•August 14, 2024•

A short but sweet update for Central Illinois came at the end of July with the state releasing news about a one million dollar highway safety upgrade for Route 45. This upgrade will include street lights added in parts, a great addition to the highway as more and more student drivers hit the road each week. More than 70% of teens in recent years have been claiming they feel anxious or nervous to drive in dark or dim conditions, some refusing to even drive in bad weather. IDOT as a response to years of complaints from across the state, will be installing new lights at 14 different rural intersections The lighting change was a choice made after several fatal car accidents on the highway happened over years with little to no change. There will be no road closure for this improvement project since the work will be done on the sides of the road, expect minor traffic impacts such as reduced speed. Having starting working on the project in May, IDOT is expected to have it completed in about four months, just before we round up 2024 as a whole.