Opposition revs up to proposal for 'outer belt' in Collinsville
By Rick Pierce
Published: Thursday, Apr. 15 2004
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A proposed highway that would loop around the east edge of Collinsville is
"potentially a community killer," Collinsville Township Assessor Peter Poletti
said on Wednesday.

Poletti said the road would siphon traffic out of the downtown area and hurt
the property values of downtown businesses as well as those who own homes along
the road.

One of those is Poletti himself. He lives on Laura Street, just off East
Country Lane, but he said that has nothing to do with his concerns about the
downtown area. Businesses need traffic going by their doors, and the loss of
that traffic can lower property values, he said.

Collinsville officials have proposed the so-called "outer belt" to alleviate
congestion in downtown Collinsville along Illinois Route 159.

The plan still needs approval and funding from the Collinsville City
Council and the Illinois Department of Transportation.

The outer belt would begin at Route 159 at East Country Lane, go east to the
Canteen Creek area, then swing south and eventually pick up Lebanon Road, which
funnels traffic back onto 159.

"I think it's potentially a community killer, I really do," Poletti said.

Meanwhile, several homeowners have started petitions to stop the road.

"There are a lot of people unhappy about it, not just us," said Eleanor
Colombara, who lives along East Country Lane.

Theresa Billy, who has lived on East Country Lane since 1959, described it as a
"lovely quiet neighborhood." She said the road plans could slice off as much as
12 feet of her frontage.

"Quite frankly, we're traumatized by it," she said. "No matter where they go
with it will affect lives and homesteads, and that concerns me."

City officials said the road would help prevent traffic congestion downtown.
They point to plans for improvements along existing Route 159 in the downtown
area, including the elimination of the troublesome S-curve.

Another meeting on the plan has been scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday at the
Downtown Collinsville Inc. office at 216 East Main Street.

The outer belt would stretch for 5.6 miles and is expected to cost $37.5
million. That price, however, does not take into account improvements along the
existing stretch of Route 159. City Manager Hank Sinda said he hopes, for
example, that the retro street lamps recently erected downtown can be extended
down Vandalia Street, another name for Route 159 north of downtown.

The city recently completed a downtown makeover that cost $1 million. Besides
the street lamps, the work included new curbs and sidewalks.

Phil Murphy, the project manager for Oates Associates, the engineering firm
that did the road study, said he has talked with about 30 callers who oppose
the road plans.

The idea for the road can hardly be considered new. A study dating back to 1964
proposed what was then termed an "east bypass" to help prevent bottlenecks on
Route 159. Other proposals have also come forth, only to be shot down by
opponents.