Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Road Construction Ramps Up On The Hill in Marion

A line of concrete trucks idled next to Rent One Park today for work on the extension of Champions Drive in Marion from the Kokopelli clubhouse to the home of the Southern Illinois Miners.

Now that the rains have stopped for more than two days in a row it's construction time. Soon golfers, diners and residents heading to Kokopelli will be able to go up Halfway Road to pick up the new extension.

Meanwhile, a bit to the south at the four-way intersection at the base of The Hill next to 17th Street Bar & Grill where Halfway now turns into Champions and Morgan Avenue becomes the namesake 17th Street, crews are installing much needed stoplights.

It's amazing to think no intersection even existed there a decade ago!

With the new Speakeasy Liquors at the intersection now taking applications for workers while construction progresses, the new Holiday Inn Express on The Hill moving in construction trailers, the widening of the south side of the Route 13/Halfway Road intersection and the new Ron's OneStop planned for that corner, it seems that the construction drought has officially ended.

Maybe, just maybe, if gas prices don't strangle the recovery, this ever-dragging recession will finally become a thing of the past.