The Illinois Department of Transportation, or IDOT, held an open house in Urbana to gain input from the neighboring communities about upcoming road construction projects.
The event took place at the Champaign County Highway Department, 1605 E. Main St.
This open house is part of a series of public hearings IDOT is holding in many of their state districts that were also held last year. Joe Crowe, deputy director of highways and region three engineer, said IDOT has been to many Illinois towns and cities with more stops to come.
“It’s just a chance to have outreach. We went to various locations throughout the state,” Crowe said. “Champaign had a great turnout last year, so we returned here again.”
Dennis Markwell, IDOT program development engineer, said there are a number of projects planned or in development in the Champaign-Urbana area. Notable projects Markwell talked about include Route 130 from Philo to Villa Grove, where asphalt work should be done by the end of October, and roadwork on I-57 and on Market Street.
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“For the most part, what you are looking at is resurfacing, bridge replacement and rehabilitation,” Markwell said. “We don’t really have to add lanes or any major projects at this time.”
Crowe said these open houses are important. These events help IDOT interact and communicate more with the public about various concerns and wants regarding road construction, he added.
“It’s an opportunity for the public to take a look at the current multi-year program, make any suggestions on projects they would like to see in future programs,” Crowe said. “We’re glad to have this outreach for them.”
Ed Duran, Bloomington resident, said as both an engineer and driver, he hopes he gets a clearer picture of what IDOT is planning for the future.
“We wanted to see what the direction of the district was for the next five to 10 years, see what kind of work they’re doing and what projects they’re planning on and just find out what’s happening in McLean County,” Duran said.
He added that he sees this event as more helpful for IDOT than the public and that this could be a chance for the district to be “on the cutting edge of technology” in areas such as traffic management.
“The IDOT guys get to hear from the public and hear what they want … and what their priorities are,” Duran said.
