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 The
road had been closed by the Illinois
Department of Transportation and
Union Pacific while work was being
done on the railroad crossing at the
edge of town. The closure for all
practical purposes separated the
town from Route 66 and Interstate
55, making it difficult for
travelers to stop in and enjoy the
offerings of the two eateries in
town and the several quaint and
unique specialty shops.
Local merchants in Elkhart are
anxious to get the word out that
they are now once again easily
accessed from Route 66. While IDOT
did provide a marked detour into
town, merchants said it was a
complicated little route that they
felt many didn't bother to take.
If you've not been to Elkhart in a
while, now is a great time to visit.
The new crossing is completed, the
road is nice and smooth, and the
Elkhart business owners are excited
about seeing some of their out of
town friends return to their places
of business.
The high speed rail is going to
be an ongoing construction project
for the future as a new corridor of
railroad track and crossings are
being constructed to accommodate the
super-fast passenger trains of the
future on a route from Alton to
Chicago.
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One of the more important parts of
the project is to reconstruct
railroad crossings, so they are
safer for motorists. This is being
done by implementing double gates
that completely block both lanes of
traffic on both sides of the track,
making it impossible for vehicles to
drive around the barriers when the
arms are down.
Other efforts underway locally
include the black iron fencing that
is being installed on both sides of
the track in the city of Lincoln.
This fencing will help deter
pedestrians from crossing the tracks
in undesignated areas.
[Roy Logan/Nila Smith]
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