The long planned four lane highway project that would connect Murphysboro to Waterloo now officially has a name.

At a meeting Tuesday in Pinkneyville, the Four County Highway Coalition voted to accept a name suggested by State Senator Paul Schimpf: Southwest Illinois Connector.

Later on at the meeting, Senator Schimpf said he would introduce legislation in Springfield that would create a task force to further study the project. According to the coalition, the project has been taken studied five times in the past, most recently in 1996.