Construction begins for bridge on Illinois Route 72 near I-90

(GILBERTS) Work on the Illinois Route 72 Bridge carrying traffic over the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway in Gilberts is scheduled to begin Monday to prepare for removal and reconstruction as part of the I-90 Rebuilding and Widening Project.

The Higgins Road Bridge will remain open, the Illinois Department of Transportation said. However, the bridge will be reduced to one lane over I-90 with traffic in both directions controlled by traffic signals during construction.

About 16,000 vehicles use this bridge daily, IDOT said.

Because the Higgins Road Bridge is a two-lane bridge, only one lane will be available to traffic during construction. Traffic signals will be used to control access for eastbound and westbound traffic using the single open lane in order to keep the bridge open during construction, IDOT said.

The temporary traffic signals are scheduled to be in place by late May, and construction will start on the westbound side of the bridge with all traffic traveling on the eastbound side of the bridge. The westbound side of the bridge is scheduled to reopen by late summer, and work will begin on the eastbound side of the bridge.

The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2015.