Alton Feasibility Study

Oates Associates was hired by the Illinois Department of Transportation to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of a north / south corridor, either on existing roadway alignment or on a new alignment to improve safety, operation, capacity and access to IL-255 from downtown Alton via Martin Luther King Boulevard.

Nine alternates were considered for this study including new alignments, the widening of existing alignments, and alignments that combined existing alignments with new corridor sections.  The study evaluates each alternate and makes recommendations on a preferred group of alternates that fall within a similar framework.  Criteria used to determine the preferred alternative include:  constructability, roadway deficiencies, safety, construction costs, right-of-way, relocations, public recreational areas, environmentally sensitive areas, wetlands, flood plains, major utility facilities, impacts to the traveling public, as well as any other social, economic, and engineering effects caused by potential improvements.

To estimate the attractiveness of each transportation corridor, we forecasted trips from future and existing land-use boundaries and created a travel demand model based on East-West Gateway’s regional traffic model.  The study identified recommended alignments for further study, which is currently being completed by the Illinois Department of Transportation.