Illinois 53/Emerald Drive Work Starts March 21
As part of the first phase of construction for the installation of new traffic signals on IL Route 53 at Emerald Drive, traffic control and safety measures will be established beginning, Thursday, March 21, impacting the shoulder area for southbound traffic along Route 53 for approximately four weeks.
Additional information will be released as construction phasing progresses.
Full construction for the traffic signal installation and turn lane improvements is anticipated to be completed by fall of 2024.
Also on March 21, A Public Hearing will be held by the Illinois Department of Transportation on preliminary engineering and environmental studies (Phase I) for the improvements of Illinois 53 from North River Road to Patterson Road located in the City of Joliet and the Village of Elwood.
The hearing will be held on March 21 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Stone City VFW, 124 Stone City Drive, Joliet. The Phase I study was initiated to address safety and operations along Illinois 53.
Interested persons may attend anytime between 4 and 7 p.m. Exhibits will be on display and an audio-visual presentation will be shown continuously during the hearing.
Project team members will be present to discuss the project and answer questions. A Public Forum will begin at 5:30 p.m., where the public will be invited to make a statement to a court reporter.
Written comments can be submitted at the hearing, mailed after the hearing, or submitted to the project website here. Comments received by April 11, 2024, will become part of the official public hearing event record.
The presentation and exhibits to be presented at the hearing are available in the Documents section of the website, il53corridor.org.