Frequently Asked Questions

What is Context Sensitive Solutions?
Who is the Community Advisory Group (CAG) for the Illinois Route 159 project and what do they do?
What is a problem statement and what is the problem statement for the Illinois Route 159 project?
Why is this improvement needed?
What are the limits of this project?
What is the scope of this project?
What is the project schedule? / When will construction begin?
Where are we in the study process?
Is this project funded?
When will IDOT begin acquiring right of way?
How can I keep informed on the study's progress?
Will the “one-way” loop be eliminated from IL Route 159?
What impact will this project have on the historic homes at the north end of the project?
Why has the rest of IL Route 159 been improved to five-5 lanes and this section has not yet been completed?
What is IDOT doing to keep the public informed?

IDOT’s goal is to make an improvement to Illinois Route 159 that improves safety and mobility for the traveling public, while seeking to preserve and enhance the scenic, economic, historic, and natural qualities of Collinsville. To gain the community’s input, IDOT has formed a Community Advisory Group (CAG). The CAG is made up from representatives of the community and provides input on the project’s potential solutions.

Who is the Community Advisory Group (CAG) for the Illinois Route 159 project and what do they do?
The CAG formed for the Illinois Route 159 project includes representatives from business focused groups, residents, churches, the City, and other civic organizations with an interest in the Illinois Route 159 project. The CAG meets during the project development process to help the Project Study Team by providing input on the issues that are important to the community and assisting the Project Study Team in developing alternatives. As of February 1, 2007, the Illinois Route 159 CAG had met (5) times. The CAG developed a problem statement to define the transportation problem on Illinois Route 159 in Collinsville, identified important features within the community to be preserved, recommended roadway sections for the Project Study Team to use to develop alternatives, and provided input on the alternatives. The CAG will continue to assist the Project Study Team with the development of alternatives to be presented to the public.

What is a problem statement and what is the problem statement for the Illinois Route 159 project?
A problem statement is a concise narrative, prepared at the start of a project to define the problem to be solved. The problem statement developed by the Community Advisory Group (CAG) for the Illinois Route 159 project is:

The transportation problem in the City of Collinsville along Illinois Route 159 is the flow of vehicular and pedestrian traffic and safety within a highly urbanized and historically significant section of the community that promotes and sustains economic development and redevelopment of the Central Business District.

Why is this improvement needed?
The improvement to IL Route 159 is necessary to improve the safety and capacity of the route. The traffic volumes on existing IL Route 159 have exceeded the amount that can safely and efficiently utilize the existing roadway. A high accident location has been identified on IL Route 159 from Spring Avenue to Johnson Street. This study will evaluate improvements to the roadway and major intersections to improve the safety and efficient movement of traffic through Collinsville. These improvements will be balanced with the input of the residents, business owners, and users (stakeholders) of the route. Some of the positive feedback received to date includes; residents are please with IDOT’s goal to improve safety and mobility, businesses see roadway improvements having a positive impact on Collinsville’s economic vitality, and overall the public has been pleased with IDOT’s public involvement effort. Some of the concerns raised to date include impacts to homes, impacts to businesses and residents, impacts to churches, impacts to trees, and impacts to the downtown area as a whole.

What are the limits of this project?
IL Route 159 is currently being studied for improvements from South Morrison Street (just south of the Catsup Bottle) to Interstate 55/70. This segment of roadway has been broken into two-2 projects. The first project is from Belt Line Road to Interstate 55/70. That project will consist of resurfacing and intersection improvements. The second project is the focus of this study and the public involvement efforts. Its limits are from South Morrison north to Belt Line Road. The approximate length of this project is 2.7 miles. This project will be a comprehensive study of the traffic, safety, and environment to develop alternatives for the improvement of existing IL Route 159.

What is the scope of this project?
IDOT’s scope for this project is to improve the existing IL Route 159 roadway to facilitate the safe and efficient flow of traffic through the City of Collinsville. To improve the safety and efficiency of the roadway, it is anticipated that additional through lanes will be required and possibly additional turn lanes at the intersections. However, due to the proximity of homes, businesses, churches, and concerns related to how any improvement will affect the community, public input is vital.

It is important to note that this project is not evaluating bypasses around the City of Collinsville. Alternatives considered and discussed as part of this project are referring to improvements along the existing IL Route 159 alignment.

What is the project schedule? / When will construction begin?
IDOT plans, designs, and constructs projects in three phases. Phase I is the preliminary design and environmental study of the project, Phase II is the preparation of the final design and construction bid documents, and Phase III is the actual construction of the project. The project team’s goal is to complete Phase I in 36 months. This process started in August of 2005. It is estimated that Phase II will require approximately 24 months and Phase III will require approximately 36 months. A better estimate of the length of time required for Phases II and III can be prepared after Phase I is complete.

