Construction

IDOT has announced that lanes of I-80 between U.S. Route 30 and Briggs Street will be closed overnight Wednesday and Thursday.

The Illinois Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention will host the inaugural Illinois Construction Hike for Hope at 10 a.m. June 28, at Hidden Lake Forest Preserve in Downers Grove

The intersection of North Midland Avenue and Campbell Street in Joliet will be closed from June 25 to July 2 for the water main installation.

Over the past 10 years, women have held fewer than one in 10 construction jobs. Prior to 2021, fewer than 5% of new construction apprentices in Illinois were women, according to data from the U.S. Department of Labor.

Since the phrase “bursting at the seams” was first used by Yorkville School District 115 officials to describe their classroom capacity crisis, big changes have been anticipated. Four possible facility upgrades are being considered, two raise taxes. A referendum is likely.

With the $100 million Lake Michigan water sourcing project already under construction, the new water coming down the pipeline to Yorkville could come at double the cost over the next five years. To help pay for the project, the city is considering 20% annual hikes for five years.

Kendall County officials are looking at possible improvements to offices next to or part of the county’s John Street campus, including the public safety center.

A massive 1.5 million-gallon standpipe water tower is being constructed on the south side of Yorkville, only one problem, the site’s weak soil foundation is causing the city a $700,000 headache.

The city of Joliet has announced the closure of Ingalls Road at Plainfield Road will start Friday.

The Kendall County Highway Department has closed Caton Farm Road just east of Grove Road to all through traffic for a bridge replacement project.

Future center for veteran services is being created in vacant office building that was part of the former Silver Cross Hospital campus in Joliet.

Crews from MCP Midwest work on the new Henry-Senachwine High School academic wing addition on Monday, June 9, 2025 in Henry. The 50,800 square-foot-building which includes the building addition, auditorium and stage renovations, and other renovations will cost 16.8 million dollars. The project is expected to take over a year to be completed in time for the 2026-2027 school year.

The annual Kankakee Juneteenth Parade is set to begin at 10 a.m. Saturday at East Oak Street in downtown Kankakee and parade participants will be the first to travel along the brand new Hobbie Avenue surface.

Bike lanes and pedestrian crossings join the freshly-painted lines on Hobbie Avenue in Kankakee as seen on Monday. The long-awaited reopening of the road, which has been closed since Oct. 2023 for a $10 million rebuild, will occur following the 10 a.m. Juneteenth Parade on Saturday, June 21, 2025. For the full story, see tomorrow's Daily Journal.

Crews are working on the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Bridge crossing the Illinois River near La Salle. Work will maintain the bridge expansion joints. The project will begin in the southbound lanes and one lane of traffic will be open. Work will later shift to the northbound lanes. The $1.3 million project is expected to be completed by the end of July. Motorist should use caution and may expect delays in on Interstate 39 when crossing the bridge.

Clinton Street will be closed to through traffic from Ottawa Street to Scott Street in Joliet for approximately two weeks as the intersection of Chicago Street is constructed.

Even with a downscaling of the initial planned development, the 540-acre Project Steel data center will still cast a behemoth manufacturing footprint in Yorkville’s data center alley.

IDOT announced that the Ruby Street bridge in Joliet will close for two months starting on July 1, following the reopening of the Jefferson Street bridge.

The proposed 1,037 acre Project Cardinal data center in Yorkville features 14-two story data center warehouses, totaling more than 17 million square feet, two electrical substations, and 3,750 parking spaces. Each building may generate between $500,000 and $1 million annually.

Teachers and staff from Gompers Junior High School in Joliet got the opportunity to sign the floor of the school's new gym last week as construction continues.

To keep up with the rising costs of providing for students, the Yorkville School District 115 is requesting the city to make new residential developers foot a larger part of the bill.

The first public hearing for the 1,037 acre Project Cardinal data center is at the June 10 Yorkville city council meeting at City Hall. The second and final public hearing, for the project’s rezoning, has been changed to July 9 at City Hall. The developers are attending.

The city of Joliet announced Tuesday that Raynor Avenue will be closed at Six Corners starting Monday for a pavement project.

The Lockport City Council is considering a plan for a new 23-unit townhome development north of Division Street and East of Cedar Road.

While developers of the large townhome proposal setting designs on the former site of Parfection Park did not receive endorsement from the Yorkville School District 115, they are borrowing the high school’s nickname. The "Fox Haven Subdivisions" is set for July 22 final approval.

Repairs to the bridge carrying Illinois Route 126, known locally as Lockport Street, over the DuPage River in Plainfield are expected to take 4-5 months.

To ensure students are provided the smoothest path forward, Yorkville School District 115 is completely replacing the Yorkville Middle School parking lot, and sealcoating the district’s remaining parking lots.

IDOT has announced a temporary emergency closure of portions of Center Street and the Center Street ramp from eastbound I-80.

With some water leaking in the educational wings of Yorkville Middle School, the district is targeting its 17-year old roof for a more than half-million dollar restoration.

Following nearly seven years of discussions and plans, the J. Jeffers housing and business project appears ready to begin.

The work zone on outbound Interstate 55 at Joliet Road in Bolingbrook has been reconfigured, according to IDOT. The project is expected to be completed by end of this year.

A bridge replacement project will cause a portion of Caton Farm Road in Joliet to be closed for the summer.

A transformation is coming to downtown Yorkville. The city hopes a newly state-awarded near $3 million grant helps spurs a revitalization of the ‘Hydraulic District’s’ businesses and recreational areas.

A bill pending in Springfield would ease the way for Will County to get land for 143rd Street construction in Homer Township, but some county board members are trying to slow it down.

The Lake County Jail, in coordination with Lake County Facilities, is upgrading an area of the jail designated for individuals at risk of self-harm, commonly referred to as “safety cells.” 

Per the Illinois Department of Transportation‘s annual bridge inspection report, the Seil Road Bridge will remain reduced to one lane – in the center of the bridge – under a five-ton weight limit, indefinitely

The total 2025 program runs a $1.3 million price tag, with construction expected to be completed in April 2026.

The following lane closures in Will County will remain in place during the holiday weekend, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.

The Lockport City Council reviewed a lease agreement with Lockport Township to temporarily relocate city meetings to the township building during Central Square renovations later this year.

The Illinois Department of Transportation will begin bridge deck repair work on Illinois Route 126 in Plainfield next month.

Construction on Peace Road, Between Route 64 and Freed Road in Sycamore, is underway. The Peace Road work is just one of the projects planned by the DeKalb County Highway Department for 2025.

The Illinois Route 7 channelization project in Lockport will move into its second phase on Thursday.

The city is closing Boombah Boulevard on Thursday, May 15, from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. A detour has been designated, taking drivers along Corneils Road to Route 47.

Bluegrass Burger Bash Day at The Curator's Cafe in Joliet features a grass-fed bluegrass burger from Hauert Farms in Elwood along with live music from 5 to 7 p.m.

The Illinois Route 7 construction project in Lockport is proceeding on schedule and will soon be entering a new traffic pattern this week.

Applications now being accepte for new nine-week apprenticeship program designed to strengthen the local construction workforce pipeline in Will County.

The new Elwood location allows Hardings Inc. to offer Hyundai equipment to Chicago area customers.

Illinois Department of Transportation crews are set to resurface a stretch of Roosevelt Road from West Chicago to Wheaton.

The city of Joliet will begin work on several streets that will lead to closures and lane reconfigurations beginning Monday.

Construction work will mean Black Road is reduced to one lane in each direction from 129th Infantry Drive to Springfield Avenue in Joliet.