Governor Quinn Announces Investment in Macon County South East Beltway

DECATUR - Governor Pat Quinn today announced a $10 million investment to begin work on the Macon County South East Beltway, a new highway that will connect Interstate 72 and U.S. Route 51 around the south and east sides of Decatur. Today's announcement is part of Governor Quinn's agenda to create jobs and built a 21st century infrastructure that will drive Illinois' economy forward.

"This work is the first major development in the long-awaited project to improve transportation efficiency and safety in and around Decatur," Governor Quinn said. "New work on the beltway is good news for the region, but it is also good news for the hardworking men and women of Illinois. The project will also help create hundreds of jobs that will grow and drive the local economy."

The Macon County Beltway is an estimated $150 million project that will move traffic that often passes through Decatur and Lake Shore Drive around the east side of Decatur. The 22-mile highway will connect Interstate 72 east of Decatur with the recently expanded four-lane U.S. Route 51 south of Decatur at Elwin.

The $10 million investment from Governor Quinn's Illinois Jobs Now! capital construction program will be used for the final planning, utility relocations, and right of way acquisition for both the Route 36 Interchange and the Elwin Interchange portions of the Macon County South East Beltway. The state investment will allow Macon County to do all of the work necessary before construction takes place on these two segments.

The Elwin Interchange involves adding ramps to the existing County Highway 30 bridge over U.S. Route 51 and other related work to provide direct access to U.S. 51 for Beltway traffic. The U.S. Route 36 Interchange will provide direct access to the Beltway and includes a bridge over the CSX Railroad.

This bypass will improve access to Decatur Airport from Interstate 72 and to east side industries such as Archer Daniels Midland Company and Caterpillar Inc. as well as Mt. Zion's Fuyao Glass Group. The new highway will improve safety by reducing heavy truck traffic on Decatur city streets.

"I think it's fantastic that we are getting help to move forward on the Macon County South East Beltway project," Macon County Board Chair Jay Dunn said. "The project has already received federal approval, and this investment will allow us to begin the final planning, engineering and construction design for the Beltway."

The Macon County Beltway project is part of Governor Quinn's $31 billion Illinois Jobs Now! program, which is supporting more than 439,000 jobs over six years. Illinois Jobs Now! is the largest construction program in Illinois history, and is one of the largest construction programs in the nation.