Illinois notes

[captkirk_4]

A trip down the length of Illinois last week gave me a chance to see three major projects of interest.

Next up was the interchange reconstruction in Champaign between I-57 and I-74.  The two new flyovers had most of their beams in place, if I recall.  I think I even noticed some deck pouring on one of them.

Nope, they only have the beams laid for one of the flyovers. No repositioning of the cranes at all over the last month or so since they finished laying the WB74-SB57 beams to work on the other one nor do I see any work on the top of the columns to add the beam attachments that they put in first. They whole project is not going very fast, they still have to finish the new main 74 lanes over 57 and I saw a cement tube recently so perhaps the first half of the bridges are getting done soon. But I don't see any pavement on the flyover beams yet.

[paulthemapguy]

I was thinking that the 57/74 interchange would be done by late 2024, but even the project website now says the project will continue into 2026.

[captkirk_4]

I was thinking that the 57/74 interchange would be done by late 2024, but even the project website now says the project will continue into 2026.

That highway work in Effingham seemed to be torn up for a decade and Kankakee seems to be always under construction. I remember going to that Eclipse in 2017 and last year when I drove the same stretch they had only been able to six lane another 10 miles or so. No rush to get anything done anymore.

[paulthemapguy]

I was thinking that the 57/74 interchange would be done by late 2024, but even the project website now says the project will continue into 2026.

That highway work in Effingham seemed to be torn up for a decade and Kankakee seems to be always under construction. I remember going to that Eclipse in 2017 and last year when I drove the same stretch they had only been able to six lane another 10 miles or so. No rush to get anything done anymore.

The only piece they were planning to widen was the six-mile section concurrent with I-70.  No other piece of I-57 in central Illinois needs to be six-laned.

[hobsini2]

I was thinking that the 57/74 interchange would be done by late 2024, but even the project website now says the project will continue into 2026.

That highway work in Effingham seemed to be torn up for a decade and Kankakee seems to be always under construction. I remember going to that Eclipse in 2017 and last year when I drove the same stretch they had only been able to six lane another 10 miles or so. No rush to get anything done anymore.

The only piece they were planning to widen was the six-mile section concurrent with I-70.  No other piece of I-57 in central Illinois needs to be six-laned.

I-57 should be 6 (or 8 where indicated) lanes as follows in my opinion:
I-24 Pulley's Mill to I-64 WEST Mt Vernon (the concurrency with I-64 is 6 lanes)
I-70 WEST Effingham to I-70 EAST Effingham (existing 6 lanes)
Monticello Rd Savoy to US 136 Rantoul
US 45/52 Kankakee to Bourbonnais Pkwy Bourbonnais
Stuenkel Rd/University Pkwy Richton Park to I-80
I-80 to I-294 (existing 6 lanes needs to be 8 lanes)
I-294 to IL 1 Halsted St (existing 6 lanes)
IL 1 Halsted St to I-94 (existing 8 lanes)

[ilpt4u]

57 6-lanes between 24 and 64 is in progress and is funded. It is only a few miles every few years, but the 51 mile trip will be done in the next 5ish years, 10 max

[edwaleni]

I was thinking that the 57/74 interchange would be done by late 2024, but even the project website now says the project will continue into 2026.

That highway work in Effingham seemed to be torn up for a decade and Kankakee seems to be always under construction. I remember going to that Eclipse in 2017 and last year when I drove the same stretch they had only been able to six lane another 10 miles or so. No rush to get anything done anymore.

Illinois was functionally broke in 2017. All IDOT projects were on a slow path to completion.

A constitutional amendment and double the taxes, its a different story today.

[Brandon]

I was thinking that the 57/74 interchange would be done by late 2024, but even the project website now says the project will continue into 2026.

That highway work in Effingham seemed to be torn up for a decade and Kankakee seems to be always under construction. I remember going to that Eclipse in 2017 and last year when I drove the same stretch they had only been able to six lane another 10 miles or so. No rush to get anything done anymore.

Illinois was functionally broke in 2017. All IDOT projects were on a slow path to completion.

A constitutional amendment and double the taxes, its a different story today.

The constitutional amendment banned the General Assembly from using the gas tax money to fill other holes in their budget.  That money got put in a "lockbox" for IDOT only.  This is pretty much why IDOT has any money today.

[hobsini2]

I was thinking that the 57/74 interchange would be done by late 2024, but even the project website now says the project will continue into 2026.

That highway work in Effingham seemed to be torn up for a decade and Kankakee seems to be always under construction. I remember going to that Eclipse in 2017 and last year when I drove the same stretch they had only been able to six lane another 10 miles or so. No rush to get anything done anymore.

Illinois was functionally broke in 2017. All IDOT projects were on a slow path to completion.

