Motorists should prepare for traffic during next stage of I-80 construction in Joliet: IDOT

JOLIET, Ill. (WLS) -- The next phase of the long-term Interstate 80 construction project is ready to get underway.

Illinois Department of Transportation officials said it will be the most complicated part, and drivers need to prepare for major impact.

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The next stage, set to last a month, will begin in the first or second week of March.

It will work on the Chicago Street Interchange.

"This is the most complex portion of the entire 16-mile project. And with overlapping contracts, this section through Joliet will function as one coordinated construction zone," said Eric Ray, with IDOT.

This next stage will have significant traffic impacts on both Chicago Street and on I-80.

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Chicago Street will be reduced to one lane in each direction between Doris Avenue and McDonough Street for about a month. That will allow workers to build temporary pavement to accommodate the traffic shifts.

The second stage will take place late summer. That will include more ramp closures. There will also be a third stage with more ramp closures.

The $1.3 billion project is about 60 percent complete. It will be up to 80 percent complete by the end of this year.

This stretch of the I-80 corridor carries about 80,000 vehicles daily: 25% of that is freight traffic, which means heavy congestion, merging issues and aging infrastructure, including dozens of bridges that need full replacement. That includes bridges over the Des Plaines River.

Drivers should expect lane shifts, ramp closures, posted detours and, at times, heavy congestion.

"This final phase is what allows us to deliver the full benefits of the project, a safer more reliable I-80 Corridor for decades to come," said Matt Daeda, with Lochner.

The project is scheduled to be complete in 2028.