The Illinois Department of Transportation has pulled a bad one today. They have closed IL State Highway 14 on the east side of McLeansboro without posting any detour signs to guide motorists around the total blockage. I ran into it this morning, and because I have lived and worked in Hamilton County for nearly four decades, I was able to get around it a couple of different ways, coming and going from my business today. Many others were not so fortunate. You have to know the backroads. Particularly unfortunate is the fact that the Odd Fellows' Cemetery is adjacent to the blockage. Semi trucks were soon detouring through the cemetery and there has been significant damage.
You can read WSIL TV 3's report HERE, and IDOT makes a very lame excuse. I think I know what is going on. The township roads are all posted now due to winter and spring road conditions, and the road commissioners do not want heavy truck traffic damaging the roads. If IDOT had put up detour signs for those roads it would have caused trouble for them in the form of real damages; so they just did not bother. Truck traffic should have been turned at Enfield, 10 miles to the east, and in McLeansboro where IL Hwy 14 intersects IL Hwy 142. They also could have scheduled the work after the township road weight limits are lifted a week and a half from now.
The map above from Google shows the shorter detour around the IDOT roadblock; safe for passenger vehicles. I highly recommend this route, because it takes you right by Larry's Gun Shop, one of my favorite stops when I am in McLeansboro. Larry's is marked with an L.
1 comment:
So what do you call an idiot with one "I" short?
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