Construction of Houbolt Road bridge in Joliet will wait until spring

Construction of the future Houbolt Road bridge is being pushed off to spring with another round of legal agreements still to be finalized.

The future toll bridge over the Des Plaines River has faced a number of delays because of a BNSF Railway lawsuit regarding the bridge’s crossing over a railroad line, but may be clearing the last legal hurdles.

"I'm very confident we're going forward," CenterPoint Properties CEO Michael Murphy said Monday.

A joint venture group formed by CenterPoint Properties will build and operate the bridge, which is intended to provide trucks with a direct route between the CenterPoint Intermodal Center and Interstate 80. The bridge is expected to relieve semitrailer congestion on other roads.

Murphy said it's still possible some clearing work can be done before spring.

"But we've got steel to order and some materials to order," he said. "We're probably looking at full-out construction March 15 or April 15."

The last major hurdle appeared to be cleared in July with a lease agreement spelling out CenterPoint’s financial responsibilities for the bridge, which will be owned by the city of Joliet. The lease, which took 18 months to negotiate, was a byproduct of a settlement on the BNSF lawsuit.

At that time, Murphy said construction could start in September with the bridge being completed in late 2022 or spring 2023.

But Joliet, BNSF and Houbolt Road Extension Joint Venture are still negotiating details of overpass and easement agreements that will make Joliet part of the legal settlement.

The Joliet City Council last week tabled a vote on the agreements, which were to come back to them Nov. 17.

But Assistant City Attorney Chris Regis said after a conference call with lawyers on Monday that the agreements will not likely be ready for a council vote next week. If not, the next council meeting is in December.

Construction cannot start until easement issues are resolved.

"We need an easement to operate a bridge over the railway," Regis said.

The easement has to be settled to get Illinois Commerce Commission approval for the bridge. It also is needed for a permit from the U.S. Coast Guard allowing the bridge to be built over the Des Plaines River.

"The Coast Guard has a permit waiting, but they want to see the BNSF agreement," Murphy said.

The bridge itself has been estimated to cost anywhere between $150 million and $200 million. The project also includes widening of Houbolt Road and a new interchange at I-80.

The project was first announced in 2016 by former Gov. Bruce Rauner.