Illinois Department of Transportation has tagged the Interstate 270 bridge across the Mississippi River for major work and replacement. (Photo courtesy of IDOT)

Projects on nearly every major regional traffic artery in Metro East are outlined in the Illinois Department of Transportation’s (IDOT) Fiscal Year (FY) 2020-2025 Proposed Highway Improvement Program.

Several potentially landmark projects are key to major economic development projects which could help reshape the region, according to area business and political leaders. Among them: replacement of the Interstate 270 bridge across the Mississippi River, a new U.S. Route 67 bypass near Jerseyville, a new Interstate 255 interchange at Dupo and the new Greenmount Road interchange in O’Fallon.

IDOT acknowledges that many — including extensive projects on Interstate 255 and the Interstate 64 tri-level interchange area in East St. Louis — will mean years of traffic slowdowns and tie-ups.

The I-255 project will entail the phased closing sections of between Collinsville Road to Route 15 for months at a time next year.

The U.S. Department of Transportation will cover 39 percent of the IDOT infrastructure program; with Illinois state funds covering 37 percent; Series A bonds, 21 percent, and local matching funds, 2 percent.

The projects are part of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s $41.5 billion Rebuild Illinois program. To pay for it, Illinois on July 1 raised the state gasoline tax, from 19 to 38-cents-a-gallon and increased vehicle registration fees.

While 16 percent of funding under the program would go “to strategically expanding the system in areas where data have shown the investment will be highly effective,” the plan will dedicate 75 percent of funding to reconstructing and preserving roadways and bridges, according to an IDOT statement. The remainder targets necessary traffic and safety improvements.

That marks a major shift toward long-term infrastructure preservation, according to the IDOT statement.

A few of the projects (noted below) are to begin in state FY 2020. However, most are scheduled for state fiscal years 2012 through 2025. The road program was announced Oct. 10. The road plan at this point remain technically in the proposal stage and IDOT continues to take public comment on it.

Among major projects planned for IDOT Region 8 (encompassing Greene, Calhoun, Jersey, Madison, Bond, Clinton, St. Clair, Monroe Randolph, Washington, and Marion counties) are:

 Interstate Highways

Interstate 55/64/U.S Route 40/Illinois Route 4 from the Mississippi Rover to the I-64 trilevel interchange in East St. Louis. — Major highway renovation including lighting, bridge joint replacement and repair, bridge deck overlay and bridge repair.

Interstate 64 under Illinois 111 —  Interchange reconstruction, bridge replacement, and ramp repair.

Interstate 64/U.S. Route 50 from just west of Greenmount Road in O’Fallon to 1.1 miles west of Illinois Route 158 — Construction of additional lanes and resurfacing.

Interstate 255/U.S. Route 50 from Illinois Route 3 in Dupo, across Madison and St. Clair Counties, to Collinsville Road. — Highway resurfacing and patching, ramp repair, shoulder repair, and bridge repair or replacement along a 30.2 mile stretch of highway. Scheduled start: 2020

A new interchange on Interstate 255 at Imbs Stations Road and Davis Street Ferry Road in Dupo is scheduled for construction during 2025.

Interstate 270 at the Mississippi River in Madison County —Mississippi River Bridge replacement is to be complemented by approximately 10 miles of additional lanes, road reconstruction, resurfacing, and bridge superstructure work; extending east to Illinois Route 203.

That includes road and bridge expansion and reconstruction across the 2.3-mile Mississippi River bridge approach — extending from the river to the Chair of Rocks Canal.

Then highway expansion and improvement will then continue east to Illinois Route 203; entailing reconstruction of intersections with Illinois Route 3,  Illinois Route 111 and Route 203.

U.S. Highways

U.S. Route 67 at the Delhi Bypass in Jersey County — Construction of 3.2 miles of new four-lane expressway will provide a bypass around the community of Delhi.

The IDOT plan also calls for preliminary work on future widening of U.S. 67, from two to four lanes, north from Jerseyville into Green County as well as south to the Madison County line.

