COLLINSVILLE, IL — The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) announces that Interstate 255 from Illinois 157 to Illinois 15 in St. Clair County has reopened to traffic more than six weeks ahead of schedule. Made possible by Governor JB Pritzker’s bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital program, the accelerated $65.4 million project is the second of five phases to repair and improve I-255.
“Since day one as governor, I’ve made it my mission to invest in the highways, streets, and bridges that support safe commutes for the people of Illinois,” Pritzker said. “Over the years, we’ve worked to speed up these projects, minimizing construction delays and saving taxpayers money. [This] reopening is a testament to the hard work and impressive planning from the IDOT team, and I’m excited to get drivers back on the road.”
By completely closing the work zone instead of accommodating traffic and spreading the project over multiple construction seasons, the improvements were completed faster, cheaper, and safer, saving an estimated $10 million.
“Under the governor’s leadership, we are finding new ways to speed up projects to minimize the inconvenience of construction so you can experience the benefits sooner," Illinois Transportation Secretary Gia Biagi said. “We appreciate your patience. The I-255 project has been a success story that we will look to duplicate throughout the state.”
Finishing 47 days ahead of the original anticipated completion date, the project rehabilitated and resurfaced approximately 3.5 miles of I-255 in both directions.
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Work included bridge repairs, safety upgrades, new lighting and guardrails, improved signage and drainage, as well as replacement of badly deteriorated pavement dating back to when I-255 was first built in 1984. Prior to the improvements, the section between Illinois 157 and Illinois 15 required frequent unscheduled lane closures to make emergency repairs.
Rebuild Illinois is revitalizing I-255, which long has been identified as one of the worst roads in the state due to its poor condition.
The first section, the 7.5 miles between Collinsville Road and Illinois 15, was finished in 2020 almost a month ahead of schedule, a $67 million project that also was completed in one construction season by closing the work zone, reducing the overall cost by $14 million.
The remaining three phases to improve I-255 will continue the work between the Mississippi River and Illinois 157. Dates and timelines are still to be determined, but the projects are included in IDOT’s latest multiyear program. No decisions have been made regarding additional full closures of the work zones.
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Over the next six years, IDOT is planning to improve more than 3,200 miles of highway and nearly 9 million square feet of bridge deck as part of Rebuild Illinois, which is investing $33.2 billion into all modes of transportation. Accomplishments through Year Five of Rebuild Illinois include approximately $16 billion of improvements statewide on 6,541 miles of highway, 686 bridges, and 986 additional safety improvements.
