State funding confirmed for I-80 bridges in Joliet

A state transportation spokesman confirmed Friday that the new state capital bill will fund replacement of the Interstate 80 bridges over the Des Plaines River.

The $45 billion capital bill approved a week ago funds roads, bridges and public construction projects, as well as providing funding for local nonprofits.

One of the biggest projects in the bill is $848 million in improvements planned for Interstate 80.

That spending will include replacement of the Des Plaines River bridges, Illinois Department of Transportation spokesman Guy Tridgell said Friday.

"Between the capital bill and the bridge work IDOT has already programmed, the I-80 improvements made possible by the capital program will include replacing the bridges over the Des Plaines River," Tridgell said in an email.

IDOT also plans extra lanes at selected interchange areas and smaller bridge replacements along a 16-mile stretch of I-80 running from Route 30 in New Lenox to Ridge Road in Minooka.

State Rep. Larry Walsh Jr., D-Elwood, said a timetable for bridge replacement at the Des Plaines river probably will be included in the a six-year plan from IDOT expected in coming months.

“We’re still waiting for IDOT to come out with their multiyear plan,” Walsh said. “That will set the stage for what transpires over the next six years.”

Daybreak Center

The capital bill also includes an expected $560,000 for Catholic Charities’ Daybreak Center for the homeless in Joliet, as well as other local nonprofit organizations.

Catholic Charities spokeswoman Kathleen Langdon said the agency was told by state Sen. Pat McGuire, D-Joliet, that it would receive money to spend on building maintenance.

“We think it’s going to be $560,000, which is very, very wonderful,” Langdon said.

Catholic Charities has asked the city of Joliet for support to resolve a deficit created by declining federal funds for Daybreak Center.

Langdon said the state money cannot be spent to offset the Daybreak operational deficit but will help with needed building repairs.