I-55 and Weber Improvements Coming Soon: Quinn

Gov. Pat Quinn on Monday announced that the $69.2 million Interstate 55/Weber Road improvement project in Will County is moving forward, with the first construction projects to be awarded soon. The state of Illinois and Will County are sharing the cost of the project, with the state’s share coming from Quinn’s Illinois Jobs Now! capital construction program.

“A reconstructed interchange and upgrades to Weber Road will accommodate increased traffic and business development in the south suburbs,” Quinn said in a press release. “Ensuring the people of Will County have a 21st century infrastructure will help create jobs and drive the entire region’s economy forward.”

The project will include widening Weber Road to six lanes between 119th and 135th streets and building a new “diverging diamond” interchange with Interstate 55 that will allow motorists faster access to and from the interstate. The stretch of I-55 through Romeoville is the busiest in Will County and the Weber Road interchange currently serves more than 40,000 vehicles per day. This project will make traffic flow more freely and safely while improving access to homes and businesses in the area, Quinn’s office said.

The total cost will be $69.2 million, of which the state will pay $32.7 million and Will County $36.5 million. Will County will use its portion of the regional RTA tax plus any additional federal funds that can be secured to fund their share of the project.

“Improving the interchange at I-55 and Weber Road is one of Will County’s highest priority highway projects,” Will County Executive Larry Walsh said. “It has become a chokepoint for the more than 350,000 residents who live in an area of the County that has seen tremendous growth in both population and employment. Will County is committed to working with Governor Quinn to share the cost to construct a safe and modern interchange as soon as possible,” he adding, commending Quinn “for investing in this more than $69 million project which will continue to make Will County and Illinois economically competitive into the 21st century.”

According to Quinn’s office, the first bids for the project were let in September and contracts will be awarded this month.

The initial work will cost an estimated $250,000 and will include grading within the existing Interstate 55 right-of-way to prepare the site for the entrance and exit ramp work to come next year. In the meantime, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) will continue to work with Will County to secure the right-of-way necessary to construct the Weber Road improvements. The main construction contracts are tentatively scheduled to be awarded next summer, according to Quinn.

Earlier this year, Quinn signed Senate Bill 1219, which allows the Weber Road Interchange project to proceed whether or not certain state property is sold to help finance it. A law passed seven years ago designed 200 acres of land in Crest Hill as surplus state property and reallocated it for sale. The estimated $30 million in proceeds from the sale were to be used to improve the Weber and I-55 interchange — but the land remains unsold.

The new law, sponsored by Sen. Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant (D-Shorewood) and Rep. Natalie Manley (D-Joliet), will allow IDOT to proceed with the project even though the land has not been sold.

“Will County is one of the fastest growing counties in the nation,” Bertino-Tarrant said Monday. “We need roadways that can keep up with population growth and handle increased traffic so that residents and commuters are able to travel safely. This project will help us accomplish that.”