Federal Railroad Administration Issues Decision to Allow Full Build-out of Chicago-St. Louis High Speed Rail; Includes 10th Street Corridor in Springfield

CHICAGO - December 18, 2012. Governor Pat Quinn today praised action by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) that clears the way for the full build-out of the Chicago-St. Louis high-speed rail corridor, including a consolidated route along 10th Street in Springfield. The FRA today issued a Record of Decision that provides final environmental approval and positions the project for future federal funding that will create thousands of jobs and lead to improved passenger rail speeds, frequencies and reliability.

"Today's historic decision means Illinois will continue to lead the Midwest in the implementation of high-speed rail and 21st century transportation infrastructure," Governor Quinn said. "The decision shows that Illinois is a national model for how states and local municipalities can collaborate with the federal government and private rail partners to upgrade our transportation network, protect our environment and lay the groundwork for long-term job creation and economic prosperity. This achievement would not have been possible without the close cooperation and leadership of Senator Dick Durbin and U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood."

"Three years ago, we arranged a meeting with federal, state and local officials in Springfield to identify a path forward on rail consolidation. Today's decision is the culmination of that effort," said U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL).  "Tenth Street is the right decision for Springfield residents and Illinois travelers.  I will continue working with Mayor Houston, Chairman Van Meter, Governor Quinn and the Department of Transportation to make certain our effort progresses."

In addition to selecting the consolidated route along 10th Street in Springfield, the FRA selected the Rock Island Corridor as the most efficient route between Joliet and Chicago. The decision will lead to new trains and improved frequencies, which will help improve on-time performance and will ultimately reduce travel time between Chicago and St. Louis to less than four hours. The decision concurs with the recommendations included in the Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that was submitted to FRA in November.

Through the leadership of Senator Durbin and Governor Quinn, Illinois has received more than $1.4 billion in federal funding to develop high-speed service between Chicago and St. Louis, which is expected to reduce travel times between the two cities and create about 6,200 direct and indirect jobs. The governor's Illinois Jobs Now! capital program has contributed $42 million toward construction. The first trains traveling at 110 mph made their successful debut on a stretch between Dwight and Pontiac during a demonstration run in October and began service for daily passengers Thanksgiving week. The project will deliver 110 mile per hour rail service between Dwight and Alton by 2015 and between Dwight and Joliet by 2017.

The FRA's Record of Decision is the final step that permits future high-speed rail design and construction work to begin once funding is available. The full build-out is estimated to carry a price tag of approximately $5 billion.

"IDOT is thrilled with this decision which marks a major milestone in our efforts to create a more modern and efficient transportation system for Illinois," Illinois Transportation Secretary Ann L. Schneider said. "This achievement would not have been possible without close cooperation involving state and local governments, along with our federal and private rail partners."

"We have persevered though many long meetings, discussions and studies and have successfully convinced the federal government that the 10th street approach is clearly the best approach with the least detrimental impact on the city. It is the best solution we could have hoped for with the new high-speed rail system," Springfield Mayor Mike Houston said. "I am proud to have championed this effort which saves the city from a Third Street solution that will have torn the city apart. Springfield is now positioned to lobby for hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure money from the federal government, and Springfield's residents, local businesses and workforce will be major beneficiaries of those funds."

"This is an incredibly significant day, as we move closer to the long held community goal of rail consolidation," Sangamon County Board Chairman Andy Van Meter said. "I want to thank our state and federal officials, including Senator Dick Durbin, Governor Pat Quinn and IDOT Secretary Ann Schneider, for making this study a top priority, and for diligently working in the best interests of the public safety and economic development of our community. With the recommendation of the 10th Street corridor now official, I look forward to continuing to work with state and federal officials so that we can secure the funding to make this recommendation a reality."

The issuance of environmental approval through a Record of Decision is required under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for federal projects that might significantly affect the environment. The EIS is required to complete the full build-out of the project, including double-tracking and route improvements between Joliet and Chicago, through the city of Springfield and from Alton to St. Louis.

The Record of Decision focuses on double-tracking the entire line, as well as 10th Street as the choice for carrying high-speed trains through Springfield. The decision also confirms that the preferred corridor for the Chicago-Joliet route is the Rock Island Corridor (RIC) instead of the existing Heritage Corridor. The estimated $1 billion cost for upgrading the RIC is $500 million less than for the Heritage, mainly because fewer grade separations would be needed.

