|
December 4, 2002
Mr. Don Little
Jersey County Board
307 Belvedere
Brighton, IL 62012
Dear Mr. Little:
Thank you for your telephone call on Wednesday,
November 27, 2002 requesting information on the de-designation
of portions of the Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Byway in
Jersey County. On September 27, 2002. the Federal Highway Administration
approved the de-designation of the byway in Jersey County for
Illinois 100 from the Greene County line south to the northern
boundary of Pere Marquette State Park, including that part of
Illinois 100 adjacent to the Legate property on the south side
of Pere Marquette State Park (see enclosed letter).
On August 2, 2002, the Federal Highway
Administration also de-designated all of rural Greene County
from the byway, which included Eldred Road and Illinois 108 from
the village of Eldred to the KampsviIle Ferry Landing. The Villages
of Eldred and Kampsville were not de-designated at that time
because neither village had requested de-designation. Since both
of these villages would be disconnected from the byway with the
Greene County de-designation and portions of the Jersey County
de-designation; their de-designation seemed imminent. However,
FHWA deferred their de-designation to allow the villages an opportunity
to provide alternatives to de-designation.
Neither the Village of Eldred nor the Village
of Kampsville has recommended alternatives to the department
or to FHWA. In a November 12, 2002 letter, the FHWA de-designated
the Villages of Eldred in Greene County and Kampsville in Calhoun
County because they had been disconnected from the remainder
of the byway. Since no solutions were offered by either village,
the de-designation is final (see enclosed letter). As a result,
the Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Byway begins at Pere Marquette
State Park (excluding the Legate property), follows Illinois
100 through Grafton and Elsah, changes to Illinois 143 through
Alton, and follows Route 3 through Wood River ending at the Lewis
and Clark Interpretive Center in Hartford, IL.
Pam Murphy will be retiring at year’s
end. If you have further questions on byway issues, please contact
Ms. Kathy McNeill at (217) 785-8695.
Sincerely,
Keith M. Sherman
Chief, Planning and Systems Section
Enclosures |
