By Eric Stock
BLOOMINGTON – It’s looking more and more like an east-side highway for McLean County will never happen.
Jerry Payonk, project manager for the highway that’s been in the works for two decades, said the rate of population growth has slowed to the point where – for now – a new highway connecting Interstates 74 and 55 east of the Twin Cities isn’t necessary.
“So we might say we are going to look at all the different areas on the east side and if half of them reach that 2.2 percent population (growth), we might want to approach the (County Board) and say ‘We are reaching the point where we need to construct an east-side highway,’ ” Payonk said.
The highway project is hosting a public meeting at Central Catholic High School on Oct. 19 from 6 to 9 p.m. where it will for the first time give the public a chance to speak. Anyone who wishes to speak will be given up to three minutes.
At that point, “the project could then go to sleep for a very long time potentially,” Payonk added.
Payonk is Executive Vice President of the Champaign engineering firm Clark Dietz which has completed its environmental assessment for the project that would have stretched the road for 12 miles mostly east of Towanda Barnes Road east of Bloomington-Normal.
Payonk suggests local planners analyze population data every year or two to see if the growth rate increases.
“We might never build an east-side highway,” Payonk said. “The growth of the 70s, 80 and 90s has slowed down, but we will think it is important to determine where an east-side highway should go if it’s ever needed.”
The County Board has final say in whether a new highway is built, but will also need state money to do it.
Earlier estimates have put the cost of the highway at $300 million.
Eric Stock can be reached at eric.stock@cumulus.com.
