Illinois notes

[Rick Powell]

IDOT updated its Projects Page There is a US 51 study underway but not here .
Does anyone know what is really going on with 30,20,51,50 or 127?

www.us51eis.com - I don't know why, but never has been in the IDOT Projects page.  The project is being led by IDOT District 7.  They are trying to wrap up the EIS study fairly soon.  Considering that US 51 is being improved from the north to the south, and that there is about 10 miles yet to be completed within the previous EIS study from south of Assumption to south of Pana, and there is no construction funding in the program for any of it to 2020, I think it will be a long time before this is even completed around Pana.  The bypass around Vandalia could not take a more direct route because everything to the east and south of Vandalia is a floodplain.

[3467]

I wondered if it was because of IDOT lack of enthusiasm for the project . Like Sandwich IDOT seems to no longer have the desire to push when there does not seem to be much local support. US 30 had floodplain issues around Morrison.
I found out the floodplain issues on US 34 were  sort of resolved or at least the Army Corps seems to be more accepting of a less expensive alternative.
I read some of the meeting comments on US 51. Most in Vandalia want a through town improvement. The consultants tell them that would not get a positive ROD because of purpose and need. It looks to me the consultants just want to get it done get paid and if it stays on a shelf so be it.

[3467]

http://www.robdailynews.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=2&ArticleID=12193
About  year old update on US 50 . IDOT has most of the ROW They are getting away with just and EA here for Olney to Illinois 1 . There is also a bypass study from 64 to 50 around Lebanon. I don't see how you go around Carlyle . Despite the desires of this group I think IDOT will just do these projects and keep the ROW unless Indiana plans to 4 lane their section

[adt1982]

I've never understood the desire to 4-lane 50.  The same thing goes for 51 south of Vandalia.  I travel 51 there to Sandoval several times a year and it never has much traffic.

[silverback1065]

I've never understood the desire to 4-lane 50.  The same thing goes for 51 south of Vandalia.  I travel 51 there to Sandoval several times a year and it never has much traffic.

Could it be for trucks?

[3467]

Truck Volumes are not very high. It all really comes from the old supplemental freeway system . If you compare it to the existing studies you can see it has become the supplemental expressway system. IDOT actually calls them the Principal Arterials now. There are only 3 or 4 corridors not under some study or construction
Illinois 1 and US 67 north of Monmouth. There were corridor studies submitted for both or parts of both in the early 70s. Neither got approval to proceed. EPA pointed out US 41 to IDOT in the IL 1 study . FHWA pointed out I-74 to IDOT on the US 67 study IDOT never really revisited them . They did promise a reconstruct and a lot of passing lanes north of Monmouth and they are still working on that.
IL 127 north of Pickneyville  is another . IDOT points out the road is wide with full paved shoulders(in Texas they would repaint the lines and declare victory but this is Illinois) The other is the US 50 section between Carlyle and I-57 which has other serious issues.
Of the other corridors only US 20 is planned as Freeway and IDOT was supposed to release a study in October on how to fund it US 34 and 67 have had their EISs done and expressway construction has been completed on several sections as previously mentioned  IL 29 and IL 336 near Peoria  are under study for expressways as is US 30 in Whiteside County and Illinois 127 in Southern Illinois. Its about 350 miles of highway or about 3.5 Billion
I would add though it is common to call Illinois broke,it came up with the supplemental freeway system when its pensions were more underfunded than they are today. However Medicaid was not a third of its budget then.

[Pete from Boston]

Getting on 57/70 in Effingham the other day, I noticed that the destination city for westbound 70 is East St. Louis.  Is Illinois one of those states that will ignore the obvious choice (St. Louis) in favor of one inside the state? 

[Brandon]

Getting on 57/70 in Effingham the other day, I noticed that the destination city for westbound 70 is East St. Louis.  Is Illinois one of those states that will ignore the obvious choice (St. Louis) in favor of one inside the state? 

Illinois has two levels of control cities, a primary and a secondary.  If you got on from a surface street, you will see East St Louis.  If it's from I-57, you'll see just St Louis.  An example of the two control city levels can be given along I-55:

Primary
Chicago, St Louis

Secondary
Chicago, Joliet, Bloomington (also, Bloomington-Normal), Springfield, East St Louis, St Louis (in East St Louis)

[pianocello]

Is Illinois one of those states that will ignore the obvious choice (St. Louis) in favor of one inside the state? 

Yes. There is exactly one interchange in which BGS's on I-80 say "Davenport". All others say either "Des Moines" (the primary control city, seen at interstate junctions and west/north of the I-74 interchange) or "Moline-Rock Island" (the secondary control city, which has a combined population of about 15K less than Davenport)

[Revive 755]

It's interesting how I-80 uses Joliet and Moline-Rock Island and skips LaSalle-Peru, which I-39 uses.

