Highway Interchange Upgrades In Champaign Begin This Week

I-57 and I-74 interchange in Champaign in July 2020.
Construction crews will begin building a new US 150 bridge over I-57 in July 2020. The current bridge was built in 1964.

CHAMPAIGN – Prepare for highway lane closures and a lot more orange construction signs in Champaign.

Starting Wednesday, construction crews will begin rebuilding the 56-year-old U-S 150 bridge over I-57.  It is part of an Illinois capital program that will lead to the reconstruction of the entire I-57 and I-74 interchange.

The Illinois Department of Transportation says construction of the new US 150 bridge will mean lane closures on the old bridge. Drivers can also expect occasional nighttime lane closures along I-57. The new bridge is expected to completed in the summer of 2021. The state government says the project costs $8.4 million.

Road crews will begin rebuilding the Mattis Ave. bridges over I-57 and I-74 in August 2020.

In August, IDOT says construction of new Mattis Avenue bridges over I-57 and I-74 will begin.  The state says both bridges will be built higher and longer to accommodate new ramps.

IDOT says late in summer 2021, road crews will begin reconstructing the entire I-57 and I-74 interchange. Plans call for improved traffic flow and smoothing out some turning movements.

The interchange upgrade is part of Governor J.B. Pritzker’s Rebuild Illinois program. The $33 billion dollar program aims to replace the state’s aging bridges, roadways, railways and more.

The state says 40,000 vehicles pass through the interchange every day.

Reginald Hardwick

Reginald Hardwick is the News & Public Affairs Director at Illinois Public Media. He oversees daily newscasts and online stories. He also manages The 21st Show, a live, weekday talk show that airs on 7 NPR stations throughout Illinois. He is the executive producer of IPM's annual environmental TV special "State of Change." And he is the co-creator of Illinois Soul, IPM's Black-focused audio service that launched in February 2024. Before arriving at IPM in 2019, he served as News Director at WKAR in East Lansing and spent 17 years as a TV news producer and manager at KXAS, the NBC-owned station in Dallas/Fort Worth. Reginald is the recipient of three Edward R. Murrow regional awards, seven regional Emmy awards, and multiple honors from the National Association of Black Journalists. Born in Vietnam, Reginald grew up in Colorado and is a graduate of the University of Northern Colorado. Email: rh14@illinois.edu Twitter: @RNewsWILL