Start 4: Interstate 355 South Extension
Cost: $730 million

Reducing travel times for Will County drivers is the focus of the 12.5-mi. extension of Interstate 355.

The project will provide a three- and four-lane route between job-deficient areas in Will and those areas of Chicagoland where jobs are plentiful, said Jan Kemp, assistant press secretary of the Illinois Toll Highway Authority.

The first contract, awarded to Joliet-based T.J. Lambrecht Construction Co., is clearing the route where the new road will go. The land had previously held farms, woods and some residential tracts.

In early April, no construction manager or general contractors had yet been named, Kemp said.

Earthwork Stated

The initial earthwork began on the south end of the project, near Interstate 80, and will gradually move north to Interstate 55, the current I-355 terminus.

Work included excavating 20- to 30-ft. embankments for the roadway on the east side, excavating 5- to 10-ft. embankments for the roadway on the west side and excavation for detention ponds, ditches and sewers.

The roadway will be composed of 11-in.-thick continuously reinforced concrete, Kemp said.

The extension will look similar to the existing south end of the I-355, where the roadway is depressed and runs underneath existing local roads. The design aids in the reduction of noise.

The extension will run under Cedar Road, Route 6, Bruce Road, 167th Street, Gougar Road, 163rd Street, Illinois Route 7, 151st St., 143rd St. and 171st Street/Archer Avenue.

The extension will include a mile-long bridge over the Des Plaines River and will also run over 135th Street, 127th Street, Interstate 55 and Internationale Parkway.

Plans call for six interchanges and one toll plaza, Kemp said.

In April, construction entrances were being installed on both sides of local crossroads so that construction equipment could move from local roads into construction zones at seven different locations in the project's southern section.

Flaggers and signage will be used to alert drivers and ensure safety because of the magnitude of the work.

Other work includes installing culvert and aggregate material. Asphalt paving will begin once plants are set up.

The project is scheduled to be complete in November 2007.

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