Joliet activates traffic light on Route 53 near business park

A new Route 53 traffic light has been activated at Emerald Drive, the city of Joliet announced Wednesday.

The improved intersection at an entryway to the Laraway Crossings business park has been seen as a step to ease traffic congestion on the Route 53 corridor, also designated locally as Chicago Street, and serves as a major truck route.

The city, however, urged motorists to use caution, with more work still to be done at the intersection.

“Final pavement marking will be installed within the next two weeks,” the city said in a news release. “Drivers should exercise caution during the completion of the final stage of construction for this project.”

The traffic light was activated Tuesday in coordination with the Illinois Department of Transportation, according to the release.

Laraway Crossings includes two Amazon warehouses among other warehouse and trucking operations. Route 53 also runs past the CenterPoint Intermodal Center and other warehouse developments on the south end of Joliet and is a major connector route to Interstate 80.