River Road I-80 Overpass: Finally Ready To Reopen 1 Year Later?

SHOREWOOD — Although the good people of Joliet are accustomed to more than their share of misery when it comes to street repairs and road closures, the residents near Shorewood have been smacked in the face a few times, too.

In addition to having the Seil Road Bridge reduced from two lanes to only one lane of traffic for now through eternity, another major inconvenience in Shorewood began one year ago when the Illinois Department of Transportation shut down the River Road overpass bridge along Interstate 80.

The road closure of River Road at Mound Road alerted motorists that the road construction project, tearing down and building a new overpass bridge above Interstate 80, would begin on Dec. 4, 2023 and the work would be finished by Sept. 30 of this year.

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The closure of South River Road has impacted hundreds of area families heading to the Troy Baseball Complex and people trying to visit the nearby Lake Chaminwood Preserve.

Since this time last year, orange detour signs are posted in both directions along River Road, warning motorists that River Road would be shut down for the next 10 months, from Dec. 4, 2023 through September 30, 2024. The section of River Road off-limits to motorists is between the intersection at Mound Road and the one at Shepley Road.

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When October arrived, the Illinois Department of Transportation did not return to Shorewood to conduct a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

That’s because the construction of the new River Road I-80 overpass apparently fell behind schedule, and the work did not get finished on time despite the contractors hired by the state of Illinois having 10 months to complete the work.

Last month, realizing the overpass still was not done, IDOT updated its orange detour signs posted near Mound Road; the sign now alert motorists that the River Road overpass bridge over Interstate 80 will be closed through Nov. 15.

Friday, Nov. 15 — isn’t that just four days away?

Does this mean the River Road overpass will finally be open to vehicular traffic this weekend?

Hold on. Hold on. Let’s slow down on the excitement, folks.

We’ll have to wait until Saturday to see whether the detour signs are taken down or whether IDOT returns to the scene and puts up new dates for the River Road overpass closure.

After all, this is Illinois, land of orange and white plastic barrels, blazing orange detour signs and more than our share of “ROAD CLOSED” and “BRIDGE OUT” barricades.

Related Patch coverage:

Joliet Residents Must Remain Miserable: Ferak Column

River Road Closing For 10 Months, Detours Revealed


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