Here’s how a Fairview Heights roadwork project near St. Clair Square mall will affect you
Shoppers in Fairview Heights will run into a roadblock on Monday when construction begins on a roundabout at the intersection of Market Place and Commerce Lane.
The intersection will be closed while the roundabout is being built.
However, most sections of Market Place and Commerce Lane will remain open for drivers to access nearby businesses such as Weekends Only, Hooters, Party City and Old Time Pottery.
Ruby Lane and Plaza Drive can be used as alternative routes in the area.
“We think the roundabout is going to make it easier to get around,” said Paul Ellis, the economic development director for Fairview Heights.
The contractor, DMS Contracting Inc. of Mascoutah, has a 90-day deadline to finish the roundabout by Aug. 2, according to the city. The roundabout’s price tag is $635,000.
This work is part of a $5 million, multi-year plan to improve traffic flow and streets in the commercial district near the St. Clair Square mall.
Chris Volkman, who has served as the city engineer but left that post on Friday for another job, said 80% of the cost is being covered by a federal grant issued to reduce traffic congestion.
The city has to provide 20% of the cost, and the city is using Tax Increment Financing, or TIF, funds to pay for most of this, Ellis said.
Ellis said some work has already been done on Market Place at the the intersection of Illinois 159 to improve traffic flow. This was Phase 1 of the project, and the roundabout is Phase 2. Other street and sidewalk improvements are planned for two more phases.
Roundabout traffic
Along with improving traffic flow, city leaders believe the roundabout will be safer for motorists at the intersection of Market Place and Commerce Lane.
The current configuration is a traditional four-way intersection with stop signs.
Along with the safety improvements, the roundabout is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the area because cars will not be idling in a line as drivers wait to get through the intersection.
“It does help direct people and keep the traffic moving in that very central location,” Ellis said.
And Ellis also had this praise for the streetscape project:
“Aesthetically I think it was a big improvement,” he said. “We think that it adds to the look and the feel of the whole experience.”
This story was originally published May 1, 2022 at 8:00 AM.
