What's With All of the Construction on I-55?

                                                                                                        Courtesy of Shaw Local

By: Hannah Mitchell

9/27

Governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker, announced roughly two weeks ago a $93 million investment into I-55 improvements and a new interchange with I-59. This project aims to enhance safety, create jobs and promote economic opportunity in Will County.

According to Governor JB Pritzker, I-55 serves nearly 60,000 vehicles a day through Joliet and Shorewood. This $93 million investment is all thanks to the Rebuild Illinois Capital Plan that was passed in 2019. Rebuild Illinois is not only considered the largest capital program in state history but also the first one that touches all modes of Illinois transportation. These modes of transportation include roads, bridges, transit, waterways, freight and passenger rail, aviation, and bicycle and pedestrian accommodations.

Pritzker shared, “...we are making several capacity, access, and safety enhancements – all while building a new diverging diamond interchange with Illinois 59. This major project to rebuild I-55 and Illinois 59 is an investment in our communities, in our families, in our workers, and in our future – one that is prosperous for all Illinoisans.”

The centerpiece of the project involves IDOT (Illinois Department of Transportation) building a new bridge to convert the I-55 interchange with Illinois 59 into a full-access, diverging-diamond design to improve safety and traffic flow, with the East Frontage Road relocated and reconstructed. According to an article by Effingham Radio, “Auxiliary lanes will be added to I-55 between the Illinois 59 and U.S. 52 interchanges to improve safety by better accommodating vehicles entering and leaving the interstate. The Illinois 59 intersection with Seil Road will be improved and modernized. Pedestrian access will be built across I-55, with the addition of sidewalks and a multi-use trail. New noise and retaining walls also will be built along I-55.”

“I-55 serves as an economic lifeline for our region,” said Senator Meg Loughran Cappel (D-Shorewood). I-55 has been used as a means for logistics and distribution, which all contribute to the economic position of Will County. 

Advance work started in 2021. The entire project is expected to take two full construction seasons to finish, with an anticipated completion date in late 2024 or early 2025. The traffic environment may seem to be a mess now, but at the end, this project will serve the citizens of Will County as well as many others by making traveling easier, safer, and will promote economic opportunity.