PAWNEE, IL - A joint venture between the Illinois State Police (ISP) and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to construct a new training facility centered around roadway safety is reportedly underway, paving the way for first responders and highway workers to minimize their exposure to potential roadside hazards.
On June 3, ISP and IDOT officially “broke ground” on the construction of a new Traffic Incident Management training facility which will benefit law enforcement and roadway workers across the state. Serving as a facility meant to recreate common traffic scenarios where first responders or road crews would frequent in their respective roles, the facility is being constructed alongside ISP’s current training academy.
The taxpayer-funded training facility will reportedly cost $14 million, affording both rural and urban emulations of common roadway scenarios where law enforcement and roadside workers can train in a controlled environment.
ISP Director Brandon Kelly said of the endeavor, “We can't just shut down the road and we can't just shut down an interstate and practice. This creates the platform and the environment where those things can safely be done and where lessons can be learned and different things that can be tried and analyzed and tested.”
Roadside hazards culminating in crashes have been a concerning issue for ISP in recent years, with 2024 reportedly having over two dozen recorded incidents, some of which claimed the lives of troopers attempting to address non-criminal matters like roadway obstructions only to be struck by drivers. The hope is that with increased training and a specialized facility to craft and perfect response scenarios, traffic fatalities can be substantially reduced.
IDOT Secretary Gia Biagi is also looking forward to the new training facility, saying, “This is an incredibly serious issue. And that is why we need a facility like this to make sure we're at our best in every possible permutation of working and using our highway system.”
Lieutenant Thomas Brengel of the ISP conceded that while no amount of training can account for the potential recklessness of drivers on the road, the soon-to-be-completed facility and training afforded “can create safer work zones, we can anticipate hazards and we can respond in ways that give ourselves and coworkers a greater margin for safety.”
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