Traveling west on I-88 from the suburbs? Road construction awaits

If you’re headed to a graduation at Northern Illinois University this spring, give yourself plenty of time to get there.

The Illinois tollway recently kicked off a major repair job involving crossroad bridges on the Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88) in DeKalb and Lee counties.

The work, which includes construction in the NIU area, will result in lane closures and delays throughout the summer and fall, officials said.

The bridge project stretches between Beach Creek in Lee and Peace Road in DeKalb counties.

“Off-peak and overnight lane closures will be needed on I-88 for the work, as well as long-term closures on Tower Road and Peace Road,” tollway officials said.

Meanwhile, on I-88 itself, tollway crews will be fixing pavement and bridges between Route 30 and Route 56 in the Aurora area.

And near Lisle, mainline bridge repairs are scheduled at Route 53.

Ramp work is also slated at the DeKalb Oasis.

Here are some bridge project specifics:

• On the Peace Road bridge taking traffic over I-88, expect traffic to be down to one lane in each direction. Up to 11,800 vehicles use the bridge daily.

• Further west, on the Tower Road bridge over I-88, traffic will be reduced to one lane with flaggers directing traffic through the zone.

• In addition, culvert repairs will be occurring on I-88 over Beach Creek in Lee County.

Construction should wrap up later this year.

For information, go to illinoistollway.com.