O'FALLON — On Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) sent a letter to Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) Secretary Omer Osman requesting IDOT’s assistance with a persistent safety issue at an O’Fallon, Illinois, interstate exit. A video of the regular traffic backups at Exit 16 on I-64 Westbound in Illinois recently went viral on TikTok, garnering more than 40.7 million views. Click here to view the video.
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“Today, I asked the Illinois Department of Transportation to help us address chronic traffic backups at Exit 16 on I-64 Westbound in O’Fallon," Budzinski said. "The confusion and congestion at this interchange create a dangerous situation for local drivers and impedes the flow of traffic.
"I’m grateful to the local resident who shared their experience with this exit on TikTok and I look forward to working toward a solution that eases traffic and improves safety.”
These are some other comments she provided Omer Osman, Illinois Department of Transportation secretary about the O'Fallon interstate exit.
She thanked Secretary Osman for developing the Rebuild Illinois infrastructure plan and coordination in implementing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – once-in-a-generation investments in the safety and rehabilitation of our nation’s infrastructure. These historic initiatives unlock tremendous potential for communities across the country to upgrade and repair hundreds of miles of roads, highways and bridges.
She explained she was writing to him to urge the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to expedite the planning and implementation of a solution to a chronic issue at Exit 16 on I-64 Westbound in Illinois, the offramp to O’Fallon and Shiloh, Illinois.
"The O'Fallon and Shiloh offramp issue was recently captured in a viral social media video posted online, in which traffic at the intersection at the end of the exit ramp – specifically in the right-hand turn lane toward O’Fallon – is so backed up that it is spilling onto the interstate," she said. "As you know, unexpected standstill traffic on the interstate is a massive threat to motorists’ safety.
"Additionally, the traffic also poses a safety risk for motorists who are looking to turn left at the intersection toward Shiloh, as they are forced to navigate the standstill traffic on the exit ramp to their right."
She continued: "I understand that IDOT has plans in place to expand I-64 in O’Fallon between Green Mount Road and Illinois Route 158, which would also improve the Exit 16 interchange and thus mitigate this hazard. I urge IDOT to implement this expansion project as soon as possible so that we can ensure the safety of the thousands of Southern Illinoisans and others who utilize I-64 and the Exit 16 offramp every day."
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