IDOT prepares roads for holiday rush

[DEC. 21, 2004]  SPRINGFIELD -- The Illinois Department of Transportation announced Monday that highway construction work will be suspended, where possible, on state highways to give motorists a break during the Christmas and New Year's holidays.

Many construction zones will be open for Christmas from Thursday, Dec. 23, at 3 p.m. until midnight on Sunday, Dec. 26, and for New Year's from Thursday, Dec. 30, at 3 p.m. until midnight on Sunday, Jan. 2.

However, there will be some construction zones across the state that will continue to have lane closures because of the type of work under way. Motorists are advised to check IDOT's new traveler-oriented website, www.illinoisroads.info, for information on winter road conditions and road construction. Interstate road condition information is also available at 1 (800) 452-IDOT [4368].

In the greater Chicago area all lanes will be open on the Edens, Eisenhower, Stevenson, Kennedy and Bishop Ford expressways as well as Interstate 80.

Construction will continue in the following areas:

District One (Cook, DuPage, Will, Kane, Lake and McHenry counties)

Bridge replacement work will continue on Interstate 57, under Throop Street and at the 107th Street bridge superstructure replacement. This job will be suspended for the winter sometime later this month. There will be shoulder and nighttime closures on I-57. A detour is posted for oversized trucks using 107th Street. Motorists traveling on 107th Street will use the new eastbound lanes, and traffic on Throop Street will use the northbound lanes.

Workers will continue bridge construction on the Dan Ryan Expressway (I-90/94) from the I-90 Skyway interchange to Wentworth Avenue. To continue south on Dan Ryan, use the left lane. Motorists in the right lane will be required to exit at the Skyway interchange. The Chicago Skyway interchange ramps and bridges over State Street and the 67th Street bridge will remain closed. The Dan Ryan southbound exit to 71st Street and the Dan Ryan northbound exit to 67th Street will remain closed until August. The southbound Dan Ryan entrance from 67th Street and the southbound Dan Ryan entrance from 71st Street will also be closed.

75th Street, 59th Street and Wells Street between 63rd Street and 65th Street will continue to see construction as well. Detour signs are posted. The ramp from southbound Dan Ryan to eastbound I-90 Skyway will remain open.

Water main relocation will continue on the Dan Ryan Expressway (I-90/94) from 31st Street to 71st Street. One lane in each direction on Wells, Wentworth, LaSalle, 32nd and 37th streets will be closed due to water main replacement work.

The I-94 Dan Ryan ramps, both north and southbound, from 67th Street to 71st Street will be closed for bridge relocation, new lane construction and ramp improvements. Expect partial lane closures until the end of June on ramps connecting the Dan Ryan southbound to I-90/Skyway eastbound as well as ramps connecting the Dan Ryan northbound to I-90 Skyway westbound. One lane will always be open for traffic during construction.

Wells Street between 63rd Street and 65th Street will remain closed until August. Detour routes are posted.

57th Street over I-94/90 and ramps located along the Dan Ryan Expressway (I-90/94) between 57th Street and 47th Street will have construction of retaining walls and bridge rehabilitation.

Dan Ryan (I-90/94) from 31st Street to I-57 will have a water main and utility adjustment.

Entrance and exit ramps on I-94/90 from 31st Street to 25th Street are closed for reconstruction.

The south shoulder of the reversible lanes on I-90/94 at Western Avenue will be closed between Logan Boulevard and Western Avenue.

73rd Street from Oak Park Avenue to Meade Avenue will have one lane open at all times during street construction.

East Avenue from 39th Street to 31st Street -- widening, resurfacing, sewer repair, traffic signal improvement.

Hillgrove Avenue from Gilbert Avenue to Kensington Avenue -- pavement reconstruction, sidewalk construction, drainage and lighting.

I-94/90 Dan Ryan from 31st Street to I-57 -- water main and utility adjustment. I-94/I-394 under 170th Street will be closed for bridge replacement.

Traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction on 170th Street at I-94/I-394 for bridge replacement.

I-394 eastbound from the Lincoln Oasis -- bridge replacement. The ramp from eastbound I-80/294 to southbound Route 394 has right and left shoulder closures and narrow lanes. Westbound I-94 has a left shoulder closure and traffic pushed onto the right shoulder from south of the I-94/Route 394 merge to 170th Street. The two left lanes on eastbound I-94 are narrow from 170th Street to the I-80/94/294 interchange. Northbound Route 394 will be detoured onto new temporary lanes between I-80 and eastbound I-94. Expect narrow lanes and shoulder closures on I-394 around I-80/94/294 interchanges.

Oak Park Avenue from Route 38 to Route 64 will be closed for street and landscaping work.

St. Charles Road and Wolf Road -- pavement construction from I-290 to Wolf Road and pavement reconstruction from St. Charles Road to Proviso Drive. Traffic is reduced to one lane in each direction using the south half of St. Charles Road. Wolf Road is also down to one lane in each direction, with traffic using the west half of the road.

York Road bridge over the East-West Tollway and the Salt Creek to I-88 tollway ramp have construction of bike path, pedestrian bridge and widening of bridge.

I-290 eastbound over I-355 in Addison has bridge joint repair and painting.

