Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – In a recent press release provided by the Illinois Department of Transportation, the start date for the removal of the City Water Light and Power bridge that goes over I-55 was announced.
The start date is marked as February 16, and the removal project is part of longer-term improvements to be made throughout Springfield.
The bridge being removed is the unused CWLP railroad bridge that goes over Interstate 55 at milepost 94 between the Stevenson Drive and the Sixth Street interchanges.
Within the press release, Teresa Price, IDOT Region 4 Engineer, said “As we work to improve the safety and increase the capacity of this significant corridor, please help us by reducing your speed when driving through the work zone or using an alternate route”
The removal project is expected to take two months. Overnight lane closures will be in effect from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. beginning on the night of Sunday, February 15, and ending the following Friday morning.
Starting in March however, complete closures of the interstate from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday night through Friday morning will be in place. A detour will be posted utilizing Stevenson Drive and Sixth Street.
The replacement of the Bissell Road, Andrew Road and Sudduth Road overpasses starting in 2027 are the next projects that need to be completed prior to expanding I-55 to six lanes.
In the IDOT’s future plans, over the next 6 years they expect to 7,107 lane miles of highway and 8.4 million square feet of bridge deck as part of Rebuild Illinois, which is investing $33.2 billion into all modes of transportation.
Accomplishments through the sixth year of Rebuild Illinois include almost $20.8 billion of improvements statewide to 21,309 lane miles of highway, 815 bridges and 1,181 additional safety improvements.
