Will County Gazette

Gov. Bruce Rauner recently took part in the groundbreaking ceremony for a $47 million project to expand Interstate 80 and U.S. Highway 30. 

The event was held in New Lenox, where construction is expected to begin next spring. 

It will expand I-80 to three lanes from Interstate 355 to the U.S. Highway 30 interchange and includes new ramp alignments. 

“I-80 is one of the busiest interstates anywhere in America. It’s the lifeblood of the economy in Illinois,” Rauner said in a statement. “We need to make sure that I-80 is expanded, that it’s safe and that it’s highly productive.”

Joining the governor for the groundbreaking were: Illinois Department of Transportation Secretary Randy Blankenhorn, state Reps. Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) and Margo McDermed (R-Mokena), New Lenox Mayor Tim Baldermann and John Greuling, president and CEO of the Will County Center  for Economic Development.

The federal government chipped in $34.2 million in grant money for the project. The project involves local, county, state and federal agencies. The state is covering the balance of the project.

Will County’s  Community Friendly Freight Study helped obtain the grant money. The highway is considered important to the region and nation for the amount of products that are moved by trucks along the corridor.