First, I don't expect Rte. 29 to be treated the exact same way through Peoria Heights as it is in Chillicothe. But, I expect it to be pretty darned close. I understand that Chillicothe was very much an established town well before the state highway system came about. That being said, it's good to bear in mind the following:
Speed limit on Rte. 29 through Chillicothe: Starts at 45 MPH at the city limits, goes to 40 MPH; then down to 35 MPH; then down to 30 MPH.
Number of traffic signal lights in Chillicothe: Three. (I'm pretty sure of that).
Estimated population of Chillicothe: 5,800
Average # of vehicles along Rte. 29 in Chillicothe per day: South of Chillicothe - 15,000 North of Chillicothe - 8,300 (Note: 18,000 through Peoria Heights each day)
What sort of commercial development and pedestrian/vehicular safety would be in place if the speed limit was 45 MPH all the way through Chillicothe, with constant speeding upwards of 55-60 MPH? Here's a wild guess... probably not very good.
At one time, a number of years ago, Galena Road in Peoria Heights was, for all intent and purpose, a rural road. Times have changed; IDOT has not. Galena Park Terrace arrived a number of years ago... OSF Nursing Home... houses on Terrace Court... Terrace View Lane... St. Jude Court... Forest Park Apartments. What probably once was around 200 residents has blossomed into 2,000 residents on and directly off of Galena Road, over the past 35-75 years or so. It's time to make those changes, IDOT. Treating an URBAN road as if it is an interstate has gotten very, very old... and very, very dangerous.
Being a life time citizen of the Heights and living on galena, sometimes called Cat 500, we need something to slow the traffic. Furthermore, parking on the road makes it really tough exiting you drives especially in the winter snow months. It would be great if they did away with parking on galena rd. No problem with the business that are there but they should have ample off street parking. How long before another bad accident and death? Idot, sometimes called idiot better get off their duff and look into the problems aong the river.
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