Lebanon Road Overpass Project delay explained
by Randy Pierce •
Originally projected for completion in November, the realignment of Lebanon Road in Collinsville Township south of Troy has hit a snag because a part where an overpass crossing the CSX Railroad tracks is to be built is “kind of at a standstill right now,” according to Matt Kitzmiller of the Madison County Highway Department.
Kitzmiller, reporting on this situation to the county board’s transportation committee, chaired by Bobby Ross of St. Jacob, at its meeting held on June 5, stated railroad management “has been unbelievably difficult” in terms of cooperating as necessary.
Specifically, according to Kitzmiller, for any work to proceed in the vicinity of what is considered the railroad’s right-of-way on this part of Lebanon Road, “flaggers” who would direct traffic in conjunction with needed lane closures, have to be stationed in appropriate spots for safety purposes.
Originally, the railroad personnel, Kitzmiller said, stated CSX needed 30 days to line up flaggers for this purpose, something anticipated to happen in May but that has been revised to Aug. 1, adding, “they’re telling us they don’t have them.”
“The roadway stuff is still going,” he continued, but the overall project has been stalled because of this flagger matter involving CSX Railroad, prompting Kitzmiller to remark, “We’re kind of at their mercy.”
Resistance to the project from officials representing CSX Transportation Inc., which has a railroad line running between Indianapolis and East St. Louis through this location, had also slowed the progress of the original Lebanon Road improvement plans. According to Madison County Highway Department Engineer Adam Walden, the delay lasted until 2023, when the Illinois Commerce Commission handed down a formal ruling authorizing the project to proceed.
The section being improved is a result of a partnership involving the county, the township and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), goes from 0.2 of a mile east of Clay School Road to a point a 0.5 mile west of Longhi Road.
Since the bridge over the railroad is included in this stretch, CSX has to be involved in that aspect of the project, which included cooperating with the preliminary aspects of the initial design and for allowing the use of its easements for the construction work.
As part of its costs as spelled out in the ICC statement, the county is required to reimburse CSX for any expense it incurs related to the project along with the tendering of a construction agreement between the two entities concerning exactly what will happen.
Also as specified in the “agreed order” as it is defined by the ICC, the new bridge over the CSX tracks is needed to replace “functionally obsolete” underpasses on Lebanon Road and on nearby Lockmann Road just east of the Lumaghi Heights subdivision in Collinsville Township.
The county advocates this project for another reason – so that emergency vehicle access and school bus route safety will be greatly improved once the road realignment and bridge work are finished. Traffic study projections indicate there will be an increase from 2,300 motor vehicles per day using this route in 2023 to about 3,150 by 2032, the result of growth and residential development in this area.
Lebanon Road runs in a northeasterly direction from Route 159 in Collinsville along an area which is generally south of the City of Troy toward O’Fallon-Troy Road.
As part of the ICC hearing process, CSX stated 13 trains per day run at a speed of up to approximately 60 miles per hour both ways on two tracks in an east-west direction.
IDOT, as noted in the ICC order, is providing $15,605,000 from the state’s Grade Crossing Protection Fund for eligible costs incurred as part of this project.
The estimated total project cost is $20,635,000 with the township road district already having paid $550,000 for the acquisition of some right-of-way needed and the county committing $4,480,000 to go along with the aforementioned support from the state’s Grade Crossing Protection Fund.
The source of the local share for this expense is the county’s motor fuel tax (MFT) fund, which is paid on the purchase of gasoline at the pump by consumers and is regulated by the Illinois Highway Code with the restriction that it only be used for costs related to transportation improvements or roadway maintenance.
Lochmueller Group, an engineering services business located in Edwardsville, was contracted by Madison County to perform work as required concerning the relocation of a portion of Lebanon Road where it crosses the CSX Railroad line. Once the work is completed, the Collinsville Township Road District will take full ownership of the new Lebanon Road overpass.
