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Residents weigh in on Route 336 IDOT shows preferred path of proposed Macomb-Peoria highway
Residents weigh in on Route 336

IDOT shows preferred path of proposed Macomb-Peoria highway

Thursday, February 22, 2007

BY BRENDA ROTHERT

OF THE JOURNAL STAR

CANTON - A large crowd came to a hearing Wednesday at Canton High School to see the preferred path of a proposed four-lane highway from Macomb to Peoria.
The public meeting was the second of three scheduled with large, detailed posters of the preliminary preferred alignment of Illinois Route 336.

"I think it's a good deal," said Butch Fuller of Canton. "I like what I've seen so far."

Most feedback from the two hearings held so far has been good, said Eric Therkildsen, program development engineer with the Illinois Department of Transportation District 4.

Public hearings were held to narrow multiple corridors down to one. IDOT's preliminary preferred corridor runs near the western side of the city and near the Illinois River Correctional Center.

Therkildsen said running the road a little further from Canton was about $10 million less than a proposed path closer to the city. He said city leaders wanted to see the road help the western side of Canton grow.

One Canton resident at Wednesday's meeting, Larry Taff, said the house he recently built outside the city will be very close to the proposed Route 336 corridor. He is opposed to the new highway.

"Number one, the state's broke," he said. "Where are we going to get the money for this?"

Taff said he fears the road will not benefit Canton because travelers won't stop in the city if they can't even see it. He said he also doesn't support farmland being taken out of production.

In crafting a preferred path for Route 336, IDOT considered cost, engineering concerns and environmental impacts, Therkildsen said.

"We try to do the best we can to minimize (impacts)," he said.

More meetings on the preferred corridor will be held in about a year, Therkildsen said. IDOT will also be doing noise studies to test the impact on adjacent properties, he said. Noise barriers will be constructed if studies find they are needed.

Today's meeting will be from 4 to 7 p.m. at the VFW Post 1921, 1200 E. Jefferson St. in Macomb.

Therkildsen said the soonest construction will begin on sections of the highway is five years from now.

"It'll start moving quicker now that we've got it narrowed down," he said.


Brenda Rothert can be reached at 686-3041 or state@pjstar.com.

IDOT Newsletter
See the February 2007 IDOT Newsletter on 336

IDOT working on plan for Route 336
Public input sought on specific alignment of Peoria-Macomb highway



Tuesday, December 19, 2006

BY FRANK RADOSEVICH II

OF THE JOURNAL STAR

canton - Residents of Forgottonia will have to wait a little longer before seeing the Illinois Department of Transportation's proposed pathway for Route 336, state and IDOT officials said Monday.
Yet, officials promised their decision on the four-lane highway will be announced in the coming months.

After meeting with state and federal legislators, Joe Crowe, IDOT district engineer responsible for the project, said phase one engineering, which mostly involves environmental impact work, is nearly completed. Now, IDOT is gearing up to seek public input for Route 336's specific alignment, or location.

"This would be a continual series that we've had in the past," Crowe said at a news conference at Graham Hospital.

"It's basically an open house format," he said. "We allow people to come in to review the maps that we're showing, the information that we have and the data that we have. Then they can provide comments to us that night or they can sit and think about it and send those comments to us. We encourage all of the public to come out to those meetings."

Although the exact dates and times of the public meetings have yet to be determined, Crowe said IDOT will host at least three sometime during February in Macomb, Canton and Peoria. The organization will be meeting with an advisory board, composed of local mayors and community leaders, to seek their comment, as well.

Even though its announcement is less than two months away, Crowe said no final decision has been made on Route 336's precise route.

"That's what were working on right now, a preferred alignment," Crowe said. "We're still tweaking it. It's a matter of making sure all the data we have is very accurate and up to date so that when we go out to the public meeting we give them the best possible information."

IDOT did, however, formally approve back in June a preferred corridor for the route. The corridor covers an area from about 2 1/2 to 7 1/2 miles wide from Macomb to Peoria via Canton while the undecided alignment will determine the exact path of the route.

