Illinois notes

[Rick Powell]

I'm excited because it's going to have a separated bike lane (if what I read about the bridge is true)

Yep, extending from Donaldson Street in Utica all the way to the west park entrance off of IL 178. The path will be lighted on the north side of the river and on the bridge itself.

IDOT's contractor has started setting the steel girders in place as of a few days ago.

[inkyatari]

I'm excited because it's going to have a separated bike lane (if what I read about the bridge is true)

Yep, extending from Donaldson Street in Utica all the way to the west park entrance off of IL 178. The path will be lighted on the north side of the river and on the bridge itself.

IDOT's contractor has started setting the steel girders in place as of a few days ago.

I've been doing volunteer work at Starved Rock this summer, and I assisted on a guided hike at the park, and I usually notice progress on the new bridge.  I hope after the horrible storms we got yesterday that all is still on track.

[Revive 755]

^ I thought I saw a news article indicating the weather had put the IL 178 bridge behind schedule.

I thought I heard a brief segment on WBBM  today where the acting Secretary of Transportation mentioned a rebuild of the Kennedy.  I can't find any related article online to confirm this or if I misheard and this was in regards to I-80 instead.

[inkyatari]

^ I thought I saw a news article indicating the weather had put the IL 178 bridge behind schedule.

Yep.  I shared a link to an article a few posts up about the two week delay.

[3467]

There is still no multi year plan out but the Gov has dropped a few hints. 67 is still alive based on a metro east event.No mention of 50.
Springfield Illinois 97 will have lanes added for 5 miles.
No mention of 51
Peoria event has 24 being made 4 lanes between Banner and Kingston mines. Basically Peoria to Canton. No mention of 336 or 29. Those are stale EISs  and I assume gone.

Maybe Rick Powell has heard more. I am just tea leaf reading.

[ilpt4u]

The Southern Illinoisan (newspaper) Editors met with the Governor (or maybe his Staffers?) while he came to Carterville and Marion on his Statewide "Victory"  tour after signing the bills...Nothing printed about Road projects in Southern IL nor in their weekly Radio show where they talked about Regional impacts (the biggest being the Walkers Bluff casino in Carterville authorization in the Gaming expansion bill; next being Capital Bill money for some projects on SIU-Carbondale's campus).

Funding for studies to develop a Port @ Cairo were mentioned in the overall budget, separate from the Capital bill

Nothing on the Shawnee Expressway/Parkway, Murphysboro-Columbia Expressway (roughly IL 127 upgrade), heck not even I-57 widening from Johnston City north to Mt Vernon, tho I believe it is currently being expanded to 6 lanes from Johnston City to about West Frankfort or so.

Selfishly I was hoping for funding to "finish"  6 laning IL 13 between Carbondale and Marion - probably the hardest/most expensive part is left - wider bridges where the roadway crosses Crab Orchard Lake. The section leaving Carbondale to the east, approaching the Williamson County Line and Crab Orchard Lake is under construction now for 6 lane upgrade

I would assume IDOT would be releasing a Project List, eventually. Is the Bill available to read on the Legislature's website?

Peoria event has 24 being made 4 lanes between Banner and Kingston mines. Basically Peoria to Canton. No mention of 336 or 29. Those are stale EISs  and I assume gone.

If 336 between Macomb and Peoria is not built, it should be Decommissioned, since the current signed route is a 100% duplexed with IL 110. Of course, there is the unsigned part of IL 336 - its exit off of I-474 that is signed as a long exit ramp for IL 116

And if US 24 is getting a 4 lane upgrade, Peoria to Banner, I don't see much IL 336 activity coming. To get 4 lanes to Canton, would need to upgrade IL 9 from Banner to Canton, too

[3467]

The bill just have totals. The part with buildings had some detail but not road. I was just looking at New releases.
I did Google Southwest Connector. It was mentioned at the Murphysboro council meeting . It did not say it was in it just that the land and engineering are done from the existing 4 lane to Virgennes and everyone locally agreed IDOT should at least do that.

[Lyon Wonder]

If 336 between Macomb and Peoria is not built, it should be Decommissioned, since the current signed route is a 100% duplexed with IL 110. Of course, there is the unsigned part of IL 336 - its exit off of I-474 that is signed as a long exit ramp for IL 116

And if US 24 is getting a 4 lane upgrade, Peoria to Banner, I don’t see much IL 336 activity coming. To get 4 lanes to Canton, would need to upgrade IL 9 from Banner to Canton, too

I think that US 24 should be rerouted onto  IL-336 from I-172 to US 67 just north of Macomb and onto IL-9 from US 67 to Banner.  The existing US 24 from I-172 to Banner can be renumbered as IL-224.

[3467]

I thought about that renumber idea too.

There are about 6 major downstate expressway projects under study but almost all have stale EIS except 67 and the 127 project I mentioned.
There is 67 which seems alive

There are the Peoria ones which do not.
Then there is 20 50 and 51
Hopefully IDOT will decide something.

[ilpt4u]

I did Google Southwest Connector. It was mentioned at the Murphysboro council meeting . It did not say it was in it just that the land and engineering are done from the existing 4 lane to Virgennes and everyone locally agreed IDOT should at least do that.

