Thursday, September 9, Ed Dowd, Executive Director of the Mattoon Chamber of Commerce was a guest on 101.3 WMCI. Here is a brief description of what he covered during the interview:
- The I-57/IL Route 16 Interchange between Charleston and Mattoon is under proposal from the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) for major reconstruction. This interchange is a vital link between the two communities with over 17,000 cars passing through on a daily basis.
The proposed raindrop diamond interchange will be the only one of its kind in Illinois to date. It will be a significant departure from the standard cloverleaf design of most interchanges in Illinois. Traffic speed limits on IL Route 16 will be reduced to accommodate the design features. IDOT is seeking input from the community on their thoughts and questions regarding the proposal which is still in the planning stages.
I strongly encourage everyone who travels on IL Route 16 between Mattoon and Charleston on a regular basis and/or use the interchange to travel for business to view the following link for all the details: https://idot.illinois.gov/projects/I-57-IL-16-Interchange-Reconstruction.html.
When you browse the site, you will want to pay particular attention to the Overview tab which has a link to a 24-page Pdf document which describes the project in detail. The document has drawings of how the interchange will look and a specific example of one in use in Indiana. Most importantly the last page has a link to provide feedback to IDOT on the proposal. Comments and questions must be received by September 24th to be part of the public record.
Keep up to date at the Mattoon Chamber of Commerce website.
Listen to the complete interview here:
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