Morrison Road connector to open Monday, officials celebrate
From Illinois Business Journal news services
GRANITE CITY – Weather forced a recent ribbon cutting ceremony indoors as state, county and local officials gathered to celebrate the upcoming opening of the Morrison Road connector in Granite City.
The road was built to connect Morrison Road to Breckenridge Road to address safety concerns of area residents as Morrison Road is one of only two ways some Pontoon Beach residents are able to access area subdivisions. When Morrison Road was under construction during Union Pacific Railroad improvements, residents were left with only one way to access their subdivisions. During times of heavy rain and snow access to the subdivision was compromised creating safety concerns for residents in need of exiting or entering their neighborhood.
The Morrison Road Connector is set to open Monday.
Cooperation was the theme of the remarks at the event, with Mayor Ed Hagnauer giving credit to local leaders in the neighboring communities of the Village of Pontoon Beach, Chouteau Township and Nameoki Township as well as state and county leadership.
“This project was important to Granite City so not to isolate the residents with the closing of the railroad crossicg at Morrison Road,” the mayor said. “Its completion symbolizes a collaborative funding effort among all the taxing bodies. I appreciate the attention and effort that Sen. Bill Haine, State Rep. Dan Beiser and Madison County Board Chairman Alan Dunstan gave to this project. It was their cooperation and diligence that moved this project along.”
The connector roadway project started in July 2014 and was completed in December 2015. State, county and local officials worked together to get the project done in an effort to improve road access and safety in the Pontoon Beach area for all residents.
At the ceremony, Illinois State Senator, 56th District, William Haine said, “It was such a pleasure to see citizens, local government and Union Pacific working together to solve the issue of Morrison Road. The leadership of Sue Archer, a citizen, and Mayor Hagnauer should be especially noted by everyone.”
Madison County Board Chairman Alan Dunstan added, “The county was pleased to assist Granite City with the funding of this important project for the residents. Good projects happen when we all work together and in this case state, county and local officials worked together to complete a project that needed to be done to address safety concerns. It was the right thing to do.”
Juneau Associates, Inc., P.C. provided design and construction engineering services for the project and L&W Construction served as the contractor.