The bridge over Beaucoup Creek on IL 127 between Murphysboro and IL 4 was completely replaced a couple years ago...so IDOT built a new bridge and approaches on the RoW that is reserved for the 2nd Roadway, paralleling the old bridge, then tore down the old bridge, and enough of the old non-bridge pavement that it does not look like a "fork"  in the road, leading to the (now gone) old bridge and new bridge

https://goo.gl/maps/tZwv1ARgXsXu2Vs8A

[Rick Powell]

There is still no multi year plan out but the Gov has dropped a few hints. 67 is still alive based on a metro east event.No mention of 50.
Springfield Illinois 97 will have lanes added for 5 miles.
No mention of 51
Peoria event has 24 being made 4 lanes between Banner and Kingston mines. Basically Peoria to Canton. No mention of 336 or 29. Those are stale EISs  and I assume gone.

Maybe Rick Powell has heard more. I am just tea leaf reading.

Besides I-80 thru Joliet and IL 47 thru Woodstock, there were not many highway projects specifically named in the capital bill, but word is trickling out about the projects that were intended to be funded. Local media in Kendall County have announced the forthcoming funding for completion of IL 47 between Kennedy and Galena and IL 71 between Orchard and IL 126, which will fill in the 4-lane gaps in both (when added to existing pavement and ongoing projects). IDOT is obviously swamped getting out the new FY 2020-2025 program in light of recent developments, but it hopefully shouldn't be too much longer.

Oh, and another funding bill (not Rebuild Illinois) provided a few hundred million to provide a new I-57 interchange and access road to the proposed South Suburban Airport.

[3467]

Thanks. Makes sense. Also with the gas tax COLA they have a longer time horizon and they have to decide what to do with moribund EISs

[inkyatari]

There is still no multi year plan out but the Gov has dropped a few hints. 67 is still alive based on a metro east event.No mention of 50.
Springfield Illinois 97 will have lanes added for 5 miles.
No mention of 51
Peoria event has 24 being made 4 lanes between Banner and Kingston mines. Basically Peoria to Canton. No mention of 336 or 29. Those are stale EISs  and I assume gone.

Maybe Rick Powell has heard more. I am just tea leaf reading.

Besides I-80 thru Joliet and IL 47 thru Woodstock, there were not many highway projects specifically named in the capital bill, but word is trickling out about the projects that were intended to be funded. Local media in Kendall County have announced the forthcoming funding for completion of IL 47 between Kennedy and Galena and IL 71 between Orchard and IL 126, which will fill in the 4-lane gaps in both (when added to existing pavement and ongoing projects). IDOT is obviously swamped getting out the new FY 2020-2025 program in light of recent developments, but it hopefully shouldn't be too much longer.

Oh, and another funding bill (not Rebuild Illinois) provided a few hundred million to provide a new I-57 interchange and access road to the proposed South Suburban Airport.

Nothing about 4 laning IL-47 between Caton Farm and 71?

[paulthemapguy]

Oh, and another funding bill (not Rebuild Illinois) provided a few hundred million to provide a new I-57 interchange and access road to the proposed South Suburban Airport.

Do you have any details on that?  I have been working in the area of that proposed airport quite often.  I just recently heard from some locals that plans regarding that airport have started to move forward again.

[I-39]

Any funding for the proposed I-39/US 20 reconstruction in Rockford? That is a long overdue project.

[Revive 755]

Kane County is going to try different signal phasing options for part of Randall Road.  http://kdot.countyofkane.org/Planning%20Documents/Watch%20Your%20Signal.pdf

[ilpt4u]

Kane County is going to try different signal phasing options for part of Randall Road.  http://kdot.countyofkane.org/Planning%20Documents/Watch%20Your%20Signal.pdf

Will Lead-Lag only be in Protected Left Phase? That appears so from the illustrations. That said, since Kane County has embraced, or at least deployed, the FYA, perhaps they will experiment with "Dallas"/Permissive Phase Lefts with Lead-Lag

[Revive 755]

^ Fargo Boulevard, Christina Lane, and Gleneagle Drive use flashing yellow arrows.  The Fabyan Parkway intersection has protected-only dual lefts.

[adt1982]

They need to make 67 4-lanes to Jerseyville.  I drove it from Jerseyville to Alton Saturday morning and traffic was decently heavy in both directions.  That 2-lane stretch south of Jerseyville has limited passing opportunities, and getting stuck behind someone putting along at 5-under is frustrating.

[Revive 755]

They need to make 67 4-lanes to Jerseyville.  I drove it from Jerseyville to Alton Saturday morning and traffic was decently heavy in both directions.  That 2-lane stretch south of Jerseyville has limited passing opportunities, and getting stuck behind someone putting along at 5-under is frustrating.

I think that stretch also has a horrendous safety record as well.

[3467]

Yes that is in the plan . It's the Jerseyville bypass that has exploded in price. Could the road be improved through town?

[Lyon Wonder]

Yes that is in the plan . It's the Jerseyville bypass that has exploded in price. Could the road be improved through town?

I've heard the next 4 lane construction of US 67 is bypassing New Delhi.

[adt1982]

There's no way to 4-lane 67 through Jerseyville without a significant loss of buildings, especially in the downtown section.  They'd be better off bypassing Delhi and Jerseyville in one fell swoop.

[I-39]

Are the Delhi/Jerseyville bypasses going to be freeway or expressway?

[3467]

Delhi is I think expressway and Jerseyville is freeway. That is why it's so expensive. Those plus the 4 lane to South of Carrolton are ready to go engineering and land done. That plus about 10 miles from the 4 lane North of Jacksonville.The Beardstown Bridge is funded as a 2 lane on  4 ROW.
Also 2 lane reconstruction North of Monmouth.