Illinois notes

[ET21]

Looks like new clearview signs are going up on the Kennedy. Went into town last night going eastbound to find the right lane shutdown as crews were taking down gantries and rebuilding them with new towers and signage

[dave069]

I also have a question about I-94. I haven't been out on the Tri-State Tollway portion of I-94 in a while but I heard they were putting a fourth lane in between IL-173 and the Wisconsin border. The Tollway's page has made no mention of this however. Are they building a fourth lane on that part of I-94?

The Tri-State is four lanes all the way to Russell Road, IIRC from my trip to Appleton.

Sure is (just went through last weekend). At 9pm on a Sunday night, the 55mph speed limit on that stretch is ridiculously slow; traffic flows at 75-80. The right shoulder gets sacrificed under the older bridges. A similar tactic, albeit taken to smaller extremes, is being used on I-90 between Rockford and Elgin.

Once you're over the border a few miles into Wisconsin, you'll lose lanes due to the long-term construction to widen I-94 into Milwaukee.

They finally finished the I-90 work around november but they still have the 55 signs and thats really annoying. Who would drive that slow on the open road? Im really hoping they bump it up to 70 soon because its already 70 in rockford. A "rural" interstate does not start in rockford and an "urban interstate doesn't start in the middle of nowhere. The tollway's logic is quite flawed imho.

[JREwing78]

They finally finished the I-90 work around november but they still have the 55 signs and thats really annoying. Who would drive that slow on the open road? Im really hoping they bump it up to 70 soon because its already 70 in rockford. A "rural" interstate does not start in rockford and an "urban interstate doesn't start in the middle of nowhere. The tollway's logic is quite flawed imho.

When I went through there over the Thanksgiving holiday, it was posted for 65 for most of its length (a couple construction zones were 45 or 55).

[dave069]

They finally finished the I-90 work around november but they still have the 55 signs and thats really annoying. Who would drive that slow on the open road? Im really hoping they bump it up to 70 soon because its already 70 in rockford. A "rural" interstate does not start in rockford and an "urban interstate doesn't start in the middle of nowhere. The tollway's logic is quite flawed imho.

When I went through there over the Thanksgiving holiday, it was posted for 65 for most of its length (a couple construction zones were 45 or 55).

Oh yeah, I went on their webpage yesterday and saw that most of it had been raised to 65. That part should become a 70 soon, hopefully. Keeping it at 65 would be completely illogical.

[3467]

http://www.wics.com/news/top-stories/stories/vid_20148.shtml

[tdindy88]

Out of mere curiosity I was looking at the traffic cameras and message boards around Chicago this morning, I swear this was random, and I noticed that there is no longer a "Circle" interchange, something called the "Jane Byrne?" When did this happen?

[3467]

A former mayor (who killed the crosstown0 got it named for her just before she died recently

[Brandon]

A former mayor (who killed the crosstown0 got it named for her just before she died recently

It was done as an "honor" by the other politicians in Chicago.  I call it an "honor" and use the term very dubiously, as they liked to call her "Crazy Jane".  It's a basketcase of an interchange.  The Taste would've been better to name for her as she started it.

[tdindy88]

I figured it was a "political" thing, it being Chicago and all, just surprised I hadn't heard about it here.

[SSOWorld]

Muni's tend not to like generic names for structures (Lake Shore Drive notwithstanding) - Just ask New York City - Hugh????

Just like Sears Tower, I will remember it as the Circle.

[3467]

US 34 Biggsville ByPass opened a week ago today. Google Traffic and Maps has not picked it up so you will see a gap on US 34. The 67 opening above used the existing ROW and did not have that problem

[dfwmapper]

US 34 Biggsville ByPass opened a week ago today. Google Traffic and Maps has not picked it up so you will see a gap on US 34. The 67 opening above used the existing ROW and did not have that problem

I'll take a swing at it tomorrow. Is the old route signed as anything?

[Alex]

The Biggsville Bypass could become part of an overall four-lane corridor for US 34 between Burlington, IA and Monmouth, IL.

Public comment period open for potential U.S. 34 project

Only 22 two-lane miles of U.S. 34 between Monmouth and Burlington stand in the way of a unified four-lane expressway and a resulting economic boom for Monmouth.

Reinforcing his adamant stance on the necessity of public input from community members, business owners and politicians, Crow referenced the Biggsville Bypass. The Illinois Department of Transportation had no intentions of building the Biggsville Bypass, much like they have no plans to further improve U.S. 34, until the community came together.
"It was an entirely community-driven change. They came together and lobbied, and that is what made everything happen," Crow said. "We need that same kind of commitment.

The completion of a four-lane expressway would have several economic benefits for the city of Monmouth, he said. The biggest impact would be the creation of a new direct route to Iowa, which would alter current trucking routes.
"This would have a huge impact on our community's economy. It is really the key to the growth of not only Monmouth but all of Western Illinois," Crow said. "As Monmouth is the only major city between Burlington and Galesburg, we would see much additional growth around the U.S. 67 and U.S. 34 interchange."

