Illinois plans to build a total of more than 100 new truck parking places in two rest areas on Interstate 55 and one on I-24 in a $197.5 million investment in 22 freight mobility projects.
When combined with federal National Highway Freight Program funds, $50.3 million will be spent on the projects to add truck parking at the Fort Massac Rest Area on I-24 and I-55’s Coalfield and Rail Splitter rest areas.
“We are still in the design phase, but our estimated total number of new parking spaces, including all three rest areas, will be between 120 and 140,” Paul Wappel, IDOT spokesman, told Transport Topics. “We anticipate the Rail Splitter Rest Area project will go to letting (open for bids) in the fall of 2023. The Coalfield Rest Area project and Fort Massac Rest Area project are both anticipated to go to letting during the summer-fall of 2024.”
Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced the grants in March to help fund 22 port, rail and highway projects in Illinois “to address bottlenecks, increase mobility and improve the supply chain up and down the state.” Among the projects are $40 million for capacity improvements at the Illinois Route 17 interchange with I-57 in Kankakee, $4.3 million for congestion and safety upgrades at the Kaskaskia Regional Port District in Red Bud and $18.8 million for a new Illinois U.S. 50 bridge over the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal that links the Chicago River to the Des Plaines River.
Source : TT News
