Bolingbrook I-55 Bridge Patching To Continue This Weekend

BOLINGBROOK, IL — Bridge patching on the I-55 bridge over I-53 in Bolingbrook will continue this Saturday, March 7, Illinois Department of Transportation (IDoT) officials said. The work was supposed to be completed last Sunday, March 1, but IDoT Spokeswoman Maria Castaneda said a collision between a semi-truck and an IDoT vehicle forced work crews to stop working. As with last weekend, southbound drivers should expect delays and lane closures in the area between 11 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. Sunday.

"We started to do the work last weekend, and a truck hit one of our vehicles," Castaneda said. "Due to that happening, and due to the amount of time that would have been lost... at the time the decision was made to stop what we were doing, safely cover that patch back up with a metal plate, and move [the repair work] to another time."

The repair work being done on the bridge involves filling fractures on the road surface that are "more than just a typical pothole," Castaneda said. At the moment, the holes in the road are covered by a large metal plate; a temporary measure until work can continue this weekend.

"The weather looks like it's permitting this weekend for us to get out there, remove that temporary metal patch, and then actually go in and fix the roadway," Castaneda said.

To avoid a repeat of last week's accident and a further extension of the lane closure, drivers in the area are urged to drive slowly and carefully while in the work zone, and to be aware of workers and their vehicles.

There is additional work on I-55 occurring this weekend in Will County, between Arsenal Road and River Road.

IDoT repair work is taxpayer-funded. To see a full list of road construction and repair work in the Chicagoland area, please visit the IDoT website. Updates on traffic and road conditions can be found here.