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The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) announced that weather permitting, a long-term closure of one lane of northbound I-55 at the Des Plaines River Bridge near the village of Channahon, will begin early morning, Tuesday, April 22, 2014.  One southbound lane of I-55 was closed in early April and remains closed.

Lane closures are necessary to complete structural steel repairs, painting, bridge deck patching and deck resurfacing on the northbound structure this year.  Traffic will be routed utilizing the cross-overs late the week of April 28, 2014. The southbound structure will then carry traffic across the Des Plaines River.  The anticipated completion date for this project is September 1, 2014. 

Each lane northbound and southbound will be reduced to 13' - 10".  A series of warning signs will be erected in advance of the lane closure and in advance of the last interchange.   Warning signs will be at entrance ramps from IL 113, IL 129, Lorenzo Road, River Road, Arsenal Road, Bluff Road, US 6 and I-80.

The Smart Traffic Monitoring (STM) System will be used this year. System sensors, eleven portable changeable message signs and cameras will monitor traffic to give real-time updates of travel times and stopped conditions throughout the work zone. As traffic builds, the signs will change with appropriate messages for motorists. Some changeable signs will be placed in advance of the alternate route designated for this project. An alternate route using I-80 and IL 47 to bypass the I-55 construction zone has been posted.

Illinois State Police will have extra troopers in the area monitoring and enforcing the posted work zone speed limit and the hand-held cell phone ban.  The new law bans hand-held cellphone use except in an emergency and allows only for speakerphones and headsets that feature voice-activated or one-digit dialing. The new law, which took effect January 1, 2014, also imposes fines starting at $75 for drivers caught using a hand-held cellphone while driving.  Violators could pay $150 for repeat offenses and eventually have their driver’s licenses suspended.      

Motorists can expect delays during times when the lane closures are in effect and should allow extra time for trips through this area.  Drivers are urged to pay close attention to the signs in the work zones, obey the posted speed limits, and be on the alert for workers and equipment. 

Find details on other construction projects in IDOT’s District 1 at www.dot.state.il.us. Updates on the impacts to traffic are available at www.travelmidwest.com.

I-96:

The eastbound and westbound I-96 service drives (Schoolcraft Road) have only the right lane open between Telegraph and Newburgh roads until October.

  The following ramps will be closed until October:

• Outer Drive to westbound I-96;
• Greenfield Road to westbound I-96;
• Evergreen Road to westbound I-96; and 
• Northbound and southbound M-39 (Southfield Freeway) ramps to westbound I-96.

On westbound I-96, all express lanes will be forced onto M-39. Local lanes will be forced off onto Telegraph Road. The westbound I-96 local lanes will NOT be able to access M-39.

Eastbound M-14 traffic will be forced off onto I-275.

The northbound and southbound I-275 ramps to eastbound I-96 will be reduced to one lane, with all eastbound traffic forced off at Newburgh Road.

For more information on this $148 million investment, go to the project website at www.96fix.com. Follow project updates on www.facebook.com/96fix and www.twitter.com/96fix.

The Illinois Tollway is scheduled to shift traffic this week in both directions on the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) and on the Lee Street Bridge as part of the Lee Street Interchange Project.
 
The Lee Street Interchange Project is reconstructing the Lee Street Bridge carrying traffic over I-90 and rebuilding the two existing ramps providing access to and from the east to accommodate the new, wider Tollway being built as part of the I-90 Rebuilding and Widening Project. The project is funded by the Tollway's 15-year, $12 billion capital program, Move Illinois: The Illinois Tollway Driving the Future.
 
I-90 Overnight Traffic Shifts
Weather permitting, overnight lane closures are scheduled this week to shift eastbound and westbound I-90 traffic to the right under the Lee Street Bridge and provide a work zone to construct the center support column for the bridge. During overnight hours, two lanes on I-90 will be closed to complete pavement striping and to shift traffic, leaving one lane open overnight. Lane reductions will be removed by 5 a.m. daily in advance of the morning rush hour.
 
