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The Tri States – You might not realize it, but Macomb, Carthage, and other towns in the region are now situated along a major Midwest highway corridor.
The Chicago to Kansas City Expressway corridor is just about complete. Tom Oakley, member, Transportation Task Force for the Tri-State Development Summit, said the work is done in Illinois while Missouri is wrapping up work on its final few miles.
"The last piece to be finished totally now is the piece from Hannibal to Macon on US 36," Oakley said. "It will be dedicated on July 10."
However, he added it won't be completed until the end of July. He would also like to see the Macomb bypass completed as part of the corridor. Illinois has yet to begin construction of that bypass.
Oakley is well acquainted with the Chicago to Kansas City Expressway project. He's been working on it for five decades.
"This is a project that was originally conceived back in the '50s when the Eisenhower interstate plan was being formed," Oakley said.
The four-lane expressway is not a single highway. It starts on I-290 in Chicago. It then continues on I-88, I-74, Highway 34, Route 67, Route 336, I-72 & US 36 before ending on I-35 into Kansas City.
Oakley said signs along the path in Illinois will designate it as Route 110. He is not sure if Missouri will also designate it as Route 110. He said signs along the entire route will include the Chicago to Kansas City Expressway logo.
Oakley believes the expressway corridor will spur economic development in the tri states region.
"We're going to be a part of a national corridor from Chicago to Kansas City and I think it's just a tremendous plus and positive for all of us," said Oakley.
Oakley said completion of the expressway will also allow US 36/I-72 to stretch from Indiana to Kansas as another four lane corridor. He believes the new highway corridors will help ease traffic congestion on some other major roads, including I-55 between Chicago and Joliet and I-70 from St Louis to Kansas City.