Joliet Mayor Says I-80 Problem Near Rowell Avenue Might Take A While To Fix

JOLIET, IL - Monday afternoon and evening did not bring positive experiences for thousands of eastbound motorists along Interstate 80. Traffic, at times, was backed up for several miles. It turns out that crews had to reduce the I-80 traffic to only one lane. There was a hole in the bridge deck near Rowell Avenue, according to the popular Facebook page, Northern Illinois FireGround Photos.

"Please find an alternate route while the state figures out how to fix the hole," Joliet Mayor Bob O'Dekirk alerted his followers on Facebook. "A hole in the Interstate 80 bridge over Rowell Avenue snarled Monday's rush hour traffic well into the night, and relief was not expected until early Tuesday morning. Eastbound traffic started backing up right around the time of the afternoon commute, starting at Rowell Avenue and going all the way to River Road."

One person who commented on the Joliet Mayor's new Facebook page said, "This is the only state that I have lived in where the WORST way to get around is by using the Freeways and Tollways!"

Patch File photo