Illinois notes

[hobsini2]

The list of selected projects for freight grants is out:  https://idot.illinois.gov/Assets/uploads/files/Transportation-System/Reports/OP&P/2023_Freight_Investment_Plan.pdf

There's an $8.75 million interchange project listed for I-57 at IL 50 on the second page.

95 mil for I-57 & Route 17 in Kankakee? I know they are widening 57 in that area but that seems a bit much.

[kphoger]

There's an $8.75 million interchange project listed for I-57 at IL 50 on the second page.

Thank god! I used to get off at the cloverleaf at 167th Street (and Cicero Avenue, by extension) every day on the way home from work, and the left turn lane to southbound Cicero Avenue (Illinois 50) is so short that the volume of left turning cars would regularly block one of the travel lanes. Here's hoping they widen that.

I was thoroughly confused for a second.  I was thinking, Salem is nowhere near Markham, so what is he talking about?.  Then I realized I was thinking of I-57 at US-50 instead...

[pianocello]

There's an $8.75 million interchange project listed for I-57 at IL 50 on the second page.

Thank god! I used to get off at the cloverleaf at 167th Street (and Cicero Avenue, by extension) every day on the way home from work, and the left turn lane to southbound Cicero Avenue (Illinois 50) is so short that the volume of left turning cars would regularly block one of the travel lanes. Here's hoping they widen that.

I was thoroughly confused for a second.  I was thinking, Salem is nowhere near Markham, so what is he talking about?.  Then I realized I was thinking of I-57 at US-50 instead...

You were both confusing me for a bit there. I feel like this is actually referring to the I-57/IL 50 interchange in the Bradley/Bourbonnais/Kankakee area, right? It would line up with the I-57/IL 17 interchange in the next line item.

[kphoger]

Ha!  Yeah, I'm sure you're correct.

[Rick Powell]

95 mil for I-57 & Route 17 in Kankakee? I know they are widening 57 in that area but that seems a bit much.

It's a SPUI interchange where they are building it for a future 3 lanes in each direction, a lane shift on the mainline that goes for several thousand feet each way, and a substantial mainline bridge over IL 17 that is part of the interchange. IDOT has some design engineering for it in their current program with project limits "0.2 miles south of Waldron Road to 0.5 miles north of IL 17 in Kankakee" which is about 1 1/2 miles, plus however far back the construction goes on IL 17.

[Hobart]

There's an $8.75 million interchange project listed for I-57 at IL 50 on the second page.

Thank god! I used to get off at the cloverleaf at 167th Street (and Cicero Avenue, by extension) every day on the way home from work, and the left turn lane to southbound Cicero Avenue (Illinois 50) is so short that the volume of left turning cars would regularly block one of the travel lanes. Here's hoping they widen that.

I was thoroughly confused for a second.  I was thinking, Salem is nowhere near Markham, so what is he talking about?.  Then I realized I was thinking of I-57 at US-50 instead...

You were both confusing me for a bit there. I feel like this is actually referring to the I-57/IL 50 interchange in the Bradley/Bourbonnais/Kankakee area, right? It would line up with the I-57/IL 17 interchange in the next line item.

Shucks, you're right!

I wonder what's wrong with it... they reconstructed it like ten years ago. Maybe they'll get rid of all of the signs down there with the capital to lowercase letter sizing issues.

[paulthemapguy]

A couple notes from recent developments around Will County:

1. The Houbolt-Laraway bridge has opened.  It's mainly for truck traffic, but passenger cars can use it too.  Tolls are implemented, and the payment varies based on the size of your car. I'll probably try it out, but the toll will prevent me from using the bridge habitually.  The construction of the DDI interchange at I-80 and Houbolt Road (exit 127) will continue, probably into next year.

2. Another DDI is being constructed just a couple miles away from that, at I-55 and IL-59.  That's been brought up before, and work on this interchange continues.  I just think it's wild that two DDI's are being built within a couple miles of each other.

3. The repave of I-55 continues between I-80 and Weber Road (exit 263).  Because of delays stemming from the material producers' strike last spring, only the northbound* lanes were repaved last year. The southbound* portion of the project was pushed to this spring.  It looks like most of the mainline milling was completed, and we have a rough grooved surface going south* along I-55 from I-80 to Weber.

[ET21]

A couple notes from recent developments around Will County:

1. The Houbolt-Laraway bridge has opened.  It's mainly for truck traffic, but passenger cars can use it too.  Tolls are implemented, and the payment varies based on the size of your car. I'll probably try it out, but the toll will prevent me from using the bridge habitually.  The construction of the DDI interchange at I-80 and Houbolt Road (exit 127) will continue, probably into next year.

2. Another DDI is being constructed just a couple miles away from that, at I-55 and IL-59.  That's been brought up before, and work on this interchange continues.  I just think it's wild that two DDI's are being built within a couple miles of each other.

