Church group opposes highway extension
By Rick Pierce

STL Today.COM
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A grass-roots group that draws support from 26 Metro East churches has joined
the fight to block construction of the proposed Gateway Connector highway,
which would stretch from the Troy, Ill., area to Columbia, Ill.

The United Congregations of Metro-East announced Wednesday that it would work
alongside a local landowners' group known as Stop 158 to block plans for the
37-mile-long highway.

"This is not progress," said Ken Aud, an organizer for United Congregations.
"Sprawl is not progress."

Aud was speaking Wednesday evening outside Triad High School in Troy,
where state road planners were exhibiting maps of the proposed route at an
informational meeting. Members of the two groups carried signs protesting the
highway.

State road planners are proposing a corridor extending south from the
Interstate 55/70 interchange at Troy, then turning west and eventually
connecting with Interstate 255 in Columbia. The corridor extends south of Troy
and roughly follows the Troy O'Fallon Road, known as the Scott Troy Road in St.
Clair County. The corridor then picks up Illinois Route 158 but continues south
and makes a gradual turn to the west and eventually connects with I-255.

Exactly what kind of road would be built remains uncertain. It could be a state
road built to interstate standards such as Illinois Route 255, or it could be a
four-lane divided highway with some crossings marked by traffic signals.

United Congregations' announcement provides a broader base of support to the
fledgling group known as Stop 158. Both groups said the road was not needed and
would only contribute to suburban sprawl.

Road planners, though, say the sprawl had already begun. They point to a
three-year study that indicates that such a road is needed because of predicted
growth in population and employment in the area.

Candace Sauermann, who is overseeing the project for the state, said she hoped
a final decision on the road's route can be made by next spring.

Meanwhile, other landowners who stopped by Wednesday's informational meeting
vowed to go to court if necessary.

"I'll fight it," said Douglas Bowers, who lives in Helvetia Township near Troy.
"I'll spend every nickel I've got."

Bowers owns a 22-acre tract, and he said it appeared that the road would take
both his home and his daughter's home.

The road has some powerful allies, including Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Belleville.
Most of the highway would be built in Costello's congressional district.

For now, though, the biggest obstacle to the road may be money. The cost of
building the highway and acquiring the necessary right of way could be $400
million.

"This is 10 to 12 years off, even if it was funded," Sauermann said.

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Reporter Rick Pierce:
E-mail: rpierce@post-dispatch.com
Phone: 618-659-3628