US 51 Illinois

[3467]

http://www.herald-review.com/news/local/article_9138c1ff-571c-5c91-9506-2cf82cea1abf.html

US 51 will be studied(EIS) south to Centralia

If I-72 is the dividing line US 67 and the Alton Bypass are completed to near Jerseyville

and US 45 is 4 laned near Texas City Illinois.

Those are the major projects in the Capital Bill

[Revive 755]

US 51 is already under study north of Centralia.  IDOT has some of the study maps here:
http://www.us51eis-idot.com/page1.php

IMHO, the recommended Vandalia Bypass stinks; it's too close to I-70, and provides lousy connections/interchange opportunities with the interstate.

[mightyace]

IMHO, the recommended Vandalia Bypass stinks; it's too close to I-70, and provides lousy connections/interchange opportunities with the interstate.

Agreed, the crossing of I-70 is too close to an existing exit and if you're not going to separate US 51 from I-70 by much, why not multiplex them?

[lamsalfl]

What about I-39?  Was there ever a plan to send this down to Decatur if not even farther south?

[TheStranger]

What about I-39?  Was there ever a plan to send this down to Decatur if not even farther south?

Based on what I recall reading on these forums, there's some ghost ramps for a never-built US 51 freeway interchange with I-72 (on the north side of town)...

approximately here:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Decatur,+IL&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=45.8712,107.138672&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Decatur,+Macon,+Illinois&ll=39.907025,-88.989495&spn=0.021957,0.052314&t=h&z=15

[Revive 755]

What about I-39?  Was there ever a plan to send this down to Decatur if not even farther south?

There was the original supplemental freeway system proposal which had a Rockford to I-57 at Salem route, from which I-39 seems to have come.

[Stephane Dumas]

Agreed, the crossing of I-70 is too close to an existing exit and if you're not going to separate US 51 from I-70 by much, why not multiplex them?

I guess they have to close the current US-40 interchange completely or partially becoming an half-interchange or they put a C-D system

[Revive 755]

Given the businesses at the current US 40 interchange, I would expect the current interchange to remain open.

[3467]

The 1987 planning study recommended only a through town route at Vandalia and the current couple in Centralia

[Revive 755]

I hope the southern half of the US 51 corridor isn't built as badly as the Blormal - Decatur half.  The speed limit has to drop for almost every stinking town (and without much warning), IDOT didn't bother to even properly bypass Wapella (someone from Nebraska must have been designing the route), Clinton has too many stoplights plus a railroad crossing, and the approach to I-72 north of Decatur is just a stoplight infested disaster that cries out for a bypass instead of wasting at least five minutes to travel two miles.

There was a surprising amount of traffic on the corridor today between Blormal and Decatur; if the amount is typical, then IDOT may need to begin looking at some new interchanges or other safety improvements.

[Revive 755]

A recent newspaper article (which I can't find a link online for) noted a lot of opposition to the current bypass plan for Vandalia, so IDOT is going to take another look at the area.

[3467]

http://www.leaderunion.com/content/legislators-idot-reps-hear-opposition-route-51-bypass-plan?quicktabs_2=1

Here it is They might look at the 1987 palnning study that found no realitic Vandalia bypass  and very little enthusiasm for the road south of 70