Regarding using East St. Louis over St. Louis: since East St. Louis is right next to St. Louis, Illinois ought to just list St. Louis.  Using East St. Louis is not providing much useful information to motorist and is justing wasting space on signs.  If Illinois wants another point on I-55 and I-70 before St. Louis, they should use "Troy."  Otherwise "Cicero" ought to be used for a little bit on the other end of I-55 north of Joliet but before switching to 'Chicago'

[Stratuscaster]

Yes. There is exactly one interchange in which BGS's on I-80 say "Davenport". All others say either "Des Moines" (the primary control city, seen at interstate junctions and west/north of the I-74 interchange) or "Moline-Rock Island" (the secondary control city, which has a combined population of about 15K less than Davenport)

Don't forget the ones that simply say "Iowa."

[Brandon]

It's interesting how I-80 uses Joliet and Moline-Rock Island and skips LaSalle-Peru, which I-39 uses.

Regarding using East St. Louis over St. Louis: since East St. Louis is right next to St. Louis, Illinois ought to just list St. Louis.  Using East St. Louis is not providing much useful information to motorist and is justing wasting space on signs.  If Illinois wants another point on I-55 and I-70 before St. Louis, they should use "Troy."  Otherwise "Cicero" ought to be used for a little bit on the other end of I-55 north of Joliet but before switching to 'Chicago'

1. East St Louis used to be one of the biggest cities in the state.  When chosen as a secondary control, it was the main city of Metro East, and about 80k in population.

2. Cicero never touches I-55 and works more as a disassociated neighborhood of Chicago than anything else.  Might as well used Chicago as the control at that point.

[3467]

http://capitolfax.com/2015/01/10/rauner-makes-some-agency-board-appointments/

New IDOT Secretary

[3467]

http://www.theherald-news.com/2015/01/12/new-idot-director-no-fan-of-illiana-expressway/a8fffv9/

More on IDOTs new Director

[sandwalk]

Impressive video from northern Illinois Thursday of a large tornado crossing Interstate 39 just north of Rochelle:
https://youtu.be/cPOWY6PkYSc

[Henry]

http://www.theherald-news.com/2015/01/12/new-idot-director-no-fan-of-illiana-expressway/a8fffv9/

More on IDOTs new Director

And down goes the Illiana...again!

[Brandon]

http://www.theherald-news.com/2015/01/12/new-idot-director-no-fan-of-illiana-expressway/a8fffv9/

More on IDOTs new Director

And down goes the Illiana...again!

A major mistake as it is a very necessary road.  But, there goes this state yet again not thinking ahead.

[Revive 755]

As of late last week, there is detour signing along I-55 between the Shirley Interchange and the interchange with US 136 which features US 66 shields with an 'Old' banner (unfortunately since they were unexpected I didn't manage to get any pictures).

[Revive 755]

IDOT may take over Arsenal Road from I-55 to Baseline Road in exchange for Will County taking some other secondary routes that are not specified:  Link.

[Lyon Wonder]

IDOT may take over Arsenal Road from I-55 to Baseline Road in exchange for Will County taking some other secondary routes that are not specified:  Link.

IMO, I wouldn't be surprised the state route IDOT wants to decommission and hand over to Will County is IL-129, since it isn't of much use as a state route since the former Route 66 bridge going over railroad tracks was demolished in the late 1990s and the southbound entrance ramp form I-55 was removed in 2011 too.

[Revive 755]

IMO, I wouldn't be surprised the state route IDOT wants to decommission and hand over to Will County is IL-129, since it isn't of much use as a state route since the former Route 66 bridge going over railroad tracks was demolished in the late 1990s and the southbound entrance ramp form I-55 was removed in 2011 too.

I think there are a couple unmarked ones that will go before IL 129, such as the IDOT-maintained sections of Hoff Road, Old Chicago Road, Manhattan-Monee Road, Coal City Road, and West River Road.  Additionally, the interchange with I-55 will probably be rebuilt and reconfigured to a more standard interchange, no matter what happens with the Illiana.     

(Unmarked state routes based on Will County highway system maps; maps download instead of opening in browser)

[cl94]

After visiting a potential grad school this weekend (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), I understand all of the IDOT hate. Pavement conditions were abysmal on just about every IDOT-maintained highway I traveled on and speed limits in most places seemed a bit low. Did like the 3-4 signal heads facing almost every intersection approach.

Are any of the "photo enforced" work zones actually equipped with speed cameras? I passed through a couple on I-74 and didn't see any.

[Brandon]

Are any of the "photo enforced" work zones actually equipped with speed cameras? I passed through a couple on I-74 and didn't see any.

Rarely.  The vans look like this:





When active, they have the speed listed in a large LED display above the van.

[johndoe780]

Didn't Oberweis pass some bill (that Quinn tried to veto) that raised speed limits in Illinois to 70 mph?

I was under the impression that speed limits in rural Illinois were 70 mph, which is fair for the most part.

[cl94]

Didn't Oberweis pass some bill (that Quinn tried to veto) that raised speed limits in Illinois to 70 mph?

I was under the impression that speed limits in rural Illinois were 70 mph, which is fair for the most part.

They are 70 on Interstate highways