I-80 lanes in Joliet will be shut down at Briggs Street overnight Tuesday

Interstate 80 lanes will be fully closed at times overnight Tuesday and Wednesday for continued construction of a new Briggs Street bridge in Joliet.

Lane closures will occur at the area of the bridge on both nights if weather permits construction to continue, the Illinois Department of Transportation announced Monday.

Westbound lanes will be affected Tuesday night, and eastbound lanes will be affected Wednesday night.

Starting at 9 p.m. Tuesday, westbound I-80 will be reduced to one lane approaching Briggs Street. Westbound lanes will be fully closed from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. Wednesday. A detour will direct motorists to exit at Briggs and to cross Briggs to access the westbound I-80 entrance ramp to get back on the interstate. All lanes will reopen by 5 a.m.

Starting at 9 p.m. Wednesday, eastbound I-80 will be reduced to one lane approaching Briggs Street. Between 1 and 5 a.m. Thursday, eastbound I-80 will be fully closed at Briggs. A detour will direct motorists to exit the interstate at Briggs and cross Briggs to access the eastbound I-80 entrance ramp to get back on the interstate. All lanes will reopen by 5 a.m.

The $7.3 million Briggs Street project involves replacing the existing bridge with a new structure to accommodate the widening of I-80, according to the IDOT release. Motorists should continue to expect lane shifts and overnight lane closures that will affect traffic during the course of the project, according to IDOT.

The Briggs Street project is expected to be completed by the end of this year. It is part of the larger $1.3 billion project in which I-80 lanes, interchanges and bridges are being rebuilt through 2028 from Ridge Road in Minooka to U.S. 30 in New Lenox.