Land acquisition can begin after the Phase I report has been approved, but it has not been funded. Construction (Phase III) is currently not funded and cannot begin until that funding is in place.

Where are we in the study process?
IDOT plans, designs, and constructs projects in three phases. Phase I is the preliminary design and environmental study of the project, Phase II is the final design and construction bid documents, and Phase III is the actual construction of the project. This project is currently in Phase I, which started in August of 2005.

As part of Phase I, public involvement and survey have started and preliminary design is scheduled to start in April of 2006 after survey has been completed.

Is this project funded? Phase I (preliminary design and environmental study) and Phase II (final design and construction bid documents) are currently funded. Funds for land acquisition and construction have not yet been appropriated.

When will IDOT begin acquiring right of way?
IDOT cannot begin acquiring right of way until Phase I (preliminary design and environmental study) has been completed and funding is in place. Phase I started in August of 2005 and it is the project team’s goal to complete this phase in 36 months. However, funding has not yet been appropriated for right of way.

How can I keep informed on the study’s progress?
IDOT has developed a comprehensive public involvement plan to keep the public informed and involved in the ongoing study. Postcards have been developed to build a database of interested parties for newsletter mailings and public meeting notices. These postcards have been sent to property owners, businesses, and residents along the corridor. Postcards have also been provide to a number of interested organizations and businesses throughout Collinsville for distribution to their members or customers. Individuals can also be added to the mailing list by visiting: www.dot.il.gov/ilroute159 

Click on the CONTACT US tab and a form has been provided to add subscribers or make comments on the study.

Will the “one-way” loop be eliminated from IL Route 159?
To improve the safety and flow of traffic on IL Route 159, it is anticipated that additional through lanes will be required. It has not yet been determined how this will be accomplished through the downtown Collinsville business district. After the survey is complete (scheduled to be finished in March of 2006), the design team will begin looking at alternatives for improving IL Route 159 through downtown. It is too early in the process to determine if the one-way loop will be removed as part of this project.

What impact will this project have on the historic homes at the north end of the project?
To improve the safety and flow of traffic on IL Route 159, it is anticipated that additional through lanes will be required on IL Route 159. It has not yet been determined if a four-4 lane or five-5 lane roadway section will be required. Other considerations include potential bicycle accommodations, sidewalks, street landscaping, mass transit accommodations, etc.

After the survey is complete (scheduled to be finished in March of 2006), the design team will begin looking at alternatives for widening IL Route 159 to the east, west or on both sides of the existing alignment. Each of the alternatives evaluated will consider the input the public has made into the project to date. It is too early in the process to determine the impacts of the project on the historic homes.

Why has the rest of IL Route 159 been improved to five-5 lanes and this section has not yet been completed?
The original IL Route 159 study limits were from Fairview Heights north to Edwardsville. During that study, it was determined that the improvement through Collinsville would be particularly difficult due to the limited right of way, proximity of homes and businesses to the roadway, and the concerns for protecting the downtown culture. Due to these many concerns, a consensus could not be reached on whether the existing alignment should be improved or a bypass should be constructed. IDOT determined that the section through Collinsville should be completed as a stand alone project later and that is what is underway now.

What is IDOT doing to keep the public informed?
IDOT is making a significant effort to get the public involved in this project. Efforts include:

• The use of a postcard to make people aware that the project study has started. By returning the postcard, individuals can be added to a mailing list for project newsletters. These postcards have been mailed to property owners and businesses, handed out at the Collinsville Halloween Walk, and provided to a number of stakeholder organizations and businesses for distribution to their members and customers. About 3500 postcards have been distributed and mailed to date.
   
• A billboard has been leased within the project limits to solicit the input of some of the commuters that may not have been reached by the postcards. Commuters will be directed to the project website where they can request to be added to the project mailing list.
   
• The project study team is conducting a number of stakeholder group meetings. These meetings have been held with the City of Collinsville, Collinsville Township, the Collinsville Economic Development Committee, Collinsville Progress, and a number of organizations and churches within the community. Additional meetings will be scheduled throughout the project. These meetings have generally been conducted with the leadership of these organizations. The intent is to make these organizations aware of the project, ask for their input on the project, address their questions, and ask for their help in distribution of the project postcards.
   
• A project newsletter will be prepared every four-4 to six-6 months during the project study and mailed to members of the project database. This newsletter will inform the public about the schedule and progress of the project, feedback received from the public on the project, and upcoming public involvement events.
   
• The project study team will conduct at least three-3 full scale public involvement meetings during this project. The first meeting will be conducted on February 15, 2006, and will be designed to educate participants on the IDOT process and solicit their input on the project. This first meeting will not present design alternatives. The second public involvement meeting will be held after design alternatives have been developed. These alternatives will be presented to the public for feedback. The final public involvement meeting will be held after a preferred alternative has been selected. This meeting will be designed to present the preferred alternative to the public for additional refinement and comment.