Illinois to announce results of I-66 open house

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Southern Illinois residents gathered last month to weigh in on a question that stands to dramatically affect the future of their communities: Should the new Interstate 66 come through their back yards or not?

IDOT assistant secretary David Phelps, a former Southern Illinois congressman, will meet with area reporters this morning at IDOT's District 9 headquarters in Carbondale to announce the results of a June 17 open house at Shawnee Community College. About 450 people came to view displays and share their opinions on the I-66 proposal, which is part of plan for a traffic corridor that connects the east and west coasts.

Julie Klamm, IDOT environmental studies specialist, said those comments, plus hundreds more received in the mail, were included with a report sent to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, which has hired a consulting firm to suggest an Interstate 66 route.

"We consider comments both good and bad to be beneficial to a project of this magnitude," she said.

Klamm said Phelps will outline today where Illinois plans to go from here regarding financial support for the project.

The consultant is studying routes including running I-66 into Missouri from Wickliffe, Ky., over a new Mississippi River bridge. That route would take traffic 30 miles south of Cape Girardeau.

Supporters of a Southern Illinois route say the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge in Cape Girardeau, slated for completion before the end of the year, can support interstate traffic and makes going through Southern Illinois the logical choice.