After a season riddled with traffic cones and barricades seemingly everywhere in the Quad Cities, it may be hard to get excited about another road construction project; however, this one is big. Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn just announced funding for an expansion project on John Deere Rd. in Moline.
The plan calls for an overpass to ease congestion at 38th St. near Walmart and creating six lanes of traffic on John Deere Rd. Officials say 44,000 cars travel through that area every day and the improvements will make the road safer, especially during rush hour. The $47 million project is also set to bring over 600 construction jobs to the area, but it comes at a cost: more barricades and lane closures
The project is set to start next summer and won't be finished until late 2016. During the second phase, John Deere Rd. from 16th St. to 70th St. will be down to one lane in either direction for an entire construction season. That will start sometime after the first phase is finished in the fall of 2014.
After that, John Deere Rd., also known as Ill. Rt. 5, will open up to three lanes while the project is finished. Officials with the Illinois Department of Transportation admit the lane changes and construction could cause some temporary traffic headaches.
Right now, business owners and employees say they've already grown accustom to sitting in traffic, just to get onto the road. During rush hour, they say the parking lot to get into stores like Lowe's or Walmart is often so backed up, it takes over ten minutes to get in or out.
No businesses will have to relocate for construction, but I-DOT is working with property owners to purchase some residential properties in the area.
