Meeting held on proposed US 40 improvements in Madison County
By Josh Jones
Times Tribune Editor
[email protected]
TROY — The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) recently held a public meeting at CA Henning School to discuss the study for the proposed improvements on U.S. 40 from Formosa Road to Bethany Drive in Madison County.
According to an IDOT news release, IDOT, in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration, has initiated the Preliminary Engineering and Environmental Study of U.S. 40. This section of U.S. 40 is located in the city of Troy as well as unincorporated Madison County. The Phase 1 study will look at options to address traffic capacity and mobility through the study area. The purpose of the meeting was to introduce the project and obtain public input.
IDOT Communications Outreach Liaison, Region Five Dawn Johnson said the recent meeting was well attended with over 100 visitors during the evening. The meeting itself was a more “open house” format where people could come and go as they please while IDOT reps answered questions.
“This meeting was intended to introduce the purpose of the engineering study to the public and get feedback from the public on needed improvements to US Route 40, before any designs take place. The opportunity for viewing the information and commenting is still ongoing until March 30 so there are still comments coming in,” Johnson said. “As part of the meeting, IDOT provided information on traffic congestion issues and crash history as well as the project development process. Many comments received so far have mentioned congestion and the need to improve safety.”
Johnson said one misconception some visitors had was regarding the bike path that is being built
“There were some questions about the bike path that is being built, which is not an IDOT project,” Johnson said. “Some others were interested in seeing a design, which has not begun yet.”
Johnson said that they are currently at the beginning of this preliminary engineering and environmental study.
“This study can take two-four years for a project of this size, typically,” Johnson said. “We are grateful to the interest from the community and the robust turnout at the public meeting. Hearing their input helps us understand their needs and priorities in developing a project design that fits within the context of their community. We encourage everyone to visit the project website at https://idot.click/us-40-troy and/or sign up for the project mailing list to get updates on the project development as we go forward.
