Brace for backups: What to expect from 2026 road work and where the worst gridlock lurks

As the 2026 road construction season uncorks, suburban drivers can expect jackhammers on a handful of major highways and myriad arterial corridors.

Serenity now.

Along with a roster of ongoing projects, there’s a new player in the lineup — a rebuild of the Bishop Ford Freeway. The Illinois Department of Transportation started work on a two-year, $93 million rehab in March.

This year, crews are fixing the outbound side, resurfacing pavement and repairing bridges between Martin Luther King Drive in Chicago to 159th Street in South Holland.

Safety comes first, IDOT spokesperson Maria Castaneda stressed.

“As the construction season gets underway, we want to remind the public to pay attention to your surroundings, avoid distractions, obey signs and to slow down when driving near and through work zones.”

Meanwhile, the seemingly interminable Central Tri-State Tollway (I-294) widening enters its second-to-last year.

Illinois tollway workers will concentrate on two segments between the I-88/I-290 interchange and North Avenue, and from Ogden Avenue to Cermak Road.

The rest of the corridor, stretching from Rosemont to Oak Lawn, is largely complete.

“We’re very excited about this year,” tollway Chief Engineer Manar Nashif said. “We’ve accomplished a lot, but we’re building on the momentum of the last several years. The tollway’s been on quite a run, delivering benefits to our customers. It’s a huge year for construction.”

When it’s not spreading asphalt, the tollway will be erecting SmartRoad overhead digital message signs with alerts and travel times on I-294 between Wolf Road and North Avenue.

A second focus is rebuilding the dysfunctional I-88 and I-290 interchange at I-294 near Oak Brook, notorious for its mammoth backups.

Workers will be reconstructing I-294 bridges over I-88, Butterfield Road, the Canadian National Railroad and I-290. Ramps connecting southbound I-294 to westbound I-88 and westbound I-290 to St. Charles Road and northbound I-294 will be overhauled also.

Both projects will wrap up in 2027.

IDOT’s other priority is rebuilding I-80 between Minooka and New Lenox. Work started in 2024 and ends in 2028, with about 60% complete so far. This year, workers will embark on the most complex part, revamping key bridges and ramps in Joliet, including Chicago Street (Route 53/52).

Here are some other notable projects across the region:

• It may not be the biggest item on IDOT’s list, but Route 53 improvements are the No. 1 irritant for thousands of Arlington Heights, Palatine and Rolling Meadows drivers navigating the work zone.

This year, crews will rehab Route 53 bridges, including those at Kirchoff Road, Industrial Avenue, Northwest Highway/Union Pacific Railroad, Palatine Road, Anderson Drive, Rand Road, Salt Creek and Algonquin Road. Work will resume on the Euclid Avenue bridge.

“The majority of the work is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year, with landscaping and miscellaneous work to be completed next spring,” Castaneda said.

• I-355 drivers will experience some delays as the tollway repairs pavement and bridges from I-80 to Army Trail Road across Cook, DuPage and Will counties.

• In Oak Brook, tollway rebuilding continues on the York Road Bridge over ramps connecting eastbound I-88 to the southbound Tri-State, and northbound I-294 to westbound I-88.

• Cook County is reconstructing Touhy Avenue between Elmhurst and Mount Prospect roads near O’Hare International Airport. Construction will take two years and includes a bridge elevating Touhy over the UP tracks and I-490, connections with I-490, and realigning Old Higgins and Mount Prospect roads with Touhy.

• IDOT is reconstructing and widening a tortuously slow section of Route 47 between Routes 14 and 120 in McHenry County. When complete in 2028, drivers will have two lanes in each direction and roundabouts to make things interesting.

• Lake County drivers should brace for Route 12 improvements between Route 59 to south of Old Rand Road as crews resurface 6.5 miles and construct rumble strips. It should all be over in October.

Got a question or comment? Drop an email to mpyke@dailyherald.com.