The McLean County Board is awaiting recommendations on how to improve Veterans Parkway in Bloomington-Normal.
On Thursday, the board was given a presentation by Raymond Lai, executive director of the McLean County Regional Planning Commission. From its origins as a four-lane bypass in 1941, Veterans has grown to a 6-12 lane thoroughfare today. Lai highlighted a number of problems that have emerged over the better part of a century.
Veterans is unfriendly to pedestrians and bikers, Lai said, with people often stuck with long walks between intersections, or crossing the road wherever they can. It’s also a frequent site of traffic accidents, with 2,400 incidents causing various levels of injury from 2018 to 2023.
The planning commission had previously reported several locations along the road, particularly in the central section, have much higher crash rates of all degrees than anywhere else in the Twin Cities. The roadway also has the highest rate per 100,000 crashes of producing either fatalities or serious, potentially life-altering injuries, said the commission.
County Board chair Elizabeth Johnston agreed with Lai about the problems posed by the the current state of Veterans Parkway, which is maintained by the state of Illinois.
“It creates safety issues. It’s heartbreaking to see the accidents happen, it’s heartbreaking to hear about lost lives, impacted families,” Johnston said.
“And as a driver on Veterans, it is scary to me when people are darting across the road, particularly at night.”
As a project, improving Veterans is still in the planning phase, for which about $700,000 in grants are being used. Lai urged residents to complete a survey to tell their representatives what they’d like to see considered for improving the roadway.
The survey is open until Feb. 27.
Lai’s timeline identifies August 2026 as a goal for assembling recommendations. After that, it’s a question of what changes could be implemented, and how to fund them. Johnston acknowledged the situation for grants and other funding could be less fruitful than in the past.
“At this point, we can’t count on anything until it’s actually here. And so that’s something we will have to work hard at, to find that money,” she said. “I know that some of the previous places that we’ve gotten money from may no longer be available.”
In an earlier WGLT story, commission transportation planner Jennifer Sicks said, so far, area residents have submitted a variety of ideas. Some suggested bike accommodations and creating safe ways for pedestrians to cross the parkway. One responder even mused about a running trolly line down the middle.
Sheriff warns of phone scammers
Also on Thursday, McLean County Sheriff Matt Lane said scammers have impersonated members of his office in an attempt to steal money from residents. Scammers make phone calls claiming the recipient or their loved ones have active warrants, such as for missing jury duty, and demand payment.
Lane said his office neither gives out such information on the phone nor handles any kind of payments with phone calls.
He expressed frustration that there’s little his office can do to prevent the perpetrators’ actions, especially as scam calls can originate from not just outside the county, but in other countries entirely.
Personnel matter
Thursday’s meeting ended with a closed session presentation by outside counsel. Two officials present at the regular meeting, Johnston and county administrator Cassy Taylor, left the room during the proceedings.
Previously, a former McLean County official lodged a complaint against Taylor that also mentioned Johnston, who has said an external investigation of the matter would be appropriate.
The complaint centered on an allegation that Taylor used her role to fund raise on behalf of a ballot initiative to eliminate the county’s elected auditor position in the November election.
That referendum failed, despite having mostly bipartisan support from county board members.
Johnston, Taylor, and State’s Attorney Erika Reynolds all declined to comment.
