Rebuilding Illinois: Construction begins on Houbolt Road Extension in Will County

CHICAGO - The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) today joined CenterPoint Properties, Will County and City of Joliet officials to mark the start of construction of the Houbolt Road Extension, a public-private partnership that will improve safety and traffic flow along the critical Interstate 80 corridor, while expanding job growth and economic opportunity. The project includes a 1.5-mile extension of Houbolt Road, a rebuilt interchange with I-80 and a new bridge connecting to the country's largest inland port. By leveraging an IDOT investment of $32 million to accomplish an overall improvement of nearly $200 million, this project furthers Governor JB Pritzker's mission to overhaul one of the state's key travel and freight corridors.

"Rebuild Illinois is about investing in our future - supporting this generation and the next by making sure we have good jobs and the roads to get there," said Governor JB Pritzker. "I'm proud that this private-public partnership will further cement our state's leadership as a hub for national and regional travel, all while creating earning opportunities for hardworking residents across Will County."

"Creatively using resources to improve the transportation system not just in Will County but across the entire state is a top priority of IDOT under the leadership of Gov. Pritzker," said Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman. "This project is just one of several major upgrades of I-80 in the coming years, thanks to the governor's vision. The new bridge will link
I-80 and the intermodal facilities in Will County, alleviate traffic congestion, make travel safer along a critical national corridor and further strengthen the state's economy."

Under a unique agreement between the City of Joliet and IDOT, the city will oversee a $32 million state commitment will support a $33.5 million project to widen Houbolt Road. The project will also reconfigure the interchange with I-80 to a modern, high-capacity diverging-diamond design. In turn, CenterPoint will build and operate a new tolled bridge on Houbolt Road over the Des Plaines River, providing two lanes of traffic in each direction between I-80 and the company's intermodal facilities, home to thousands of jobs and $75 billion dollars in freight activity annually.

The direct connection from the interstate will not only improve conditions on I-80, but greatly reduce the volume of trucks using Illinois 53, the location of the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery and Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie. Construction is anticipated to be complete in 2023.

"Infrastructure is key to Will County's comeback from the pandemic," said Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant." This highly anticipated project will support the continued growth of transportation and logistics in Will County, reduce truck traffic on local roads and create hundreds of construction jobs."

Made possible by Gov. Pritzker's historic, bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital program, the improvements coincide with plans to reconstruct and improve 16 miles of I-80, from Ridge Road in Minooka to U.S. 30 in Joliet and New Lenox, including the replacement of the Des Plaines River bridges.

Passed in 2019, Rebuild Illinois is investing $33.2 billion into the state's aging transportation
system, creating jobs and promoting economic growth. Rebuild Illinois is not only the largest
capital program in state history but also the first one that touches all modes of Illinois
transportation: roads and bridges, transit, waterways, freight and passenger rail, aviation, and
bicycle and pedestrian accommodations.

For more on the information on the Houbolt Road extension, visit www.houboltroadextension.com.