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The Loop riverfront circulator will operate special hours on Monday, December 31 to accommodate New Year's Eve festivities.  The service will run its regular route beginning at 6PM and will end with the last stop in Bettendorf  at 2:45AM.  Four buses will be in operation that evening -- two traveling in a clockwise direction and two running the route in a counter-clockwise direction each hour -- giving riders more frequent service and increased capacity for the busy night.

The Loop riverfront circulator gives riders easy access to downtown attractions in Bettendorf, the Village of East Davenport, Davenport, The District in Rock Island, and Moline.  It is a safe and enjoyable way to travel among popular venues and enjoy local festivities.  The brightly colored orange retro-style buses - with stadium seating, huge windows, full glass ceilings, and friendly drivers -  are easy to spot and comfortable to ride.  Buses may be boarded either at a designated "Loop Stop" or by flagging the bus down in "The Loop Zone", which is anywhere along the route in the downtown areas.  Please note that all downtown hotels are on The Loop route, making it extra easy to bring in the New Year safely.

Cost: $1 per trip or $3 for a day-pass, 50 cents for those over 60, the disabled and those with a Medicare card.  Additional information about The Loop bus service, including downloadable .pdf's of the New Year's Eve schedule and The 2012-2013 Loop Rider's Guide, may be found at www.qctransit.com.

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Jefferson City, Mo. ? New owners of two vintage motels on Route 66 in Missouri are doing their best to see traffic keeps on trucking on the legendary highway.

The Wagon Wheel Motel, in Cuba, is in tip-top shape after a complete renovation under Connie Echols, who bought the rundown motel in 2009 and has lovingly restored each of the stone cottages.

"It was horrible," Echols said of the motel, which was built in 1935 and is the oldest continuously operating tourist court on the historic highway. "It had the original wiring and plumbing."

On the far western side of the state, the Boots Motel, in Carthage, opened (last spring) the completed wing of a restoration project that will return the motel to what the first Route 66 motorists found.

"We want to make it as authentic a motoring experience from 1949 as we can make it," said Deborah Harvey, one of two sisters who bought the Boots, which once was scheduled to be torn down for a Walgreens. "We want to make the rooms as though you're stepping back in time."

A four-night tour of the Mother Road included stays at the Wagon Wheel and Boots, as well as the Rail Haven, in Springfield, the city where Route 66 got its name, and the Munger Moss Motel, in Lebanon, where the iconic neon sign has been repaired and relit.

Route 66 ran from Chicago to Los Angeles, a total of 2,448 miles, including 317 miles in Missouri, from downtown St. Louis to the Kansas state line west of Joplin.

The highway was named officially in April 30, 1926, at a meeting in Springfield. It served as one of the nation's chief east-west arteries until it was removed from the U.S. highway system in 1985, replaced by Interstates. Interstate 44 through Missouri now follows much of the route from St. Louis to Springfield.

But by then, its romantic status as a roadway to the west, and a pathway to adventure, had been recognized in song and on TV. "Get your kicks on Route 66" was the mantra of the faithful who refused to let the highway fade away.

Today, states such as Missouri have erected "Historic Route 66" signs along bypassed sections of the highway, and tourists come from the world over to drive its twisting two lanes and visit the Mom 'n Pop motels and roadside attractions that still line its route.

"It's the best way to see America, end to end," said Echols, owner of the Wagon Wheel. "Overseas, it's a prestige thing to ride 66, especially on a motorcycle. In summer, a third, maybe closer to a half, of my business is from overseas. One night last summer, we had 11 rooms rented from 10 different countries. Half of them didn't speak English."

Followers of the Mother Road know the important stops, and the people they'll find there.

"I rented 36 rooms to travelers from Australia two weeks ago," said Ramona Lehman, who owns the Munger Moss. "Last year, I had a group from the Union of South Africa."

They come to stay in the motel, and to visit with Ramona and her husband, Bob, and hear their stories of life on the Road.

"I make sure I'm here when we have big groups," Ramona said. "I had a guy from Brazil come in and he said, 'Are you Ramona?' He reached over to touch me and said, 'You are real!'

