Cole County leaders are sharing their plans to upgrade Business 50 West

Cole County leaders are sharing their plans to upgrade Business 50 West.

County leaders held an open meeting tonight to talk to the public about what these upgrades will look like.

We’ve reported the officials plan to improve the roadway by adding sidewalks, gutters and a curb.

The project has been in the works for seven years and now is set to begin just next month.

Officials say it will all be finished by the end of this year.

“We’re getting close. We want everybody to know what’s coming,” said Larry Neill, of Larry’s Motor Sports on Business 50 West.

Business owners came from all along Business 50 West to see the plans at the county’s public meeting tonight.

Neill says he believes the improvements help his business by making it more accessible.

“It will be much safer for people walking by. It will have better access, and we won’t have the snow and ice problems,” said Neill.

Neill says its not just the economy that they expect the upgrades to improve. He says it will also make the area a safer place to live because locals will no longer have to walk on the street to get from place to place.

“The big thing is safety. With the kids walking before and after school and with the trailer park people in the neighborhood walking on the highway at night, it’s a very dangerous road,” said Neill.

The county is spending $3.5 million on the road upgrades. This is the largest project that Cole County has ever done by itself.