Gov. Pritzker marks next phase of Houbolt Road project in Joliet

Gov. JB Pritzker and state officials marked the next phase of construction on the new Houbolt Road bridge and interchange project in Joliet on Thursday.

Pritzker said the next phase involves the widening of Houbolt Road and reconfiguration of the interchange into a high-capacity, diverging diamond design.

“Today is about jobs and economic growth for Joliet, for Will County and for the entire state of Illinois,” Pritzker said at a news conference held at Joliet Junior College on Thursday, not far from where construction on Houbolt Road is taking place.

The project is designed to alleviate truck congestion on local roads by providing a direct route between Interstate 80 and CenterPoint Intermodal Center, which contains intermodal yards in Joliet and Elwood on the other side of the Des Plaines River.

The bridge, estimated to cost about $150 million, will be a toll bridge. It is being built and funded through a private-public joint venture that includes CenterPoint Properties and United Bridge Partners.

The city of Joliet is also overseeing the $33.5 million project to widen Houbolt Road and reconfigure its interchange with I-80. The state is providing $32 million for the project, according to a news release.

State officials said improving access to CenterPoint’s intermodal facilities via Houbolt Road will reduce congestion on I-80 and significantly reduce traffic near the entrances to the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery and Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie on Route 53.

“I’m happy to see the progress being made on the construction of the Houbolt Road Bridge. We know, moving forward, the critical role this will play as development continues around the two intermodal ports in our region,” Joliet Mayor Bob O’Dekirk said in a statement. “The public-private partnership we have forged is a model for major capital improvements moving forward.”

Advanced work on Houbolt Road is anticpated to begin with the relocation of utilities this winter, weather permitting, with construction starting soon afterward. The project is expected to be completed by 2023, according to a news release.

Pritzker also noted how the Houbolt Road improvements are a key part of the $1.2 billion restoration of about 16 miles of I-80 from Ridge Road to U.S. 30 and the replacement of the bridges over the Des Plaines River. It was among the most highly touted projects included in the Rebuild Illinois capital program passed by the Illinois General Assembly in 2019.

“As the second-longest freeway in the nation, I-80 is integral to Illinois’ leadership as the transportation hub of the entire United States,” Pritzker said.

While traffic on the highway has grown to about 80,000 vehicles per day, Pritzker said the infrastructure investments have not kept up. He said that I-80 “badly needed an overhaul, and now it’s getting one.”

Last October, Pritzker and IDOT announced what they called an ambitious timeline for completion of construction along I-80.

Officials stressed how necessary the infrastructure improvements are to the continued economic growth in Will County.

Dough Pryor, the vice president of the Will County Center for Economic Development, said the state’s emphasis on funding projects like the Houbolt Road bridge is so valuable to growing local businesses. It also helps attract new businesses from around the world, like Lion Electric Company, of Canada, which is building a factory in Joliet.

“Reinvestment in Will County infrastructure will continue to allow us to compete globally,” he said.