"There's something about the people who travel on Route 66. They fall in love with our country, and our road. It puts goose bumps on me."

A labor of love
Connie Echols owned a florist shop on Route 66 in Cuba, but long had admired the Wagon Wheel, which included a gas station, café and motel.

"I always thought it was a cool place," she said of the fieldstone buildings.

When the owners died, she bought it from their son and began the arduous restoration, which had to conform to the motel's listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

Today, the old café houses the motel office and Connie's Shoppe, which sells women's accessories and souvenirs; the 19 rental rooms are stylishly decorated, with modern amenities.

"I know what I like when I travel - white linens, good beds and clean, up-to-date bathrooms," Echols said. "We did keep the original doors and windows, and saved the hardwood floors that we could."

Room 22 is a suite with a queen bed, table and chairs, and flat-screen TV in the front room. A jetted tub, shower, small refrigerator, microwave and granite-topped vanity are in the back room.

The motel has become a popular base for exploring Cuba, which is making an impressive bid as a tourist destination. The town has decorated its buildings with 12 murals, and is home to wineries and restaurants including Missouri Hick Barbeque, Frisco's Grill and Pub, and Cuba Bakery and Deli.

"There were a few times I could have quit in the middle of it," Echols said of her labor of love, "but I've never been a quitter."

Rooms at the Wagon Wheel range from $55 for a single to $110 for the suites. Visit www.WagonWheel66Cuba.com, or call 573-885-3411.


Streamline Moderne architecture
Deborah Harvey, of Decatur, Ga., and her sister, Priscilla Bledsaw, of Decatur, Ill., are devoted Roadies who were making the trek from Chicago to Los Angeles in 2006, when they came upon the closed Boots Motel at the intersection of Route 66 and Highway 71, in Carthage.

"We were driving along and kept saying how fun it would be to own a hotel on Route 66 and wave at all the people going by," said Harvey, who is 62 and a historic preservation consultant.

Five years later, the two were the proud owners of the motel built by Arthur Boots in 1939. The original had a gas station and eight rooms with carports. A back annex of five rooms with an underground garage was added in 1946.

The back building was the first to be restored, opening last May. The sisters combed the flea markets and used furniture shops in Carthage for antique chenille bedspreads and period furniture to decorate each room, many of which maintain their original wood floors and tiled bathrooms.

There are no TVs, but each room has a radio to fulfill Arthur Boots' promise of "a radio in every room."

Future plans include removing a gabled roof that was added later, spoiling the Streamline Moderne architecture of the main building, and replacing the green neon that decorated the exterior.

The sisters figure it will take up to five years to have the Boots back to original condition, but it's already drawing international visitors.

"We got a couple of motorcyclists from Tahiti, and we've had people from nearly every European country," Harvey said. "This is our first year, but we're making enough money to pay the bills."

And they've already achieved one of their important goals. "In the evening, we sit out front and wave to passersby," Harvey said. "People will stop by and tell us stories about staying at the Boots."

Rates for a single are $66 and for a double $71, as in Highway 71. Visit BootsMotel.Homestead.com, or call 417-310-2989.

State's first Steak 'N Shake
Springfield bills itself as the "Birthplace of Route 66," and the Best Western Route 66 Rail Haven is a good place to stay while exploring the city's attractions.

The original Rail Haven, built by brothers Elwyn and Lawrence Lippman in 1938, had eight sandstone cottages with adjoining garages and a rail fence. By the time the motel became a founding member of the new Best Western chain in 1951, it had 28 rooms.

Today, that total is up to 98 and the original eight cottages have become part of a modern strip motel with all the expected amenities. Antique gas pumps, vintage signs and a pair of 1955 and 1956 Fords decorate the grounds, paying homage to its link to the historic highway.

"Nothing's been torn down here," said Tonya Pike, a Route 66 historian who helps in marketing the motel. "We're considered a classic example of how a cottage court becomes a strip motel. There are other hotels out there as old as we are, but we're the only one that's a founding member of a national chain and still part of that chain."

A brochure in the motel office describes other Route 66 highlights in Springfield, including the Rest Haven Court, Shrine Mosque, Gillioz Theatre and the first Steak 'N Shake in Missouri, which has its original black-and-white sign and offers curb service.

Rates start at $79.99. Visit BWRailhaven.com, or call 800-304-0021.

