By BOB OKON | HeraldNews.com
Shaw Media File Photo Traffic flows along the Interstate 80 bridge over he Des Plaines River, which is scheduled for replaced.
The Illinois Department of Transportation on Tuesday released a $21.3 billion five-year highway improvement plan with five major projects in Will County.
The plan includes $3.2 billion in spending for fiscal year 2021, but IDOT warned that funding could be curtailed because of the impact of COVID-19 on the economy.
The multi-year plan includes long-sought projects, including replacement of the Interstate 80 bridges over the Des Plaines River and new Interstate 55 interchanges in the Plainfield and Romeoville areas.
John Greuling, president and CEO of the Will County Center for Economic Development, said he was disappointed that IDOT isn’t farther along on engineering on some projects but added there is a lot to look forward to, including the I-80 improvements.
“We could see a new bridge and a rebuilt I-80 from Ridge Road in Minooka to Route 30 in New Lenox by 2026,” Greuling said.
Read the full article at:
Heraldnews.com
The new interchange is expected to be complete in late 2021.
NEW LENOX, IL — Traffic will be shifted for the reconstruction of the I-80 – US 30 interchange in New Lenox starting June 3. According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, traffic will be shifted to the right on the eastbound lanes between Gougar and Francis roads during the overnight hours on Monday, weather permitting.
Included in a statewide construction plan that addresses hospitals, schools and roadways will be funding dedicated to repairs ensuring the long-term safety of the I-80 bridge spanning the Des Plaines River. The plan passed with support from State Senators Pat McGuire and Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant.
Governor has proposed funding for aging infrastructure’s replacement
Inspectors this week are completing an annual examination of the Interstate 80 bridges that state officials say is done to assure they are safe to drive on, despite the need for repairs.
The city of Joliet and Mayor Bob O’Dekirk have announced the inclusion of $1.01 billion in I-80 reconstruction funds in the proposed $41.5 billion capital improvement plan proposed by Governor J.B. Pritzker. But there is nothing official from Springfield. Lawmakers still have until May 31st to approve the budget.
The push to improve Interstate 80 got a boost Friday when Gov. J.B. Pritzker proposed a state capital plan that includes $1 billion for Interstate 80.
A proposal shown to lawmakers includes major new spending on roads, transit, schools and more, but would require a doubling of the gas tax and new levies on items like vehicle registration, liquor, cable TV and ride-hailing.
Overnight Lane Closures For Safety Upgrades On I-80 By Monica DeSantis | Apr 25, 2019 The Illinois Department of Transportation announced that overnight lane closures are scheduled starting May 1 on Interstate 80 in Joliet for the installation of shoulder...
State Rep. Larry Walsh Jr., D-Elwood, has introduced legislation aimed at converting the local stretch of Interstate 80 into a tollway.
By BOB OKON | Herald News
Construction of a future Houbolt Road bridge could start in September now that a lease agreement from the public-private project has been approved.
The Joliet City Council on Tuesday approved an agreement that will make the city owners of a toll bridge over the Des Plaines River to be built, operated and maintained by a private partnership created by CenterPoint Properties.
The bridge has been estimated to cost anywhere from $150 million to $200 million to build,
Mayor Bob O’Dekirk, who pegged the potential cost at $180 million to $200 million, called it “the single biggest private investment in the community.”
Several representatives from United Bridge Partners and CenterPoint, who have formed the joint venture named Houbolt Road Extension JV, were at the meeting. But they limited their comments to one sentence on the likely timetable for the bridge opening.
“We’re hoping end of the year 2022,” CenterPoint CEO Michael Murphy said. “That could roll into spring 2023 with construction starting in September.”
Included in a statewide construction plan that addresses hospitals, schools and roadways will be funding dedicated to repairs ensuring the long-term safety of the I-80 bridge spanning the Des Plaines River. The plan passed with support from State Senators Pat McGuire and Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant.
Governor has proposed funding for aging infrastructure’s replacement
Inspectors this week are completing an annual examination of the Interstate 80 bridges that state officials say is done to assure they are safe to drive on, despite the need for repairs.
The city of Joliet and Mayor Bob O’Dekirk have announced the inclusion of $1.01 billion in I-80 reconstruction funds in the proposed $41.5 billion capital improvement plan proposed by Governor J.B. Pritzker. But there is nothing official from Springfield. Lawmakers still have until May 31st to approve the budget.
The push to improve Interstate 80 got a boost Friday when Gov. J.B. Pritzker proposed a state capital plan that includes $1 billion for Interstate 80.
A proposal shown to lawmakers includes major new spending on roads, transit, schools and more, but would require a doubling of the gas tax and new levies on items like vehicle registration, liquor, cable TV and ride-hailing.
State Rep. Larry Walsh Jr., D-Elwood, has introduced legislation aimed at converting the local stretch of Interstate 80 into a tollway.
A coalition created to push for improvements to Interstate 80 will point to $623 billion of freight coming through Will County a year, making a case the local corridor has national importance.
A new grass-roots effort, known as the I-80 Coalition, has been launched by the Will County Center for Economic Development to hasten needed improvements to I-80.
By ALEX ORTIZ
The Herald News
A 3-D printed model of the Houbolt Bridge sits on a piece of paper with the Des Plaines River on Aug. 14, 2018, during an informational forum at Joliet Junior College in Joliet.
On Friday, Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law a measure giving county governments authority to establish toll rates on public roadways, a key component of the future Houbolt Road bridge project.
The law, S.B. 531, allows the Will County Board to establish a rate for a toll bridge over the Des Plaines River near Houbolt Road, according to a news release.
