EDGAR COUNTY, Ill. (WTWO/WAWV) — Construction is currently taking place on Highway 40, just outside of Martinsville, Illinois and students at the local high school have said it is causing traffic issues.
The construction closed the highway between York Street and Snake Trail Road. It is expected to be under construction for the next several months.
The Illinois Department of Transportation has posted a detour utilizing Interstate 70 and encouraging motorists to avoid traveling on local streets.
However, students at Martinsville High School said the highway traffic, especially semi-trucks, are now driving through town onto West Cumberland Street, which is the only entrance to the school.
Finn Pleig, a senior at Martinsville High School, said taking East Snake Road is difficult to navigate, but for many students the road is unavoidable.
“If you’re coming from Casey, they have you go through Snake Trail Road and through Martinsville”, Pleig said. “Snake Trail Road is pretty windy and has some blind spots. It also floods really easily. I think you should be really careful if you go on that road and if you’re from Martinsville, I really recommend to not go on Snake Trail Road.”
Students said the traffic effects them the most when they are coming and leaving from school.
Izzy Phillips, a senior at Martinsville High School, said the combination with daily rush hour traffic has added time to her route.
“Definitely there has been more traffic before school, but after school, of course”, Phillips said. “Everybody is getting out of school, off of work, things like that. It is getting a lot busier. Even this morning, there is more traffic as you’re trying to turn on to Main Street. It is very different for a place that doesn’t always have a lot of traffic going through it.”
The Illinois Department of Transporation said the project will bring a new driving surface and completed in mid-July.
