IDOT Acting Secretary Commits To Threes Safety Features For I-80 Through Joliet

The I-80 bridge through Joliet is safe. Acting Secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation Omer Osman was the keynote speaker at the Joliet Chamber luncheon on Thursday and says the Des Plaines River Bridge is safe. If it wasn’t then one of two things would happen. Osman says they would post signs to reduce maximum loads on the bridge or it would close completely. Osman says the bridge is open and thus safe. Osman is well informed on WJOL’s RUSH meetings and the commitment by the last administration to bring Minute Men, rumble strips and cantilever signs to I-80 to make it safer while the bridge. The timeline could be the end of this year, but Osman says they are working on those projects right now.

Osman began his career at IDOT as a civil engineer in 1989.Osman was appointed Transportation Secretary by Gov. JB Pritzker in 2019. His role as secretary reflects three decades of experience at the Illinois Department of Transportation in engineering and management, most recently serving as deputy secretary.