Logan County Receives IDOT Highway Safety Grant for Fifth Street Road project

 

[October 05, 2022] 

The Logan County Highway Department is continuing to develop roadway improvements for the 5th Street Road corridor. Six miles of the roadway between 100th and 700th Avenues are in the final stages of utility negotiation and relocation efforts. Construction on that section should begin in 2023.

Another 2.4 miles of the corridor are currently being designed. This section extends from 700th Avenue to the I-55 bridge near the City of Lincoln. This section also includes the curves near Kickapoo Creek.

These curves have a long history of vehicle accidents and most crashes are concentrated at the curves west of the Kickapoo Creek bridge. The curves do not meet current design standards. Vehicles travelling 5th Street Road are not able to drive through the curves at a consistent speed. Many of the accidents are considered roadway departures which often result in serious injuries. Logan County was able to identify this as a safety issue and submitted an application to IDOT’s Highway Safety Improvement Program. This is a competitive program throughout the State of Illinois to achieve a significant reduction in traffic fatalities and serious injuries.

Logan County was recently selected to receive $840,236 of these safety funds to re-align the 5th Street curves west of Kickapoo Creek. Re-alignment of these curves will be completed as part of the 2.4 mile roadway improvement project. It is our goal that this project will increase the level of safety for all users and reduce the number of serious accidents on our local road system.

Construction of 5th Street Road between 700th Avenue and the I-55 bridge is currently planned for 2026.

[Bret A. Aukamp
Logan County Engineer]