Ground has been broken for a 6 mile bypass near Biggsville. One of the main goals of the project is to move route 34 away from West Central High School.
One of the groups on hand for the groundbreaking was 34 Voices, which was formed by West Central students after a fatal accident near the school in 2007.
One of the group’s founders, Justin Allaman, said he was a sophomore when 35 year old Melissa Munoz was killed.
“It’s important to remember that another accident could happen any day as long as these roads are dangerous. It could be a student, could a mother, a father,” Allaman said.
The group’s goal is to get the entire stretch of IL-34 from Monmouth to Burlington, Iowa converted to four lanes.
“We need to get this done before something else happens,” he added.
The nearly 6 miles of expressway will cost 40.6 million dollars.