1. 10 | January 2016 | Springfield Business Journal
Perhaps it is part of our collective
consciousness even for those of us not
fortunate to take the Great Family Road
Trip as a kid. Regardless, there is an image
in our mind’s eye – a truly American image
of Mom, Dad, kids, dog, luggage and a
cooler of sandwiches and juice crammed
into a station wagon and headed west or
east or south (let’s be honest, nobody went
north except for that weird family a couple
of houses down that always had a canoe
strapped to the roof of the car and talked
about how great the Minnesota Boundary
Waters were in August).
For the rest of us, though, there was
the Great American Family Road Trip. I,
for one, spent a great deal of time sitting
nestled amongst various pieces of luggage,
feet on cooler, peering out the back of the
Ford Country Squire (with faux wood-
paneled sides), driving America. Spending
time in towns and villages along the route
to check out a historic marker or battlefield
or museum – you know, torture for your
average 11-year-
old. The traditional
family vacation has
evolved into today’s
destination vacations
featuring either point-
a-to-point-b travel
along interstates or
inexpensive air travel.
Now, though – much
like the storyline
of Cars, the Disney
animated story about a ghost-town along
Route 66 – some in Springfield are looking
to divert some I-72 traffic for a short detour
through the heart of Springfield.
Alderman Jim Donelan of Springfield’s
Ninth Ward has launched just such an
effort, in the hopes that more travelers
will take a moment or two and meander
through Springfield rather than speed
on by. The idea was
shared with Donelan
by Mark Hanna,
executive director
of Abraham Lincoln
Capital Airport.
“The business route
has long been a way
for cities to ensure
travelers leave the
interstates,” Donelan
explained. “When my
family traveled we would look for business
routes through town knowing that they
were safe and would have amenities a
family would be looking for.”
Springfield has been home to the I-55
business corridor for years. The route runs
between Sherman to the north and Southern
View to the south along 6th St., 9th St. and
Peoria Rd. Business 55 skirts downtown
Springfield as it runs along 9th St. According
to the Illinois Department of Transportation,
Business 55 has a traffic count of 17,000 along
the northern portion, about 25,000 coming
into Springfield from the south and about
12,500 where it crosses Clear Lake at 9th.
The I-72 business corridor has not
been fully mapped out and Donelan offered
a couple of ideas for a linkage between
east and west. “Business 72 has to follow
a state route,” Donelan explained. “To
the east where 72 comes into Springfield
at the Kmart, the route could travel
along Clear Lake and Jefferson and turn
south at Veterans.” Other possible routes
include MacArthur to Wabash and Walnut
to Veterans for a cruise by the Airport
Commerce Park. According to IDOT, the
Business 72: Springfield’s
next economic engine
By David A. Kelm
DEVELOPMENT