Iowa says US-20 is too dangerous in Illinois

[froggie]

Just west of it is total confusion where exactly a four lane division is going to take place with ghost pavement on both sides.

If you're referring to this, then I agree that that is definitely very weird:

As I recall from 20 years ago, US 61 had a few of those in northeastern Missouri.  Not sure if they're still there.

[Revive 755]

^ Looks like MoDOT got rid of the ones on US 61 and replaced them with more gradual transitions.  Going off of the older imagery in Google Earth - note the links are for the general locations with Google's current aerials:

* West of Route OO north of Eolia (shift to the northwest)
* Between Route WW and the intersection with either Pike County Road 301 or Pike County Road 308 (shift to to the west)
* Between the Pike County 301 or Pike County 308 intersection and Route HH (shift to the east)

[I-39]

I was looking at the old ROD. Since nothing has been done since 2005 there would have to be a new EIS. Also the purpose and need. Part is valid the road is old but increasing volumes never happened. Also IDOT has no study planned just the improvement to the existing road.

They still list the project on IDOT's website. But in fairness, IDOT's website is severely out of date.

I still think building a new two lane on four lane ROW is the best option here. That way it could be easily upgraded to a (non-freeway) four lane highway if needed.

[3467]

IS OF said it was doing a financial update to be out in 2014 on that site. So it hasn't been updated in 7 or 8 years.  51 is still there even though it was officially cancelled inn The Federal Register last year. It did remove 50 which according to Edwaleni in 2017 under Rauner. It has 336 which also would have to be redone because they are 4 laning US 24. The Lebanon bypass is not there even though it is funded
67 and 34 no longer are even though it's being built now to Jerseyville and a through town reconstruction is funded. There is also the new Beardstown Bridge funded.
Also 34 will be 4 lane from the Biggsville to Kirkwood bypass.

Now there is a new study for Southwest Illinois not there except Pickneyville. Also there is 29 which is a legacy of 180 and that is a story itself but nothing done in 11 years.

There are no new studies in the 5 year plan except southwest and 67 and 34 are the only other actives  that could have any more done But there is another issue....

[3467]

Current costs for a 4 lane expressway are about 11 million a mile based on all the projects I mentioned above.
Another problem that seems to have come up is floodplains.
It nearly killed 34 and this stretch may be the last.
After levees failed the Army Corp said the stretch inn the floodplain need massive redesign. The cheapest now is 20 million a mile.
This issue of floodplain came up with US 30 But It was killed over purpose and need.
I suspect a big part of 67 has an issue.
Illinois is in no position to build 20 million a mile roads.
Related Galena has been getting through town construction because the Galena Bypass came in at that in 2006.

[I-39]

Current costs for a 4 lane expressway are about 11 million a mile based on all the projects I mentioned above.
Another problem that seems to have come up is floodplains.
It nearly killed 34 and this stretch may be the last.
After levees failed the Army Corp said the stretch inn the floodplain need massive redesign. The cheapest now is 20 million a mile.
This issue of floodplain came up with US 30 But It was killed over purpose and need.
I suspect a big part of 67 has an issue.
Illinois is in no position to build 20 million a mile roads.
Related Galena has been getting through town construction because the Galena Bypass came in at that in 2006.

67 and 336 are no longer worth pursuing IMO. I-172/336 was a huge waste in hindsight, I hope the Macomb to Peoria section never sees the light of day. I could be wrong, but I don't think 67 sees enough traffic between Jacksonville and Macomb to warrant four lane upgrades.

At least 20 and 34 would be connecting to improvements made in another state (Iowa). Even the 11-20 million per mile cost you cited would be cheaper than the $1-2 billion they were estimating for a freeway along 20. It really is a shame they didn't go for an expressway years ago, it'd be done by now.

[Lyon Wonder]

Current costs for a 4 lane expressway are about 11 million a mile based on all the projects I mentioned above.
Another problem that seems to have come up is floodplains.
It nearly killed 34 and this stretch may be the last.
After levees failed the Army Corp said the stretch inn the floodplain need massive redesign. The cheapest now is 20 million a mile.
This issue of floodplain came up with US 30 But It was killed over purpose and need.
I suspect a big part of 67 has an issue.
Illinois is in no position to build 20 million a mile roads.
Related Galena has been getting through town construction because the Galena Bypass came in at that in 2006.

