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Project manager for the Fifth Street Road project, Lisa Kramer of
Hanson Professional Services in Springfield, provided council
members with an update. Planning to renovate the roadway that
extends from Lincoln Parkway west to the New Holland-Middletown
blacktop began 10 years ago. At that time it was mostly county
responsibility. Since that time costs for materials, labor and
resources, needs for the roadway, and responsibility for the
construction have changed considerably.
Through property annexations the city of Lincoln has become
responsible for an increased portion that now extends from Lincoln
Parkway to Interstate 55. A part of that section will become
four-lane for the increased traffic related to business expansions
to the west, and it would include improvements for truck traffic.
Kramer said that the major concerns of property owners she has
spoken with have been over right of way requirements, drainage and
private entrances.
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 The plans are not in the stage for those details to be worked out
yet. The Illinois Department of Transportation will be involved in
those decisions.
A first public information meeting for those who live along the
roadway will take place on Aug. 2. How traffic will be handled and
how the road will look when done will be discussed at that meeting.
The time and location of the meeting will be announced soon.
To provide the least disruption to travelers, it is presently
planned to divide the road into five segments and set up short
detour routes. Each segment will be completed before moving to the
next segment.
Alderman Benny Huskins stipulated that he wanted to be sure that
there would not be any truck traffic on Connolley Road. It is a
township road that had been damaged by truck traffic previously. "We
did that road a few years ago and don't want to pay for a new road,"
he said.
Early design plans are expected to be completed early 2009,
Kramer said.
[Jan
Youngquist] |
