EFFINGHAM, Ill. (WCIA) — The Effingham Fire Department will be directly impacted by a statewide reconstruction project over the next month.
The Illinois Department of Transportation announced that Maple Street from the Fayette Avenue intersection to South Edgar Street will be closed. For the Effingham Fire Department, these inconveniences involve working around the construction for the next month.
Assistant Fire Chief Matt Kulesza said the public can help by exercising extra caution.
“When we’re coming out off of Walnut [Street] to the east side of us, we have to use a lot more precaution because of the equipment that’s out here and not being able to see the traffic,” Kulesza said. “We’re going to be taking a much slower approach going to the West. If we’re going back to the east, then we have no concern about that. But going back to the west, we’re crossing over three lanes.”
He said the short-term bothers are worth the long-term benefits.
“A year from now, once this is completed, it’s going to give us much wider lanes compared to the narrow lanes that we had before. It’s going to provide more sidewalk area, more roadway area, and more turn lanes to keep the traffic flowing in both directions.”