67 and 336 are no longer worth pursuing IMO. I-172/336 was a huge waste in hindsight, I hope the Macomb to Peoria section never sees the light of day. I could be wrong, but I don’t think 67 sees enough traffic between Jacksonville and Macomb to warrant four lane upgrades.

At least 20 and 34 would be connecting to improvements made in another state (Iowa). Even the 11-20 million per mile cost you cited would be cheaper than the $1-2 billion they were estimating for a freeway along 20. It really is a shame they didn’t go for an expressway years ago, it’d be done by now.

West central Illinois has seen population decline in the last 10-15 years, not to mention the closure of a couple of manufacturing industries in Jacksonville between 2004-2010.  The case could be made 20 years ago for completely 4 laning US 67 in Illinois, but less so now.  US 67 is supposed to be widened soon for several miles through New Deli to Jerseyville (which is part of the St Louis metro area anyway), but I don't see any new construction happening beyond that. IMO, I think rebuilding I-55 around Springfield (which is still 4 lanes) should be a higher priority than US 67.

[Crash_It]

I drove US 20 from Rockford to Dubuque for the first time today. Even on what I would expect is a lighter than normal day, it definitely does have heavier traffic than most 2-lane highways. There are passing lanes interspersed that seem to be sufficient, with the possible exception of the first several miles after it goes down to 2 lanes from 4 near Freeport.

There are spots where I think the terrain would make it hard to fully expand to 4 lanes.

The 2 plans out there both use primarily new terrain.

I think that part where the westbound lanes crossover on a bridge and the eastbound lanes cross a road at grade is one of the most embarrassing, cheapo, unsafe design parts of it.

That's IDOT for ya.  The road that crosses at grade is the original US-20 right-of-way and runs through residential areas at higher speeds than designed.

Says the  person whose home state has the shittiest pavement quality of all states in the nation and whose residents love driving on IL roads on the regular.

[froggie]

^ Looks like MoDOT got rid of the ones on US 61 and replaced them with more gradual transitions.  Going off of the older imagery in Google Earth - note the links are for the general locations with Google's current aerials:

* West of Route OO north of Eolia (shift to the northwest)
* Between Route WW and the intersection with either Pike County Road 301 or Pike County Road 308 (shift to to the west)
* Between the Pike County 301 or Pike County 308 intersection and Route HH (shift to the east)

Those would be the ones I recalled.  Based on historic imagery, looks like all three were smoothed out by 2003, so they had to have been done between 2001 and 2003.

[edwaleni]

West central Illinois has seen population decline in the last 10-15 years, not to mention the closure of a couple of manufacturing industries in Jacksonville between 2004-2010.  The case could be made 20 years ago for completely 4 laning US 67 in Illinois, but less so now.  US 67 is supposed to be widened soon for several miles through New Deli to Jerseyville (which is part of the St Louis metro area anyway), but I don't see any new construction happening beyond that. IMO, I think rebuilding I-55 around Springfield (which is still 4 lanes) should be a higher priority than US 67.

This is one of the weird factors of highway planning and Illinois is not alone. i have seen it in all of the sections and threads in AARoads.

Logistics, manufacturing, and other smaller industry require for the most part, proximity to a 4 lane highway. Not necessarily an interstate grade, but some form of freeway that is accommodating for trucks.

These counties or regional interests band together to try and get employment up in their areas, seek out these consultants/lobbyists/snake oil salesmen whose job is to get their location on the map for these firms to consider.

When failures occur due to no 4 lane freeway, these interests rattle their political representatives and tell them they need a 4 lane highway or no employer will come to their town.

For many, many years, western Illinois has complained about a distinct lack of investment in these type of employers.  So Illinois comes up with this US-67 and CKC plan to try and invest in the area.

This issue comes up a lot, and it is difficult to gauge the success of some of these highway plans based on the desire to bring economic value to a particular area.