Keeping it alive
Change may be coming to yet another landmark motel on Historic Route 66.

Ramona and Bob Lehman, who have owned the Munger Moss Motel in Lebanon for 41 years, have listed it for sale.

The hotel has 44 rooms, and 17 two-room efficiencies. Some of the rooms are decorated with themes, including Room 18, which is dedicated to the dearly departed Coral Court Motel, the infamous no-tell-motel that was torn down and replaced by a subdivision in St. Louis.

"It's decorated in pink and black," Ramona said of Room 18. "I also call it my bordello room."

Although Ramona and Bob, like their motel, are in good shape, they both are in their mid-70s and looking for a new lifestyle.

"I won't sell it just to anybody," Ramona said. "I want somebody who loves Route 66 to take it over. It's part of our heritage. We've got to keep it alive for our kids."

Rates are $48 for a single, and $55 for a double. Visit MungerMoss.com, or call 417-532-3111.

Tom Uhlenbrock writes travel stories for the State of Missouri.

About the Missouri Division of Tourism
The Missouri Division of Tourism (MDT) is the official tourism office for the state of Missouri dedicated to marketing Missouri as a premier travel destination. Established in 1967, the Missouri Division of Tourism has worked hard to develop the tourism industry in Missouri to what it is today, an $11.2 billion industry supporting more than 279,000 jobs and generating $627 million in state taxes in Fiscal Year 2011. For every dollar spent on marketing Missouri as a travel destination in FY11, $57.76 was returned in visitor expenditures. For more information on Missouri tourism, go to www.VisitMO.com.

Links referenced in this article:

Wagon Wheel Motel
www.VisitMO.com/wagon-wheel-motel.aspx

Boots Motel
www.VisitMO.com/boots-motel.aspx

Best Western Route 66 Rail Haven
www.VisitMO.com/best-western-route-66-rail-haven.aspx

Munger Moss Motel
www.VisitMO.com/munger-moss-motel.aspx

Jefferson City, Mo. – If the approach of winter doesn't already have you thinking about your summer vacation, the 2013 Official Missouri Travel Guide certainly will.

The Missouri Division of Tourism (MDT) has published its 2013 Official Missouri Travel Guide, a carry-along travel-planning tool for visitors seeking information about the Show-Me State's incredible lineup of attractions and destinations. The cover is an inviting scene showing a couple enjoying a beautiful sunset over the Lake of the Ozarks.

This annual publication offers information on thousands of Missouri tourism assets - from public tours and museums to live-show venues and ziplines - plus lodging options, golf courses, wineries, breweries, campgrounds, canoe outfitters and Missouri State Parks and Historic Sites.

"The Missouri Travel Guide continues to be a popular and useful tool for travelers to enjoy," says Katie Steele Danner, MDT's director. "Missouri has a diverse tourism industry, and we're pleased to share the Show-Me State with future visitors."

You can pick up a 2013 Official Missouri Travel Guide at a variety of locations across Missouri, including MDT's seven Official Welcome Centers, MDT's Affiliate Welcome Centers, local chambers of commerce, and convention and visitors bureaus. Call 800-519-4800 to order a copy of the guide, and you can order online at VisitMO.com.

In addition to listings of tourism-related businesses around Missouri, the Travel Guide includes color photos and feature stories on Missouri's vacation regions. Other content focuses on made-in-Missouri products, regional dining options (with many favorites selected by MDT's Facebook fans), and genealogy-research facilities.

For more information about the 2013 Official Missouri Travel Guide, or to schedule an interview with Tourism Director Katie Steele Danner, please contact Stephen Foutes at Stephen.Foutes@ded.mo.gov or call 573-751-3208.

About the Missouri Division of Tourism
The Missouri Division of Tourism (MDT) is the official tourism office for the state of Missouri dedicated to marketing Missouri as a premier travel destination. Established in 1967, the Missouri Division of Tourism has worked hard to develop the tourism industry in Missouri to what it is today, an $11.2 billion industry supporting more than 279,000 jobs and generating $627 million in state taxes in Fiscal Year 2011. For every dollar spent on marketing Missouri as a travel destination in FY11, $57.76 was returned in visitor expenditures. For more information on Missouri tourism, go to www.VisitMO.com.