Work zones are already in place on the right shoulders in both directions along I-90 for retaining wall construction, utility relocations and drainage improvements that are required in advance of rebuilding and widening the roadway.
 
Lee Street Bridge and Ramp Work Begins
On the morning of Thursday, April 24, weather permitting, all traffic is scheduled to be shifted onto the southbound side of the Lee Street Bridge with one lane open in both directions. Southbound traffic will be shifted first and then northbound traffic will be moved onto the southbound side of the bridge. After traffic on the bridge has been shifted, work will also begin to reconstruct the eastbound entrance and westbound exit ramps connecting Lee Street to I-90.
 
Traffic will remain in this configuration until late summer while the northbound side of the bridge is reconstructed and then traffic will be moved onto the new lanes on the northbound side of the bridge while the southbound side of the bridge is reconstructed. The Lee Street Bridge and ramps will remain open throughout construction.
 
Work Zone Safety
A 45 mph work zone speed limit will be in effect 24/7 in the construction zone on Lee Street and the ramps. The work zone speed limit on I-90 is 55 mph in both directions between Illinois Route 25 and Elmhurst Road, whether or not workers are present, while a 45 mph work zone speed limit will be in place in both directions between Elmhurst Road and I-294. Drivers should continue to watch for changing traffic patterns and use caution at all times.  Illinois State Police have zero tolerance for drivers speeding in work zones. The minimum penalty for speeding in a work zone is $375. Posted signs advise drivers of a $10,000 fine and 14-year jail sentence for hitting a roadway worker.
 
I-90 Rebuilding and Widening Project
The Illinois Tollway is rebuilding and widening 62 miles along the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I‐90) as a 21st century, state‐of‐the-art corridor linking Rockford to O’Hare International Airport. The I‐90 corridor from Chicago to Rockford serves nearly 1 million travelers per day. This work is part of the Tollway’s 15-year, $12 billion capital program, Move Illinois: The Illinois Tollway Driving the Future.
 
In 2014, the Illinois Tollway is scheduled to complete the reconstruction and widening between Elgin and Rockford. The eastbound lanes were completed in 2013. Work on the segment of I-90 from the Tri-State Tollway (I-294) to Elgin is scheduled for 2014-2016.
 
Ongoing construction will have an impact on travel throughout the 62-mile-long I-90 corridor. Whenever possible, the Tollway will use traffic shifts and shoulders to keep as many lanes open during peak hours as were available before construction, however, some lane closures will be needed during the construction season.
 
As a result, drivers may want to consider an alternate route. Depending on the destination, traffic traveling west to Rockford and Wisconsin can use the Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88) to I-39 as an alternate route. Likewise, traffic travelling east toward Chicago and O’Hare International Airport can use the I-39/I-88 alternate route.
 

Getting Tollway Construction Information
The Illinois Tollway has a variety of ways customers can get the latest travel information, including:

• www.illinoistollway.com – Construction/Planning section, Tollway Trip Calculator and real-time roadway incident information
• 1-800-TOLL-FYI – Daily lane closure information
• www.travelmidwest.com – Real-time travel times
• www.nbcchicago.com – Up-to-the-minute traffic by roadway
• www.myfoxchicago.com – Latest traffic conditions
• www.twitter.com – Real-time roadway incident information at Tollway Trip 90, Tollway Trip 88, Tollway Trip 355 and Tollway Trip 94/294

Effective 8 a.m. Monday, April 21, weight restrictions will be lifted from the southern Michigan border north to and including the entire stretch of US-10 from Ludington, Mason County, east to and including M-25 and the entire thumb area. However, for the rest of the state (north of US-10), weight restrictions will remain imposed and enforced on all state trunkline highways. State routes typically carry M, I, or US designations.

