State senator says $1.5 billon coming for Will County area road projects

State Sen. Rachel Ventura, D-Joliet, announced $1.5 billion being spent by the state for highway, bridge and bike path projects.

The biggest share of the money is being spent on land acquisition for Interstate 80 improvements in Joliet, New Lenox and Minooka.

“Transportation infrastructure is essential to our community as we offer so much to the state in terms of trucking and warehouse operations,” Ventura said in a news release announcing the spending. “Commuters, visitors and truckers alike will all benefit from this massive investment into our community.”

Ventura said the Illinois Department of Transportation’s latest Multi-Year Plan for the next six years includes 128 infrastructure projects totaling more than $1.5 billion.

As part of IDOT’s latest Multi-Year Plan under Rebuild Illinois, the district Ventura represents will see 128 infrastructure projects totaling more than $1.5 billion over the next six years. Ventura highlighted the following projects.

Projects highlighted by Ventura are:

• Interstate 80: $1.1 billion for land acquisition in Joliet, New Lenox and Minooka as well as construction engineering and a new bikeway on Ridge Road to U.S. Route 30

• U.S. Route 52: $131.9 million for bridge replacement at the Des Plaines River and Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal as well various construction projects in Shorewood and Joliet on River Road to Houbolt Road

• Interstate 55: $123.7 million for bridge replacement at Illinois 129 and reconstruction at Lorenzo Road

• U.S. Route 6: $9.2 million for pavement preservation in Joliet and Channahon and other various road improvements

The U.S. Route 6 pavement spending comes at a time that Channahon and Joliet officials are urging the state to widen the two-lane highway between I-55 and Houbolt Road to accommodate increased traffic, especially from trucks.

The two municipalities in passed a resolution to expand the road to four lanes, Channahon Mayor Missey Moorman Schumacher said.

“Since the Houbolt Road bridge project took off, I’ve been beating that drum constantly,” Schumacher said.