Speeding up construction on a clogged I-64 Metro East exit isn't possible, state says

St. Louis Public Radio | By Will Bauer

Published September 17, 2024 at 5:00 AM CDT

Green Mount Road, off of I-64 in O'Fallon, Ill., has been noted by residents as being an exchange riddled with traffic jams. — Green Mount Road, off Interstate 64 in O'Fallon, Ill., has been noted by residents as being an exchange riddled with traffic jams.

A project to widen Interstate 64 to three lanes each direction between Shiloh and O’Fallon, Illinois, cannot be expedited and will take two years once construction starts next year, according to the state Department of Transportation.

Illinois U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski, D-Springfield, asked the agency to speed up the project in a letter released last week. A recent viral post on the social media app TikTok, which showed dozens of motorists backed up on the interstate waiting to get off Exit 16 to Green Mount Road, prompted Budzinski to make the request.

However, IDOT spokesman Paul Wappel said expediting the project isn’t possible.

“The department's working as quickly as we can to complete the final design and as well as, of course, to comply with all the legal steps to acquire any necessary land that's needed,” Wappel said. “So, we're looking forward to getting construction going as soon as that's all complete.”

As of now, the 2.7-mile project will start construction in 2025, meaning it likely won’t be finished until 2027.

@tishamink2 I know these streets lol especially when it's time to go home. #driving #traffic ♬ original sound - SpongeBob background music

Currently, IDOT is in the project’s second phase, designing the construction that will also widen the exit ramps and shoulders. New barriers will be built in the medians, and crews will increase the clearance under the Green Mount Road and Lincoln Avenue bridges.

Just as the viral media post shows, the demand in the area has increased — particularly during rush hour — as the populations of O’Fallon and Shiloh have grown.

In 2000, O’Fallon had a population of 21,910. By the 2020 census, the city’s population had ballooned to 32,289. Shiloh’s population grew from 7,643 in 2000 to 14,098 in 2020, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

On average, 61,500 vehicles travel the area daily, according to statistics from IDOT. That figure sat at 42,400 in 2000.

By 2038, the state agency anticipates average traffic will total 83,100 vehicles per day, Wappel said.

“That combination makes it difficult for traffic exiting I-64,” he said.