Then-Gov. Bruce Rauner announced the proposed toll bridge in 2016 as a unique public-private partnership in which CenterPoint Properties would build and own the bridge. The bridge would cross the Des Plaines River and provide a direct connection to Interstate 80 for semitrailers coming out of CenterPoint Intermodal Center-Joliet.
Joliet area state legislators touted the legislation and its importance for traffic flow to I-80.
“The long awaited bridge project will begin the process of helping alleviate our congested truck areas,” state Sen. Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, D-Shorewood, said in the release. “It is a good example of a private-public partnership benefiting our community.”
Read the full article at theherald-news.com
The new interchange is expected to be complete in late 2021.
NEW LENOX, IL — Traffic will be shifted for the reconstruction of the I-80 – US 30 interchange in New Lenox starting June 3. According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, traffic will be shifted to the right on the eastbound lanes between Gougar and Francis roads during the overnight hours on Monday, weather permitting.
Included in a statewide construction plan that addresses hospitals, schools and roadways will be funding dedicated to repairs ensuring the long-term safety of the I-80 bridge spanning the Des Plaines River. The plan passed with support from State Senators Pat McGuire and Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant.
Governor has proposed funding for aging infrastructure’s replacement
Inspectors this week are completing an annual examination of the Interstate 80 bridges that state officials say is done to assure they are safe to drive on, despite the need for repairs.
The city of Joliet and Mayor Bob O’Dekirk have announced the inclusion of $1.01 billion in I-80 reconstruction funds in the proposed $41.5 billion capital improvement plan proposed by Governor J.B. Pritzker. But there is nothing official from Springfield. Lawmakers still have until May 31st to approve the budget.
The push to improve Interstate 80 got a boost Friday when Gov. J.B. Pritzker proposed a state capital plan that includes $1 billion for Interstate 80.
A proposal shown to lawmakers includes major new spending on roads, transit, schools and more, but would require a doubling of the gas tax and new levies on items like vehicle registration, liquor, cable TV and ride-hailing.
Overnight Lane Closures For Safety Upgrades On I-80 By Monica DeSantis | Apr 25, 2019 The Illinois Department of Transportation announced that overnight lane closures are scheduled starting May 1 on Interstate 80 in Joliet for the installation of shoulder...
State Rep. Larry Walsh Jr., D-Elwood, has introduced legislation aimed at converting the local stretch of Interstate 80 into a tollway.
Wed. Nov. 6, 2019
Holiday Inn
1472 Rock Creek Boulevard
Joliet, IL 60431
Thurs. Nov. 7, 2019
All Nation Church of God
Community Life Center
503 Water Street
Joliet, IL 60436
The discovery of cracks in steel beams along Lake Shore Drive this week raised alarms about other problem bridges.
A day after a cracked beam was discovered in a Lake Shore Drive bridge, CBS 2 investigated another bridge in desperate need of repair.
By BOB OKON
The Herald News
The state highway improvement plan for the next five years has something big in store for every part of Will County.
The Interstate 80 project that has captured the most attention promises improved bridges, new interchanges and other improvements through Joliet to the western end of the county.
Along Interstate 55, a new interchange at Airport Road and an improved interchange at Route 126 promises to make commuting easier for motorists from Plainfield, Romeoville and Bolingbrook heading north to Chicago.
Going south on I-55, a new interchange at Route 59 provides the infrastructure Joliet officials say is needed to spur development of Rock Run Crossings, and more improvements farther south will accommodate growth of Elion Logistics Park 55 in Wilmington.
Even the east end of the county may be getting a significant interchange, said John Greuling, chief executive officer of the Will County Center for Economic Development.
An Interstate 57 interchange planned for Eagle Lake Road is at a proposed access point for the long-contemplated South Suburban Airport.
“There’s no planned commercial or industrial development at that point,” Greuling said of the proposed interchange. “You have to think that the purpose of this is to support the airport project.”
Greuling and other Will County leaders for years have called on the state to spend more money on infrastructure to accommodate population and industrial growth.
Read the full article at:
theherald-news.com
The new interchange is expected to be complete in late 2021.
NEW LENOX, IL — Traffic will be shifted for the reconstruction of the I-80 – US 30 interchange in New Lenox starting June 3. According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, traffic will be shifted to the right on the eastbound lanes between Gougar and Francis roads during the overnight hours on Monday, weather permitting.
Included in a statewide construction plan that addresses hospitals, schools and roadways will be funding dedicated to repairs ensuring the long-term safety of the I-80 bridge spanning the Des Plaines River. The plan passed with support from State Senators Pat McGuire and Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant.
Governor has proposed funding for aging infrastructure’s replacement
Inspectors this week are completing an annual examination of the Interstate 80 bridges that state officials say is done to assure they are safe to drive on, despite the need for repairs.
The city of Joliet and Mayor Bob O’Dekirk have announced the inclusion of $1.01 billion in I-80 reconstruction funds in the proposed $41.5 billion capital improvement plan proposed by Governor J.B. Pritzker. But there is nothing official from Springfield. Lawmakers still have until May 31st to approve the budget.
The push to improve Interstate 80 got a boost Friday when Gov. J.B. Pritzker proposed a state capital plan that includes $1 billion for Interstate 80.
A proposal shown to lawmakers includes major new spending on roads, transit, schools and more, but would require a doubling of the gas tax and new levies on items like vehicle registration, liquor, cable TV and ride-hailing.
Overnight Lane Closures For Safety Upgrades On I-80 By Monica DeSantis | Apr 25, 2019 The Illinois Department of Transportation announced that overnight lane closures are scheduled starting May 1 on Interstate 80 in Joliet for the installation of shoulder...
State Rep. Larry Walsh Jr., D-Elwood, has introduced legislation aimed at converting the local stretch of Interstate 80 into a tollway.