The Wolf Road bridge over Interstate 80 near Mokena and Orland Park will close between 183rd and 187th streets starting Monday and will remain closed through early December, officials with the Illinois Department of Transportation said.
The $4.7 million construction project will replace the existing bridge, built in 1965 and reaching the end of its useful life, IDOT spokesperson Maria Castaneda said.
The bridge is one lane in each direction with shoulders. IDOT is replacing it with a wider structure that will still have one lane in each direction, but will include storm sewers and a 10-foot wide shared use path on the west side of the bridge, Castaneda said.
The shared use path will be built between 183rd Place and 187th Street and will connect with existing sidewalks on each end for pedestrians, bicyclists and other users, Castaneda said.
The bridge is expected to open in December, but will close again in early spring to allow work to finish. The entire project is expected to be completed by fall 2023.
Drivers will be detoured to 191st Street, La Grange Road and 179th Street, and detours will be marked.
Drivers can also expect occasional overnight lane closures on I-80 at the bridge site while construction is ongoing, according to IDOT.
Mokena Mayor Frank Fleischer said he understands work must be done on the Wolf Road bridge, but said the construction project will affect residents and businesses.
“When they tell you a bridge needs to be brought up to standards, you don’t argue,” Fleischer said. “It’s going to be tough, especially for the morning rush hour.”
Fleischer said drivers who would normally travel north and south over Wolf Road and now have to detour will need to have patience and allow extra time during their commute. He also urges residents who live north of I-80 to use the detours and make their way to Mokena to shop.
“Mokena has a lot to offer,” he said.
Melissa Fedora, executive director for the Mokena Chamber of Commerce, said she isn’t sure how the road construction will affect businesses, but said the Chamber will work with businesses on ways to overcome any hardships. She urges Southland residents to continue patronizing Mokena businesses even though it may be more inconvenient at times.
Wafah Elhakim, who runs The Cave Wine and Spirits, 18700 Wolf Road, said she is not looking forward to the road closures, which will likely affect her business. Still, she said, she loves her customers and her customers love her, so she is optimistic they will still stop and shop.
Angelica Perez, who works at the Nutrition Hub that is also in the Old Mill Pond Shopping Plaza, said she hopes the commuters who routinely pick up breakfast before traveling north over the bridge each morning will continue to stop in.
“I hope everything works out fine,” she said.
Mokena Village Administrator John Tomasoski said the village never likes to see its businesses put in a tough situation and said the village staff would be happy to find ways to work with them.
The village will update its residents so that they know IDOT’s plans, Tomasoski said. When IDOT updates the village on the project’s status, the village will pass along that information to residents through social media and other communication.
Dan Peloquin, Mokena’s assistant public works director, said the improvements are needed and residents and the region will benefit from a nicer bridge with better pedestrian access.
“Although it can be frustrating, it is a necessity,” Peloquin said.
Fleischer said he is especially looking forward to the pedestrian and walking path, which he feels residents will use.
The average daily traffic count for the Wolf Road bridge is about 15,800 vehicles, Castaneda said.
“Motorists likely will notice some changes with traffic in the first few days after a closure like this and need to be on alert, but drivers usually find new ways of navigating their trips and conditions tend to improve,” she said.
Over the next six years, IDOT plans to improve more than 3,535 miles of highway and nine million square feet of bridge deck as part of the Rebuild Illinois capital program.
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
