Part of I-255 to shut down in St. Clair County. Here's what we know
The Illinois Department of Transportation plans a $62.2 million construction project on Interstate 255 between Illinois 3 and Illinois 157. The project includes resurfacing, bridge repairs, safety improvements, new lighting, upgraded signs and drainage improvements, according to IDOT. Construction is scheduled to begin in spring or summer 2027. I-255 will be closed in both directions between Illinois 3 and Illinois 157 for about four months, with the highway expected to reopen in fall 2027. IDOT said the full closure will allow crews to finish the work in one construction season, rather than about two years with staged construction. The project is a continuation of work on I-255. IDOT shut down a 3.5-mile stretch from Illinois 15 to 157 for nearly six months in February 2025. In 2020, the agency a seven-mile stretch of the highway from Collinsville Road in southern Madison County to Illinois 15. The highway was opened in 1984. Five phases are planned to upgrade its road deck and bridges. For years, state officials designated I-255 as one of the worst stretches of highway in Illinois. St. Clair County Chairman Mark Kern, at the time the restoration project began, compared driving on the road before its restoration to