The movement on the project, which has taken nearly 30 years to date, was a welcomed sign by numerous officials.

"I think it's a great opportunity for us to have an update from Joe and his staff on the progress that they've been making," said state Rep. Mike Smith, D-Canton. "And then to talk about the future and of course how we get the funds to build this road. And we are at a good time to begin those discussions as we get ready for a new session of the General Assembly."

Forgottonia is a term towns in western Illinois have used to emphasize a need for infrastructure improvements, including four-lane highway access.

Officials said the highway plan will direct more commerce and economic growth to the area. But, they cautioned, the road ahead will be a long one.

"These roads are not built to get some place faster, they are built to provide opportunities to people for economic development," U.S. Rep. Ray Lahood, R-Peoria, said. "In today's dollars, this is a $650 million project. It will not be done overnight."


Frank Radosevich II can be reached at 686-3114 or fradosevich@pjstar.com.

Peoria Journal Editorial
As for the highway connections, they are not to be underestimated in an area once called Forgottonia. Without a modern road system, neither Pella nor any other manufacturer would have an efficient way to transport product from the plant to the customer. Those who would object to Route 336, in particular, would do well to remember that. Jobs are critical, and west-central Illinois needs more of them.

Highway 336 Push / WEEK Story
Dec 18, 2006 - With Democrats controlling both the state house and senate, both parties are hoping for more bipartisan support for capital projects including Highway 336.

There is an effort by the local delegation to try and get more funding for the long-term road project.

Right now Route 9 is one of two ways leading to Macomb, but a bigger and more flexible roadway is in the works to make the drive faster and smoother.

Mark Johann, the 336 Coalition president, said, "Portions of 336 that are already being used South of Carthage have places where, if you turn left you go into the farm production unit right into their barn entrance, if you turn right you go into a bean field, at the same time that highway will support an 80,000 pound tractor trailer doing 65 miles an hour."

State legislators hope Governor Rod Blagojevich's proposal for a capital budget will finally be approved. It includes money for Highway 336, but they would like it increased.

Democratic state representative Mike Smith of Canton said, "Hopefully we can sit down and everyone realize the need for capital projects whether it's road construction, school construction. Many state facilities have serious capital needs as well. Now's the time to do it and we need to roll up our sleeves and get that done in a bipartisan fashion."

Only 10 percent of the money is needed to get started on the next part of the 650 million dollar job which will extend the highway from Macomb to Peoria.

Sixty-five million dollars is needed for phase II of the project. The federal government has already provided some of the money.

Joe Crowe with the Illinois Transportation Department said, "We're continuing to refine the alignment that we will show the public come February. We continue to tweak it and get good data so that when we go to the public we can answer all their questions."

Officials say the highway will not only provide better travel but could boost commerce for communities between Peoria and Quincy.

Right now the Carthage to Macomb portion is under construction.

Officials hope phase two work could begin in 2011

Alignment studies for Route 336 viewed at meeting
By JOHN FROEHLING/of the Daily Ledger
Wednesday, December 8, 2004 1:08 PM CST

IDOT official gives update on Route 336
The Illinois Department of Transportation plans to hold a public meeting on preliminary alignment studies for Route 336 on Dec. 7 at Canton High School. Similar meetings are also planned elsewhere in December but have yet to be scheduled. Alignments are possible paths for the four-lane highway to be built from Peoria to Macomb in this case.

Governor’s Fiscal Year 2005
Among the many highlights of the Governor’s Fiscal Year 2005 Opportunity Returns transportation infrastructure investments are:


$30.3 million for engineering of the Illinois Route 336 Macomb Western Bypass in the West Central region, which will eventually connect Illinois Route 336 to U.S. Route 67 via a four lane highway, bypassing Macomb to the northwest and the northeast.

The Daily Ledger.....336 Coalition Rally
See photographs from the 336 Coalition Rally on the Miscellaneous page

Macomb Journal....336 Coalition to Hold Rally

October 22, 1999 The Macomb Journal 336 Rally 1999