Council hopes to widen Reed Station Road

Daily Egyptian

Recent development along Reed Station Road is prompting the City Council to examine an ordinance at its meeting Tuesday that Carbondale's city manager said could make the road safer by widening the road and reducing the height of a hill.

If passed, the ordinance will allow City Manager Jeff Doherty to acquire property along the road for the length of the project, which would widen the road from the Route 13 intersection to an area 1,500 feet north. The $30,000 project would be funded from the city's Local Improvement Fund.

Councilman Chris Wissmann said this ordinance is a routine action for the council to ensure the safety of drivers on Carbondale roads. He said with the Holiday Inn being built in that area, traffic will increase, making a wider road necessary.

Holiday Inn of Carbondale acquired a building permit in January and will soon begin construction on the $5.5 million structure. "I think it's necessary for the area," Wissmann said. "It's a fairly big development. It will probably need a little bit wider and bigger road to accommodate the traffic that we are hoping will be attracted to that area." Billie Bruce, manager of Houlihan's steakhouse, which recently moved onto Reed Station Road, said the widening of the road is something the restaurant had planned for when they began building.

"When they make the hill smaller, we have our parking lot already set up to make an access road to it," Bruce said. "I think it would help us out a great deal." Before the meeting, which will take place at the Carbondale Civic Center, Carbondale residents will have an opportunity to meet candidates who are running for City Council in the April election. This is one of two meet-and-greets planned by the candidates in an effort to become familiar with the public. The second will take place at 6 p.m. Friday at Harbaugh's Café.

Wissmann, an incumbent candidate, said there are no debates or forums planned for either of these events. The purpose of these gatherings is for the public to become acquainted with the candidates and their platforms and communicate to them issues that they feel are important.

"It's going to be a real informal thing," Wissmann said. "The neat thing about it is you get a level of interactivity that you don't get with debates."