IDOT Launches New Site to Keep Public Informed on I-80 Reconstruction

IDOT Launches New Site to Keep Public Informed on I-80 Reconstruction

I-80 Center St. Aerial

The Illinois Department of Transportation has launched a new website, I80will.org, to provide the public with the latest information on the $1.2 billion reconstruction of Interstate 80 through Will County, one of the cornerstone projects of Governor JB Pritzker’s historic, bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital program.

As one of the country’s three coast-to-coast interstates, I-80 through Joliet and Will County carries approximately 80,000 vehicles a day, about 25% of which are trucks. Advance work on I-80 started last year with a $41.7 million project to replace eastbound bridges over Hickory Creek, Richards Street and Rowell Avenue/Canadian National Railroad, and westbound over Richards Street, in Joliet, Rockdale and New Lenox, while widening eastbound I-80 from Gardner Street to Rowell Avenue. Once the eastbound improvements are completed later this year, similar improvements will begin in the westbound direction.

Project News

IDOT Launches New Site to Keep Public Informed on I-80 Reconstruction

The Illinois Department of Transportation has launched a new website, I80will.org, to provide the public with the latest information on the $1.2 billion reconstruction of Interstate 80 through Will County, one of the cornerstone projects of Governor JB Pritzker’s historic, bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital program.

read more

Interstate 80 Project Includes Overnight Lane Closures

Construction crews on Monday will begin getting Interstate 80 ready for the $1.2 billion project that includes replacing the Des Plaines River bridge. The Illinois Department of Transportation announced Thursday that bridge deck patching and repairs to I-80 between Chicago and Briggs streets in Joliet will require overnight lane closures, followed by multiple weekend lane and ramp closures.

read more

The Houbolt Road Extension Project is Moving Forward

The Houbolt Road Extension Project is Moving Forward Project Completion Projected for Early 2023 Houbolt Road Extension JV, LLC ("HRE-JV"), a joint venture between United Bridge Partners and CenterPoint Properties, entered into a lease agreement with the City of...

read more

Houbolt Bridge Construction Ready to Go

Construction of the Houbolt Road bridge is expected to start within the next couple of weeks. “We’re a full go as of today,” Michael Murphy, chief development officer for CenterPoint Properties said Tuesday.

read more

Joliet Invites Public to Houbolt Road Meeting

Joliet invites public to Houbolt Road meeting

City holds informational meeting April 6 on pending construction project

An electronic sign warns southbound motorists on Houbolt Road in Joliet of construction activity that has started around the Interstate 80 interchange on Tuesday. (Bob Okon)

BY BOB OKON -BOKON@SHAWMEDIA.COM The city of Joliet is inviting the public to an informational meeting on April 6 about the construction project this year on Houbolt-Hollywood Road and the Interstate 80 interchange.

The meeting will be from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Houbolt Road Construction Field Office, which is located at 1116 Houbolt Road, Unit B.

Construction will start in the coming weeks, and utility relocation near the interchange has begun.

Council member Joe Clement asked for the meeting and noted the project will affect residents, businesses, Joliet Junior College and motorists who drive through the area.

“Everyone coming through that corridor, I just want them to know what the timeline is going to be for that project, how bad it’s going to be, or how good it’s going to be,” Clement said.

City officials and project leaders will be at the meeting to discuss construction with the public. A proposed construction schedule will be available. Renderings and final plans for the improvements also will be available.

