I-255 to Reopen a Month Ahead of Schedule, Preliminary Work Starts on U.S. 67 Expansion

By Jeremy Coumbes on October 22, 2020 at 12:28pm

Governor J.B. Prizker had positive news to share today on infrastructure improvements.

Pritzker announced at a press conference in Collinsville today the I-255 rehabilitation project will be completed by November 1st, nearly a month ahead of schedule.

I-255 was completely closed to traffic for approximately nine months over two sections.

Pritzker says the repairs were completed in one construction season instead of the four years that would have been needed if construction was staged, reducing the estimated project cost by $14 million to a total of $67 million. The safety risk to workers and motorists was eliminated by removing traffic from the work zone.

The project was one of the first of the Pritzker Administration’s Rebuild Illinois Plan. Pritzker also announced today that preliminary work is starting on the Delhi Bypass in Jersey County.

The $18.6 million project will build a new road, expanding U.S. 67 from two lanes to four lanes, beginning in Godfrey and progressing north 2.4 miles around Delhi. The Delhi Bypass, part of a larger vision to eventually expand and extend U.S. 67 north in multiple phases, is expected to be completed in late 2022.