Work slated to start soon on Skyline Drive project

Union County motorists are being alerted about a major road project which is scheduled to begin in early August.

The project involves the second phase of improvements along Skyline Drive between Alto Pass and Cobden.

Union County Highway Department engineer and superintendent Kevin Grammer said work is scheduled to begin on Aug. 8, weather permitting. The project is expected to take about 18 months to complete.

Grammer shared an update on the project at last Friday morning's regular meeting of the Union County Board of Commissioners. The meeting was at the Union County Courthouse in Jonesboro.

E.T. Simonds Construction Company of Carbondale was the low bidder, and only bidder, on the project. The company submitted a bid of $1,423,018.49.

Resurfacing and other improvements along the road are planned along a 1.9716-mile stretch of Skyline Drive, from Jamestown Road through downtown Alto Pass and then to Illinois Route 127.

Eighty percent of the cost of the project will be federally funded; 20 percent of the funds will come from the state.

Union County's only costs will be time incurred by the county engineer on the project. Those costs, estimated to be about $50,000, will be reimbursed by the state.

When the work begins, Grammer said that delays in travel can be expected along Skyline Drive where the work is being done.

He asked motorists to be patient, to drive slowly and to be alert for construction workers. Motorists also may want to look for alternative routes.

The first phase of the project involved major improvements on Skyline Drive from old U.S. Route 51 to Jamestown Road. That project was completed over a two-year period.