Read the full release at:
ShawLocal.com

Project News

IDOT Launches New Site to Keep Public Informed on I-80 Reconstruction

The Illinois Department of Transportation has launched a new website, I80will.org, to provide the public with the latest information on the $1.2 billion reconstruction of Interstate 80 through Will County, one of the cornerstone projects of Governor JB Pritzker’s historic, bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital program.

read more

Interstate 80 Project Includes Overnight Lane Closures

Construction crews on Monday will begin getting Interstate 80 ready for the $1.2 billion project that includes replacing the Des Plaines River bridge. The Illinois Department of Transportation announced Thursday that bridge deck patching and repairs to I-80 between Chicago and Briggs streets in Joliet will require overnight lane closures, followed by multiple weekend lane and ramp closures.

read more

The Houbolt Road Extension Project is Moving Forward

The Houbolt Road Extension Project is Moving Forward Project Completion Projected for Early 2023 Houbolt Road Extension JV, LLC ("HRE-JV"), a joint venture between United Bridge Partners and CenterPoint Properties, entered into a lease agreement with the City of...

read more

Houbolt Bridge Construction Ready to Go

Construction of the Houbolt Road bridge is expected to start within the next couple of weeks. “We’re a full go as of today,” Michael Murphy, chief development officer for CenterPoint Properties said Tuesday.

read more

IDOT Hosts Governor JB Pritzker Press Conference – Update on Houbolt Road Extension-I80 Project

IDOT Hosts Governor JB Pritzker Press Conference – Update on Houbolt Road Extension-I80 Project

Doug Pryor, Vice President of Economic Development with the Will County Center for Economic Development was among the speakers following Governor Pritzker’s update on these critical infrastructure projects. Doug thanked the Governor for his commitment to Will County and his ongoing emphasis on the importance of investing in infrastructure both here in Will County and around the state as we work to grow our local businesses and market Illinois to companies around the nation and the world.

Doug reinforced that reinvestment in the Will County infrastructure will allow us to continue to compete globally, recruiting companies like Lion Electric, which is well underway constructing North America’s largest all-electric school bus and medium duty truck manufacturing facility.

Doug continued:

“Projects like Lion build on the long-standing manufacturing heritage of this region and provide an important foundation for future manufacturing competitiveness for Will County and for Illinois. Investment and support from the State and from the Governor’s office in our infrastructure allows us to keep growing jobs and investment while delivering workers and goods safely.”

RELATED NEWS:
Gov. Pritzer Advances Vision to Rebuild I-80, Announces Next Phase of Houbolt Road Project in Joliet.

Project News

IDOT Launches New Site to Keep Public Informed on I-80 Reconstruction

The Illinois Department of Transportation has launched a new website, I80will.org, to provide the public with the latest information on the $1.2 billion reconstruction of Interstate 80 through Will County, one of the cornerstone projects of Governor JB Pritzker’s historic, bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital program.

read more

Interstate 80 Project Includes Overnight Lane Closures

Construction crews on Monday will begin getting Interstate 80 ready for the $1.2 billion project that includes replacing the Des Plaines River bridge. The Illinois Department of Transportation announced Thursday that bridge deck patching and repairs to I-80 between Chicago and Briggs streets in Joliet will require overnight lane closures, followed by multiple weekend lane and ramp closures.

read more

The Houbolt Road Extension Project is Moving Forward

The Houbolt Road Extension Project is Moving Forward Project Completion Projected for Early 2023 Houbolt Road Extension JV, LLC ("HRE-JV"), a joint venture between United Bridge Partners and CenterPoint Properties, entered into a lease agreement with the City of...

read more

Houbolt Bridge Construction Ready to Go

Construction of the Houbolt Road bridge is expected to start within the next couple of weeks. “We’re a full go as of today,” Michael Murphy, chief development officer for CenterPoint Properties said Tuesday.

read more

Gov. Pritzker Announces Six-Year Plan for $1.2 Billion I-80 Corridor Improvement Project

Gov. Pritzker Announces Six-Year Plan for $1.2 Billion I-80 Corridor Improvement Project

Gov. Pritzker Announces Six-Year Plan for $1.2 Billion I-80 Corridor Improvement Projec

Photo: WJOL.com

Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Transportation were joined today by local officials and community leaders to announce a six-year plan to rebuild Interstate 80 in Will County. Made possible by the Governor’s historic, bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital program, the $1.2 billion project will replace more than 50-year-old infrastructure on a condensed timeframe and create thousands of construction and permanent jobs while positioning the region for long-term economic opportunity.