3. The repave of I-55 continues between I-80 and Weber Road (exit 263).  Because of delays stemming from the material producers' strike last spring, only the southbound lanes were repaved last year. The northbound portion of the project was pushed to this spring.  It looks like most of the mainline milling was completed, and we have a rough grooved surface going north along I-55 from I-80 to Weber.

NB 55 was done last year, SB 55 is this year and man is it desperately needed.

[NWI_Irish96]

https://www.nbcchicago.com/traffic/blowing-dust-warning-issued-in-illinois-after-dust-storm-causes-large-i-55-crash/3131258/

Strong dust storm has caused fatal crashes in Illinois of all places.

It's a perfect storm (pun intended) of dry weather, very strong winds at almost a perfect 90 degree angle to I-55, and the time of year that many farmers are plowing fields.

[ilpt4u]

https://www.nbcchicago.com/traffic/blowing-dust-warning-issued-in-illinois-after-dust-storm-causes-large-i-55-crash/3131258/

Strong dust storm has caused fatal crashes in Illinois of all places.

It's a perfect storm (pun intended) of dry weather, very strong winds at almost a perfect 90 degree angle to I-55, and the time of year that many farmers are plowing fields.

Just south of Springfield. That segment is a very flat and open 6 lane highway, typically fairly high speed and typically safe at such due to design and typically great visibility - obviously not with the high winds

I am anxious to see the full cause report from ISP. Was it just dust from plowed/planted fields? Other factors into the reduced visibility?

[edwaleni]

https://www.nbcchicago.com/traffic/blowing-dust-warning-issued-in-illinois-after-dust-storm-causes-large-i-55-crash/3131258/

Strong dust storm has caused fatal crashes in Illinois of all places.

It's a perfect storm (pun intended) of dry weather, very strong winds at almost a perfect 90 degree angle to I-55, and the time of year that many farmers are plowing fields.

Just south of Springfield. That segment is a very flat and open 6 lane highway, typically fairly high speed and typically safe at such due to design and typically great visibility - obviously not with the high winds

I am anxious to see the full cause report from ISP. Was it just dust from plowed/planted fields? Other factors into the reduced visibility?

Planting season just started in south central Illinois, so the farmers are tilling right now, combined with heavy winds picked up the dirt.

The other factor is people driving too fast and too close to each other gives inadequate time to decide. While the trucks suffered the most, many cars saved themselves by bailing for the median or into the farmfields.

[Brandon]

https://www.nbcchicago.com/traffic/blowing-dust-warning-issued-in-illinois-after-dust-storm-causes-large-i-55-crash/3131258/

Strong dust storm has caused fatal crashes in Illinois of all places.

It's a perfect storm (pun intended) of dry weather, very strong winds at almost a perfect 90 degree angle to I-55, and the time of year that many farmers are plowing fields.

Just south of Springfield. That segment is a very flat and open 6 lane highway, typically fairly high speed and typically safe at such due to design and typically great visibility - obviously not with the high winds

I am anxious to see the full cause report from ISP. Was it just dust from plowed/planted fields? Other factors into the reduced visibility?

I'd rather see a report from NTSB instead of ISP.  I don't exactly trust a non-neutral state police force with a vested interest in claiming "speed" as a factor to do a proper report.  I'd rather see root causes and actual solutions.

[ilpt4u]

https://www.nbcchicago.com/traffic/blowing-dust-warning-issued-in-illinois-after-dust-storm-causes-large-i-55-crash/3131258/

Strong dust storm has caused fatal crashes in Illinois of all places.

It's a perfect storm (pun intended) of dry weather, very strong winds at almost a perfect 90 degree angle to I-55, and the time of year that many farmers are plowing fields.

Just south of Springfield. That segment is a very flat and open 6 lane highway, typically fairly high speed and typically safe at such due to design and typically great visibility - obviously not with the high winds

I am anxious to see the full cause report from ISP. Was it just dust from plowed/planted fields? Other factors into the reduced visibility?

I'd rather see a report from NTSB instead of ISP.  I don't exactly trust a non-neutral state police force with a vested interest in claiming "speed" as a factor to do a proper report.  I'd rather see root causes and actual solutions.

I can agree with that. Was NTSB even part of the response? I only mentioned the State Police since they are part of the onsite response team

Also looking a little more on Google, the area still shut down until Tuesday morning is where the 6 lane south of Springfield ends and 4 lane I-55 resumes

[edwaleni]

More updates from the scene as of last night.

ISP is still saying it will be later this afternoon before the route will reopen.  Clearing the road was hampered by the same dust which caused the wreck.

https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/local/illinois/crash-i55-farmersville-montgomery-county-illinois/63-0ccb666b-d840-4463-a455-7afea875a961

The regional office for the NWS (National Weather Service) was getting lit up yesterday for not putting out a high wind alert in central Illinois.

