The Illinois Department of Transportation informed the Village today that a long-awaited project to rehabilitate the I-55 bridge over Madison Street will begin, weather permitting, on Wednesday, May 10th. Southbound Madison Street will be closed at the underpass and a detour will be signed along Plainfield Road, IL Route 83 (Kingery) and Central Ave./S. Frontage Road. Northbound Madison Street will remain open at all times, but the closure of southbound Madison Street will remain until late-June. Local traffic should seek alternate routes during this time.
Constructed in 1959 and carrying over 142,000 vehicles per day, the I-55 bridge is one of the worst-rated in the State’s highway system. Exposed reinforcing steel and corroded bridge piers are obvious from underneath. Design of the project began in early 2020, repairs atop I-55 were completed in 2021, but bridge pier patching has been delayed since 2022. IDOT cannot postpone the project any longer and stated that its work begins on May 10th.
