The Illinois Department of Transportation has spent the past two years planning a major highway project on a 6.5-mile stretch of Illinois 13 in Belleville and Cahokia Heights.
The main goals are to fix drainage problems, widen shoulders and resurface pavement to eliminate potholes and ruts, according to Senior Project Studies Engineer Sarah Wiszkon. Officials also are looking for ways to accommodate bicyclists and pedestrians.
IDOT expects to begin construction in 2029, after finalizing a design and acquiring needed land.
“Of course, it all depends on funding availability,” Wiszkon said.
The project is budgeted for $125 million in IDOT’s comprehensive plan, known as the Illinois Fiscal Year 2026-2031 Proposed Highway and Multimodal Improvement Program.
Officials hosted an open house at the Southwestern Illinois Justice & Workforce Development Campus in Belleville last week to give local residents a chance to weigh in. About 60 people showed up. Others can comment online through Wednesday.
Illinois 13 begins where it intersects with Illinois 157 at a roundabout in Cahokia Heights and continues southeast through Belleville. Improvements are planned from Illinois 157 to 23rd Street.
“The biggest problem (with drainage) is near Illinois 157,” Wiszkon said. “There is a railroad overpass, and a spot below that sits really low, and it does tend to flood, so that’s one reason we’re fixing it. But there are drainage issues in other areas as well.”
Phase 1 of the highway project began in late 2022, when IDOT contracted with the Horner & Shifrin engineering firm for design work.
Belleville City Council approved a Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan this summer. It designated Illinois 13/South Belt West as a priority area due to its lack of bike paths or lanes.
IDOT routinely studies the need for such accommodations while planning for highway projects, and it often will pay for their construction, according to Wiszkon.
“If the accommodations are off-road, like a sidewalk or shared-use path, we have to have a separate entity, like the city or the transit district or the county, agree to maintain it before we will build it,” she said.
Editor's note: This story was originally published by the Belleville News-Democrat. Teri Maddox is a reporter for the BND, a news partner of St. Louis Public Radio.
