I-66 in IL dead, replaced by Shawnee Parkway

[Lyon Wonder]

Planning for I-66 in far southern Illinois is for all intents and purposes dead, though it looks like there's now a proposal for a parkway from Cape Girardeau to I-57, which I guess will be built as an expressway.

http://www.shawneeparkway.org/

http://www.sj-r.com/article/20160101/NEWS/160109969/-1/json

[SteveG1988]

Why not build it as a 3di? Why must every new road get a 2di?

[Lyon Wonder]

Why not build it as a 3di? Why must every new road get a 2di?

I wouldn't be surprised the proposed Shawnee Parkway isn't interstate standard and is a 4-lane divided expressway that's mostly at-grade with maybe an interchange at IL-127.

IDOT has a page up now for the Shawnee Parkway and the study area suggests it's only going as far east as I-57 and won't directly connect to I-24.

http://www.shawneeparkway.org/

The same people who opposed I-66 in IL are also opposing the Shawnee Parkway too since it'll cut through the Shawnee National Forest.

http://citizensforsouthernillinois.org/?page_id=2

https://illinois2.sierraclub.org/priorities/shawnee-parkway

[brycecordry]

According to my plan, I-66 would enter Illinois at Cairo, and travel up I-57 for the first 18 miles, cut across to I-24 on a new alignment for 25 miles, then take it south for the last 8 miles to Kentucky. That would also benefit MO from lots of EIS time, as it too would use existing four-lane divided highway.

[US 41]

IMO if I-66 is ever built it should never even go through Illinois. It should follow US 60 across Missouri to Springfield via Sikeston. The only reason I feel like they wanted I-66 to go through Illinois was so it could use existing bridges across the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. At this point I think Kentucky is the only state that is halfway serious about making its parkways I-66. No other state wants to invest money into it and Kentucky doesn't even seem that committed to it anymore.

[Henry]

IMO if I-66 is ever built it should never even go through Illinois. It should follow US 60 across Missouri to Springfield via Sikeston and Paducah. The only reason I feel like they wanted I-66 to go through Illinois was so it could use existing bridges across the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. At this point I think Kentucky is the only state that is halfway serious about making its parkways I-66. No other state wants to invest money into it and Kentucky doesn't even seem that committed to it anymore.

I agree with the part about I-66 not going through IL. If anything, it should stay entirely in western KY before crossing over into MO. And it would work better as an I-60 anyway.

[edwaleni]

IMO if I-66 is ever built it should never even go through Illinois. It should follow US 60 across Missouri to Springfield via Sikeston. The only reason I feel like they wanted I-66 to go through Illinois was so it could use existing bridges across the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. At this point I think Kentucky is the only state that is halfway serious about making its parkways I-66. No other state wants to invest money into it and Kentucky doesn't even seem that committed to it anymore.

I agree with this. I have driven east from Springfield, MO and felt it was a total diversion to go north on 55 to 57 or down to Dyersburg or Memphis.  We did drive that wonderful 2 lane span in Cairo over the Ohio to reach Kentucky and I-24 west of Paducah, but an intermediate (and more expeditious) way to cross the Mississippi basin without diverting north or south to get across would be beneficial.

[The Ghostbuster]

I have a feeling the only Interstate 66 that will ever exist is the one from Strasburg, VA to Washington DC.

[hbelkins]

Saw a story today that indicates I-66 is dead in Kentucky. I would expect that the Cumberland Parkway (northeast bypass of Somerset) extension to KY 80 will be done at some point, but that may be it. And really, that makes sense. Building a four-lane through eastern Pike County to enter West Virginia near Matewan makes no sense after US 119 was four-laned just a few miles north of where the new route would go. The state is building a new route to connect KY 80 near the Knott-Floyd county line with US 23 near the Floyd-Pike line, which will cut down on the travel time between Hazard and Pikeville. Kentucky just made a huge cut to its transportation budget because of declining gas tax revenues and the legislature failed to shore up the gas tax floor in time. Unless I-66 is 100 percent federally funded, it's probably not going to happen despite what Hal Rogers wants.

I posted in the other thread that Missouri missed its chance to build an interstate between Sikeston/Poplar Bluff and Springfield. The new construction completed between 2001 and 2013 to finish out the four-lane is nowhere near up to Interstate standards. It's a nice road to drive and serves traffic very adequately as a surface route. The bottleneck, if you will, is between Paducah and Charleston. Even though Kentucky has four-laned a part of US 60 west of Paducah, the best route west to cross into Missouri is US 62 to KY 286, to connect with US 51/60/62 at Wickliffe. A norther route using I-24 and then cutting over to Cape Girardeau wouldn't make any sense. It would still be shorter and faster to take the two-lane route and the old bridges at Cairo.

