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Last updated 11:43 am CT September 02, 2010.
IDOT Wants To Explain Road Plans
The state of Illinois plans to spend $11.5 billion dollars in the next five years upgrading state highways. The projects include resurfacing parts of Interstate 57 between Marion and Benton, and adding lanes to US-45 north of Eldorado.
Additionally, IDOT plans to begin work on IL-13 between Marion and Carterville, which will be the most expensive, and perhaps the most controversial, of the road projects in southern Illinois.
Mark, the IL-13 expansion will cost more than $100 million. The end result will be three lanes in each direction from Skyline Drive in Marion to Division Street in Carterville. It also means new overpasses and highway ramps will replace some cross streets and frontage roads. But not everybody is on board with the changes.
"Our roads are fine," said Diane Presley, of Carterville. "We may need to fix up a few potholes or something like that."
Diane Presley doesn't see why engineers need to widen IL-13. She has lived in Carterville most of her life, and says the real focus should be on replacing crumbling schools, not adding another two lanes that just go seven miles.
"If we were in Chicago or St. Louis or somewhere like that, this wouldn't work," Presley said. "We're in southern Illinois, and this is beautiful and wonderful, and there is nothing wrong with this. This works perfect."
Illinois Department of Transportation officials began promoting the expansion six years ago. At the time, then Governor Rod Blagojevich said the state had earmarked more than $50 million to cover the cost of the project. That cost has now doubled, and drivers like Bree Smith say so has traffic.
"Just in the last few years, the more that goes up around here, the worse it gets," Smith, of Carterville, said. "Plus, with SIU, there's a lot of people that live around here because of college, and it's just going to get more and more over the years."
The project could turn into traffic headaches for drivers, and lost business for those along the IL-13 corridor during construction.
Proposed overpasses and ramps will also change the way traffic can access those businesses. Smith says the end result will be worth the couple years of traffic nightmares.
"I think it will make it easier," Smith said. "I really do. Traffic on IL-13 now between Carbondale and Marion is bumper to bumper all the time. There have been several accidents. It's awful."
IDOT Town Hall Meeting
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
4:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Williamson County Pavilion
Federal money is covering about half of the state's road projects, mostly from the stimulus package. Another large chunk is coming from car owners. License plate stickers cost $20 more this year, in part to finance the capital bill.
By: Jeff Stensland
jstensland@wsiltv.com
Additional Links:
IDOT Proposed Highway Improvements - District 9
Now: 1283451527