[3467]

The Old road is mostly signed as Illinois 94, The Stubs at the end are unsigned but you can access them from local roads near each end of the bypass . Illinois is chaotic with non -interstate mileage signs Knox Warren and Henderson counties have them at roads and county lines not every mile but Henry and Bureau are just the opposite. On the new 67 in Morgan there are none on the new route whereas on the Biggsville by pass they are using Interstate markers . The new route ads about a tenth of a mile . So now there are about 17 miles left. IDOT has never been thrilled about building roads it thinks benefit the other I state next door with the strange exception of US 20 which is the most costly 4 lane proposal by far running 10 -20 million a mile. I think these 2 route of about 5 or 6 miles ran about 6 million a mile . Both 67 and 34 were new pavement 67 used a little of the old road ,both have one interchange
The road between Biggsville and Monmouth is a modern 2 lane and IDOT has most of the ROW . The other stretch is still more problematic Because of Army Corp Floodplain regs it wont cost 200 million for those 4 miles just a mere 80 . IDOT has a new Phase 1 I just don't expect much more here for a long time

[3467]

http://www.idot.illinois.gov/Assets/uploads/files/About-IDOT/News/Construction-Releases/D3/01.24.2014.pdf

Another 34 (Old US 32) update. This was cancelled and the website is gone. I wonder if this is going to happen to US 30 in Whiteside County where almost everyone in Morrison is against the bypass and IDOT noted most supporters were from another state

[Rick Powell]

http://www.idot.illinois.gov/Assets/uploads/files/About-IDOT/News/Construction-Releases/D3/01.24.2014.pdf

Another 34 (Old US 32) update. This was cancelled and the website is gone. I wonder if this is going to happen to US 30 in Whiteside County where almost everyone in Morrison is against the bypass and IDOT noted most supporters were from another state

This is old news.  There was a change in mayor in Sandwich...the long-serving mayor who was for the project was defeated and the new mayor convinced IDOT to cancel the study.  It would have had a lot of building impacts to convert US 34 to a 5-lane highway thru Sandwich.  When I was with IDOT, we also studied a two-way couple which would have disrupted few buildings, but would have turned a low-speed city street into two lanes of one way traffic and taken some of the parking off of it.  IDOT is putting all of its US 34 resources to the east, where towns like Yorkville and Plano are all for the lane expansion, and the traffic is slightly higher.

[3467]

It looks like something similar in Morrison and Pickneyville. There was also supposed to be some sort of financing study on US 20 out in October but I have not seen anything. Waiting on New Gov?

[3467]

http://www.idot.illinois.gov/transportation-system/transportation-management/featured-projects/index

IDOT updated its Projects Page There is a US 51 study underway but not here . But similar to Sandwich ,Vandalia is not happy about a bypass in this case.
Does anyone know what is really going on with 30,20,51,50 or 127?

[Alex]

What is the background on the proposed road from the East West Tollway to U.S. 30 at Fulton? I scanned this from a 1970 Chicago & Vicinity / Illinois fold map.

[SEWIGuy]

It looks as though during the original studies for the East / West Tollway, they were considering routing it due west to Clinton, IA.  (Partly at Clinton's urging.)

Example:

http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1963/09/26/page/105/article/motor-club-to-hear-study-on-tollway

Even when the final route was decided to the Quad Cities, they were still studying an extension to Clinton.  (Good thing they didn't do that because I don't think traffic would have justified it.)

[3467]

They were but IDOT was considering the corridor they are looking at now . This corridor was considered in the current study but dropped early.
They were handing this corridor over to the tollway at this time. Could this have been a tollway plan?

[SEWIGuy]

They were but IDOT was considering the corridor they are looking at now . This corridor was considered in the current study but dropped early.
They were handing this corridor over to the tollway at this time. Could this have been a tollway plan?

Yeah sorry, that's what the article said.  That the Clinton route could not be supported by toll revenue.

[3467]

That explains why its on the map and the other corridors were not until IDOT started to actually build them. very interesting. Thanks for that
The route under study is an expressway and it still could not support toll revenue. IDOT seems to be studying tolls or something for US 20. The website says something was supposed to be released in October . Most of their studies are in Limbo right now . That is why I asked if anyone knew what was going on 34 and 67 are the only ones I have any firsthand knowledge of .
I can update a couple of widen and repaves . US 67 North of Viola looks to have added a foot to each shoulder when it was repaved earlier this year . IL 116 was widened this fall west of US 67 . 3-4 feet were added on each side of this 9-10 foot pavement at a cost of 150,000 per mile . I am such a roadgeek I get out and measure

[Lyon Wonder]

What is the background on the proposed road from the East West Tollway to U.S. 30 at Fulton? I scanned this from a 1970 Chicago & Vicinity / Illinois fold map.

There's now a proposal to upgrade US 30 into a 4 lane expressway from IL-136 in Fulton to Rock Falls.  I assume this US 30 upgrade will be 4-lane divided with mostly at-grade intersections and a bypass of Morrison too.

http://www.idot.illinois.gov/projects/us-30-fulton-to-rock-falls

[3467]

Comments for Morrison were against it by a large margin. They don't want to be bypassed