Earlier this month, a key portion of a massive overhaul of Interstate 80 in Illinois broke ground.
State officials and a building team of Coal City, Illinois-based D Construction and Kansas City, Missouri-based HNTB began work on new I-80 bridges over the Des Plaines River, according to an announcement from Gov. JB Pritzker’s office.
The $164 million spans will replace structures originally built in the 1960s, according to the announcement. These new, concrete bridges will be located 300 feet to the north and will be wider than the previous spans. The new bridges are expected to be complete in 2028, with the old bridges scheduled for demolition in 2029.
All told, the crossings are the centerpieces of a $1.3 billion effort to modernize and rehabilitate I-80 in Illinois, a critical thoroughfare that serves as one of the country’s three coast-to-coast highways. The highway begins in San Francisco and ends in New Jersey.
The overall I-80 rehab in Illinois will see construction teams redesign and rebuild 16 miles of the highway, from Ridge Road in Minooka to U.S. 30 in Joliet and New Lenox, according to the announcement.
“This milestone represents significant progress on one of the most important infrastructure investments in our region,” said Terry D’Arcy, mayor of Joliet, Illinois, in the May 22 release. “The reconstruction of the Des Plaines River bridge and surrounding I-80 corridor will strengthen a critical transportation route that serves residents, businesses, and commerce throughout the country.”
The city of Joliet benefits mightily from I-80 traffic — the interstate carries approximately 80,000 vehicles a day, about 25% of which are trucks, through the city, according to the announcement. The value of freight passing through surrounding Will County is over $600 billion annually.
In October, Illinois committed approximately $50.6 billion to infrastructure improvements across the state. Of that money, $32.5 billion is earmarked for roads and bridges, and $18.1 billion is set aside for transit, rail, aviation, ports and waterways.
In particular, the city of Chicago has been busy on the infrastructure front. An AECOM Hunt Clayco Bowa joint venture and the Chicago Department of Aviation recently started vertical construction on O’Hare International Airport’s new, $1.45 billion Concourse D project.
Contractors also broke ground on the $5.7 billion Red Line Extension, which will bring rapid rail transit to Chicago’s Far South Side neighborhood.
