The Illinois Department of Transportation has announced that northbound Interstate 57 between the Jefferson County line and seven-tenths of a mile north of Illinois 161 is scheduled to reopen, weather permitting, Thursday, Oct. 26.
The Illinois 161 bridge over I-57 as well as all the ramps to and from northbound I-57 will also be reopened on Thursday.
However, there is still more of the project to come. IDOT Public Information Officer Paul Wappel says as part of the same contract, the southbound I-57 lanes will be reconstructed next year in the same manner as the northbound lanes have this year. So, traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction in the newly constructed northbound lanes. Work on the southbound lanes is currently set to begin in April 2024 and is expected to be completed in December 2024.
The overall I-57 project is expected to be completed by spring 2025.
Drivers are urged to reduce speed, be alert for changing conditions, obey all construction signage, consider alternate routes, and refrain from using mobile devices while approaching and traveling through the work zone.
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.
