More Rt. 53 road work starts Wednesday

The Illinois Department of Transportation is upping the ante on I-290/Route 53 road construction.

IDOT will begin resurfacing 7 miles of the highway between Higgins and Rand roads on Wednesday.

Southbound drivers will be hit first with permanent daytime lane closures between now and Aug. 27.

Next, northbound drivers will feel the joy of reduced lanes from Aug. 27 through Oct. 29.

The project also includes bridge work, drainage upgrades and patching.

The Higgins-Rand work adds on to a massive redo of the Eisenhower stretching from downtown to Thorndale Avenue in Itasca. The transportation department also is resurfacing I-355 from Army Trail Road to I-290. This project will be stretched over two years.

The agency cautioned drivers to follow the posted speed limit in work zones.

For more information on the road work, call (847) 705-4696 or visit dot.il.gov/I290/overview.