from the middle of the bridge just days after the Fourth of July, the gathering started the event by singing the national anthem. The song was started by the Voices of Dixon singers.
The goal was to extend the path to Sauk Valley Community College and Sterling. The idea of using the old Illinois Central bridge’s trestles first started when the line was shut in 1987, according to Venier. The bridge connects Page Park with the River Front and the recreational path that winds throughout Dixon. Former Dixon Mayor Jim Burke and Larry Reed get credit for getting the idea going, but all the speakers pointed out that it took a lot of work from a lot of people for the bridge to be built.
“We did it Dixon,” Venier proudly proclaimed. “We did it.”
Mike Venier, Dixon city council member, functioned as master of ceremonies for the ribbon cutting to officially open the new pedestrian bridge, Petunia Crossing, on Tuesday, July 7th. The bridge sits on the trestles from the old Illinois Central Railroad bridge. Photo by Greg Smith.
Venier’s statement could well have been the theme for the hour-long celebration. Each speaker told the audience how the project required a lot of work and cooperation. The plan was first formed in 1998 when the city created the Dixon Riverfront Commission. Reed, who died in 2024, led the commission.
The bridge’s opening marks the end of a plan that featured four projects. First, there was the Heritage Crossing, which was completed in 2009. The space along the Rock River is now used for the Petunia Fest and other events in Dixon. In the same year, the walking paths were extended East along the River Road from Galena Avenue to Route 2.
“We got it done because the vision was bigger than any one project,” said Danny Langloss, Dixon’s city manager.
Most of the project was funded by an $11.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity Program. According to Greg Gates, who filled out the paperwork to get the state money, it wasn’t easy.
“We didn’t get it the first seven tries,” said Gates, who admitted he was surprised when the city got the funds.
Only one to five percent of projects that are applied for are awarded the funds, according to Gates.
“It wasn’t easy,” said Dixon Mayor Glen Hughes about how the project was maintained during the terms of three different mayors: Burke, Liandro Arellano Jr. and now his own. Burke died in 2016. Arellano Jr. is a state senator for the 37th District.
Even with Chairs provided for those attending the Tuesday, July 7th, ribbon cutting for Dixon’s new pedestrian bridge, named Petunia Crossing, many of the estimated 100 who attended stood for the hour-long event. Photo by Greg Smith.
The city is not done with development. There are plans to extend the path to Interstate 88, where it will go through a 40-acre plot donated to the city in 2024. The area will be called Bloody Gulch Park. There are also plans to develop the riverfront between Peoria Avenue Bridge and Petunia Crossing. The city’s goal for the area, called Viaduct Point, is to bring in a boutique hotel, restaurants, and retail stores. According to Langloss, the hope is to break ground on that project in 2027.
“There has never been a more exciting time to be in Dixon, Langloss said. “The best is yet to come.”
The official part of the event ended with singing “God Bless America.” Anyone who was interested was invited to take a golf cart ride on the bridge and the new path that connects it.