“This rebuild will transform 16 miles of I-80, redesign auxiliary lanes and interchanges to reduce congestion, and rehabilitate over 30 bridges along the roadway. These overdue improvements will not only make it safer for commercial drivers, but for the thousands of families who rely on I-80 to commute to work, drive their kids to school, and move safely through their daily lives,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “While this project is ambitious in scale, it has also been designed to minimize its impact on the residents that live along the highway. New pedestrian and bicyclist paths will help keep communities better connected and eight miles of noise walls will help keep surrounding neighborhoods insulated from noisy traffic.”

“The I-80 project is a major step in the amazing Rebuild Illinois plan,” said Lt. Governor Stratton. “The purpose is to improve infrastructure, but at its core Rebuild Illinois is about connecting us as people by repairing the roads and bridges we travel every day to work, school, and to visit friends and loved ones.”

As one of the country’s three coast-to-coast interstates, I-80 through Joliet and Will County carries approximately 80,000 vehicles a day, about 25% of which are trucks. Due to the outdated design and capacity restraints, congestion as well as frequent merging and weaving are common. To shorten the construction timeline, several project components and land acquisition efforts will be done concurrently to deliver a cornerstone project of Rebuild Illinois more quickly, with less impact to the public.

Starting next year, the section from Ridge Road to the DuPage River will be under construction as land acquisition progresses and final engineering is completed on the replacement of the Des Plaines River bridges. Improvements will begin from Ridge Road to U.S. 30 in 2023, leaving construction of the Des Plaines River bridges and Center Street and U.S. 52/Illinois 53 (Chicago Street) interchanges in 2026 and 2027.

Advance work on I-80 started this summer with a $41.7 million project to replace the eastbound bridges over Hickory Creek, Richards Street, Rowell Avenue/Canadian National Railroad, and westbound over Richards Street, in Joliet, Rockdale and New Lenox, while widening eastbound I-80 from Gardner Street to Rowell Avenue. Once the eastbound improvements are completed next year, similar improvements will begin in the westbound direction.

When it wraps up in 2027, the overall I-80 project will have redesigned and rebuilt 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 have been 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 westbound I-80 to improve traffic flow and safety. More than 30 bridges will have been rehabilitated or replaced.

“With demand for freight projected to double in northeastern Illinois the next 20 years, Will County’s role as a transportation hub and the country’s largest inland port is critical,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman. “We know I-80 drives commerce in this vitally important part of the state. At the governor’s direction, we are expediting these improvements as quickly as we can.”

Read the full article at: Illinois.gov

View a Project Timeline

Project News

IDOT Launches New Site to Keep Public Informed on I-80 Reconstruction

The Illinois Department of Transportation has launched a new website, I80will.org, to provide the public with the latest information on the $1.2 billion reconstruction of Interstate 80 through Will County, one of the cornerstone projects of Governor JB Pritzker’s historic, bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital program.

read more

Interstate 80 Project Includes Overnight Lane Closures

Construction crews on Monday will begin getting Interstate 80 ready for the $1.2 billion project that includes replacing the Des Plaines River bridge. The Illinois Department of Transportation announced Thursday that bridge deck patching and repairs to I-80 between Chicago and Briggs streets in Joliet will require overnight lane closures, followed by multiple weekend lane and ramp closures.

read more

The Houbolt Road Extension Project is Moving Forward

The Houbolt Road Extension Project is Moving Forward Project Completion Projected for Early 2023 Houbolt Road Extension JV, LLC ("HRE-JV"), a joint venture between United Bridge Partners and CenterPoint Properties, entered into a lease agreement with the City of...

read more

Houbolt Bridge Construction Ready to Go

Construction of the Houbolt Road bridge is expected to start within the next couple of weeks. “We’re a full go as of today,” Michael Murphy, chief development officer for CenterPoint Properties said Tuesday.

read more

The Houbolt Road Extension Project is Moving Forward

The Houbolt Road Extension Project is Moving Forward

Project Completion Projected for Early 2023

Houbolt bridge drawing

An artist’s rendering of the future Houbolt Road bridge.

