March 28, 2024
Local News

IDOT says debris from Chicago Street was improperly disposed of

Spokeswoman said debris was being cleaned up

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The Illinois Department of Transportation said one of its crews improperly disposed of debris alongside a road in Custer Township earlier this week.

IDOT spokeswoman Maria Castaneda confirmed in an email that the debris came from the flood-damaged section of South Chicago Street in Joliet. The section of road was closed for much of this week after last weekend's heavy floods caused the pavement under a railroad viaduct to buckle.

Someone then recorded video of an IDOT crew dumping the debris alongside Coal City Road near Wilmington, according to a post on the Just Say No to NorthPoint Facebook page.

“Pretty sure that’s not how that’s supposed to work,” the post read.

Castaneda confirmed that IDOT officials saw the video.

She explained that “upon investigation, the local maintenance yard understood there was an agreement with a local official who has been seeking backfill material and did place some asphalt in the ditch area.”

Castaneda later explained the agreement was with the Custer Township road commissioner, who previously had requested the material from IDOT. Still, she said, the dumping of the debris does “not fall within IDOT’s disposal guidelines,” and the department reminded its staff about the proper requirements.

Casataneda said that, typically, debris is disposed of in a variety of ways, including at a specialized recycling facility. Sometimes contractors request to reuse asphalt blends on other projects.

Castaneda confirmed that IDOT crews had cleaned up the debris by the end of the day Thursday.

Alex Ortiz

Alex Ortiz

Alex Ortiz is a reporter for The Herald-News in Joliet. Originally from Romeoville, Ill., he joined The Herald-News in 2017 and mostly covers Will County government, politics, education and more. He earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a master's degree from Northwestern University.