After nearly 40 years of planning and construction, the 11th Street Extension opened in Springfield over the weekend.
University of Illinois Springfield Chancellor Susan Koch said the corridor will make UIS and Lincoln Land Community College students feel a stronger connection to downtown and all it has to offer.
“This new 11thstreet will further enhance the collaborations creating a more open pathway both ways that will benefit students, faculty and staff at our higher education institutions,” Koch said.
Koch joined Springfield Mayor Jim Langfelder, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin and other city and state officials for the ribbon cutting ceremony Saturday.
Much of the $7 million for the project came from the Federal Highway Administration. The road has five lanes, bike-pedestrian access and over 250 trees in the surrounding area. City officials say motorists will likely see immediate traffic relief along the 6th Street corridor.
“I’d like to think the completion of this project means that I’m going to hear a lot less of the statement, ‘It’s so far out there’ and more of the statement, ‘I’m going to UIS’,” Koch said.
