Have You Signed Petition To Make I-80 Less Dangerous?

Some people who live around Will County, Joliet and New Lenox are sick and tired of their public officials and politicians pointing fingers or shrugging their shoulders when it comes to addressing the dangerous Interstate 8o corridor around Joliet. A grassroots petition drive being spearheaded by 1340 WJOL and Scott Slocum in the Morning is now underway to energize thousands of people. The coalition called R.U.S.H. stands for Residents United for Safe Highways. The coalition called R.U.S.H. stands for Residents United for Safe Highways. They implore their Will County, state and federal public officials to come up with serious safety upgrades and improvements along a 14-mile stretch of I-80. As most drivers are keenly aware, Joliet's I-80 corridor is antiquated, and remains the site of numerous deadly wrecks that tie-up traffic for hours.

In late September, two FedEx drivers lost their lives after a Chicago semitrailer driver veered into the right shoulder and struck both of their parked trucks, igniting a horrendous fire. That fatal crash near Larkin Avenue prompted the Illinois State Police to shut down Interstate 80 for more than 10 hours that day.

"I-80 through Joliet is one of the most hazardous stretches of road in Illinois. The amount of truck and vehicular traffic along with outdated infrastructure combine to cause gridlock and dangerous road conditions daily. While we understand this is a project without funding that would take years, even with funding, to complete. We believe safety measures can be put in place to mitigate the majority of hazards found on this stretch of road. Because of this we are petitioning our elected officials to work with us to formulate and execute a plan to make the 16-mile stretch of I-80 safer for Will County families," Scott Slocum said, according to an excerpt of the R.U.S.H. petition.

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Do you believe this is a worthwhile cause? If so, you can go to change.org to learn more about the petition and what can be done to make I-80 a safer thoroughfare.

Image supplied to Joliet Patch