Thursday, May 27, 2010

... Why?

To be honest, I'm at a loss to come up with a reasonably acceptable reason as to why IDOT is as dismissive as it is regarding the changes needed on Galena Road. So, I'm left with some guesses; they might be random, some are based on what others have told me, as well. Let's try a few:

1) IDOT Is Simply Obstinate, and Unwilling to Bend Their Idiotic "Rules":

Very possible. My interaction with the head honchos of IDOT, so far, have been basically that I am the Invisible Man. And, our arguments are relegated to the pile of torn up concrete that used to be near I-474. This could be the most likely explanation. Their feelings might be that they are the ones with the engineering degrees (of course), and "By Golly, we're not going to let some stupid podunk mayor try to tell us how this work is done!"

2) Bigger, More Sinister Plans Await for Galena Road:

I've heard this one, too. The ultimate plans are to virtually wipe out the houses and businesses that front onto Galena Road, and create an interstate, for all intent and purpose, leading to the proposed (and absolutely idiotic) "corridor" to I-80, along Galena Road. The longer I deal with IDOT, the more plausible this idea becomes. But, where the heck is the "corridor" going to go to? Chillicothe? Henry? There will have to be huge bypasses built for those towns. Or, could it be that the "corridor" will just go to the Rte. 6 interchange? In preparation for the proposed ring road bridge at Mossville?

This idea that we have to have a direct interstate from Peoria to Chicago just will not work. The cost would be unbelievable. We have bluffs and the river presenting all sorts of challenges. Besides, we already have an interstate to Chicago, and have had for years. It's called "take I-74 to Bloomington, and go North."

3) Safety? What "Safety"?

Review the posting below regarding the collisions along Galena Road from 2007-2009. No matter how much IDOT states that safety is a real concern of theirs, it certainly is not when it comes to Galena Road. This should have been addressed 40 years ago. Galena Road has been known as a major problem for the residents, and the traffic on it FOREVER, and it has been virtually ignored by IDOT. Now, when the facts bear out that the true culprit for the issues is SPEED, not the lack of a center turn lane, the IDOT honchos look for the most expensive, most intrusive, and most questionable option to supposedly address the "safety" along Galena Road. I can't type much more about this... my blood vessels are about to burst.

4) Cat-Mossville Has the Political "Pull" to Make Sure The Speed Stays High.

I'm not so sure about this one. What's so great about getting your employees home a few minutes sooner, if there is also an increase in their possibly being involved in an accident? Does Cat want to make sure that their employees can fly through the Heights at 65-70 MPH so that they're not late for work? I don't know. Sounds a bit far-fetched, but I've heard this explanation more than a few times. It doesn't help that probably over 50% of the accidents and speeding tickets (I'll bet) involve Cat-Mossville workers.


There certainly are more possibilities. I'll try to come up with a few more; anyone else who might check, please give me your take on the same.

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