I-55 at Weber Interchange Meeting Set for Thursday

Area residents are invited to weigh in on proposed improvements to the Interstate 55 interchange at Weber Road Thursday during an Illinois Department of Transportation open house, scheduled for 4 to 7 p.m. at .

Phase 1 of the proposed project has been in the works since April 2010, when IDOT held its first public meeting on the proposed improvements. The project's study area extends from 119th Street to 135th Street along Weber Road and a half-mile east of Weber along I-55.

Thursday’s meeting will give residents a chance to view information on the study, view project exhibits and slideshows, and learn about several alternatives for improving the interchange, said IDOT Consultant Studies Unit head Steve Schilke.

A preliminary engineering and environmental study, which takes a look at potential positive and negative effects of the proposed improvements, began in October 2009 and is scheduled to last 40 months.

A community advisory group (CAG), made up of representatives from Romeoville, Bolingbrook, Plainfield, Naperville and Will County, has met four times since June 2010 to discuss Phase 1 progress and offer their feedback.

“I think we have about 20 to 30 members of the CAG group,” he said. That group helped IDOT form a statement of purpose and need for the project, which cites a high number of crashes, traffic congestion, capacity issues and lack of pedestrian and bicycle access as just some of the factors that make interchange improvements necessary.

Benefits listed in project study documents include additional turn lanes, improved traffic signal coordination, better striping and signage, and pedestrian and cycling accommodations.

“Now that we’ve identified that … we’ll be going over our toolbox of interchange types that would be an option,” including cloverleaf and diamond interchanges, along with several other variations, Schilke said.

If the proposed project does become a reality, it will be a while before local motorists see any big changes. 

"We're still fairly early in Phase 1 of this project," Schilke said, adding that the study is scheduled for completion in mid-2012. Phase 2 land acquisition could take another 18 to 24 months before Phase 3 construction would begin, he said.

“We want to present this to the public [and] let everyone know where we’re at,” he added. “It’s a very stakeholder intensive process.”

In addition to offering feedback at the May 12 meeting, residents can also fill out a survey on the project website, www.i55atweber.com.

This meeting will be accessible to handicapped individuals. Anyone who needs specific assistance should contact Jessica Feliciano, project manager, at 847-705-4087. Persons planning to attend who will need a sign language interpreter or other similar accommodations should notify the TTY/TTD number at 800-526-0844/or 711; TTY users (Spanish) should call 800-501-0864/or 711.