Road Work Planned on US 45 South of Effingham

Road work planned soon on US Route 45 south of Effingham is designed to make the affected stretch of roadway safer.

Tim Hemmen of the Illinois Department of Transportation office in Effingham said the work will involve .88 miles of Route 45 from 3400 feet north of 500th Avenue to 1250 feet south of 500th Avenue.

Hemmen said the work will include raising the height of the roadway by 2-1/2 feet, then adding three foot wide bituminous shoulders, then five foot wide aggregate shoulders. He said there will be more gentle slopes through that portion of the roadway. Hemmen said running off the roadway in that area now could result in vehicles overturning. He said this project should lessen the likelihood of such a thing happening.

The project could get underway as soon as flood waters subside in the bottoms. Hemmen hopes the work will be completed in early Fall. He said the project will be staged construction, meaning the roadway will not be closed, but flaggers will control traffic while work is underway.