[brycecordry]

The bottleneck, if you will, is between Paducah and Charleston. Even though Kentucky has four-laned a part of US 60 west of Paducah, the best route west to cross into Missouri is US 62 to KY 286, to connect with US 51/60/62 at Wickliffe.

Perhaps there could be a new four-lane Ohio River bridge near Mound City, IL. That would provide a direct connection to the existing US 60 divided highway west of Paducah.

[keithvh]

Is it possible just to upgrade already existing roads, and build a 4-lane "parkway" that goes from (west to east):

(1) the IL-3/IL-146 intersection,
(2) follows IL-3 to its intersection with IL-127,
(3) Olive Branch Road to Mounds and the already existing interchange with I-57,
(4) picks up IL-37 to New Grand Chain,
(5) local roads to US-45 and I-24 north of Metropolis.

The benefits:

(1) completely avoids the Shawnee Forest, which I am sensitive to other folks concerns there.
(2) improves Cairo-Cape Giradeau access, by making IL-3 four-lane for much of the way.
(3) a better alternative for Cape Giradeau-Paducah traffic.  Better than I-24/IL-146/IL-3, and better than US-60/I-57/I-55.

I like Southern Illinois and its rural nature, and I don't think the region needs a 4-lane expressway.  A 4-lane parkway would be fine.  Save the 4-lane expressway (e.g, I-66) ,for the Charleston to Paducah corridor.

[Revive 755]

Is it possible just to upgrade already existing roads, and build a 4-lane "parkway" that goes from (west to east):

(1) the IL-3/IL-146 intersection,
(2) follows IL-3 to its intersection with IL-127,
(3) Olive Branch Road to Mounds and the already existing interchange with I-57,
(4) picks up IL-37 to New Grand Chain,
(5) local roads to US-45 and I-24 north of Metropolis.

Way too indirect of a route, and fails to address the study goal of correcting the lack of east-west roadways.  Simply making a few geometric improvements to Mill Creek Road and paving it between Grapevine Trail and IL 127 would be a better alternative.

There's enough nature areas and wetlands in the southern part of Illinois that it appears even upgrading IL 3 would be a problem.

[Rothman]

The state is building a new route to connect KY 80 near the Knott-Floyd county line with US 23 near the Floyd-Pike line, which will cut down on the travel time between Hazard and Pikeville.

Heh.  I remember when "New 80" was built through Floyd County.  I guess they routed it wrong 30 years ago!

Makes me wonder about all these road improvements in that part of Kentucky, too, such as when KY 680 was improved (between 80 and 122).  That was a big help to me since I could bypass KY 122 between Martin and Minnie, but still...there's not much going on in that chevron between KY 80 and the Four Lane (US 23/460).  Makes me wonder what the traffic flow actually is that all the money is going towards assisting.

[NE2]

That new route is KY 680, is it not?

[seicer]

Good to see I-66 dead. KY 80 is more than adequate between Somerset and London, and the misguided attempt to widen it to four lanes on partially new alignment would have destroyed more of the Daniel Boone National Forest in sensitive areas - over a protected Wild and Scenic Rockcastle River and across another valley - the latter with more earth fill instead of a bridge. I'm actually surprised at the amount of fills on KY 80 when that alignment was built some decades ago.

[hbelkins]

The state is building a new route to connect KY 80 near the Knott-Floyd county line with US 23 near the Floyd-Pike line, which will cut down on the travel time between Hazard and Pikeville.

Heh.  I remember when "New 80" was built through Floyd County.  I guess they routed it wrong 30 years ago!

Not really. One of the reasons KY 80 was four-laned was to move coal to the northeast, either to the now-idled AEP power plant on US 23 north of Louisa, or to river ports on the Big Sandy and Ohio rivers.

Makes me wonder about all these road improvements in that part of Kentucky, too, such as when KY 680 was improved (between 80 and 122).  That was a big help to me since I could bypass KY 122 between Martin and Minnie, but still...there's not much going on in that chevron between KY 80 and the Four Lane (US 23/460).  Makes me wonder what the traffic flow actually is that all the money is going towards assisting.

I'm not sure why the existing section of 680 between 80 and 122 was built, or if there was always an intent to build a connector to US 23, but when completed, it will certainly improve travel between the two biggest towns in southeastern Kentucky (Hazard and Pikeville).

That new route is KY 680, is it not?

You are correct. It's signed on both ends now, and in fact the KY 680 number has supplanted the KY 979 numbering on the US 23 end. There's a bridge currently under construction near the Minnie/McDowell area that curves around the mountainside that is a bit reminiscent of the Linn Cove Viaduct on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Good to see I-66 dead. KY 80 is more than adequate between Somerset and London, and the misguided attempt to widen it to four lanes on partially new alignment would have destroyed more of the Daniel Boone National Forest in sensitive areas - over a protected Wild and Scenic Rockcastle River and across another valley - the latter with more earth fill instead of a bridge. I'm actually surprised at the amount of fills on KY 80 when that alignment was built some decades ago.

