Route 17 interchange at I-55 in Dwight to close overnight Friday

The Illinois Department of Transportation announced that the Illinois Route 17 interchange at Interstate 55 in Dwight will be closed overnight on Friday.

The closure is necessary to set the structural steel for the north half of the Illinois 17 bridge over the interstate, according to a Wednesday news release.

The interchange will close beginning 7:30 p.m. Friday and reopen at 8:30 a.m. Saturday. Traffic will be detoured off and onto I-55 using the exit and entrance ramps at Illinois 17, and the road will be open in one lane each direction on the south half of the bridge. Traffic at the intersections will be controlled by flaggers.

The work is part of a $9.1 million project to replace the Illinois Route 17 bridge over I-55. The project is expected to be completed in mid-fall.

Drivers can expect delays and allow for extra time for trips through this area, and be prepared for slowed and stopped traffic. They’re asked to avoid the work area when feasible and use alternative routes when possible.

Over the next six years, IDOT is planning to improve more than 3,200 miles of highway and almost 9 million square feet of bridge deck as part of Rebuild Illinois, which is investing $33.2 billion into all modes of transportation. Accomplishments through Year Five of Rebuild Illinois include about $16 billion of improvements statewide on 6,541 miles of highway, 686 bridges and 986 additional safety improvements.

For IDOT District 3 updates on X, follow it at @IDOTDistrict3. View area construction details on IDOT’s traveler information map at www.GettingAroundIllinois.com.