Road improvement projects along I-57 in the south suburbs of Chicago are complete, the Illinois Department of Transportation said on Wednesday.
As part of Gov. JB Pritzker’s Rebuild Illinois program, the four projects, which include repairing two bridges and resurfacing nearly 20 miles of interstate highway, represent a total investment of $82.1 million for the region, the department said.
“I couldn’t be happier to announce that we have officially completed multiple improvement projects along I-57,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Thanks to an investment of more than $82 million from our landmark Rebuild Illinois Capital Plan, the South Side, and south suburbs will see modernized infrastructure coupled with less congestion and more accessibility. Together, we are building an Illinois that gets people where they’re going—with the promise of opportunity at every turn.”
As part of the overall improvements, the project included patching and resurfacing a 13-mile stretch of I-57 between Steger Road and West County Line Road; repairing the bridge over I-80 in Country Club Hills; installing a new bridge deck overlay over the Canadian National Railroad in Matteson and Richton Park; and patching and resurfacing a 7.6-mile stretch of I-57, as well as replacing overhead expressway signs, from I-294 in Posen to Halsted Street in Chicago.
“The I-57 corridor is a critical piece of the Chicago area expressway system that was in major need of repair,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman. “This investment is yet another great example of IDOT rebuilding and fixing infrastructure across the state while improving safety and putting people to work.”
Rebuild Illinois will improve I-57 throughout Illinois, including bridge replacements in Kankakee, rebuilt interchanges with I-74 in Champaign-Urbana, and upgrades in southern Illinois. The improvements are part of improvements to more than 2,500 miles of roads and nearly 10 million square feet of bridges throughout the state over the next six years.