JOLIET, IL — The Illinois Department of Transportation announces that as part of ongoing efforts to rebuild Interstate 80 in Minooka, Joliet, and New Lenox, construction on a new Chicago Street interchange (U.S. 52/Illinois 53) has begun. A gateway into downtown Joliet, the interchange is the last of six to be rebuilt along the project corridor.
“We appreciate your continued patience as we enter the final stages of delivering a more modern, safer I-80,” Illinois Transportation Secretary Gia Biagi said. “The new Chicago Street interchange promises to be a vast improvement locally as well as for one of the state’s critical freight corridors."
Additionally, pending final contract awards, construction is expected to begin later this spring on the Des Plaines River bridges. The new bridges will be built just north of the existing structures. The start of the interchange’s reconstruction and the later groundbreaking on the Des Plaines River bridges mark significant milestones for the $1.3 billion I-80 modernization.
Extensive work will be completed by the end of this year along the corridor, including 12 miles from Ridge Road to Larkin Avenue and from Richards Street to U.S. 30. Newly rebuilt interchanges at I-55, Larkin Avenue, and Briggs Street will be complete, including a new flyover ramp carrying southbound I-55 to eastbound I-80 and a third lane in each direction opening from Ridge Road to Larkin Avenue and from Richards Street to U.S. 30.
The overall I-80 project is redesigning and rebuilding 16 miles from Ridge Road in Minooka to U.S. 30 in Joliet and New Lenox. Rebuilt and improved interchanges are planned for I-55, Larkin Avenue, Center Street, Chicago Street, Richards Street, and Briggs Street, with a new flyover ramp linking southbound I-55 to eastbound I-80 to improve traffic flow and safety.
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More than 30 bridges will be rehabilitated or replaced, including those over the Des Plaines River. The project is anticipated to be complete by the end of 2028, with landscaping, bridge demolition, and miscellaneous work extending into 2029.
