HARRISBURG, Ill. - You paid for it. A four-lane stretch of Illinois Route 13 in Saline County is now complete, and stimulus money from 2009 footed the bill.

State contractors designed the more than $14 million project with the goal of reducing heavy truck traffic through downtown Harrisburg.

The new road bypasses the city, connecting traffic directly to US 45.

State and local leaders said the area along the new Route 13 connector has the potential to bring in development and jobs.

"We're in conversations now with some developers, and it looks very positive that some good things are going to happen," said Eric Gregg, Harrisburg Mayor.

Gregg said plans are in the works to make the area around the new highway a tax increment financing district. That means the city would freeze property taxes along the new corridor for a period of years, to lure development there.

"There's just a lot of traffic, of course the trucks do come through too," said Judy Winkeler.

Winkeler's flower ship sits along West Poplar Street, where traffic from town used to pile up outside her door.

"We've actually had part of the road collapse from all the heavy truck traffic before," said Winkeler.

She said the new connector is good for the area, but it could be bad for her business. Less cars driving by means less people stopping in.

"Time will tell how it affects our bottom line," she said.

The mayor said there isn't an immediate date for the new tax district, and the city council has the final say.

"We just see the potential for huge development," said Gregg.

The city is trying to attract a number of developments to the area along the new connector, including residential, commercial, and even light industrial operations.