PEKIN ( 25News Now ) - The future of the Tazewell County courthouse got underway with a groundbreaking Wednesday.

And, after more than 100 years, it’s growing.

The Justice Center annex, nearly 80,000 square feet, four floors, is going up right next to the current Tazewell County courthouse which opened in 1916.

At $44 million, this new building will also offer 6 new courtrooms

“We’ll have a sally port that will run directly from the jail. Previously we had to put prisoners in a van. Drive them over to a building. Take them through the public areas of the courthouse. That’ll eliminate all of those things,” said David Zimmerman, former Tazewell County Board Chair.

The majority of the money for the project came from $34 million dollars in remaining American Rescue Plan funds, disbursed

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