Rowell Avenue Closures Announced By IDOT

JOLIET, IL — The Illinois Department of Transportation announced Thursday that Rowell Avenue in Joliet will need to be closed for four consecutive nights as part of the ongoing work to rebuild the eastbound Interstate 80 bridge over Rowell Avenue/Canadian National Railroad.

To complete the work, Rowell Avenue between Linden and Haven avenues will be closed from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. beginning Monday, IDOT announced.

A detour will direct Rowell Avenue motorists to Richards Street, Fourth Street and Mills Road. The work is expected to be completed by 6 a.m. Friday, Sep. 3.

Motorists can expect delays and should allow extra time for trips through this area. Drivers are urged to pay close attention to flaggers and signs in the work zones, obey the posted speed limits and be on the alert for workers and equipment, IDOT advised.

IDOT's project includes replacing the existing eastbound Interstate 80 bridges over Hickory Creek, Richards Street, Rowell Avenue/Canadian National Railroad, and westbound over Richards Street, with new wider structures, installing new signage and modernized LED lights, reconstructing, and widening eastbound I-80 from Gardner Street to Rowell Avenue.

The work is expected to be completed late 2022. Once the eastbound bridges are nearing completion, focus will turn to rebuilding the westbound bridges, IDOT said.