[I-39]

West central Illinois has seen population decline in the last 10-15 years, not to mention the closure of a couple of manufacturing industries in Jacksonville between 2004-2010.  The case could be made 20 years ago for completely 4 laning US 67 in Illinois, but less so now.  US 67 is supposed to be widened soon for several miles through New Deli to Jerseyville (which is part of the St Louis metro area anyway), but I don't see any new construction happening beyond that. IMO, I think rebuilding I-55 around Springfield (which is still 4 lanes) should be a higher priority than US 67.

This is one of the weird factors of highway planning and Illinois is not alone. i have seen it in all of the sections and threads in AARoads.

Logistics, manufacturing, and other smaller industry require for the most part, proximity to a 4 lane highway. Not necessarily an interstate grade, but some form of freeway that is accommodating for trucks.

These counties or regional interests band together to try and get employment up in their areas, seek out these consultants/lobbyists/snake oil salesmen whose job is to get their location on the map for these firms to consider.

When failures occur due to no 4 lane freeway, these interests rattle their political representatives and tell them they need a 4 lane highway or no employer will come to their town.

For many, many years, western Illinois has complained about a distinct lack of investment in these type of employers.  So Illinois comes up with this US-67 and CKC plan to try and invest in the area.

This issue comes up a lot, and it is difficult to gauge the success of some of these highway plans based on the desire to bring economic value to a particular area.

This is so true. In this case, I truly do not understand the point of I-172/IL-336. It is the classic definition of a pork barrel project. All the money wasted there could have upgraded US 20 which was/is more needed.

[captkirk_4]

West central Illinois has seen population decline in the last 10-15 years, not to mention the closure of a couple of manufacturing industries in Jacksonville between 2004-2010.  The case could be made 20 years ago for completely 4 laning US 67 in Illinois, but less so now.  US 67 is supposed to be widened soon for several miles through New Deli to Jerseyville (which is part of the St Louis metro area anyway), but I don't see any new construction happening beyond that. IMO, I think rebuilding I-55 around Springfield (which is still 4 lanes) should be a higher priority than US 67.

This is one of the weird factors of highway planning and Illinois is not alone. i have seen it in all of the sections and threads in AARoads.

Logistics, manufacturing, and other smaller industry require for the most part, proximity to a 4 lane highway. Not necessarily an interstate grade, but some form of freeway that is accommodating for trucks.

These counties or regional interests band together to try and get employment up in their areas, seek out these consultants/lobbyists/snake oil salesmen whose job is to get their location on the map for these firms to consider.

When failures occur due to no 4 lane freeway, these interests rattle their political representatives and tell them they need a 4 lane highway or no employer will come to their town.

For many, many years, western Illinois has complained about a distinct lack of investment in these type of employers.  So Illinois comes up with this US-67 and CKC plan to try and invest in the area.

This issue comes up a lot, and it is difficult to gauge the success of some of these highway plans based on the desire to bring economic value to a particular area.

This is so true. In this case, I truly do not understand the point of I-172/IL-336. It is the classic definition of a pork barrel project. All the money wasted there could have upgraded US 20 which was/is more needed.

Most of that US 36 Traffic across Missouri continues on I 72 to Springfield, not 336. 6 laneing I 55 would probably be the better solution for the St Louis bypassing traffic using US 36, which isn't very heavy, but is an easy, fast drive across the state. I guess with the sky high property taxes the Galena area is no longer a retirement draw, back in the 80s we had a teacher who was talking about retiring there. It is a nice quaint picturesque area that with better roads would probably draw a better tourist traffic.

[I-39]

West central Illinois has seen population decline in the last 10-15 years, not to mention the closure of a couple of manufacturing industries in Jacksonville between 2004-2010.  The case could be made 20 years ago for completely 4 laning US 67 in Illinois, but less so now.  US 67 is supposed to be widened soon for several miles through New Deli to Jerseyville (which is part of the St Louis metro area anyway), but I don't see any new construction happening beyond that. IMO, I think rebuilding I-55 around Springfield (which is still 4 lanes) should be a higher priority than US 67.

This is one of the weird factors of highway planning and Illinois is not alone. i have seen it in all of the sections and threads in AARoads.

Logistics, manufacturing, and other smaller industry require for the most part, proximity to a 4 lane highway. Not necessarily an interstate grade, but some form of freeway that is accommodating for trucks.

