Well IDOT requested East-West Gateway to allow them to modify the Highway 67 intersection with IL 143. This appears to be a totally new project as there is no mention about this intersection improvement plan anywhere on IDOT's website. Allegedly, this is the first sign of fallout from the December 8, 2010 accident on the COR, which caused IL 143 from the Clark Bridge to Wood River to clog up with 270 traffic. IL 143 takes a left turn onto the Clark Bridge with a single short left turn lane, which heavily contributed to the clogs during the morning rush. Had the closure lasted well into the afternoon hours, the single right turn lane from the Clark Bridge to IL 143/IL 140 would had been backed up for a considerable distance.
This intersection was not designed for the the traffic overload that happens when a bad accident happens anywhere on the COR. The intersection was finished sometime in 1995, after the August 1994 incident on the COR but before that section of 270 was reduced for construction. There was a notable accident in February 1997 that shut down all the approaches to the Clark Bridge and the bridge itself for several hours - right before a Friday afternoon rush hour. That accident paralyzed the River Bend area until early Saturday morning and caused extreme delays on 270 between 170 and 255.
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