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Overview
As one of the first projects of the historic bipartisan “Rebuild Illinois” effort, this project fixes one of the state’s worst stretches of roadway.
WHEN WILL THIS PROJECT START AND HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?
This project was on the Nov. 8, 2019, letting and was awarded to the joint venture of The Kilian Corp. and Keeley & Sons Inc. with an apparent low bid of $67 million. Construction activities are expected to begin in early 2020. The work will be completed in two sections: the North Section, from I-64 to Collinsville Road, and the South Section, from the Illinois 15 interchange to I-64. Each section will be closed for approximately five months. Some patchwork will occur along the South Section prior to the northern closure to ensure and extend the ability of that section to handle traffic. Work will start on the North Section in early spring with the full closure (all lanes) of I-255 between I-64 and I-55/70. Full closure of the South Section, between I-64 and Illinois 15, will start after the North Section is complete. IDOT will provide signed detour routes utilizing I-55/70 to and from I-64. Local traffic is expected to use alternate state routes to bypass the closure.
WHY AN INTERSTATE CLOSURE?
IDOT has determined that an interstate closure is the best construction method to use for this project because it ensures the safety of both the workers and the motoring public. An interstate closure eliminates potential conflicts a motorist might have because of lane shifts, crossovers and emergency closures. Most importantly, an interstate closure maximizes safety for the men and women who will work on this project. This construction method also provides significant cost and time savings. By closing this stretch of I-255, IDOT is able to save approximately $14 million. These cost savings allow us to use these funds elsewhere within the region on other critical infrastructure projects. It also allows the work/project to be accelerated and compressed into one construction season, and it also reduces the overall construction time for a project of this size from four years to 10 months.
Benefits from complete lane closure include:
- Completion of the project in 10 months instead of 4 years.
- Save taxpayers $14 million, plus the ongoing costs of repairing lanes that would stay open with staged construction.
- Eliminate lane shifts for new configurations, thus reducing accidents and driver confusion.
- Ensure the safety of workers during construction by keeping traffic out of the work zone.
