Road Work Will Be Suspended to Ease Holiday Weekend Congestion, Improve Traffic Flow and Safety
SPRINGFIELD–(ENEWSPF)–December 22, 2011. With thousands of motorists expected to travel on state roadways over the Christmas and New Year holiday weekends, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) announced today that road work will be suspended where possible for the weekends to reduce congestion and improve traffic flow. IDOT also provided advance notice of lane closures for the holiday weekend to aid motorists’ travel plans and improve safety.
“With heavy traffic expected during the upcoming holiday weekends, IDOT is providing a list of lane closures in advance to help motorists plan their trips,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Ann Schneider. “With less construction activity these weekends, traffic congestion can be reduced, and safety and traffic flow will improve.”
Starting at 3 p.m. Friday, December 23, IDOT will suspend all non-emergency road work for the Christmas holiday weekend and open up all lanes where possible through midnight, Sunday, December 25. In addition, non-emergency road work will also be suspended and lanes opened for the New Year’s holiday weekend, starting at 3 p.m. Friday, December 30, through midnight on Sunday, January 1. Again on that weekend, some project construction zones will have lane closures in effect.
IDOT is urging motorists to slow down, obey posted speed limits and drive with caution through work zones. Holiday travelers are reminded that work zone speed limits are still in effect wherever they are posted, even where no construction workers are present.
Following are locations where permanent lane closures remain in place:
IDOT Highway District 1:
COOK COUNTY
Congress Parkway Bridge; bridge reconstruction; eastbound two lanes open; westbound one lane open. Expect delays.
US Route 12/20/45 over S & S and I & M Canals; bridge deck overlay; northbound two lanes open and southbound one lane open.
Bridge carrying 79th Street over the Baltimore & Ohio Chicago Terminal Company and Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad Company in Bridgeview; one lane in each direction.
IL Route 56 from east of Winfield Road to Naperville Road in Wheaton, and from west of IL Route 59 to east of Winfield Road in Warrenville; one lane in all four directions at the intersections of IL 56 and Naperville Road and at IL 56 & IL 59.
71st street, from Roberts road to Harlem avenue in Bridgeview; grade separation improvement; road closed to through traffic; detour signs posted.
Central Ave and I55; one lane in each direction on Central exit ramp closed, from southbound I55 to Central and Entrance ramp to NB I-55.
Fullerton Avenue over Silver Creek in Franklin Park; bridge closed with detour route.
DUPAGE COUNTY
Naperville Road at IL Route 56; one lane open in each direction
Right turn lane from northbound Midwest Road to eastbound 22nd Street; all other lanes on the route will be open.
22nd Street; widening to add additional lanes; two lanes open in each direction. All lanes opened on 22nd street. Right turn restrictions from northbound Midwest Road to 22nd Street and northbound Midwest road is reduced to one lane. See Web site for updates.
IL 53, from Army Trail Road to Elgin O’Hare Expressway in Addison & Itasca; one lane open in each direction.
LAKE COUNTY
IL 22 from I94 to east of IL 43; one lane in each direction with left turn lanes at signalized intersections.
MCHENRY COUNTY
Bridge over branch of Nippersink Creek; Alden Road is being reconstructed from IL Route 173 to IL Route 173; one lane open with bridge signal.
Bridge over branch of Nippersink Creek in Spring Grove is being reconstructed on Blivin Street one mile north of US 12; bridge is closed.
Rakow Road from IL Route 31 to Ackerman Road in Crystal Lake; road reconstruction. Stage 2 detour traffic is expected to begin 11-23-2011. One lane in each direction will remain open.
IL Route 23 over Coon Creek; one lane closed in each direction with temporary signals.
WILL COUNTY
US Route 30; Williams Street (New Lenox) to IL Route 43/Harlem Ave. (Frankfort); roadway reconstruction; one lane open in each direction.
IDOT Highway District 4
McDONOUGH
IL 61 south of Colmar; bridge construction; one lane will be open and controlled by signals.
WARREN
US 67, approximately two miles north of Monmouth; bridge construction; one lane will be open and controlled by signals.
IDOT Highway District 5
CHAMPAIGN COUNTY
Champaign County Highway 50 (Lake of the Woods Road) over I-74. Traffic signals are being utilized.
