WATERLOO, Ill. – A faster route to St. Louis from Southwestern Illinois could become a reality.
For the next three weeks, the Illinois Department of Transportation is asking for public input as part of its $6 million study of the rural Southwestern Illinois Expressway in Randolph, Monroe, Perry, and Jackson counties.
“I know they’ve been looking at that for six or seven years,” Tom Smith, former Waterloo mayor, said. “All the mayors and county officials have been aware of it. I think it would be great for tourism. We have a lot to offer in Southern Illinois.”
Illinois Routes 3, 154, and 13/127 from Carbondale to St. Louis would be part of the estimated $1 billion decade-long proposal.
Parts of Route 3 would be included in the Southwest Connector expansion project, connecting St. Louis in the Metro East to Southern Illinois.
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