The Illinois Department of Transportation is operating a construction site on Interstate Highway 80, between Joliet and Gary, that has posed a serious health and safety threat. It is also the most stupid situation we’ve ever encountered in the U.S.
On the afternoon of July 27, we were stuck for nearly 90 minutes in stalled traffic to go 11 miles on this freeway. Why? Not because of a traffic accident or rainstorm but because an IDOT worker was periodically closing an interstate highway in both directions to perform repairs. The interstate traffic could easily have been detoured around this site, but it was not! Signs could easily have been posted warning motorists of the situation and pointing out alternative routes, but they were not!
Suddenly we were caught in this traffic, unable to go forward or backward, unable to exit and stuck there for 90 minutes! Our car nearly ran out of gas! We needed to go to the bathroom but were unable to exit (there was no exit along this area).
We missed a gourmet dinner. For others, though, the delay could easily have been life-threatening, if a medical emergency had occurred. Our cell phone calls to the state police–who would have been on the scene if an accident caused a jam–brought the information that they couldn’t do anything about this potential life-threatening disaster because IDOT was causing it! Unbelievable!
Why were no police available and no signs posted a week earlier at the intersection of I-80 and I-55 when heavy rain flooded I-55? That was also an incompetently handled situation, but at least the highway closing was caused by the rain and not IDOT. But IDOT and the police did nothing to help motorists there (people had to turn around via the interstate median!) The only information on how to travel through this mess came from Chicago talk radio!
