Elgin construction cuts off Weld Road from McLean Blvd.

Starting Wednesday, Weld Road no longer will connect to McLean Boulevard in Elgin because of the Illinois Department of Transportation’s ongoing interchange reconstruction project.

Drivers trying to go west on Weld Road from McLean Boulevard are asked to use Fleetwood Drive instead and then take Shepard Drive north back to Weld. In the other direction, drivers should go south on Shepard Drive, then east on Fleetwood Drive to McLean Boulevard.

The interchange reconstruction project is set to continue through fall 2014 but Weld Road will be disconnected permanently from McLean Boulevard, according to Doug Paulus, of Hampton Lenzini and Renwick engineering firm.

Construction ultimately will create a single point urban interchange where Route 20 crosses over McLean Boulevard, getting rid of the two existing intersections at the ramp terminal and replacing them with just one intersection. IDOT also plans to replace the retaining walls along a new, wider Route 20 bridge over McLean, according to its website. The boulevard will become a four-lane divided cross section from Fleetwood Drive to Lillian Street with turn lanes where appropriate.

“That intersection has been a point of congestion for a long time,” Paulus said, adding that the work is progressing on schedule.

The project is expected to cost $44.4 million and produce better, safer traffic flow while leading to more commercial development, urban renewal and public advancement, according to IDOT’s project website.

For details visit dot.il.gov/us20atMclean/index.html.