The Illinois Department of Transportation, Gov. JB Pritzker, and local officials and community leaders recently announced the next phase of the Interstate 57 widening project through Southern Illinois.
I-57 is part of the National Highway Freight Network and carries more than 40,000 vehicles daily, more than a quarter of which are trucks.
The $67.6 million project will add a third lane in each direction for nine miles from north of Illinois 149 to south of Illinois 154, expanding I-57 to six lanes. Other work includes resurfacing the existing lanes, adding rumble strips, updating deficient guardrails, installing a median barrier, and replacing the bridges over the Big Muddy River.
Construction will begin in January and is expected to conclude in 2025. Two lanes will remain open during construction.
A prior phase expanded I-57 for 4.5 miles south of West Frankfort, and a current phase continues north for 3.5 miles.
Future phases will expand I-57 to Mt. Vernon, replace several bridges, and reconstruct the I-57/64 interchange with Illinois 15.
The state has invested $268 million through Rebuild Illinois to modernize I-57.
In its second year, Rebuild Illinois has invested approximately $5.2 billion of the $33.2 billion allotted to upgrade the state’s aging transportation system.