Houbolt Road Extension JV, LLC (“HRE-JV”), a joint venture between United Bridge Partners and CenterPoint Properties, entered into a lease agreement with the City of Joliet and commenced construction on the Houbolt Road Extension (“HRE”) Project on March 8, 2021.

The privately financed project involves designing and constructing a new 1.5-mile-long highway extension, including a 0.4-mile-long bridge over the Des Plaines River. HRE-JV will finance, construct, operate, and maintain the bridge while collecting bridge tolls under a 99-year lease agreement with the City of Joliet. The project will provide a direct route between I-80 and CIC Joliet, and the UP and BNSF Intermodal Facilities.

The project will deliver the following improvements:

  • Design and construction of a new four-lane concrete 1.5-mile bridge and roadway, which will be outfitted with an Illinois Toll Highway compatible collection system, including a 0.4-mile bridge over the Des Plaines River with two lanes in each direction and a dedicated pedestrian/bicycle path.
  • Turning and merging lanes from Houbolt Road to Schweitzer Road and US Route 6
  • A signalized intersection at Vetter and Schweitzer Roads.
  • Grading for pedestrian/bicycle path parallel to the new roadway on Houbolt Road.

The State of Illinois and City of Joliet will construct a new diverging diamond interchange at I-80 and Houbolt Road and reconstruct Houbolt Road from I-80 to US Route 6. The construction completion of this public project is expected to align with the expected completion of the HRE Project in 2023.

“On behalf of the City of Joliet, this project has won our support and we’re happy to get it started, as it will be a big step forward to mitigating truck traffic on local roads,” said Bob O’Dekirk, Mayor of Joliet.

“We are excited to commence construction on the HRE Project. As the CenterPoint Intermodal Center has continued to grow and expand, we have focused our attention on finding innovative solutions for local infrastructure, improving truck traffic flow, enhancing safety and reducing congestion in and around the Business Park,” said Michael Murphy, CenterPoint Properties’ Chief Development Officer.

The privately funded project will create an alternative route from I-80 into the CenterPoint Intermodal Center (“CIC”). The new route provides direct access to I-80, rerouting truck traffic off local roads like Route 53, returning these roads to the residents and surrounding communities for their daily use, absent the congestion. The project, on the southern extension of Houbolt Road over the Des Plaines River, will be paid for, operated, and maintained by HRE-JV.

“We are thrilled about this next phase of the Houbolt Road Extension. It takes all of us even closer to delivering greater safety, efficiency, and prosperity for the City of Joliet and its surrounding areas,” said Doug Witt, President and CEO of United Bridge Partners. “United Bridge Partners builds bridges that enhance great communities, and we look forward to the many positive contributions this project will provide the City of Joliet for years to come.”

The HRE-JV selected the Granite / Kraemer – A Joint Venture (“GK-JV”) team as the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (“EPC”) contractor through a best value procurement process to complete the Houbolt Road Extension project. Burns & McDonnell, a team member of GK-JV, has completed the design for the project’s bridge and roadway.

“The Houbolt Road Extension represents the shared commitment to the community on behalf of local and state agencies, local businesses, organizations and industry leaders. I commend the HRE-JV for their dedication to advance this project. It’s relationships like this that help alleviate truck traffic and I was happy to sponsor needed legislation for this when I was in the Senate,” said Will County Executive, Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant.

For more information and project updates, visit www.houboltroadextension.com.

About CenterPoint Properties:

CenterPoint Properties is focused on developing, acquiring and managing industrial property and transportation infrastructure enhancing supply chain efficiency. The Company invests in major coastal and inland port logistics markets anchoring North America’s principal freight lanes. For more information on CenterPoint Properties, visit centerpoint.com or follow @centerpointprop on Twitter.

