There’s light at the end of the tunnel for the nearly quarter-century project of making Route 29 a four lane highway between Springfield and Taylorville.
Mike Bell of Project 29 says Edinburg, his hometown, is buzzing — and the uptick in commerce reflects that.
“We’ve had new businesses come in. We’ve actually had a business in Springfield expand from Springfield to Edinburg,” he says. “We like to see any kind of expansion or new business. We’ve had a new business start up.”
He also says the existing truck stop along Route 29 will expand to include a Subway sandwich shop.
Bell says safety is a large concern as well — he hopes a steady flow of four lane traffic will prevent more accidents.
“It’s going to provide a more safe thoroughfare getting from Point A to Point B,” he says.
The road should be finished by Fall 2015 — 24 years after the project started.