These counties or regional interests band together to try and get employment up in their areas, seek out these consultants/lobbyists/snake oil salesmen whose job is to get their location on the map for these firms to consider.

When failures occur due to no 4 lane freeway, these interests rattle their political representatives and tell them they need a 4 lane highway or no employer will come to their town.

For many, many years, western Illinois has complained about a distinct lack of investment in these type of employers.  So Illinois comes up with this US-67 and CKC plan to try and invest in the area.

This issue comes up a lot, and it is difficult to gauge the success of some of these highway plans based on the desire to bring economic value to a particular area.

This is so true. In this case, I truly do not understand the point of I-172/IL-336. It is the classic definition of a pork barrel project. All the money wasted there could have upgraded US 20 which was/is more needed.

Most of that US 36 Traffic across Missouri continues on I 72 to Springfield, not 336. 6 laneing I 55 would probably be the better solution for the St Louis bypassing traffic using US 36, which isn't very heavy, but is an easy, fast drive across the state. I guess with the sky high property taxes the Galena area is no longer a retirement draw, back in the 80s we had a teacher who was talking about retiring there. It is a nice quaint picturesque area that with better roads would probably draw a better tourist traffic.

Yes, rebuilding the I-55/72 combo should have been a priority as well. And yes, a four lane highway would help with Galena tourism.

[edwaleni]

West central Illinois has seen population decline in the last 10-15 years, not to mention the closure of a couple of manufacturing industries in Jacksonville between 2004-2010.  The case could be made 20 years ago for completely 4 laning US 67 in Illinois, but less so now.  US 67 is supposed to be widened soon for several miles through New Deli to Jerseyville (which is part of the St Louis metro area anyway), but I don't see any new construction happening beyond that. IMO, I think rebuilding I-55 around Springfield (which is still 4 lanes) should be a higher priority than US 67.

This is one of the weird factors of highway planning and Illinois is not alone. i have seen it in all of the sections and threads in AARoads.

Logistics, manufacturing, and other smaller industry require for the most part, proximity to a 4 lane highway. Not necessarily an interstate grade, but some form of freeway that is accommodating for trucks.

These counties or regional interests band together to try and get employment up in their areas, seek out these consultants/lobbyists/snake oil salesmen whose job is to get their location on the map for these firms to consider.

When failures occur due to no 4 lane freeway, these interests rattle their political representatives and tell them they need a 4 lane highway or no employer will come to their town.

For many, many years, western Illinois has complained about a distinct lack of investment in these type of employers.  So Illinois comes up with this US-67 and CKC plan to try and invest in the area.

This issue comes up a lot, and it is difficult to gauge the success of some of these highway plans based on the desire to bring economic value to a particular area.

This is so true. In this case, I truly do not understand the point of I-172/IL-336. It is the classic definition of a pork barrel project. All the money wasted there could have upgraded US 20 which was/is more needed.

Most of that US 36 Traffic across Missouri continues on I 72 to Springfield, not 336. 6 laneing I 55 would probably be the better solution for the St Louis bypassing traffic using US 36, which isn't very heavy, but is an easy, fast drive across the state. I guess with the sky high property taxes the Galena area is no longer a retirement draw, back in the 80s we had a teacher who was talking about retiring there. It is a nice quaint picturesque area that with better roads would probably draw a better tourist traffic.

Yes, rebuilding the I-55/72 combo should have been a priority as well. And yes, a four lane highway would help with Galena tourism.

As for the 55/72 combo around Springfield, it needed it 25 years ago. I remember when they rebuilt the bridges in the early 80's they were built with 3 lanes. All for naught as they will no doubt be demolished in a reconstruct. Most people don't know, but that 55/72 combo was built on top of 2 old coal strip mines. The Railsplitter Southbound rest stop south of the Sherman exit used to be a mining town called "Peabody" (for Peabody Coal). And the other mine is now the cloverleaf with IL-29. There was also a smaller one at Ridgely Road. Most of these mines were played out by the end of WW2.

I agree that Illinois property taxes have caused a lot of problems except for teachers and public sector unions. Illinois essentially took a "pay day loan" against future property tax revenue and it is sucking out the general budget. Fortunately that amendment to separate road taxes from general revenue will be huge in the next 25 years, but they have a lot of catching up to do.

