URBANA – After years of study and debate, Champaign County Board members Thursday night approved the full Olympian Drive project, connecting what is now a dead end north of Champaign with the Interstate 74-Lincoln Avenue interchange in Urbana.

The final and most contentious part of the estimated $19 million project -- the configuration of North Lincoln -- was agreed to in what is called a "purple" alignment that would move in a diagonal across the Squire Farms property.

The vote on the project was 19-7, with most "no" votes coming from rural Republicans. They were Stan James, John Jay, Diane Michaels, Larry Sapp, and Ron Bensyl, plus Champaign Democrats Pattsi Petrie and Alan Kurtz Thirteen Democrats plus six Republicans voted for the purple alignment.

The board debated the issue for more than two hours.

Building the new route will require taking about 13 acres of property, said County Engineer Jeff Blue. Acquiring some of the land, county board members predicted, will require the use of eminent domain.

The new route also will require a realignment of the Saline Ditch, said Blue. He estimated that about 600 feet of the small waterway would have to be realigned, and projected the cost at $50,000.

Blue also proposed to use a 3-acre triangular remnant southeast of the realigned Lincoln Avenue to install sound and visual screening, possibly including a berm and trees, to shield neighboring properties from the road.

Moser, a past chairman of the county board, said Urbana and the county could have saved a lot of time and money if the city had agreed to the original Olympian plan 13 years ago.

"I have a hard time forgiving old sins," he said before casting his vote.

Champaign Democrat Alan Kurtz said the board was being rushed into making a decision. But his motion to defer a decision on the issue was defeated.

Urbana Mayor Laurel Prussing, who has pushed the project for years, praised the county board for taking its responsibility seriously.

"I think this has been thoroughly discussed," she said. "There are people around the world who want democracy. I don't know if they realize how exhausting it is."

Blue, who called the vote "a gigantic hurdle," said the project still needs an intergovernmental agreement.

"That sets the guidelines on who's going to do what based on the alignment that was chosen," he said.

Blue said the entire project could be completed in 2015. Construction of the Olympian Drive portion, which includes a bridge over the Canadian National Railroad tracks, would begin in 2013. The Lincoln Drive part is projected to start in 2015.

In other action:

-- Democratic board member Michael Richards of Champaign made a public apology to the board for his DUI arrest in Savoy on Jan. 27. He has since been sentenced to 18 months of court supervision.

-- The board issued commendations to two local citizens for heroic measures in recent months. Six-year-old Kaylee Lynn Rogers of Foosland was recognized for alerting three other family members to a house fire. And sheriff's deputy Jeff Vercler was honored for his work at a shooting in Ivesdale. Vercler helped remove a victim from the house and isolated the suspected gunman during the incident.

-- All 26 board members attended the meeting. The seat belonging to former board member Greg Knott of St. Joseph is still vacant. After three weeks the Republican Party has not named a replacement for Knott.