Highway & Engineering Department
Effingham County Highway & Engineering Department is here to meet the needs of business, industry, and private citizens.
Major functions include:
- Construct and maintain County-owned highways and bridges.
- Cooperate with state and other local agencies.
- Prepare plans and estimates for bridges to be built by one or more townships.
County Highway Mileage: 148
Highway Mileage: 715.89
Ordinances & Permits
The Transportation Committee (road and bridge) also serves as the subdivision committee for developments within the County that is not covered under a municipality or the municipalities extra-territorial jurisdiction.
Many of the County Highways have Seasonal Weight Limits from Jan 15th to April 15th. This is done to help preserve the roads during the freeze and thaw cycles experienced this time of the year.
We understand that this can be an inconvenience but our goal is to minimize these restrictions as much as possible. We would request that you respect these limits, while they are in affect. Repairing damage is expensive to the taxpayers of Effingham County.
In an effort to lessen the impact of weight limits, we will remove limits if the ground is sufficiently frozen or if all the frost is out of the ground and roads have settled back down. The County Highway Department will be posting information to our website weekly regarding when the restrictions will be in place or lifted.
Many townships have adopted current county limits, but please not this only pertains to County Highways, please contact your township road commissioner regarding any roads under their jurisdiction.
If you have any questions contact the County Highway Department at 217-342-6550.
Status:
Weight Limits WILL NOT be enforced through February 18th, 2023.
Please contact us concerning any drainage issues at 217-342-6550.
New Culverts
The landowner shall notify the County Highway Department of the proposed locations of the culvert. Unless approved by the County Engineer, there shall be only one culvert per parcel of land. The County will determine if proposed locations is acceptable. Once location is approved the County will determine what size and length of culvert shall be installed. Than culvert shall be an Aluminized Corrugated Metal Pipe with a Minimum diameter of 12″ and a minimum length of 30′. The County will estimate the material and installation cost and invoice the landowner. Once payment has been received, the County will schedule a time to install the culvert. All culvert installations shall be down by County Highway Personnel or a Contractor that has been approved by the County Engineer. After installation, the culvert becomes property of the County and maintenance will be the responsibility of the County.
Extending Existing Culvert
If a landowner wishes to lengthen an existing culvert, the landowner will be responsible for all of the material installation costs associated with the extension. The County will estimate the cost of culvert and backfill material and invoice those costs to the landowner. After the landowner has paid the invoice, the County will schedule the work.
