Route 50-Armour Road construction nearing completion

BRADLEY — The Illinois Route 50 intersection expansion at Armour Road has entered the home stretch.

The $13.8 million project will improve traffic flow in one of Kankakee County’s busy areas surrounded by retail, lodging, and CSL Behring, Kankakee County’s largest employer, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.

The project started in May 2023 and has drawn the ire of many drivers and residents.

“The Illinois 50 project is on track to be completed this summer,” said Paul Wappel, public information officer for IDOT. “Work is currently wrapping up on the underground storm sewers. Work that will be continuing throughout the winter includes electrical work for lighting, traffic signals, sidewalks and bike paths.”

The final layer of asphalt will come in a few months, Wappel said.

“Additionally, the asphalt base is in, but there will be a binder and then a surface lift of asphalt on top of that which will be installed,” he said. “Final paving is expected to happen sometime this spring when temperatures are warm enough.”

The project will eliminate the need for a four-way stop at a northern entrance to CSL Behring’s Bourbonnais Township facility.

The work removes what has been a decades-old bottleneck for the approximately 16,900 motorists who use Armour Road and the 24,000 drivers on Illinois Route 50 each day, IDOT said when the project started.

The project consists of widening and resurfacing the intersection of Illinois 50 and Armour Road with additional dedicated turn lanes. Improvements also include new storm sewers, an updated biking and walking path, sidewalks, new curbs and gutters, improved lighting, modernized traffic signals and landscaping.