Two pavement blowouts cause partial closure of Route 2 between Oregon and Byron

IDOT crews were at the scene making repairs

A crew from the Illinois Department of Transportation repairs one of two pavement blowouts on Illinois Route 2 Tuesday evening, July 1, 2025. The state highway was closed between Oregon and Byron as crews patched the roadway. This blowout was just north of Silver Ridge Golf Course.

OREGON – Two pavement blowouts caused a portion of Route 2 to be closed Tuesday evening between Oregon and Byron.

Illinois Department of Transportation crews were busy patching the blowouts, one just north of the Silver Ridge Golf Course, north of Oregon, and the other south of Byron, near Town Line Road.

Traffic was directed from Route 2 to Mud Creek Road after both lanes of the state highway buckled. IDOT crews were busy cutting into the concrete and patching the road at that location.

A few miles to the north, another blowout was located just north of the intersection with Town Line Road, south of Byron. An IDOT truck was positioned there to prevent motorists from driving over the buckled pavement.

Pavement failures or blowouts occur when prolonged high temperatures cause the road to expand and buckle up or blow out, resulting in uneven driving surfaces. Precipitation and humidity increase the potential for buckling.

Earleen Hinton

Earleen Hinton

Earleen creates content and oversees production of 8 community weeklies. She has worked for Shaw Newspapers since 1985.