October 20, 2020 – Today it was announced that the railroad crossing at State Route 36 and 22nd Street will be seeing repairs and upgrades. Macon County Board Member Marcy Rood, with the cooperation of the Decatur & Eastern Illinois Railroad, the Illinois Commerce Commission, and the Illinois Department of Transportation negotiated the agreement. The State of Illinois is preparing a Railway-Highway Crossing Program agreement for Federal Highway Administration funding.
After discovering the availability of public funds to pay for the upgrades and offering to help write a grant application to the State, Rood brought together the parties to make the railroad crossing upgrades a reality. The result is not only an agreement to fix the surface of the crossing but also to replace the existing circuitry and signals that will be beneficial to both the railroad and the motoring public.
“As a new owner of the rail line, the DREI stressed the importance of being a good neighbor and was happy with the opportunity to sign on to the agreement,” said Rood.
The improvements are set for next Spring.
Listen to interviews with Lloyd Holman and Marcy Rood below:
