Will County News

Speaking in Joliet, Governor Bruce Rauner announced the State of Illinois and local government will work with CenterPoint Properties to build a new Houbolt Bridge over the Des Plaines River.  The bridge will link Interstate 80 in Joliet with the intermodal facilities to the south of the River.  Check out the fill press release and details of the plan here .  For a bit of background on the Houbolt Road Bridge idea, this presentation was made at the Elwood International Port Authority meeting:

At a June 17, 2015 of the Elwood International Port Authority, Salvatore Di Bernardo, Executive Vice President of Ciorba Group, Consulting Engineers, gave a presentation on a Houbolt Road Bridge over the Des Plaines River.  After the presentation, audience members working in the logistics and rail industries in Will County and Village of Elwood officials discussed how a potential Houbolt Road Bridge might affect truck traffic in Will County:

The Illinois Commerce Commission ruled today that the rail crossing at Walter Strawn Road and Route 53 must be closed. Video of closed Walter Strawn Drive in Elwood: The Village of Elwood released the following press release after the ruling: "After a year-long battle, the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) unanimously ruled today that the state’s most dangerous rail crossing, located at Route 53 and Walter Strawn Drive in the Village of Elwood, must be closed within two weeks, no later than January 28th, 2015. Joining the Village in support of closing the crossing have been the Illinois Department of Transportation, Union Pacific Railroad, and staff at the Illinois Commerce Commission – the agency that governs rail crossing safety across Illinois. The decision came despite the efforts of intermodal facility owner CenterPoint Properties, which argued to keep the crossing open despite the myriad of safety concerns. “Despite the special interests and clout, justice h...

The Village of Elwood, Illinois held a special meeting July 23, 2014 at 7 p.m. to discuss "AN ORDINANCE REPEALING ORDINANCE NO. 1027 ENTITLED “AN ORDINANCE APPROVING THE MODIFICATION OF TRAFFIC PATTERNS AND IMPOSING RESTRICTIONS UPON USAGE OF CERTAIN VILLAGE ROADS” Elwood had passed an ordinance in May restricting truck traffic on certain Village of Elwood roads in an attempt to reduce the number of trucks driving through Elwood and using U.S. Route 53.  Because trucks can currently only enter CenterPoint-Joliet from the south, trucks were getting off I80, coming south on 53, and then going through Elwood to reach the South Entrance to CenterPoint-Joliet. Elwood's May '14 ordinance restricted trucks from using CenterPoint Drive as a through street, among other restrictions . CenterPoint, Union Pacific,and APL Logistics brought a federal suit to remove the road restrictions, arguing they violated interstate commerce laws . At the July 23, '14 meeting, the Villa...

The Elwood International Port Authority was created by a vote of the Village of Elwood Trustees in September of 2013.  According to the Village of Elwood, the Authority will promote the efficient movement of heavy truck traffic and work to minimize concerns about traffic congestion causing safety concerns near the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery entrance on Route 53 just south of Elwood.  The Authority's seven member Board of Directors includes Elwood Mayor William Offerman, three Elwood Village Trustees, and three people representing businesses located in the Deer Run Industrial Park. During the December 11, 2013 meeting of the Elwood International Port Authority, major topics discussed included truck traffic on Route 53 and traffic issues related to funeral processions entering and exiting the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery:

UPDATE: Maps and interchange drawings from the August 6, 2013 meeting at Will Township: At the June 2013 Illiana Corridor Public Meeting in Peotone, study team members presented a map showing which roads crossed by the Illiana B3 are under consideration for closure: Legend for B3 Illiana Expressway Map of How Roads will be affected by the B3, including roads under consideration for closure Map of possible road closures along the B3 route for the Illiana Expressway Map of possible road closures along the B3 route for the Illiana Expressway Map of possible road closures along the B3 route for the Illiana Expressway Map of possible road closures along the B3 route for the Illiana Expressway Map of possible road closures along the B3 route for the Illiana Expressway  Map of possible road closures along the B3 route for the Illiana Expressway Map of possible road closures along the B3 route for the Illiana Expressway Map of possible road cl...