A constitutional amendment and double the taxes, its a different story today.

The constitutional amendment banned the General Assembly from using the gas tax money to fill other holes in their budget.  That money got put in a "lockbox" for IDOT only.  This is pretty much why IDOT has any money today.

As it should be. IMO, gas taxes and tolls should only be for transportation (roads, rail & air) upkeep and construction.

[kernals12]

I got caught up in the construction work being done on I-70 downstate. They actually had the entire westbound section closed with traffic running one lane in each direction on the eastbound part and they will occasionally stop traffic in one direction altogether. I've never such dramatic traffic disruptions on a mere maintenance project.

[adt1982]

I got caught up in the construction work being done on I-70 downstate. They actually had the entire westbound section closed with traffic running one lane in each direction on the eastbound part and they will occasionally stop traffic in one direction altogether. I've never such dramatic traffic disruptions on a mere maintenance project.

And this is the second summer of that mess.  Last summer they redid the eastbound lanes and had both directions on the westbound lanes.  The result was not pretty, including one multi-fatality accident when traffic detoured on US 40.

[SSOWorld]

I got caught up in the construction work being done on I-70 downstate. They actually had the entire westbound section closed with traffic running one lane in each direction on the eastbound part and they will occasionally stop traffic in one direction altogether. I've never such dramatic traffic disruptions on a mere maintenance project.

And this is the second summer of that mess.  Last summer they redid the eastbound lanes and had both directions on the westbound lanes.  The result was not pretty, including one multi-fatality accident when traffic detoured on US 40.

Not fun. I was nearly a victim of a crash in 2022 when an oncoming tractor trailer toppled and plowed through the temporary barriers 50 feet behind me (I was on the southbound direction of I-90 North of Janesville - northbound lanes had both directions of traffic on it).  The truck and the barriers it smashed through collected everything on the southbound lanes behind me - in addition to some white powder (likely flour? not cocaine ) seeing a semi be pushed up by the barrier behind me, shocked the shit out of me. The wreck closed the freeway in both directions for the entire day as the truck caught fire and burned the road.  Seeing the traffic sitting still and the smoke coming from the wreck area (I stopped at a Kwik-Trip in Janesville for at least an hour to let myself cool down.)

[kernals12]

So why do they need to close half the highway?

[pianocello]

So why do they need to close half the highway?

I'm guessing it's a full-depth reconstruction, where they would strip the road to its core and rebuild it from scratch. It's possible to close one lane at a time, protect the work zone with a barrier wall, and keep the traffic from crossing over, but if there's a 1- to 2-foot dropoff on the other side of the wall there has to be enough space to protect errant vehicles from crossing into the work zone.

Plus workers can move more quickly if they don't have to constantly check for traffic barreling within 5 feet of them at 70 miles an hour.

[Plutonic Panda]

So why do they need to close half the highway?

I'm guessing it's a full-depth reconstruction, where they would strip the road to its core and rebuild it from scratch. It's possible to close one lane at a time, protect the work zone with a barrier wall, and keep the traffic from crossing over, but if there's a 1- to 2-foot dropoff on the other side of the wall there has to be enough space to protect errant vehicles from crossing into the work zone.

Plus workers can move more quickly if they don't have to constantly check for traffic barreling within 5 feet of them at 70 miles an hour.

I'm often wondered if DOTs Fully weigh the cost of full closures Versus setting up a construction zone to let through traffic go through it.

Some areas seem to have viable alternatives that wouldn't add too much time to the route and with a temporary reconfiguration of the road they could move traffic on and off the interstates pretty efficiently. But they still insist on requiring lane of traffic to be open at all times with some exceptions during weekends and nights.

I may be wrong on this, but I think a lot of projects could get done quicker and cheaper, Well, at least quicker, If they did full closures in 24 hour construction work so as long as they're not near residential areas.

[pianocello]

I'm often wondered if DOTs Fully weigh the cost of full closures Versus setting up a construction zone to let through traffic go through it.

Some areas seem to have viable alternatives that wouldn't add too much time to the route and with a temporary reconfiguration of the road they could move traffic on and off the interstates pretty efficiently. But they still insist on requiring lane of traffic to be open at all times with some exceptions during weekends and nights.

I may be wrong on this, but I think a lot of projects could get done quicker and cheaper, Well, at least quicker, If they did full closures in 24 hour construction work so as long as they're not near residential areas.

IDOT actually does take this into account. There's a part of the planning/Phase 1 part of a project dedicated to traffic management analysis, where they determine what to do with traffic during construction. Other states do something similar. I don't work on that aspect myself, but I've seen these analyses and part of it assigns a dollar value to the construction components, detour signage, variable message signs, and it includes a human cost that assigns a dollar value to a traveler's time.

