Wednesday, September 22, 2021, 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:
Interstate 57 and Route 16 Interchange– Along with the Chamber of Commerce, the City of Mattoon also has concerns regarding the proposed changes to the interchange where over 17,000 cars pass each day.
Existing Interchange Design – The existing interchange is a cloverleaf-diamond design. Traffic on IL-16 is able to move freely thru the interchange with limited interference from entering/existing 1-57 traffic. The proposed design requires thru traffic on IL-16 to yield to entering/exiting 1-57 traffic in the roundabouts.
Speed Limit — The existing speed limit on IL-16 is 45 MPH from Logan Street to Lerna Road. It appears that the speed limit for the proposed interchange will be reduced to 35 mph.
Economic Impact — The existing interchange offers traffic on 1-57 two options to exit onto IL-16; the initial diamond ramp, and the cloverleaf. The cloverleaf option allows travelers to see all of the restaurant, hotel, and gas station choices for themselves before they have to exit. The proposed design would require travelers to make their decision 0.3 miles away, with a much more limited view of the available amenities. The proposed design offers only one exit ramp option with no chance to change one’s mind once it is passed.
Emergency Services — We accommodate traffic thru town when the interstate is closed for accidents. If 1-57 is closed north of Mattoon, all of the northbound 1-57 traffic would have to cross the east bound IL-i 6 traffic in order to reach their designated detour on US-45 . (We would also have the option of exiting northbound 1-57 traffic at our US-45 interchange, however, that traffic would cross the southbound traffic on US-45.) We exit both directions of 1-57 traffic at the IL-16 interchange during snow emergencies due to the number of available services. We also have a red-cross shelter location that we use near that interchange.
To voice your concerns to the Illinois Department of Transportation and to find out more details please visit: https://idot.illinois.gov/projects/I-57-IL-16-Interchange-Reconstruction.html. These are the last two days for public comments before they make a decision on the design structure.
2. Great fall weather this weekend to shop, dine and support your local businesses!
Keep up to date at the Mattoon Chamber of Commerce website.
Listen to the complete interview here:
Comments