The IDOT program also calls for projects on the Clark Bridge (U.S. 67) and the deck sealing;  intersection reconstruction at Formosa Road-Bethany Road on U.S. Highway 40 ($24 million);and road and bridge work long U.S. Highway 50 at various locations from Silver Creek east through Clinton County, including Kaskaskia River bridge repairs. All are scheduled for 2020.

State Highways

Illinois Route 3 Connector – extending across East St. Louis from Monsanto Drive in Sauget to the River Park Drive Connector – is the centerpiece of maintenance and improvements on the highway extending from it north terminus in Godfrey to its southern terminus in Cairo.

In addition to the new $49 million connector roadway – with its new bridge and a newly-built approach through Sauget – the IDOT plan for Route 3 calls for:

• Pavement improvement projects in Cahokia and various locations across Monroe and Randolph counties,
• Reconstruction of the intersection with Pierce Lane in Godfrey,
• Pavement overlay and patching on the section concurrent with Homer Adams Parkway in Alton,
• Reconstruction from New Poag Road to Industrial Drive in unincorporated Madison County, and
• Reconstruction at 20^th street in Granite City.

An Illinois Department of Transportation study outlined the major reasons for needing to replace and improve the Interstate 270 bridge. (Photo courtesy of IDOT)

Other projects on state highways include:

Illinois Route 4 — Pavement maintenance or rehabilitation at various locations across southern Madison, St. Clair and Randolph counties including replacement of the highway’s Kaskaskia River bridge. Some work to begin in 2020.

Illinois Route 13 — Pavement reconstruction from Illinois Route 157 to 23^rd Street in Belleville and pavement maintenance from Rogers Drive in Freeburg to the Kaskaskia River.

Illinois Route 15 — Pavement maintenance east of Ill. 159 with major bridge re-construction and road work south into Washington County

Illinois Route 111 — Reconstruction from Poag Road to Denham Road, with improvements at the Chain of Rocks Road, bridge replacement at the Cahokia Canal, and railroad bridge replacement near the Fairmont City School.

Illinois Route 140 — Reconstruction from Monument Street to Annex Avenue in Alton.

Illinois Route 143 — Replacement of the Silver Creek Bridge west of Marine.

Illinois Routes 157-162 junction — Relocation of the intersection, with reconstruction of the Ill. 157 bridge at Judy Branch Creek Bridge and intersection with Sugar Loaf Road. Improvements or pavement maintenance are scheduled at locations south across St. Clair County into Cahokia.

Illinois Route 158 — Relocation with new bridge from Illinois Route 177 to Illinois Route 161 and intersection reconstruction at Freeburg Avenue in Belleville.

Illinois Route 159 — Reconstruction of Beltline intersection in Collinsville, replacement of the Douglas Creek Bridge near Smithton, with maintenance at various locations across Madison and St. Clair counties.

Illinois Route 177 — Reconstruction from County Drive to Mine Road in Mascoutah.

Illinois 255 — Pavement overlay from I-270 to Illinois Route 143, beginning in 2020.

Non-numbered state roads

Greenmount Road — Additional lanes and bridge replacement from Ill. Route 161 to  Ill. Routes 158/177.

Lebanon Bypass —New construction Illinois Route 4 to U.S. Highway 50, east of Lebanon

McKinley Bridge — Sealing scheduled for 2020.

 Local projects

The IDOT plan also provides funding for qualifying local infrastructure projects including:

Granite City — Reconstruction of First Street from C Street to E Street and construction of new segment of Levee Road.

Collinsville — Bridge replacement on Fairmont Avenue at Canteen Creek,

Lebanon — Replacement of Troy O’Fallon Road bridge at Mill Creek, and

Frank Scott Parkway — Additional lanes and a new bridge between Swansea and Shiloh.

The complete IDOT 2020-2025 Proposed Highway Improvement Program can be accessed at https://tinyurl.com/IDOT2025plan

The State Summary of the Program includes a public comment form, as well as information on filing comment by telephone at 800-493-3434.

Additional information about the plan is available online at www.idot.illinois.gov.