So they do consider full closures and detours, but it usually takes a really low volume or short detour for that option to be chosen, just because the human cost adds up so quickly.

[captkirk_4]

So why do they need to close half the highway?

I'm guessing it's a full-depth reconstruction, where they would strip the road to its core and rebuild it from scratch. It's possible to close one lane at a time, protect the work zone with a barrier wall, and keep the traffic from crossing over, but if there's a 1- to 2-foot dropoff on the other side of the wall there has to be enough space to protect errant vehicles from crossing into the work zone.

Plus workers can move more quickly if they don't have to constantly check for traffic barreling within 5 feet of them at 70 miles an hour.

I remember driving to Vegas back in 1988 via Des Moines and Denver and that was the normal way they did roadwork on I-80 in the plaines states. They'd completely shut down one side and turn the other into a two lane road with orange sticks and yellow paint put down the middle. It would be about 5-10 miles and then you'd return to normal. I haven't seen this for a while in the midwest, but I think I recall that this is how the traffic pattern on that bad pothole stretch of I-69 between Lansing and Battle Creek is being repaved last time I was through there. I believe these days they put big concrete barriers between the lanes rather than a reflective orange three foot tall plastic rod glued to the pavement like I saw in IA and NE 35 years ago.

[adt1982]

So why do they need to close half the highway?

I'm guessing it's a full-depth reconstruction, where they would strip the road to its core and rebuild it from scratch. It's possible to close one lane at a time, protect the work zone with a barrier wall, and keep the traffic from crossing over, but if there's a 1- to 2-foot dropoff on the other side of the wall there has to be enough space to protect errant vehicles from crossing into the work zone.

Plus workers can move more quickly if they don't have to constantly check for traffic barreling within 5 feet of them at 70 miles an hour.

Yes, it's a full-depth rebuild.  I believe this is one of the oldest stretches of 70 in Illinois.

[CtrlAltDel]

I remember driving to Vegas back in 1988 via Des Moines and Denver and that was the normal way they did roadwork on I-80 in the plaines states. They'd completely shut down one side and turn the other into a two lane road with orange sticks and yellow paint put down the middle. It would be about 5-10 miles and then you'd return to normal. I haven't seen this for a while in the midwest, but I think I recall that this is how the traffic pattern on that bad pothole stretch of I-69 between Lansing and Battle Creek is being repaved last time I was through there. I believe these days they put big concrete barriers between the lanes rather than a reflective orange three foot tall plastic rod glued to the pavement like I saw in IA and NE 35 years ago.

In about 2018, they closed off one side of the road as well for the I-74 construction in Indiana near Batesville, and in about 2016,  they closed off one side of the road as well for the I-90 construction in South Dakota near Wall, so I don't think it's totally rare.

[Plutonic Panda]

Kansas did that on the 70 a few years back.

[Jericho That]

They'd completely shut down one side and turn the other into a two lane road with orange sticks and yellow paint put down the middle. It would be about 5-10 miles and then you'd return to normal.

WisDOT did that on I-90 a few years ago. Several miles of construction, then back to normal for several miles to let drivers sort themselves out, then another construction zone, etc. As someone who hates driving through Wisconsin due to left lane campers, it was almost relaxing.

[silverback1065]

those orange sticks are called tubular markers.

[edwaleni]

It's tilling season in Illinois and that brings the usual road closures due to dust blowing across highways.

https://www.wcia.com/news/isp-rerouting-i-74-due-to-dust-storm-by-farmer-city/


CENTRAL ILLINOIS (WCIA) — The National Weather Service in Lincoln has issued a dust storm warning for several Central Illinois counties until 8:15 p.m.

This includes:

Logan County
Piatt County
De Witt County
Vermilion County
Champaign County
Macon County

Cities like Champaign, Urbana, Decatur, Danville, Lincoln, Rantoul, Clinton, Monticello, Hoopeston, Savoy, Mahomet, and Mount Zion are all at moderate risk.

Officials noted that travelling through these dust storms is dangerous and life-threatening travel. The most impacted roadways are currently:

Interstate 155 between mile markers 0 and 31.
Interstate 39 between mile markers 0 and 28.
Interstate 474 between mile markers 10 and 14.
Interstate 55 between mile markers 111 and 186.
Interstate 57 between mile markers 218 and 257.
Interstate 72 between mile markers 126 and 182.
Interstate 74 between mile markers 94 and 219.


Though drivers are urged to avoid traveling at this time, Illinois State Police are still diverting I-74 West traffic by Farmer City north onto US Highway 136 at Exit 152. Drivers will continue until Route 51 towards LeRoy.

Traffic is also closed on part of Interstate 55.