Motorists traveling through the Illinois Valley will encounter several construction zones beginning Monday as the Illinois Department of Transportation launches three separate projects from Princeton to Ottawa, including major work at the Interstate 80 and Interstate 39 interchange.

Forty years ago, Interstate 39 opened from Mendota to Rockford. On Friday, Oct. 18, 1985, Former Illinois Gov. Jim Thompson stepped out from a stagecoach and was escorted about 100 yards in the coach to speak to a crowd of over 500 people.