The Illinois Department of Transportation announced today that the Delhi Bypass in Jersey County will open to all four lanes of traffic several months ahead of schedule.
The $18.6 million project is set to open between 9AM and 3PM today. The bypass expands US 67 from two to four lanes, beginning in Godfrey and progresses north 2.4 miles around Delhi in southern Jersey County.
Construction started on the bypass in the fall of 2020, with an anticipated completion date in 2022. Due to favorable weather conditions over the past year, the project was able to advance at an accelerated pace. The initial two lanes of the bypass opened this fall.
The construction is part of the overall vision of the Corridor 67 project, which has been in development for nearly three decades, with the initial construction beginnings in the late 1990s.
The Illinois Department of Transportation’s 2019-2024 multi-year program contained earmarked $24.4 million set aside to construct the bypass. Eventually the four-lane highway will pass by Jerseyville, Carrollton, White Hall, and connect to the remaining four-lane highway just north of Roodhouse. The estimated unfunded cost to complete the four-lane sections in the US 67 corridor from Macomb southward to the Alton Bypass exceeds $1.7 billion.
IDOT officials have said no further construction is set to begin until possibly next year or further into the future.
Motorists should still expect intermittent, temporary lane closures in the coming months to complete miscellaneous work, such as permanent landscaping, shoulder upgrades and drainage improvements. Drivers are urged to pay close attention to flaggers and signs in the work zones, obey the posted speed limits, and remain alert for workers and equipment.