About United Bridge Partners:

United Bridge Partners is a pure play private bridge financing, construction, operations, and maintenance company in the United States. The Company believes in investing in the communities in which they operate, through job creation with local labor and local materials, through contributions to local charities and businesses, and by building and operating their projects with the highest environmental standards.

For more information visit www.unitedbridgepartners.com.

Project News

IDOT Launches New Site to Keep Public Informed on I-80 Reconstruction

The Illinois Department of Transportation has launched a new website, I80will.org, to provide the public with the latest information on the $1.2 billion reconstruction of Interstate 80 through Will County, one of the cornerstone projects of Governor JB Pritzker’s historic, bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital program.

read more

Interstate 80 Project Includes Overnight Lane Closures

Construction crews on Monday will begin getting Interstate 80 ready for the $1.2 billion project that includes replacing the Des Plaines River bridge. The Illinois Department of Transportation announced Thursday that bridge deck patching and repairs to I-80 between Chicago and Briggs streets in Joliet will require overnight lane closures, followed by multiple weekend lane and ramp closures.

read more

The Houbolt Road Extension Project is Moving Forward

The Houbolt Road Extension Project is Moving Forward Project Completion Projected for Early 2023 Houbolt Road Extension JV, LLC ("HRE-JV"), a joint venture between United Bridge Partners and CenterPoint Properties, entered into a lease agreement with the City of...

read more

Houbolt Bridge Construction Ready to Go

Construction of the Houbolt Road bridge is expected to start within the next couple of weeks. “We’re a full go as of today,” Michael Murphy, chief development officer for CenterPoint Properties said Tuesday.

read more

Hoboult Road bridge underway, intersection project slated for late fall

Hoboult Road bridge underway, intersection project slated for late fall

By Bob Okon

Houbolt bridge drawing

An artist’s rendering of the future Houbolt Road bridge.

Construction of the Houbolt Road bridge and a new Interstate 80 interchange is scheduled to be completed at roughly the same time in early 2023, but they won’t start together.

Houbolt Road Extension Joint Venture has announced the start of construction of the toll bridge that will span the Des Plaines River to provide a direct route to I-80 for trucks going to and from the intermodal yards in Joliet and Elwood.

Construction of the I-80 interchange and widening of Houbolt Road probably won’t start until late fall, said Joliet Public Works Director Greg Ruddy.

“Right now we’re finalizing plans on that,” Ruddy said. “We plan on going for bids in a couple of months.”

Read the full release at HeraldNews.com

Project News

IDOT Launches New Site to Keep Public Informed on I-80 Reconstruction

The Illinois Department of Transportation has launched a new website, I80will.org, to provide the public with the latest information on the $1.2 billion reconstruction of Interstate 80 through Will County, one of the cornerstone projects of Governor JB Pritzker’s historic, bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital program.

read more

Interstate 80 Project Includes Overnight Lane Closures

Construction crews on Monday will begin getting Interstate 80 ready for the $1.2 billion project that includes replacing the Des Plaines River bridge. The Illinois Department of Transportation announced Thursday that bridge deck patching and repairs to I-80 between Chicago and Briggs streets in Joliet will require overnight lane closures, followed by multiple weekend lane and ramp closures.

read more

The Houbolt Road Extension Project is Moving Forward

The Houbolt Road Extension Project is Moving Forward Project Completion Projected for Early 2023 Houbolt Road Extension JV, LLC ("HRE-JV"), a joint venture between United Bridge Partners and CenterPoint Properties, entered into a lease agreement with the City of...

read more

Houbolt Bridge Construction Ready to Go

Construction of the Houbolt Road bridge is expected to start within the next couple of weeks. “We’re a full go as of today,” Michael Murphy, chief development officer for CenterPoint Properties said Tuesday.

read more