Cape Girardeau seeking possible expressway connection to I-24

[Revive 755]

http://www.semissourian.com/story/1664977.html

Personally, I'd settle for a decent I-57 connection to Cape Girardeau, with decent meaning two paved 11' or better lanes - something that is lacking for quite a ways south of IL 146.

[3467]

Illinois would only build something if it gets 90 % federal money . It might spend some money on IL 127 and it has on US 45 but I cant see any more in an area that is losing political clout faster than its losing population.

I would be pleased with 3 11' lanes on a couple of arterials up north

[Brandon]

If IDOT were to extend I-24, it would be to I-255 near St Louis, not Cape Girardeau.  And they put the kibosh on that year ago.

[codyg1985]

If IDOT were to extend I-24, it would be to I-255 near St Louis, not Cape Girardeau.  And they put the kibosh on that year ago.

Not enough of a justification/traffic demand for it?

[Revive 755]

If IDOT were to extend I-24, it would be to I-255 near St Louis, not Cape Girardeau.  And they put the kibosh on that year ago.

Doesn't mean any new interstate route to Cape Girardeau couldn't be signed as part of I-66, as had been talked about. 

Illinois would only build something if it gets 90 % federal money . It might spend some money on IL 127 and it has on US 45 but I cant see any more in an area that is losing political clout faster than its losing population.

Being somewhat of a multi-state route, a Cape to I-24 connection could have a slightly better chance of getting funding.  Probably a bigger issue is getting through the environmental process and maybe having the project survive several rounds in the courts; there's a lot of wetlands such a route would have to cross.

[Revive 755]

Turns out this route was once a possible toll road; see http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7H1FAAAAIBAJ&sjid=SccMAAAAIBAJ&dq=interstate-24%20illinois&pg=1982%2C4233069 (mention of tolling is on Page 5/11, right half).

[3467]

David Phelps became a congressman and was redistricted in 2000. He then joined IDPT and kept pushing this and other southern Illinois routes. He is now retiring amid some sort of problem in District 9. Unless there is federal monet for I-66 nothing but some widening on IL 127 and US 45 is going to happen. The only other projects south of 74 are US 50 and US 51 and the only funding is for a little of 51.
I was told once by someone at IDOT that 127 north of Pickneyville was basically a four lane . Now that I have seen it on streetview I know what he meant. If you repaint the lines it  would be  Texas poor-boy 4 lane.

[kharvey10]

IL 127 north of Pickneyville was 2 lanes with wider shoulders than you typically see on a 2 lane highway in IL.  There is no way they can 4 lane it without spending money on land and building new bridges over 4 different creeks, not to mention utility adjustments for 20 miles of power lines.  There is signs all along that section of 127 that say "Do Not Pass on Right". 

This section of 127 is heavily travelled by SIU students heading to and from St. Louis.  Many SIU students do this route cause its a shorter route to the interstate, and taking 13 west of Pickneyville is going to dump you into small town after small town.

Oh yeah, not only Phelps retired, District 9 canned their #1 guy the week before.

[SSF]

IL 127 north of Pickneyville was 2 lanes with wider shoulders than you typically see on a 2 lane highway in IL.  There is no way they can 4 lane it without spending money on land and building new bridges over 4 different creeks, not to mention utility adjustments for 20 miles of power lines.  There is signs all along that section of 127 that say "Do Not Pass on Right". 

This section of 127 is heavily travelled by SIU students heading to and from St. Louis.  Many SIU students do this route cause its a shorter route to the interstate, and taking 13 west of Pickneyville is going to dump you into small town after small town.

Oh yeah, not only Phelps retired, District 9 canned their #1 guy the week before.

damn near died on 127 going to St. Louis one Friday night to watch a Cardinals game in the early part of the last decade.  127 is the only good way to get to St. Louis from Carbondale. 

[Revive 755]

damn near died on 127 going to St. Louis one Friday night to watch a Cardinals game in the early part of the last decade.  127 is the only good way to get to St. Louis from Carbondale. 

Maybe; I had been a fan of the IL 149 - IL 3 - Chester Truck Bypass - IL 150/MO 51 - Rte H - US 61 - Rte Z - I-55 route, but the last time I used it the number of large trucks on Rte H wasn't very enjoyable on such a windy, narrow, two lane road.

[Henry]

This would be interesting to see, although I'd rather see an I-24 extension to St. Louis. Then again, Cape Girardeau wouldn't be a bad place for a possible new western terminus either.

If IDOT were to extend I-24, it would be to I-255 near St Louis, not Cape Girardeau.  And they put the kibosh on that year ago.

Doesn't mean any new interstate route to Cape Girardeau couldn't be signed as part of I-66, as had been talked about. 

Illinois would only build something if it gets 90 % federal money . It might spend some money on IL 127 and it has on US 45 but I cant see any more in an area that is losing political clout faster than its losing population.

Being somewhat of a multi-state route, a Cape to I-24 connection could have a slightly better chance of getting funding.  Probably a bigger issue is getting through the environmental process and maybe having the project survive several rounds in the courts; there's a lot of wetlands such a route would have to cross.

Something tells me that connecting the Cape to I-24 won't be easy. To cite a prime example, the Interstate Highway System was proposed to become a much larger network, but opposition of all sorts, especially in the urban areas, kept this goal from ever being realized.