Plans for Route 52 improvements in Joliet, Shorewood move ahead

Plans continue for improvements on U.S. Route 52 in Joliet and Shorewood.

The Illinois Department of Transportation is in the process of completing the first phase of engineering for the project, Joliet Public Works Director Greg Ruddy told the City Council last week.

Ruddy provided a brief update as the council approved a letter of intent for the city’s participation in the project.

The project will run along a 2.5-mile stretch of Route 52, locally designated as Jefferson Street, between Houbolt Road in Joliet and River Road in Shorewood.

Improvements include additional lanes in the Shorewood section, a raised median with landscaping, a multi-use path, improved intersections, and a bridge over the DuPage River, Ruddy said.

Route 52 already is four lanes in Joliet. But it will be expanded from two lanes to four lanes in the Shorewood section between River Road and Illinois Route 59, according to the project description on the IDOT website.

The center median will run the course of the project, according to the IDOT website.

Intersection improvements will be made at Route 59, Houbolt Road, and the Interstate 55 interchange ramps.

The project also will connect sidewalks with existing trails, according to IDOT.

The project has been in the works since at least 2020, when the state announced it was part of a five-year highway improvement plan.

In October, IDOT hosted an open house on the project at Joliet Junior College.