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 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.
Joliet Invites Public to Houbolt Road Meeting
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.
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.
Gov. Pritzker Announces Six-Year Plan for $1.2 Billion I-80 Corridor Improvement Project
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.
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.
Hoboult Road bridge underway, intersection project slated for late fall
Hoboult Road bridge underway, intersection project slated for late fall By Bob Okon 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...
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.
The Houbolt Road Extension Project
The Houbolt Road Extension Project Website The Houbolt Road Extension JV, LLC is a business partnership between CenterPoint Properties and United Bridge Partners. Will County is one of the nation’s largest transportation hubs, with demand for freight projected to...