According to the NWS, sustained winds have to be 45mph before they will put out an alert.  Sustained winds were only about 40-43 mph, just below the threshold.

I remember something similar happened in the early 1980's when southern Illinois had a nice fall weekend and everyone burned their leaves.

The south winds blew that smoke north and the more people burned, the more dense it got.

I-70 from St Louis to Terre Haute and I-57 up to Kankakee were shrouded in smoke and caused several wrecks and backups.

[JREwing78]

This is basically every time there's a snow squall. Same exact idiotic behavior of driving at (or over) the speed limit no matter the conditions, and catastrophe striking when these folks blindly crash into each other. It's one reason I tend to stay off the Interstate in heavy snow conditions.

Obviously, traction wasn't an issue in this situation, but the same issue of driving too-fast-for-conditions is. I don't know how to get people to stop being lemmings on the highway other than yanking their licenses and forcing them to retake Drivers Ed to get their licenses back.

[edwaleni]

This is basically every time there's a snow squall. Same exact idiotic behavior of driving at (or over) the speed limit no matter the conditions, and catastrophe striking when these folks blindly crash into each other. It's one reason I tend to stay off the Interstate in heavy snow conditions.

Obviously, traction wasn't an issue in this situation, but the same issue of driving too-fast-for-conditions is. I don't know how to get people to stop being lemmings on the highway other than yanking their licenses and forcing them to retake Drivers Ed to get their licenses back.

2 years ago a snow squall south of Bloomington on I-55 caused a 12 truck wreck at McLean. Other than improving driver awareness, these things happen faster than than authorities can warn the drivers.

As for modern driver behavior on modern interstates, especially 2 lane ones that are moderately busy, well, you could devote an entire thread just to the subject.

[edwaleni]

IDOT just closed I-55 again. All traffic being pushed off at Divernon.

AWS announced a Dust Storm Warning across central Illinois.

Just happening: Closed from Auburn-Pawnee all the way down to Raymond. Another crash event.

[US20IL64]

"Another DDI is being constructed just a couple miles away from that, at I-55 and IL-59."

Is IL 59 being extended southward? If so how far? On a map looks like not too much distance until I-80.

[edwaleni]

"Another DDI is being constructed just a couple miles away from that, at I-55 and IL-59."

Is IL 59 being extended southward? If so how far? On a map looks like not too much distance until I-80.

Several years ago the non-return exit of IL-59 and I-55 was moved south about a quarter mile.  Now its being converted.

North I-55 could exit to north IL-59 and south IL-59 could only exit to south IL-55. You can see a remnant of where the old exit was where the East Frontage Road takes a swerve to the east.

[hobsini2]

"Another DDI is being constructed just a couple miles away from that, at I-55 and IL-59."

Is IL 59 being extended southward? If so how far? On a map looks like not too much distance until I-80.

I seem to recall the reason for the DDI at 55 & 59 was for a planned development east of 55.
http://www.i55atil59accessproject.org/interchange.html
Add into the fact that there are a few industries west of the interchange south of Seil Rd.

[US20IL64]

Thanks for the link.
Remember when the old 59 bridge was still kind of new in late 60's, had character, but was outdated of course.

[paulthemapguy]

I seem to recall the reason for the DDI at 55 & 59 was for a planned development east of 55.
http://www.i55atil59accessproject.org/interchange.html
Add into the fact that there are a few industries west of the interchange south of Seil Rd.

Wow. Thanks for that link. I didn't realize this set of projects also included:

• Widening of US52 at I-55, including the bridge over the Interstate and enhancement of turn lanes (I know this is already under construction, but I didn't know it was part of the same project.)
• Reconfiguration and replacement of the Seil Road river crossing, including two new roundabouts
• Reconstruction of the intersection of US52 and Houbolt Road, including dual westbound left turn lanes and lots more turn lanes for northbound

[CtrlAltDel]

"Another DDI is being constructed just a couple miles away from that, at I-55 and IL-59."

Is IL 59 being extended southward? If so how far? On a map looks like not too much distance until I-80.

Several years ago the non-return exit of IL-59 and I-55 was moved south about a quarter mile.  Now its being converted.

It's curious that they're redoing it so soon after redoing it. Also, and I guess it's mostly aesthetic, that eastern side looks weird.

[US20IL64]

Took me awhile to figure out the flow. DDI, but a bit different than IL 59 and I-88.

When I read 'extension' was thinking 59 was going to go east into Joliet or to I-80 & Houbolt Rd.

[JoePCool14]

Good thing they aren't extending it too far. I drove the whole thing almost in one go, from I-55 all the way to I-90. I don't want to ruin my almost-clinch!