In the restricted areas, the following will apply:

• On routes designated as "all-season routes" (designated in green and gold on the MDOT Truck Operators Map), there will be no reduction in legal axle weights.
• On routes designated as "seasonal" (designated in solid or dashed red on the MDOT Truck Operators Map), there will be a posted weight reduction of 25 percent for rigid pavements and 35 percent for flexible pavements.

All extended permits will be valid for oversize loads in the weight-restricted area on the restricted routes. Single-trip permits will not be issued for any overweight loads or loads exceeding 14 feet in width, 11 axles and 150 feet in overall length on the restricted routes.

The work is part of the on-going I-94 (Bishop Ford Expressway) at Stony Island Feeder Interchange reconstruction project. Improvements include two complete bridge replacements, two bridge rehabilitations including bridge deck overlay and deck joint removal and replacement, one new bridge deck and bearing replacement and one bridge removal.  The construction will include demolishing the existing concrete decks, new parapet walls and new bearings on the bridges.  The project also includes the reconstruction of the Stony Island Extension, which includes new jointed pavement, resurfacing and drainage improvements.

The project contains work on multiple interchange ramps and various electrical improvements.  There will be work during night time hours for the beam erection and bridge replacements.  The anticipated completion date for this project is October 31, 2014.

The following detour will be posted:

• From eastbound I-94 (Bishop Ford) to Exit Ramp 66A – 111th Street.  Traffic will make a left turn on 111th Street and do a complete turn-around and enter the westbound I-94 (Bishop Ford) lanes.  Traffic will travel westbound on I-94 to Exit 65 – 103rd Street and Stony Island Avenue.  Traffic will travel towards the 103rd Street exit ramp.

Motorists can expect delays during times when the lane closures are in effect and should allow extra time for trips through this area. Drivers are urged to pay close attention to flaggers and signing in the work zones, obey the posted speed limits, and be on the alert for workers and equipment.

The Illinois Department of Transportation announces that postings to restrict the allowable gross vehicular weights will go into effect on the following roads in Whiteside County effective March 14, 2013:

•     Garden Plain Road - 5 tons per axle (westbound lane only)
•     Freeport Road - 11 tons

Depending upon the weather, the postings will be lifted on or before May 1, 2014.

The Illinois Department of Transportation announced that postings to restrict the allowable gross vehicular weights will go into effect on the following roads in Henry County, effective February 1, 2014:  

As weather permits, the postings will be lifted in the vicinity of May 1, 2014.

Key Trucker Links

Federal / Regional

• Federal Highway Administration
• Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)
• FMCSA SAFER (Safety and Fitness Electronic Records System)
• Mid-West Truckers Association

Illinois

• Illinois Department of Transportation
• Getting Around Illinois
• Illinois DOT Truckers Links
• Illinois DOT Rest Areas
• Illinois Tollway
• Illinois Tollway Construction Projects
• Illinois Tollway Rates
• Illinois Tollway Oasis Information
• Illinois Tollway Truck Travel
• Illinois Commerce Commission - Motor Carrier/Trucking
• Illinois Department of Revenue - Motor Fuel
• Illinois State Police
• Illinois Secretary of State
• Illinois Department of Transportation - Division of Traffic Safety
• Chicago Skyway
• City of Chicago Department of Transportation
• Illinois Trucking Association

Indiana

• Indiana Department of Transportation
• Indiana DOT TrafficWise
• Indiana DOT Commercial Motor Vehicle Guidebook
• Indiana Toll Road
• Indiana Department of Revenue
• Indiana State Police
• Indiana Motor Truck Association

Michigan

• Michigan Department of Transportation
• Michigan DOT - Info for Truckers
• Michigan Center for Truck Safety
• Michigan Secretary of State
• Michigan State Police
• Michigan Department of Treasury - IFTA / Motor Carrier FAQ
• Michigan Trucking Association

Wisconsin

• Wisconsin Department of Transportation
• Wisconsin DOT Motor Carriers and Trucking
• Wisconsin State Patrol
• Wisconsin Motor Carriers Association