New Southwestern Illinois connector highway proposed

By Bob Pieper For Chronicle Media

The plan from the Four-County Highway Coalition calls for a four-lane, divided highway from Waterloo to Murphysboro, essentially following the routes of existing two-lane state highways. (Google map)

A coalition of four Southwestern Illinois counties is calling for a new regional connector highway linking Metro East and the Carbondale-Murphysboro area.

Spanning Jackson, Monroe, Perry, and Randolph counties, the proposed four-lane, divided highway would run from Waterloo to Murphysboro, basically following the routes of existing two-lane state highways through or near Red Bud, Sparta, and Pinckneyville, according to preliminary planning documents.

Leading the effort is the Four-County Highway Coalition, established earlier this year by the governing boards of the counties through which highway would pass.

If developed, the highway will become a major new traffic corridor for the region, according to Randolph County Commissioner Mark Kiehna, a leading proponent of the project.

The Jackson, Monroe, Perry, and Randolph county boards have all formally passed resolutions supporting an intergovernmental agreement for development of the highway, according to Kiehna.

Virtually all municipalities and villages in areas that would be served by the highway have also passed resolutions of support, he says.

Kiehna also reports he has “a file folder full” of letters from businesses, labor unions, and agricultural organizations supporting the highway initiative.

Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC) and the Kaskaskia Regional Port District are also supporting the project.

The coalition plans to meet next month with U.S. Congressman Mike Bost (R–Murphysboro) and his staff, State Rep. Jerry Costello II (D-Smithton), State Rep. Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro), State Sen. Paul Schimpf (R-Waterloo) and Illinois Department of Transportation officials on the proposed highway.

Bost serves on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. He was said to be receptive to the project during an initial meeting with coalition members.

Schimpf has already told local media he feels the highway will be necessary for the long-term economic viability of the region.

Four County Highway Coalition member Marc Kiehna.
(Photo courtesy of Four-County Highway Coalition)

A series of public meetings on the proposed highway projects is underway. The first two, July 26, in Murphysboro and Aug. 29 at the Monroe County Courthouse, were both well attended, Kiehna said.

Under preliminary plans, the proposed highway would basically run:

– From Waterloo, beginning at the Illinois Route 3 bypass, to Red Bud, along the present route of Route 3;

– From Red Bud through the Sparta area to Pinckneyville along the present route of Illinois Route 3; and

–From Pinckneyville to Murphysboro along the present route of Illinois Route 127.

The exact location of interchanges and bypasses will be determined based on public input, Kiehna says.

With a major, nation infrastructure revitalization programs a top priority for President Donald Trump as well both Democrats and Republicans in Congress, the coalition is hoping to win federal funding for the new Southwestern Illinois connector as a part of legislation anticipated later this year.

Construction of the highway would be undertaken in three phases, beginning with the Pinckneyville-Murphysboro stretch of Route 127, Kiehna said.

All necessary planning and design work, as well as all required land acquisition for that segment of the highway, has already been completed, Kiehna said.  Construction could begin as soon as funding is secured.

The proposed highway does not appear on the East West Gateway Council of Government’s Connected 2045 Long Range Transportation Plan for the region.

However, Waterloo Mayor Tom Smith last month became a member of the influential regional planning council and will be a position to muster support for the project. The Waterloo City Council approved of a resolution supporting the project on Aug. 21.

 

 

 

 

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New Southwestern Illinois connector highway proposed  —-