LOVIN’ LINCOLN

it’s nice to give something back to him once in a while, even if it does further our own purposes. Gov. Pat Quinn announced last week that the inside of Lincoln’s tomb will get a makeover starting Dec. 1, to the tune of $633,000. Thanks to Lincoln, Springfi eld’s Oak Ridge Cemetery is the second most visited cemetery in the nation behind Arlington National Cemetery. Quinn said the project was especially important in light of the 150th anniversary of Lincoln’s death coming in 2015. “It’s vital that we keep the tomb in top condition to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of people who visit the 16th president’s fi nal resting place each year,” he said. The project will rejuvenate the decorative plaster moldings, stippled painting, granite wall panels and brass plaques which have been damaged by time and countless visitors. Workers will also install new lights inside the tomb. Because the project is expected to last until March, the inside of the tomb will be closed to visitors during that time, but the outside will remain open. R.D. Lawrence Construction Company and B&B Electric, both of Springfi eld, are handling the work.

A GLIMPSE OF THE FUTURE

The Springfi eld rail consolidation project is all but offi cial, and engineers recently revealed the fi rst glimpse of what it will look like. Hanson Professional Services of Springfi eld, which is overseeing the project, has released renderings of the Carpenter Street underpass proposal. It’s scheduled to be the fi rst piece of the consolidation, and work will likely begin in summer 2014. The design separates pedestrians from cars, sending both beneath the train tracks where Carpenter crosses 10th Street. Funding for the underpass will come partly from a $14.4 million federal TIGER grant the City of Springfi eld received in August, and the city is also hoping to access a state fund set up to improve railroad crossings. Hanson will also employ a clever method of building the underpass so that trains can still use the crossing during construction. Automobiles will have to go around, however, as Carpenter Street will be closed between Ninth Street and 11th Street. Overall, the rail consolidation is expected to more than halve the number of at-grade rail crossings from 68 to 32, which means fewer accidents and (hopefully) fewer train horns blaring through the night. For more information, visit springfi eldrailroad.com.