PANA - After nine years of work and less than 10 miles of road, former Pana Mayor Ken Mueller is frustrated with the pace of the U.S. 51 four-lane expansion.

"I've been at it for nine years, and we've gone six or seven miles," Mueller told the annual meeting of the Route 51 Coalition on Wednesday night. "It is completely unacceptable."

The Route 51 Coalition is a group of businesspeople, elected officials and landowners interested in completing the plan to make U.S. 51 four lanes from Decatur to Centralia. The current two-lane stretch, from north of Assumption to Centralia, is the only stretch of the highway, which runs from the Canadian border to the Gulf of Mexico, that is not a four-lane road.

Members of the coalition heard from state Rep. Gary Hannig, D-Mount Olive, who said funding for future roadwork is hard to find.

"It may be that the governor's plan to expand gambling would give us the money we need," Hannig said. "If it goes ahead, it makes the second-largest gaming state after Nevada."

Secretary-Treasurer Jim Schwarz said the Illinois legislature has not had a capital improvement program for roads and bridges on its priority list for several years, and that Chicago's mass transit issues would serve to force the issue to the forefront.

"They (Chicago Mass Transit) need capital money as much as we do," he said. "They will play a part in getting it, and we can work with that."

Expanding the road to four lanes from Assumption to just south of the Shelby County line could cost $110 million.

"I wish they would have said nine years ago, 'It's not worthy of the money,' " Mueller said. "I wouldn't have put so much effort into it. It is worth it, for economic development and for public safety."

Decatur Chamber of Commerce President Randy Prince said the group must be prepared to ask for money at both the state and national levels.

"I had a meeting with (U.S.) Sen. (Dick) Durbin's chief of staff and was told Route 51 is his top priority in the (federal) highway bill," Prince said. "We've got to set a goal of when we want the road done, and then we need to hold their (legislators) feet to the fire.

"Rep. Hannig said at dinner tonight that this year might be the last capital money we see for a while. Let's make sure we get it."

Sharon Mosley can be reached at sharonhrnews@yahoo.com.