While I agree that the existing KY 80 alignment is more than adequate -- I've traveled it many times and have never encountered extremely heavy traffic -- I don't think the environmental footprint caused by a four-lane highway would be anywhere near as damaging or bad as a lot of the tree-huggers seem to think. As for fills vs. bridges, there were some pretty big cuts in that area and it's better to use the fill to span valleys than to have to find waste areas for the material that's removed from the cuts, unless you're specifically looking to create flat land for development, as was done on the new US 460 in Pike County.

[edwaleni]

I posted in the other thread that Missouri missed its chance to build an interstate between Sikeston/Poplar Bluff and Springfield. The new construction completed between 2001 and 2013 to finish out the four-lane is nowhere near up to Interstate standards. It's a nice road to drive and serves traffic very adequately as a surface route. The bottleneck, if you will, is between Paducah and Charleston. Even though Kentucky has four-laned a part of US 60 west of Paducah, the best route west to cross into Missouri is US 62 to KY 286, to connect with US 51/60/62 at Wickliffe. A norther route using I-24 and then cutting over to Cape Girardeau wouldn't make any sense. It would still be shorter and faster to take the two-lane route and the old bridges at Cairo.

Thanks, yes, on that particular day the US-62 bridge over the Mississippi was closed for repairs. So we took I-57 up to US 51, came down through Cairo (saw how run down it is) and then drove to Paducah as you note. Scenic, absolutely.

[codyg1985]

I don't know enough about the local traffic patterns in the area, but whatever could more directly connect Paducah with the Cape would be the most beneficial. The problem is that the area in the middle doesn't seem to have a lot of population, so there may not be much "economic benefit" which would make the project an easier sell.

[silverback1065]

why do we need this interstate anyway?  a divided highway would do just fine.

[brycecordry]

why do we need this interstate anyway?  a divided highway would do just fine.

I would perhaps like to see a divided expressway, with interchanges at select roads only, but allow the entire corridor to be easily upgradeable to a freeway, so no driveways along the road, no businesses at the corners, etc. When it does get expanded, I would like to see that route (along with a route going from Poplar Bluff east to Cape Girardeau) to be I-257 (assuming I-57 gets extended down into Arkansas via US 60 and 67).

[Gnutella]

If this highway ever gets built, it should be given an Interstate number lower than 64.

[paulthemapguy]

IMO if I-66 is ever built it should never even go through Illinois. It should follow US 60 across Missouri to Springfield via Sikeston and Paducah. The only reason I feel like they wanted I-66 to go through Illinois was so it could use existing bridges across the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. At this point I think Kentucky is the only state that is halfway serious about making its parkways I-66. No other state wants to invest money into it and Kentucky doesn't even seem that committed to it anymore.

I agree with the part about I-66 not going through IL. If anything, it should stay entirely in western KY before crossing over into MO. And it would work better as an I-60 anyway.

Currently, MO and KY are the only states that share a border that you cannot cross via car, unless your car can float across the Mississippi somehow.  Creating a bridge connection would erase that unfortunate piece of trivia.

[hbelkins]

Currently, MO and KY are the only states that share a border that you cannot cross via car, unless your car can float across the Mississippi somehow.  Creating a bridge connection would erase that unfortunate piece of trivia.

Well, there is the Dorena-Hickman Ferry, which involves a car floating across the river... 

[ukfan758]

Had it not been for lawmakers in southern Kentucky wanting it on the Cumberland Parkway, I-66 would only need about 10 miles of actual road building in Lexington, KY until the Paducah area, which would make this project potentially possible. They could have:

http://imgur.com/X48Eohp
1.Put I-66 on I-81
2.Carry it off onto I-64 all the way to Lexington
http://imgur.com/Q3ZLVxG
3. Build the 10 miles of interstate to connect the Bluegrass Parkway to I-64
http://imgur.com/YtcxEen
4. Upgrade bluegrass parkway
5. Rebuild the I-65/Western Kentucky Parkway interchange
http://imgur.com/oH1d2Nr
6. Upgrade Western Kentucky Parkway
7. I-66 then merges with I-69 (interchange is complete)
8. Merge with I-24
9. New roads would have to be constructed past this point to where it could go to Missouri and connect with I-57
http://imgur.com/3zwkyON

This way, there are no mountains to have to carve through which would costs hundreds of millions of dollars.

[seicer]

Building the ten mile segment near Lexington would have been both politically and economically impossible. It's some of the most expensive land in the state and very well regarded for its rich calcium-enriched soils. That area is dominated by horse farms, some of whom are connected to Middle Eastern royalty. (One of those princes was able to hold off and get some serious concessions when the Blue Grass Airport wanted a runway expansion.)