Politics & Government

I-90 Crossroad Bridges Slated to Close in March as Tollway Widening Project Continues

Seven local crossroad bridges carrying traffic over the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) in Boone, McHenry and Kane counties are scheduled to close in March for removal and reconstruction as part of the Illinois Tollway’s I-90 Rebuilding and Widening Project. 

The closures are expected to continue into fall. 

Beginning in March, the Town Hall Road, Pearl Street, Shattuck Road, County Line Road, Harmony-Riley Road, Harmony Road  and Hennig Road bridges are scheduled to close. Two of those bridges – Town Hall Road and Pearl Street in Boone County– are expected to close the week of March 3.

Find out what's happening in Crystal Lake-Carywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

With the exception of Shattuck Road and County Line Road bridges, detour routes will be posted. Construction project and detour information is also available in the “Projects By Roadway” section in the Construction/Planning section on the Tollway’s website at www.illinoistollway.com.

The seven local crossroad bridges are among 11 to be removed and reconstructed along I-90 this year. 

Find out what's happening in Crystal Lake-Carywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Other local crossroad bridges include Johnson Road and Bartlett Road, which are scheduled to close this spring. Work is also scheduled on Tyrrell Road and Higgins Road bridges later this year, but full closures are not needed for those bridges.

Full closure of some of these local crossroad bridges is necessary because the structures over I-90 are too narrow to accommodate traffic while completing the work. Traffic shifts and lane reductions will be in place on the bridges that remain open during construction. 

All 11 bridges will be reconstructed to accommodate the new, wider I-90 roadway.

The locations and detours for each bridge closure are as follows: 

Boone County

  • Town Hall Road: The detour will direct traffic to use Graham Road, Stone Quarry Road and U.S. Route 20 in both directions to route around the Town Hall Road closures. Up to 550 vehicles use this stretch of road daily.
  • Pearl Street: The detour will direct traffic to use U.S. Route 20, Stone Quarry Road and Bates Road in both directions to route around the Pearl Street closures. Up to 3,250 vehicles use this stretch of road daily.
  • Johnson Road: Bridge closure with detour scheduled for later this spring. Up to 100 vehicles use this stretch of road daily.
  • Shattuck Road: Bridge closure, but no detour will be posted. Up to 300 vehicles use this stretch of road daily. 

McHenry County

  • Harmony-Riley Road: The detour will direct traffic to use State Street, U.S. Route 20, Garden Prairie Road and Crawford Road in both directions to route around the Harmony-Riley Road closures. Up to 1,700 vehicles use this stretch of road daily.
  • County Line Road: Bridge closure, but no detour will be posted. Up to 275 vehicles use this stretch of road daily.

Kane County

  • Harmony Road: The detour will direct traffic to use Illinois Route 21, U.S. Route 20 and Harmony-Riley Road in both directions to route around the Harmony Road closures. Up to 2,200 vehicles use this stretch of road daily.
  • Hennig Road: The detour will direct traffic to use Big Timber Road, Sandwald Road and Jim Dhamer Drive in both directions to route around the Hennig Road closures. Up to 750 vehicles use this stretch of road daily.
  • Tyrrell Road: Bridge will remain open during construction. Up to 8,200 vehicles use this stretch of road daily.

 

Cook County

  • Bartlett Road: Bridge closure with detour scheduled for fall. Up to 6,300 vehicles use this stretch of road daily.
  • Higgins Road: Bridge will remain open during construction. Up to 24,900 vehicles use this stretch of road daily.

The local crossroad bridge projects are being coordinated with Boone, McHenry, Kane and Cook counties and the Illinois Department of Transportation, along with local municipalities, townships, school districts and police and fire departments.

I-90 Rebuilding and Widening Project

Improvements to local crossroad bridges are part of the $2.5 billion I-90 Rebuilding and Widening Project. 

The Illinois Tollway is rebuilding and widening 62 miles along the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I‐90) as a 21st century, state‐of‐the-art corridor linking Rockford to O’Hare International Airport. The I‐90 corridor from Chicago to Rockford serves nearly 1 million travelers per day.

In 2014, the Illinois Tollway is scheduled to complete the reconstruction and widening between Elgin and Rockford. The eastbound lanes were completed in 2013.

Work on the segment of I-90 from Chicago to Elgin is scheduled for 2014-2016. This work is part of the Tollway’s 15-year, $12 billion capital program, Move Illinois: The Illinois Tollway Driving the Future.

Work Zone Safety

Work zone speed limits are in effect 24/7 in all construction zones whether or not workers are present.  Drivers should continue to watch for changing traffic patterns and use caution at all times.

Illinois State Police have zero tolerance for drivers speeding in work zones. The minimum penalty for speeding in a work zone is $375. Posted signs advise drivers of a $10,000 fine and 14-year jail sentence for hitting a roadway worker.

 

Getting Tollway Construction Information

The Illinois Tollway has a variety of ways customers can get the latest travel information, including:

Source: Illinois Tollway press release 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here