route 50 project takes a step forward

According to published reports, the Illinois State Legislature has approved a Capital Bill that includes money for the proposed Route 50 expansion from 2 lanes to 4 between Lawrenceville and Salem .

[Ed Ford]

this is a colossal waste of money.

I can't believe there's a lobbyist for this thing and I can't believe it's chuck hartke.

This will never work. four lanes isn't going to bring any kind of economic boom to the area. it'll just get people to pass us by faster.

[Olney Resident]

Mr. Ford,

I disagree with you whole heartedly. U.S. 50
is already bumper to bumper many times between
Lawrenceville and Olney, and Olney and Flora.
There over 1,000 semitrucks leaving Olney
on a daily basis from the Wal-Mart D.C. and
Pacific Cycle. It is this part of the states
turn to finally get its' due.

If you want to see a waste of money, go travel
Interstate 64.

[Ed Ford]

thank you for disagreeing with me politely.

I guess it's true that there is a lot of DC traffic out of Olney, but I travel through Clay co and there are times during the day when I don't see a single soul.

[Jeremy Totten]

Most of the time when I travel Flora to Olney there is quite a bit of traffic, so I too have to disagree. Furthermore, a lot of traffic is in large trucks, and not just the Walmart trucks out of Olney...and that has lead to a lot of wear on the highway. It frankly wasn't built to take the strain that is being put on it and needs a serious upgrade.

[Roger Roll]

when i come home from princeton, it's all i can do to stay awake because there is no traffic on highway fifty. maybe it's busy in the daytime, but at nite, forget about it.

[Alpha77]

But think about it folks, its not the interstate, there is even times on the Interstates where you are the only one out.

Most people travel during the day, and most trucks also do their traveling and delivering in the day time and sleep the required rest period at night.

Route 50 is a key access point from St. Louis to alot of cities. If you sit along route 50 for long enough in the day time I bet you could count 200+ Affton trucks, usually these trucks are pulling cars that have came of the trains in St. Louis, they bring them out have them unloaded and take them back to the terminal.

Alot of people use the interstate system for speed, now I am not saying the speed will be better, but not having to be ran over by trucks is for sure a better solution.

A 4-lane highway has the possibility to keep factories in the area, and bring in new ones, for example truck stop's wouldn't be out of the reach.

Also with 4-lanes means more jobs for maintenance on them over time also.

[Simon Says]

Alpha77 & Olney Resident,

You two among some others sound like you have
your "shiiittt" together. I agree with both
of you 110%.

[Simon Says]

Oh & Jeremy Totten, too. Sorry Jeremy I meant
to mention you in my first post ... ditto to you.

[Alpha77]

Thanks for your kind words Simon. It only makes sense if you make a highway wider, then it brings more traffic, thus you expose more people to a city, or town, and thus they have to stop for potty breaks, food breaks, and maybe they like the city and want to move there.

[Ed Ford]

I'm still going to say that with four lanes, and the prospect of being able to pass the slow trucks and go faster, it's not going to do anything but get people to pass us by faster.

But maybe there'll be some money in a stimulus package to put highway workers on it and build it, and Hartke will get it for us.

[Jeremy Totten]

Ed Ford wrote:

I'm still going to say that with four lanes, and the prospect of being able to pass the slow trucks and go faster, it's not going to do anything but get people to pass us by faster.
But maybe there'll be some money in a stimulus package to put highway workers on it and build it, and Hartke will get it for us.

Maybe Xenia, which doesn't exactly get a ton of business due to the highway as is... But I don't see that happening with Flora. For one, trucking is a pretty big industry in Flora. For another, we have tons of places along the highway that travelers like to stop at. Such as the large number of fast food places right on or near the highway, or the Wal-mart, or the motels. I don't see a larger highway slowing down that business. In fact I can't think of any situations where a town well placed to take advantage of the situation hasn't benefited from a large highway or interstate economically.

[Alpha77]

Jeremy, I agree with you, it could really benefit alot of cities, and towns. Xenia can get that package liquor the mayor wants, and it could be profitable. They can get that rumored Casey's General Store up and going.

Flora could get a strip mall similiar to what most Wal-Mart Supercenter's have! Walmart might even get a fuel station would give more competition.

Flora could see a truck stop because it would be perfect to have a truckstop at the intersections of 45/50. Some people would rather drive a 4 lane highway than to go down the interstate.

The ideas are endless and I would hope that city leaders and officials are getting on board, and brainstorming, and then when it goes through they are going to need to work with their industrial planning committee's and other groups to get people interested in locating businesses here.

Going on again..... add more trucks you need more truck servicing locations, maybe existing Flora, Noble, Salem businesses could add more heavy towing services and diesel services, or you could get new heavy duty towing companies.

If I was an person who was looking for investments, I would watch this topic closely and follow it, when I knew it was going to be a done deal, or looked feasible, I would try to buy up property along the highway as cheap as I could get it, and make sure that I could get a drive or access to the highway with it or already have one. I would hold that property do nothing with it, and after this starts going, put that land up for sale.

[Alpha77]

Bender wrote:

well let's build the dam thing
now my question, as a cyclist is....
The old highway right next to fifty
would the expansion mess with that East of Olney?

This would be a question to pose, when they start having the meetings with the public. I would encourage you to contact your IL elected officials to ask such a question and also to attend those meetings as they are published. I will try and follow them and post here and on other areas to make sure that they are known.

[Olney Resident]

Bender,

I already know the answer to that, no it will not
have any effect on the old U.S. 50 east of Olney.
The Feds and State bought up all the land for
the 4 lane highway in the 60's from Vincennes
to St. Louis and the additional 2 lanes will lie
north of the current lanes. The farmers have only
been allowed to rent the property for the last
~15 years, before that it was obvious that it was
right-of-way or what ever the proper terminology
would be.

[Alpha77]

In some areas they already have that area occupied by the old highway, for example the areas east of Xenia, and east of Flora have old highway lying to the south of the current highway route.

[Bender]

thanks for the reply Resdnt. Good news, beccause old 50 is about the only place where a cyclist can go without the fear of being run over. Lately there's been some traffic, but nothing heavy. Unfort it gets worse the farther we go east, I would like to see a bike path installed all the way to sumner.

[Alpha77]

That should be something that you consult the department of conservation, the state and local reps. But if the govenor won't release funds for metal health, pre-school and healthcare in general without a tax raise vote chance are we are out of luck on the bike path too.

[Jeremy]

I had to make a trip to Washington, IN yesterday
and the traffic was horrendous from Clay City
until the 4 lane section East of Lawrenceville.
That was both coming and going. I hope this
thing happens and the sooner the better.

[Tugboat]

If they do make it 4 lanes it will be after you and I have turned to soup in our coffin's.

[Jeremy Totten]

Tugboat wrote:

If they do make it 4 lanes it will be after you and I have turned to soup in our coffin's.

The plan to make it a 4 lane has been off and on for as long as I've been alive so I'm not exactly holding my breath.