1940, Widen Court Street or Bypass Marion ?

By 1940, with increasing north/south traffic through Marion, the Illinois Highway Department offered Marion the choice of either increasing the width of Court Street or bypassing Marion altogether by building a bypass on Carbon Street which at the time was at the west edge of town. The full content of these articles follows.

“North Court Street property owners were confronted Tuesday with the alternative of having the street in front of their property widened into a four lane highway or of seeing it remain as it is while the state builds a new highway on North Carbon Street.

The state highway department on Monday offered to finance a North Court Street improvement project to cost an estimated $75,000 if the city and the property owners will furnish the right-of-way needed to widen the street.

In addition to widening the pavement, the state highway department would reconstruct drainage facilities on the street and would extend the city pavement north of Marion to the cemeteries.

North of the railroad crossing on North Court Street, the widening project would require less than three feet additional right of way on each side of the street, and would present no major problem so far as buildings are concerned, Mayor Harry L. Crisp and City Engineer Charles Sherertz said after inspecting the street. South of the railroad, however, they said three or four houses would have to be moved back from the street to obtain the width needed.

The city council was asked to decide whether to cooperate with the state in widening Court Street or to allow the highway department to build a new highway that would bypass Route 37 traffic around Marion. The council at Monday night’s meeting decided to investigate the possibility of securing right-of-way before making a decision. The council members expressed the opinion that the property owners themselves should have an opportunity to say which way they desire the new road to go.”

Sam’s Notes: Numerous articles began appearing in local papers from 1936 forward that appealed for the state to widen the corridor of Route 37 from Marion to Benton, primarily due to its coal truck traffic, deteriorating condition, narrow width and dangerous curves.

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(Marion Daily Republican article, August 6, 1940)

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