I-80 Closure For This Weekend is Postponed

FILE – In this Jan. 31, 2013 file photo, a road construction project backs up traffic in Springfield, Ill. Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration says it will spend the next six years trying to maintain and improve a deteriorating transit system. The $11.2 billion, six-year program released Thursday, May 26, 2016, by the Illinois Department of Transportation is actually rosier than expected. The newly approved federal highway plan will add $1 billion. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman File)

Due to expected inclement weather, this weekend’s closures on eastbound I-80 have been postponed.

The repair work has been rescheduled to take place, weather permitting, from 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 20, to 5 a.m. Monday, Oct. 23.

*original story*

The Illinois Department of Transportation announced today that deck patching and repairs to the Interstate 80 bridges, between Wheeler Avenue and Richards Street, in Joliet, will require ramp and lane closures over two extended weekends. This is the last of two planned weekend closures along the corridor. Major travel delays are anticipated, alternative routes are strongly encouraged.

Starting at 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 13, weather permitting, lane closures are scheduled to take place on eastbound I-80, between Wheeler Avenue and Richards Street. The ramp from Chicago Street (U.S.52/Illinois 53) to eastbound I-80 also will be closed. During that time, motorists should follow the posted detour to access the expressway. At least one eastbound I-80 lane will remain open at all times and westbound I-80 will not be impacted. Eastbound I-80 motorists traveling through the region should consider alternative routes to avoid the area. Local streets are unable to accommodate heavy or wide trucks, so other interstate routes are encouraged. The ramp and all lanes are anticipated to reopen by 5 a.m. Monday, Oct. 16.

Additionally, the westbound I-80 ramp to Richards Street is closed for reconstruction, with an anticipated reopening late summer 2024. Motorists should follow the posted detour.

The overall I-80 project will redesign and rebuild 16 miles from Ridge Road, in Minooka, to U.S. 30, in Joliet and New Lenox, while adding or extending auxiliary lanes to improve safety and reduce congestion. Interchanges will be rebuilt or improved at Interstate 55, Illinois 7, Center Street, Chicago Street, Richards Street and Briggs Street, with a new flyover ramp linking southbound I-55 to eastbound I-80 to improve traffic flow and safety. More than 30 bridges will be rehabilitated or replaced, including those over the Des Plaines River. The projected $1.3 billion project is anticipated to be substantially complete by the end of 2028, with miscellaneous work and bridge demolition extending into 2029.