Former Du Quoin Council first to envision the overpass

As the paperwork is processed to name the Poplar Street overpass in memory of the late Mayor John Rednour, it is only fair to remind Du Quoin that the journey to build a motor vehicle bridge over what was then the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad began with two-term Mayor Dr. Jack Struck, who served this city between 1965 and 1973.

True, there may be a difference between dreaming the dream and actually getting it done, but the 1969 council (below) is pictured signing the engineering agreement with the firm of Givenrod & Lipe.

Dr. Jack Struck, now 83, is pictured above with the original "Plans for Proposed Grade Separation Structure on Poplar Street over the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad" that have been stored in the upstairs of his chiropractic office on North Division Street for decades.

The project at the time was estimated at $1.7 million with $1 million in revenue sharing over 10 years to retire the balance of bonding. Somewhere between the end of the Struck administration and beginning of Mayor Bob Armstrong's administration the project lost support.

"When John Rednour came along he had spoken to Congressman Glenn Poshard (later Rep. Jerry Costello represented the district) and said he could get funding for a "shovel ready project."

Struck told Rednour he still had the detailed plans for the overpass and Rednour told Struck that getting it built was a goal in his early years as mayor. "Can I borrow these (plans)?" Rednour asked Struck. "I'll bring them back." A meeting with IDOT, Poshard's ability to secure funding in congress and Rednour's political connectivity got what was now a nearly $4 million project built and dedicated in 1995. The point of all this: Just to set the record straight.