Although the major construction will be in the northbound lanes for this, the second and final year of the expressway rehabilitation project, both northbound and southbound motorists will experience lane reductions and lengthier commuting times between Halsted Street in Chicago and I-80 in Country Club Hills.

Beginning Saturday, traffic will gradually be reduced to two lanes for northbound motorists throughout the entire 12-mile project. Southbound travelers will experience similar reductions between 125th and 147th Streets. Two mainline lanes of traffic will remain open in each direction throughout peak travel hours.

"Safety is IDOT’s top priority. Motorists should slow down and drive carefully as they travel on I-57 and through other work zones during this construction season," said Dirk Fuqua, IDOT’s Engineer of Project Implementation who oversees state road construction projects throughout the Chicago area.

In addition to lane closures, as traffic staging continues through the first week of April, the northbound 119th Street entrance and exit ramps will remain closed. The ramps are scheduled to re-open prior to April 7th, with other ramp closures to follow.

The $43.8 million project, which includes bridge deck reconstruction, pavement patching and road resurfacing, is scheduled to be completed by October 31st.

The contractor is K-Five Construction Corporation of Lemont.

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