SOUTHERN ILLINOIS – Franklin and Williamson counties, plus the City of Mt. Vernon are among 21 communities in Illinois to see parts of $7 million to upgrade roads to accommodate local truck traffic, leveraging a total investment of $36 million that will create jobs and boost economic activity.
According to an announcement Monday by the Illinois Department of Transopotation (IDOT), the upgrades will include the following:
- Franklin County: $318,500 for upgrades on Illinois 14 starting at Illinois 148 and ending at Illinois 184. The total cost of this project is $800,000.
- Williamson County: $250,000 for upgrades on Thompsonville Road starting at Corinth Road and ending at Locust Grove Road. The total cost of this project is $750,000.
- Mt. Vernon: $20,700 for upgrades on Shiloh Drive from the south entrance of Magnum Steel Works to Lake Terrace Northeast. The total cost of this project is $466,335.
The grants are made possible through IDOT’s Truck Access Route Program, which allows counties, municipalities and townships to apply for assistance in upgrading roads to accommodate 80,000-pound trucks and become designated truck routes. A maximum of $900,000 can be awarded to projects that improve connections to other designated truck routes and businesses that generate truck traffic.