Years ago the plan was to connect US-20 with Iowa south of Dubuque. Then back up to east of Peosta. Even with Iowa DOT finishing the SW Arterial (US-52) this past year, people doubt that will ever happen still. IDOT still owns the land in Whisky Hollow between Dunn and Sandy Ridge down to the Mississippi River. This would essentially allow US-20 truck traffic to avoid the Julien Dubuque Bridge & downtown completely. I think it was laid out way back in the 1950's when a US-20 Freeway was still on the books. I will have to go find that old plan again.

[I-39]

Years ago the plan was to connect US-20 with Iowa south of Dubuque. Then back up to east of Peosta. Even with Iowa DOT finishing the SW Arterial (US-52) this past year, people doubt that will ever happen still. IDOT still owns the land in Whisky Hollow between Dunn and Sandy Ridge down to the Mississippi River. This would essentially allow US-20 truck traffic to avoid the Julien Dubuque Bridge & downtown completely. I think it was laid out way back in the 1950's when a US-20 Freeway was still on the books. I will have to go find that old plan again.

Very interesting. Yes, that would make the most logical sense. It would be difficult to upgrade the Julian Dubuque bridge to freeway standards. Hindsight is 20/20, but perhaps they should have focused on fully upgrading US 20 to interstate standards (eastern I-82?) from Rockford to I-35 instead of building I-88 from Aurora to the Quad Cities. It would have made for a better I-80 reliever.

[edwaleni]

Years ago the plan was to connect US-20 with Iowa south of Dubuque. Then back up to east of Peosta. Even with Iowa DOT finishing the SW Arterial (US-52) this past year, people doubt that will ever happen still. IDOT still owns the land in Whisky Hollow between Dunn and Sandy Ridge down to the Mississippi River. This would essentially allow US-20 truck traffic to avoid the Julien Dubuque Bridge & downtown completely. I think it was laid out way back in the 1950's when a US-20 Freeway was still on the books. I will have to go find that old plan again.

Very interesting. Yes, that would make the most logical sense. It would be difficult to upgrade the Julian Dubuque bridge to freeway standards. Hindsight is 20/20, but perhaps they should have focused on fully upgrading US 20 to interstate standards (eastern I-82?) from Rockford to I-35 instead of building I-88 from Aurora to the Quad Cities. It would have made for a better I-80 reliever.

I-88 (formerly IL-5) was for the most part a political animal. When the original plan for a West Suburban Expressway out of Chicago was developed prior to WW2, they envisioned it connecting with a future US-30 expressway to Moline.

ISTHA was given the ability to build the planned West Suburban Expressway and US-30 Expressway using their own ROW, but it too ran into political troubles at both ends.

When the East-West Tollway Extension was being planned, the politics from DeKalb and NIU were significant. That is why it takes a northern jog before coming back down to Rock Falls and eventually ending at what else? US-30! This is where IDOT had planned the west end of the original US-30 Expressway to Moline in 1941.

ISTHA didn't want that northern jog at all but were forced to accept it. It became an albatross for years as the road from DeKalb to Rock Falls had very little traffic for many, many years. Once the Legislature changed the Tollway charter to allow it to become a indefinite entity, they rebuilt the west end using a bond refinancing tool, which they weren't allowed to do before.

The east end of I-88 was originally designed to meet I-294 in Hinsdale!  The Mayor of Oakbrook got involved and it got pushed north to meet with the then I-90 (Eisenhower) now I-290. But then Cook County got involved because Mayor Daley the First thought the road would be used to allow Chicago workers to live outside the city limits, something he was very against. That is why the east end narrowed down to only 1 lane and later became part of the Hillside Strangler. A political design decision from the early 1950's didnt get resolved until Governor Ryan took office some 50 years later.

So there is logic and metrics in highway planning and then there is politics. And in Illinois, if it involves money, then it involves politics. This is why this regional road routing is so unusual.

[I-39]

Years ago the plan was to connect US-20 with Iowa south of Dubuque. Then back up to east of Peosta. Even with Iowa DOT finishing the SW Arterial (US-52) this past year, people doubt that will ever happen still. IDOT still owns the land in Whisky Hollow between Dunn and Sandy Ridge down to the Mississippi River. This would essentially allow US-20 truck traffic to avoid the Julien Dubuque Bridge & downtown completely. I think it was laid out way back in the 1950's when a US-20 Freeway was still on the books. I will have to go find that old plan again.

