BLOOMINGTON - Lines are being drawn on a map of McLean County as possible locations for a highway on the east side of Normal and Bloomington.

Engineers from Clark Dietz, the firm conducting the highway study, recently finished meeting with a citizens' advisory group about potential locations for what some consider an access highway to the Twin Cities' east side. Others consider the road, which likely would connect Interstate 55 near Towanda to Interstate 74 near Downs, as a bypass around the communities.

"We are putting pencil to paper and coming up with preliminary alignments," said Jerry Payonk of Clark Dietz. The meetings were held at the end of October and early November.

Payonk said the proposals will be brought back to the advisory group and a local transportation committee in January. A public meeting likely will be in February.

The Champaign-based firm is conducting a $1.1 million study to determine if the road should be built and where. The study is prompted by growth on Twin Cities' east side.

McLean County, the town of Normal and the city of Bloomington are contributing $300,000 in addition to a federal grant of $800,000 to pay for the study.

The road could relieve traffic congestion on Veterans Parkway and Towanda Barnes Road, which engineers estimate could triple by 2035. The road could be built in 15 to 20 years.

Payonk and several members of the advisory group say a decision is far from made.

"What this means is, this is a planning process," said Mike Matejka of Bloomington, a former city council member who represents labor on the advisory group. "We don't know if we will need it or not unless we plan. If the community continues to grow, we need a road structure to move around on."

The group has two representatives from 11 areas of the community, such as agriculture, education and homeowners. Matejka is from Great Plains Labor Unions and formerly represented Ward 2 on the west side.

Matejka has been impressed with how the study group is considering bus routes and the expansion of Constitution Trail for commuters who want to bike to work.

Angelo Capparella of Normal, an ornithologist at Illinois State University and member of the John Wesley Powell Audubon Society, is an environmental representative on the advisory group.

He said one area still far from decided is a potential extension of the road to Interstate 39 from Interstate 74.