Barrington Road south of the Northwest Tollway to south of Route 72 is closed for widening and reconstruction. Traffic is switched onto Barrington Road northbound and onto the new pavement southbound.

Diversey/Sunset from 80th Avenue to Harlem Avenue is closed for street work.

Construction at Grand Avenue and Canadian National Railway due to railroad track relocation along with street and sewer work.

Howard Street from Niles Center Road to East Prairie Road has pavement reconstruction, intersection improvements, traffic signal modernization and drainage improvements.

Roberta Avenue from Route 64/North Avenue to MacArthur Drive has milling, resurfacing and patching.

Rohlwing Road from Industrial Avenue to Northwest Highway has milling, resurfacing, patching, roadway construction bike path construction and traffic signals.

Roy Avenue from North Avenue to MacArthur Drive has milling, resurfacing and patching.

Route 56 over the West Branch of the DuPage River has bridge repairs.

83rd Street from North Bolingbrook Drive to North Janes Avenue has resurfacing, striping, sidewalk and minor landscaping.

Diehl Road and Eola Road to Country Club Boulevard are closed for pavement reconstruction from Eola Road to Country Club Boulevard.

Highland Avenue from Route 56 to 22nd Street closed for roadway reconstruction.

Lombard Road from Fullerton Avenue to U.S. 20/Lake Street -- earth excavation, pavement removal, storm sewers, curb and gutter replacement, sidewalk work. Northbound traffic between Fullerton Avenue and Capitol Drive is using the southbound lane. There is one lane open in both directions from Capitol Drive and Diversey Avenue and between Diversey Avenue and Army Trail Boulevard.

Also, northbound between Army Trail Road and Lake Street/U.S. 20 -- curb and gutter work. The northbound lanes are reduced to using one southbound lane.

Route 56 will be closed between Route 25 and Grant Street for pavement reconstruction. One lane of traffic will be maintained in each direction on Route 25.

Expect lane closures on Lake Marion Road from Route 25 to Washington Street due to reconstruction of Williams Street and the resurfacing of Lake Marion Road.

Route 173 over Piscasaw Creek overflow -- deck beam replacement.

Route 22 east of Route 43 to Ridge Road -- bridge replacement. New pavement, storm sewers and the bridge, on the south half of Route 22, targeted to finish in the spring of 2005.

Route 59 at Beach Grove Road -- intersection improvement.

Route 83 over the Wisconsin Central Ltd. Railroad
-- new bridge deck. East half of the bridge is closed, routing traffic onto the west half.

Route 131 at 21st Street -- intersection reconstruction.

Route 173/Rosecrans Road at Hunt Club Road -- intersection reconstruction.

Sullivan Road at Route 31 and Route 25 over the Fox River -- reconstruction of pavement and modernization of the traffic signals.

Virgil Gilman Trail over Route 56 -- earth excavation, erosion control and concrete work.

Effingham County

I-57/70 milepost 159 -- bridge replacement. Two narrow lanes open each direction.

Hardin County

Route 146, west edge of Elizabethtown -- bridge replacement. One-lane bridge open, with traffic controlled by signals.

Jefferson County

I-57 milepost 92 -- bridge replacement. Two narrow lanes open in each direction.

Route 37 in Mount Vernon -- widening and rehab. One lane open with temporary signals.

Johnson County

U.S. 45 four miles south of Vienna -- bridge replacement. One lane open, with traffic controlled by signals.

Kankakee County

Route 102 three miles west of Bourbonnais -- bridge replacement. One lane open, controlled by signals.

Kendall County

U.S. 34 through Plano. One lane open in each direction. Work zone speed limit is 35 mph west of Ben Street and 30 mph east of Ben Street.

Livingston County

Route 23 west of Cornell -- bridge replacement. One lane open, controlled by signals.

Madison County

Airline Drive from one-half mile west of Route 111 to one-half mile east of Route 111 in Bethalto is closed. Detour signs will direct traffic.

Gerber Road will be closed from Goshen Road to Little Round Top Drive in Edwardsville. Detour signs will direct traffic.

Intersection of Old Troy Road and Glen Crossing Road in Glen Carbon -- detour route is signed to direct the traveling public.

Cougar Drive will be closed at Center Grove Road. Detour signs will direct traffic.

McLean County

I-55/74 around Bloomington from Route 9 to I-39 has all lanes open, narrow lanes and changing lane configurations. The work zone speed limit is 45 mph.

Peoria County

I-74 westbound Exit 93B on-ramp and exit ramp at Washington Street -- permanently closed for interstate reconstruction.

Saline County

Route 34 at east edge of Rudement -- bridge replacement. One-lane bridge open, with traffic controlled by signals.

Tazewell County

I-74 westbound Exit 94 (on-ramp spacing) at Riverfront Drive -- closed for pavement reconstruction.

I-74 eastbound Exit 95 (on-ramp spacing) from northbound Route 116 -- closed for interstate reconstruction.

Williamson County

Southbound entrance ramp to I-57 closed due to bridge replacement.

A construction map and project information of Illinois highways can be found at www.dot.il.gov. Winter road condition information is also available there or by calling 1 [phone]. Illinois State Toll Highway information can be found at www.illinoistollway.com.

[Illinois Department of Transportation news release]