Very interesting. Yes, that would make the most logical sense. It would be difficult to upgrade the Julian Dubuque bridge to freeway standards. Hindsight is 20/20, but perhaps they should have focused on fully upgrading US 20 to interstate standards (eastern I-82?) from Rockford to I-35 instead of building I-88 from Aurora to the Quad Cities. It would have made for a better I-80 reliever.

I-88 (formerly IL-5) was for the most part a political animal. When the original plan for a West Suburban Expressway out of Chicago was developed prior to WW2, they envisioned it connecting with a future US-30 expressway to Moline.

ISTHA was given the ability to build the planned West Suburban Expressway and US-30 Expressway using their own ROW, but it too ran into political troubles at both ends.

When the East-West Tollway Extension was being planned, the politics from DeKalb and NIU were significant. That is why it takes a northern jog before coming back down to Rock Falls and eventually ending at what else? US-30! This is where IDOT had planned the west end of the original US-30 Expressway to Moline in 1941.

ISTHA didn't want that northern jog at all but were forced to accept it. It became an albatross for years as the road from DeKalb to Rock Falls had very little traffic for many, many years. Once the Legislature changed the Tollway charter to allow it to become a indefinite entity, they rebuilt the west end using a bond refinancing tool, which they weren't allowed to do before.

The east end of I-88 was originally designed to meet I-294 in Hinsdale!  The Mayor of Oakbrook got involved and it got pushed north to meet with the then I-90 (Eisenhower) now I-290. But then Cook County got involved because Mayor Daley the First thought the road would be used to allow Chicago workers to live outside the city limits, something he was very against. That is why the east end narrowed down to only 1 lane and later became part of the Hillside Strangler. A political design decision from the early 1950's didnt get resolved until Governor Ryan took office some 50 years later.

So there is logic and metrics in highway planning and then there is politics. And in Illinois, if it involves money, then it involves politics. This is why this regional road routing is so unusual.

So in other words, the IL-5/I-88 corridor is one big political joke.

Spot on about the last point. That is also why the freeway/tollway system in the Chicagoland area is inadequate to begin with, politics shut down much needed freeways such as the IL-53 extension and Fox Valley Freeway.

[3467]

The tollway  route were out together in The mid fifties and the east West was on it.
I don't know if any 50s plan unless it was the initial tollway  one which was once on this site but I can't seem to find.
The main blueprint was the supplemental freeway system. The original corridor ideas first appeared in December 1966.
I would sure love to see the 1953 toll plan.

[I-39]

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JMPzyHlZ1zvkmV3lTcJ06us4sddr1VLO/view

Interesting tidbit from this 1976 supplemental freeway report. They recommended even back then FAP 401 (US 20) be made an expressway grade highway and not a complete freeway. Wonder if it would have been built had they stuck to this.

Also interesting to note how most of corridor 67 was recommend as an improved two lane, and I-39 between Rochelle and Normal was recommended as a four lane expressway. Even back then, they didn't think 67 warranted four lanes.

[mgk920]

I recall that in the 1980s or so that IDOT was seriously considering a US 20 freeway routing that included tunneling through a ridge near Galena.

Mike

[Rick Powell]

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JMPzyHlZ1zvkmV3lTcJ06us4sddr1VLO/view

Interesting tidbit from this 1976 supplemental freeway report. They recommended even back then FAP 401 (US 20) be made an expressway grade highway and not a complete freeway. Wonder if it would have been built had they stuck to this.

Also interesting to note how most of corridor 67 was recommend as an improved two lane, and I-39 between Rochelle and Normal was recommended as a four lane expressway. Even back then, they didn't think 67 warranted four lanes.

The Chastain study of FAP 412 from Oglesby to Normal did have a 4-lane expressway option, and nearly got built that way until Gov. Thompson intervened, with the planned Diamond-Star auto plant in Normal being one of the deciding factors.

And the one that turned out almost exactly as planned here was US 51 from Bloomington to Sandoval...minus a few miles of 4-laning from south of Assumption to IL 16 yet to be completed.