PIATT COUNTY
US Route 150 bridge replacement at the south branch of Salt Creek, one mile east of Farmer City. Stage construction; utilizing traffic signals is in place.
IDOT Highway District 6
MACOUPIN
IL Route 108 over Hodges Creek, located 2.6 miles east of Greene County Line. Bridge reconstruction; one lane will be open and controlled by traffic signals.
SCHUYLER
IL Route 101 over LaMoine River, located 0.3 miles east of Brooklyn. Bridge reconstruction; reduces traffic to one lane controlled by traffic signals.
IDOT Highway District 7
CLARK COUNTY
US Route 40 west of Marshall; bridge replacement; stage construction with barrier wall and traffic signals in place.
EFFINGHAM COUNTY
Interstate 57/70, southwest of Effingham; major road and bridge reconstruction; stage construction with barrier wall.
Interstate 57/70 at Fayette Avenue in Effingham; interchange reconstruction; stage construction with barrier wall.
FAYETTE COUNTY
US Route 40 east of Vandalia; bridge replacement; stage construction with barrier wall and traffic signals in place.
MACON COUNTY
Northbound US Route 51 in downtown Decatur; bridge rehabilitation; stage construction; barrier wall is in place.
WABASH COUNTY
Illinois Route 1 southwest of Mt. Carmel; bridge replacement; road closure with a marked detour in place.
IDOT Highway District 8
MADISON COUNTY
IL 162 over I-55/70 at Troy. Two lanes will be open in each direction during work to complete reconstruction of interchange.
IL 140 over the E. Fork of Silver Creek, located 0.5 miles east of IL 160 near Alhambra; structure replacement; one lane will be open and controlled by traffic signals.
IL 159 from South Morrison to Church Street in Collinsville will have one lane open in each direction for work to widen IL 159 to five lanes.
ST. CLAIR COUNTY
15th Street, just south of St. Clair Avenue to Baugh Avenue in East St. Louis, will be closed to traffic to replace the bridge carrying 15th Street over I-64. St. Clair Avenue will have a lane closed from east of 10th Street to 18th Street, and Baugh Avenue will have a lane closed from 18th Street to just west of 15th Street in East St. Louis; rebuilding 15th Street bridge over I-64.
Packers Avenue will be closed from St. Clair Avenue/IL 3 to Exchange Avenue in E. St. Louis to allow construction of relocated I-70 from 1st Street to Industrial Avenue in E. St. Louis/Fairmont City.
IL 3 will be closed at the Union Pacific Railroad and Prairie DuPont Canal overpass between Cahokia and Dupo to replace this structure.
Northbound I-255 to Northbound IL 3 exit ramp and the Southbound IL 3 to Northbound I-255 entrance ramp will be closed to perform joint repair on the structure over I-255.
IDOT Highway District 9
ALEXANDER/MISSISSIPPI
Interstate 57 at mile marker 3; one lane southbound will be closed for bridge rehabilitation.
Old IL Route3 located 0.1 mile east of IL Route 3; road is closed due to bridge construction.
US Route 60/62 at Mississippi River has road closed due to bridge construction.
FRANKLIN/WILLIAMSON/PERRY
IL Route 37, located 0.5 mile south of west Frankfort, has one lane closed due to bridge construction. Temporary signals are in place.
IL Route 14, located 3.7 miles east of US Route 51, has one lane closed due to bridge construction; temporary signals in place.
IL Route 14, located 4.5 miles east of US Route 51, has one lane closed due to bridge construction; temporary signals in place.
IL Route 13, located 1.7 miles east of Randolph County Line, has one lane closed due to box culvert construction; temporary signals in place.
HAMILTON
IL Route 242, located 5 miles north of McLeansboro, has one lane closed due to bridge
construction; temporary signals in place.
JACKSON
IL Route 151, located 4 miles north of IL Route 3, has one lane closed due to bridge
construction; temporary signals in place.
JEFFERSON
Eastbound Interstate 57 and southbound interstate 64 has traffic reduced to one lane prior to the I57/I64 merge north of Mt. Vernon.
POPE
IL Route 34 in Herod has one lane controlled by signals for box culvert work.
IL Route 146, located 3 miles north of Golconda, has one lane controlled by signals for bridge work.
WHITE
US Route 45, located one south of Springerton Road, has one lane closed due to bridge
construction; temporary signals in place.
Source: illinois.gov
