Nearly a dozen Hillsboro residents shared their opinions on a $3.15 million in infrastructure improvement plan along Business 21 and Leon Hall Parkway during a Feb. 2 public hearing and community involvement meeting at City Hall.
According to plans created by Heneghan Associates, phase one of improvements would include adding 6-foot-wide sidewalks along Leon Hall Parkway near Hillsboro Primary School and at the intersection of Leon Hall Parkway and Business 21. Other aspects of the project include widening Leon Hall Parkway at Business 21, adding an additional left-turn lane, drainage improvements, adding 2-foot-deep ditches, and milling and overlaying a stretch of Business 21 and Old Hwy. 21. Phase two of the project includes plans to add 6-foot-wide sidewalks along Business 21, two crosswalks and refugee islands.
Igor Gusev, an engineer with Heneghan Associates, a civil engineering and land surveying firm, said the project will create a safer environment for pedestrians crossing Business 21.
“Kids have to cross the busy highway, and there’s no existing safe routes for them to cross so that means we need to provide those areas,” he said.
Mayor Buddy Russell said the projects have been in the works since 2019 and will see improvements for pedestrian and driver safety.
Who’s paying?
The Hillsboro R-3 School District is committing $400,000 to the project in a joint cost-sharing effort with the city of Hillsboro.
In August 2024, the Board of Education approved an initial donation of $100,000 to the project. In March 2025, the board voted to increase that contribution to $400,000. Transportation Alternative Program (TAP) and Surface Transportation Program (STP) grants support 80 percent of the construction costs as well, according to a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the city and school district.
In collaboration with the city, the school district and the adjacent property owner, Ryan Knuckles, it was determined that an additional turn lane could be constructed along Leon Hall Parkway.
With the new turn lane, the construction timeline calls for a crosswalk on Business 21 and a sidewalk from the highway to the Hillsboro High School campus along Leon Hall Parkway.
City Administrator Jason Daniel said the first phase of the TAP-funded project would cost around $800,000, the second phase $850,000 and the STP-funded project $1.5 million. The total cost of the project is estimated at $3.15 million.
On Feb. 10, Daniel said the city has not accepted any bids for construction.
“The safety and accessibility on our campus between schools are top priorities,” Superintendent Jon Issacson said. “This expanded project demonstrates the strength of local partnerships and our shared commitment to doing what’s best for Hillsboro’s students and families. We are proud to work alongside the city of Hillsboro, City Administrator Jason Daniel, and Mayor Buddy Russell to deliver a smart, sustainable improvement that will benefit the entire community for years.”
Construction for the intersection improvement is expected to start in spring 2027 and finish in summer 2027.
Phase two construction is slated to begin in 2029, Gusev said.
Russell said residents who didn’t attend the hearing can ask questions and share concerns by contacting City Hall, 101 Main St., or calling 636-797-3334.