Spring is here and that means it’s time to keep an eye out for the many orange barrels on the road.
Starting on April 9th, the Illinois Department of Transportation will close a portion of I-55. The $11.6 million project consists of patching, milling and paving the I-55/I-72/I-55 Business section near Springfield, as well as the ramps at Stevenson Drive and I-55/I-72.
IDOT Spokesperson Kelsea Gurski says the night time work will start at 7 and will last until 6 in the morning.
“It’s basically due time for these upgrades. Last year we worked on the area of I-55 from Stevenson Drive north to about the Clear Lake and Sangamon Ave area. So this summer we are going to work from that area south to further and improve the road surface of that area” said Gurski.
The highway will be reduced to one lane Monday–Thursday. Friday-Sunday I-55/I-72 will be reduced to one lane from 9pm to 8am.
“I don’t know the average travel numbers are in the evenings and weekends in that area. I think it is safe to say that will be higher than during the week because people are traveling to St. Louis and Chicago. There is still going to be one lane for individuals to travel through so hopefully we won’t see any significant back ups because of the hours we selected” Gurski explains.
Gurski goes over some of the keys to being safe while driving through construction.
“One of the key things we always encourage motorist to keep in mind when they approach work zones is to avoid any and all distractions. Make sure that you are completely tuned in to what is happening on the road way. Because you might have a different surface area, different elevation and other kind of things. You really want to make sure you are paying total attention what’s on the road. You want to keep an eye out for workers and obeying the posted speed limits.” said Gurski.
Be safe out there while you are driving. The construction begins on April 9th at 7pm.