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Five and a half years after major employer requests traffic light, huge road-work project begins

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* April 6, 2019 in the Kankakee Daily Journal…

CSL Behring is in the early phases of a 1.8 million-square-foot expansion which will easily require an investment far north of $1 billion.

Although employment projections have not been publicized yet, there is speculation it could come close to doubling the existing 1,600-member workforce.

The Australian-based pharmaceutical company has not asked for a penny of financial assistance or tax breaks from any governmental body.

It has made one seemingly simple request. This request was made 16 months ago, and as of this week, it still has not been satisfied.

CSL wants a traffic light put at its pending new entrance at the intersection at the Lowe’s Hardware store. The company has told the Illinois Department of Transportation it will pay for the stoplight.

Incredibly, a state thirsting for manufacturing development has yet to OK what seems to be a simple request. […]

Abell said CSL is making the largest investment anywhere in the state and perhaps beyond and yet, their request cannot be resolved.

“We can’t get a three-way light to become a four-way light.” […]

Kankakee County Board Chairman Andy Wheeler said he’s been calling IDOT in Springfield, local state political leaders and anyone else he can think of to get the situation rectified.

I kinda lost my cool when I read that story. I’m from that part of the world. They’ve had hard times since the 1980s, when most of the good jobs left. It just about broke me to see how poorly that invaluable company was being treated.

After I posted the story on Monday, April 8, then-Sen. Toi Hutchinson contacted IDOT about the problem and the department promised to expedite a fix. Gov. Pritzker visited the site a couple of weeks later.

* A ceremonial groundbreaking event was held at the plant entrance that August.

They eventually did get their stoplight.

* October of 2019…

Today, State Representative Lindsay Parkhurst (R – Kankakee) is excited to announce major road and bridge projects for the 79th District stemming from the Rebuild Illinois Capital Plan. […]

The $8.5 million project to improve the efficiency at the intersection of Route 50 and Armour Road has been included in the Capital Plan. … The project includes adding turn lanes, removing the 4-way stop sign at CSL Behring and replacing it with a stoplight, and coordinating stoplights on Armour Road and Route 50 to increase the efficiency of the flow of traffic. The first part of this project is slated for 2020.

I posted the complete press release on the blog at the time and the resulting reader comments actually generated a news story in Kankakee. Heh.

* Anyway, 65 months after CSL Behring first requested a four-way traffic light, 49 months after I first wrote about it and 45 months since the groundbreaking, IDOT is starting an ambitious project. Press release…

Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) were joined today by local officials and community leaders to announce the start of improvements to the intersection of Illinois 50 and Armour Road, a project that will reduce congestion and enhance safety while promoting economic development and job growth. Made possible by Gov. Pritzker’s historic, bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital program, the $13.8 million project is the final step to improving traffic flow in a busy area surrounded by retail, lodging, and CSL Behring, Kankakee County’s largest employer.

“Revitalizing communities, redesigning transit systems — these are the kinds of changes that I’m proud to support — here and all across the state. And it’s the kind of change that sits at the heart and soul of what Rebuild Illinois is all about,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “This project has a ripple effect that spreads throughout the county, meeting community needs on many levels. It makes Bradley-Bourbonnais a more welcoming place for Kankakee’s largest manufacturing employer, while also creating new construction jobs and investing money back into local business.”

The project consists of widening and resurfacing the intersection of Illinois 50 and Armour Road with additional dedicated turn lanes. Improvements also include new storm sewers, an updated biking and walking path, sidewalks, new curbs and gutters, improved lighting, modernized traffic signals, and landscaping. The project will improve access from Armour Road to Pharmaceutical Drive/Arthur Burch Drive, an access point for the CSL Behring factory on the intersection’s southwest corner.

The project will eliminate the need for a four-way stop at one of the entrances to CSL Behring’s Bradley facility, which employs more than 1,600 people and recently underwent a $1 billion expansion. The work also removes a bottleneck for the approximately 16,900 motorists who use Armour Road and the 24,000 drivers on Illinois 50 each day. […]

Gov. Pritzker visited the CSL Behring plant in 2019 five months after being elected, pledging his support to help expedite plans to build a new plant main entrance on Illinois 50 and advance improvements to the intersection with Armour Road that are starting this spring. With the plant’s main entrance open and intersection work progressing, chronic backups in the area have diminished, improving traffic flow and safety surrounding a major state employer and tech jobs creator.

* The locals appear to be happy…

On Friday, House Assistant Minority Leader Jackie Haas (R-Kankakee) joined Governor JB Pritzker and other community leaders to launch the reconstruction of the Illinois 50 and Armour Road intersection. This project, funded through the Rebuild Illinois program, will widen and resurface this important intersection in the village of Bradley.

“This is a terrific day to launch such an important infrastructure project for the 79th District and Kankakee River Valley region,” said Leader Haas. “By making this critical intersection easier and safer to navigate, we will help connect constituents and visitors alike to economic engines of our communities in Kankakee County. I urge all traveling in the area during this construction period to be mindful of road workers and their safety, as well as the safety of other drivers.”

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, May 5, 23 @ 2:17 pm

Comments

That is unbelievable. Good job Rich for shining a light on the issue

Comment by Just a Citizen Friday, May 5, 23 @ 3:56 pm
Great news for the area. I have always despised that 4-way stop sign on Armour Road. That intersection has been one of the worst bottlenecks in the area for as long as I can remember so hopefully this project will improve it. Hopefully the bridge reconstruction on Armour Rd will be completed by the time this project is done. That bridge was put on hold for way too long after tearing down half of it. The traffic flows through that part surprisingly well though. I think it just recently got the green light to start working on it again.

Comment by Aaron B Friday, May 5, 23 @ 4:24 pm
How about shining a light on the issue that the Kennedy taking 3 years to finish is a disgrace to the profession and the commuting public? There needs to be some accountability over there.

Comment by DMC Monday, May 8, 23 @ 11:49 am
===is a disgrace to the profession and the commuting public?===

Is it? The last one took three years as well https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1994-02-27-9402270226-story.html

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, May 8, 23 @ 12:01 pm