[I-39]

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JMPzyHlZ1zvkmV3lTcJ06us4sddr1VLO/view

Interesting tidbit from this 1976 supplemental freeway report. They recommended even back then FAP 401 (US 20) be made an expressway grade highway and not a complete freeway. Wonder if it would have been built had they stuck to this.

Also interesting to note how most of corridor 67 was recommend as an improved two lane, and I-39 between Rochelle and Normal was recommended as a four lane expressway. Even back then, they didn't think 67 warranted four lanes.

The Chastain study of FAP 412 from Oglesby to Normal did have a 4-lane expressway option, and nearly got built that way until Gov. Thompson intervened, with the planned Diamond-Star auto plant in Normal being one of the deciding factors.

And the one that turned out almost exactly as planned here was US 51 from Bloomington to Sandoval...minus a few miles of 4-laning from south of Assumption to IL 16 yet to be completed.

But this plan had the I-88 to I-80 section as an expressway as well. Plus, wasn't the "expressway" option between Oglesby and Normal going to include interchanges at major junctions anyway?

I still think IDOT erred and should have built US 51 from Bloomington and Decatur as an interstate.

Anyway, it's a travesty US 20 is still not four-laned decades later.

[Rick Powell]

But this plan had the I-88 to I-80 section as an expressway as well. Plus, wasn't the "expressway" option between Oglesby and Normal going to include interchanges at major junctions anyway?

Anyway, it's a travesty US 20 is still not four-laned decades later.

I-88 to I-80: back in the early 70s I was on a crew that did the soil borings for many of the bridges in La Salle County north of I-80. I-39 got built pretty much in line where we drilled as a freeway. Our preliminary work was before the 1976 report came out, and there had to have been plan prep going on for the Mendota area in the later 70s since the section north of US 34 was built and opened up in 1984. So, I am guessing IDOT willfully ignored the findings of the report for I-39 between I-88/I-80 for whatever reason.

Oglesby-Normal: I can't recall out of memory which junctions would have been at-grade and which ones would have had full interchanges in the expressway versions. There were many sub-alignments that were looked at. Probably US 24 was a full interchange due to its proximity to the railroad. I doubt places like Tonica would have warranted a full interchange in the expressway version, but not sure.

[edwaleni]

The Chastain study of FAP 412 from Oglesby to Normal did have a 4-lane expressway option, and nearly got built that way until Gov. Thompson intervened, with the planned Diamond-Star auto plant in Normal being one of the deciding factors.

And the one that turned out almost exactly as planned here was US 51 from Bloomington to Sandoval...minus a few miles of 4-laning from south of Assumption to IL 16 yet to be completed.

I remember the Governor Thompson intervention. It's why US 50 from O"Fallon to Carlye was never finished and has these never used bridges.

I don't think US-51 will ever reach Pana or Vandalia in a 4 lane form. The Pana newspaper said the feedback was nearly 100% negative at the public hearings.

The 4 lane will probably some day get extended to IL-16 and a controlled intersection placed so it will end safely, but no farther.

As for the Vandalia part, I wasn't at the public hearings but followed the proceedings and design alternatives pretty closely. The citizens weren't against the idea of making US-51 4 lane, they just couldn't agree on what the best option was.

They wanted the best of all worlds. No bypass of the city, no real estate condemnations either.  The last alternative I saw pitched was this ridiculous re-routing of US-51 on I-70 to the west side of town and then creating a bypass south of the city, cross the Kaskaskia River and join the current ROW.

Everyone and their mom knows the best routing was the Kaskaskia River route east of town, but the city fathers don't want anyone being able to "drive by" town without stopping. Even though several thousand trucks do that daily on I-70.

But now its a dead deal.

When someone in Greenville, Illinois told me it was a bad deal, I said look at Effingham Illinois. That used to be a train stop town with a flashing red for US-40 and US-45. 60 years after 2 interstates were built its a thriving crossroads where both roads bypass town.

Vandalia and US-51 would have made a great central Illinois spine line for logistics routing from the south. Now it will just remain a exit for gas and a bathroom at Hardee's.

[3467]

I asked someone at headquarters about that report in the nineties.yes they ignored it.