The Southwest Connector Task Force met recently to discuss ongoing progress toward the possible four-lane highway meant to connect more of southwestern Illinois with the St. Louis area, and though the future is still uncertain, the project is closer than ever to being realized.

The Southwest Connector is a proposal dating back to the 1950s that stagnated for some time before receiving a revival in 2018 when Illinois Senate Joint Resolution No. 54 was passed to establish a task force to study the cost, need and other aspects of the project.

As a four-lane highway running from Waterloo to Murphysboro, the project would connect communities in Monroe, Randolph, Perry and Jackson counties  to St. Louis via a major thoroughfare.

Regarding the need for the project, supporters have discussed the difficulty folks further away from St. Louis face when trying to access healthcare in the city.

It’s also suggested the highway would help address a range of traffic issues including bottlenecks at the Red Bud and Pinckneyville squares, accidents and congestion arising from farm equipment being on the road during planting and harvesting seasons.

The April 29 meeting serves as the latest update on the project, with Murphysboro Mayor Will Stephens – who serves as coalition chairman – speaking alongside Jeff Young from Henningson, Durham and Richardson, Inc., the lead consultant for the ongoing Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) and Reevaluation study.

Per coverage from Paul Wilcoxen of The Southern Illinoisan, the PEL is the current focus for the coalition – alongside continuing to gather support for the project at both the state and federal levels – as it’s meant to build on the previous 2019 task force report as well as the community engagement efforts that have taken place since.

It was further noted the PEL is vital as part of early-stage planning for a project of this scale while funds are too limited to conduct a full study.

The PEL will also take place alongside a National Environmental Policy Act reevaluation for the portion of the connector between Pinckneyville and Murphysboro. Though this section of the project had previously received a Finding of No Significant Impact, it was noted by Young that “those findings expire.”

Further discussion at the meeting largely focused on questions and concerns that have long surrounded the project, with folks expressing a need for continued political support and appreciation for the support already received.

The slow-but-steady progress toward the connector was also noted, as were plans to begin hearing more from communities which would be impacted by the connector.

Stephens spoke with the Republic-Times following the meeting to discuss various aspects of the project.

Pointing to some of the progress that’s been made fairly recently, he noted renovations made to the coalition’s website at swiconnector.com and a letter of support received from Illinois House Speaker Emmanuel Welch.

This letter is featured on the coalition website alongside a letter from Governor JB Pritzker as well as additional endorsements from Senators Richard Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, Congressman Mike Bost and many others.

Stephens also remarked, regarding the reevaluation  of the space between Pinckneyville and Murphysboro, that segment of the project will be “shovel ready” when that report is concluded.

He also offered an overview of the coalition’s plans for public outreach and communication, having noted at the meeting his interest in hearing from folks both in favor and against the project.

Stephens said the project’s consultant has spoken about having formal hearings like town halls in the communities where the connector is set to run through. Less formal pop-ups could also appear at area farmers markets, and an online survey is also planned for the PEL study with questions catered to specific communities along the route.

“Questions about, ‘What is the traffic pattern in your community currently? Are there places where you think this expanded capacity would help safety?’” Stephens said. “Give people an opportunity to say if they’ve had any issues traveling back and forth to St. Louis for healthcare.”

Stephens also offered his thoughts on the overall state of the project and it’s likelihood of coming to fruition sometime in the future.

He noted delays at the moment ultimately come down to funding not going where it needs to.

“What we’re fighting is state bureaucracy,” Stephens said. “That’s the reason why we have not been able to get concrete poured and shovels in the ground. A good example of that is that IDOT District 9, the Carbondale office, has $40 million that they want to put toward construction, but the IDOT Springfield office has this tool called the Data-Driven Decisions tool – it’s mostly based on traffic count – and they have declined to allow District 9 to put that money toward the project despite the fact that we have significant support.”

He further explained funding support for such a major project like this in a rural area is difficult to raise compared to projects in more urban areas.

Stephens was generally hopeful about the project. He acknowledged how progress has waxed and waned over the years, but emphasized how much momentum the current coalition seems to have.

“I think a lot of people have campaigned on this project but not really fought for it over the years,” Stephens said. “I think this latest group, I don’t know how much more energy we’ll have, but we’ve been at this almost a decade now, and we just haven’t relented. Progress has been incremental, but we’ve gotten more done since 2018 than anybody has gotten done since 1950.”