The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) says bridge-deck repairs and pavement patching on Interstate 80 between Wheeler Avenue and Richards Street in Joliet will require lane closures over four consecutive weekends, beginning — weather permitting — on Friday, October 23.
Source: Illinois Department of Transportation
The first closure starts at 10 p.m. Friday on westbound I-80, between Richards Street and Wheeler Avenue. At least one westbound lane will remain open at all times, eastbound lanes will not be affected this weekend, and all lanes are expected to reopen by 5 a.m. Monday, October 26.
IDOT says heavy congestion is anticipated and westbound drivers should consider alternative routes. Local streets cannot accommodate heavy or wide trucks, so other interstate routes are encouraged for large vehicles.
Three further weekend closures are planned after this one, running from 10 p.m. Fridays to 5 a.m. Mondays and alternating between the westbound and eastbound directions. IDOT says details for each weekend will be shared in advance. The ramps from westbound I-80 to Chicago Street (U.S. 52 / Illinois 53), northbound and southbound, are already closed for the interchange reconstruction, and drivers should follow the posted detour.
A second, overnight closure on Saturday
In a separate announcement, IDOT said overnight lane closures with 15-minute full traffic stops are also scheduled for Saturday, October 24, to install large overhead signs as part of the wider rebuild of I-80 from Ridge Road in Minooka to U.S. 30 in Joliet and New Lenox.
Source: Illinois Department of Transportation
From 8 p.m. Saturday, eastbound I-80 will be reduced to one lane between Houbolt Road and Wheeler Avenue, and westbound I-80 to one lane from Richards Street to Larkin Avenue (Illinois 7). Between 1 a.m. and 7 a.m., traffic will be stopped completely for no more than 15 minutes at a time, alternating between directions. All lanes closed overnight are due to reopen by noon Sunday.
The I-80 Exit Guide, an independent traveller-information site, carried the same IDOT weekend-closure details, including the warning that heavy and wide trucks should use other interstate routes rather than local streets.
Source: I-80 Exit Guide
IDOT says the weekend repair work is meant to keep the Joliet bridges in acceptable condition while the larger I-80 corridor improvement is under construction, and to reduce the unplanned emergency closures that have become more frequent in recent years. Drivers can check live conditions at gettingaroundillinois.com and project information at I80will.org.