Despite the recent news coverage of a proposed “Southwest Connector” from Waterloo to Murphysboro, Monroe County Engineer Aaron Metzger explained the concept is “nothing new” during the Aug. 4 meeting of the Monroe County Board.   

Studies to create a major highway from the St. Louis metro-east to the Murphysboro/Carbondale area began nearly 70 years ago, Metzger explained.

The recent revival of interest in the project is mostly due to a new, $6 million “planning and environmental linkage” study which the Illinois Department of Transportation launched July 28. 

This study is evaluating potential improvements along Route 3, Route 154 and Route 13/127 to reduce travel times, enhance safety, improve freight movement and strengthen connections between communities in southwestern Illinois and the St. Louis metro area. 

Metzger said the IDOT study is “not like the relocated Route 3” project, a state project which created a four-lane highway connecting North Market to South Market streets in Waterloo during the late 1990s and early 2000s.

That project featured a series of in-person meetings as it was constructed in phases.

For the Southwest Connector, IDOT is now seeking public input online through Aug. 18 at southwestconnector.com.

The website includes an overview of study objectives, existing conditions data, and a draft of the study’s purpose and need document. Visitors can review materials, complete a survey and sign up for email updates.

All comments received by Aug. 18 will be included in the official public meeting record.

Those without internet access can contact Carrie Nelsen, IDOT District 9 program development engineer, at 618-549-2171, ext. 280, for information.

Metzger noted a separate website, swiconnector.com, is also related to the project, although it is not related to the IDOT study and contains studies and reports from the beginning of the 2000s through the early 2020s.

Metzger said the PEL study is only the first phase of the latest connector construction process, noting that if any decisions are made to finally begin the project, 2033 would be the earliest any work could realistically begin.

In other business last Monday, Monroe County Circuit Clerk Lisa Fallon asked commissioners to authorize use of $171,447 to digitize old records.

Fallon explained that people seeking records from her office must search through large, cumbersome binders, some which require extra care due to the condition of the pages.

In digitizing the records, Fallon said it will not only save her clerks time with official matters, but it will also help with people doing research.

She explained the digitized archives will be searchable, allowing researchers to easily find entries rather than thumbing through binders.

Commissioners approved funding for the project, which will be taken from the existing document storage fund.

The state-mandated fund, Fallon explained, is a reserve which collects money from court fines and fees and is to be used exclusively by counties for storage and electronic conversion initiatives.

An expected county action to lease the Oak Hill senior living and rehabilitation center was postponed from the original meeting date of Monday, Aug. 11, to Tuesday, Aug. 26, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Monroe County Courthouse.

Read more about the postponement on page 1A.

The next regular meeting of the county board will be held this coming Monday at 8:15 a.m. at the courthouse.