Access between Interstate 80 and Illinois Highway 40 will be closed for approximately two weeks as part of the Rebuild Illinois Capital program. The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) said all entrance and exit ramps on I-80 at the Illinois Highway 40 interchange (exit 45) will close on Monday, August 21, 2023, as part of the two-year, $36.8 million project to improve 10 miles of I-80 from Illinois Highway 40 to the Bureau/Henry County line. Work will include pavement removal and replacement and will take approximately two weeks to complete. Traffic will follow a marked detour using Illinois 26, Highway 6/34 and Illinois 78.
Construction is continuing to prepare I-80 for a two-year resurfacing project. Traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction as work begins to build a median crossover on I-80 near the Bureau-Henry County line and repair shoulders throughout the work zone. This work is expected to be completed by late fall.
Work to resurface the eastbound lanes will begin in spring 2024. Traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction and shifted onto the westbound lanes until late fall 2024. In spring 2025, work will begin in the westbound lanes and traffic will be shifted onto the eastbound lanes. The entire $36.8 million project, which includes repairs to several bridges and culverts in the work zone, is expected to wrap up in late fall 2025.
Motorists can expect delays and should allow extra time for trips through this area and be prepared for slow and stopped traffic. To avoid the work area, when feasible, use of alternate routes should be considered. Drivers are urged to pay close attention to changed conditions and signs in the work zones, obey the posted speed limits, refrain from using mobile devices and be alert for workers and equipment.
Over the next six years, IDOT is planning to improve more than 3,000 miles of highway and nearly 10 million square feet of bridge deck as part of the Rebuild Illinois capital program, which is investing $33.2 billion into all modes of transportation. Accomplishments through Year Four of Rebuild Illinois included approximately $12.1 billion of improvements statewide on 5,339 miles of highway, 533 bridges and 762 additional safety improvements.
For IDOT District 3 updates on Twitter, follow us at @IDOTDistrict3. View area construction details on IDOT’s traveler information map at www.GettingAroundIllinois.com.
