Money secured to restore East Main in Staunton

STAUNTON – After years of frustration, commuters in the city of Staunton are getting upgrades to East Main Street, officials announced today.

The work will take place between the railroad tracks and Old Route 66. The road will receive a complete resurfacing and a portion of sidewalks will be replaced.

Within the first week of taking office in January 2013, state Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, said he reached out to the Governor’s Office and the Illinois Department of Transportation to begin discussions on repairs.

Today, at the city’s township building,  Manar, state Rep. Wayne Rosenthal, R-Morrisonville, Staunton Mayor Craig Neuhaus and Erica J. Borggren, acting secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation announced the $1 million project covering nearly one mile of road and sidewalks.

“I am very pleased that the Department of Transportation was responsive to our request to get this project on track and moving forward. After years of sitting on the back burner, Mayor Neuhaus and the city council rolled up their sleeves and engaged the city in a conversation to get the road repaired,” Manar said.

Rosenthal said he met four years ago with the mayor and council right after being elected. “One of their main concerns was the condition of the state road from I-55 into Staunton. This had been an ongoing concern for 15-20 years, so this will be a very welcome improvement for the community.”

According to IDOT, the project will be on the Nov. 21 letting, and the contract will be awarded in December. The project will begin as soon as the weather warms up in the spring of 2015. Some utilities will require relocation and a portion of sidewalk will be replaced on the south side of East Main Street between Olive Street and Reservoir Road.

“We are happy to accelerate these improvements on such an important stretch of roadway, providing a safer, smoother commute for motorists in the area,” Borggren said.