Southwest Connector Online Meeting

The Southwest Connector Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) Study is a collaborative and integrated approach to transportation decision-making, which will identify improvements that will:

Improve safety on IL 3 and IL 154;
Correct deficient roadway and intersection geometry;
Alleviate current and future congestion and bottlenecks; and
Support freight mobility.

The intent of this meeting is to share preliminary transportation alternatives and gather your feedback on potential benefits and impacts.

Your feedback will help the study team evaluate options and identify reasonable alternatives that address transportation needs while also supporting community goals and minimizing impacts.

Study Area Map

What is a PEL Study?

A PEL study is a collaborative approach to decision-making used to identify transportation issues and environmental concerns. This integrated approach considers environmental, community, and economic goals early in the planning process and uses this information to streamline the transportation project development and environmental review process.

Note: IDOT may adopt or incorporate planning projects from PEL studies like this one into a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) environmental review process and Phase 1 Study.

PEL Study Timeline

The following timeline highlights key milestones in the ongoing effort to improve highway infrastructure between Carbondale and the St. Louis metropolitan area through the development of the Southwest Connector corridor.

2025			2026				2027
Spring	Summer	Fall	Winter	Spring	Summer	Fall	Winter	Spring	Summer	Fall
Project Kickoff Data Collection	Community Advisory Group (CAG) #1	Community Advisory Group (CAG) #1 Data Collection Public Meeting #1	(CAG) #2	(CAG) #3	Public Meeting #2	IDOT / FWHA Merger Meeting #1	(CAG) #4	(CAG) #5	Public Meeting #3	IDOT/FWHA Merger Meeting #2 Submit PEL Report to IDOT/FHWA Request to IDOT/FHWA

1,186 Crashes from 2017 to 2024

263 Resulted in injuries or fatalities (22%)

13 Fatal crashes

Purpose

The Primary Purpose of this PEL is to determine potential projects that would:

Reduce the frequency and severity of crashes
Address existing roadway geometric deficiencies that contribute to safety and operational issues; and
Accommodate existing and future traffic capacity and freight volumes.

Need

Transportation improvements are needed to address the following issues:

Safety for all roadway users;
Deficient roadway and intersection geometry;
Existing and future traffic capacity and freight volumes; and
Freight mobility and bottlenecks.

Benefits

Potential projects could provide benefits through:

Improved travel time and travel time reliability
Efficient access to healthcare and essential services;
Support for existing modal interrelationships, including transit and bicycle/pedestrian facilities; and
Support for economic development and growth in Southern Illinois.

Click the diagrams below to enlarge.

Today

2050:

Super-2 Passing Highway

Provides controlled, predictable passing locations
Reduces illegal passing in no‑passing zones
Approximately 25–40% reduction in total crashes and 30–50% reduction in fatal and injury crashes

4-Lane Divided Highway

12-foot-wide lanes in each direction
Center median and paved shoulders

2-Lane Principal Arterial with Improved Cross Section

12-foot-wide lanes in each direction
10-foot shoulders (10 feet paved)

Click the diagrams below to enlarge.