No Workers On Burr Ridge Project? Here's Why

BURR RIDGE, IL – The other day, a Patch reader commented about seeing no workers present on the project upgrading the Interstate 55 bridge over Burr Ridge's Madison Street.

The reader wanted to know what was going on.

In an interview Thursday, Maria Castaneda, spokeswoman for the state Department of Transportation, acknowledged no workers were present at times.

With every pour of concrete, it takes a couple of weeks for the material to set and harden, a process known as curing, she said.

The project has seen significant delays. When it started in early May, it was set to be completed by mid-June.

By the end of June, the new target was late July. Now, the completion date has been delayed again.

"By the end of the month, we're looking to have this complete," Castaneda said. "It could be sooner."

After crews started the project, she said, they realized it would involve more work, thus the delays.

The state has detoured Madison's southbound traffic during the project, while the northbound lane has remained open.

The local bridge is considered one of the worst-rated in the state's highway system, according to a village news release in May.

The Interstate 55 bridge over Madison Street was built in 1959 and carries more than 142,000 vehicles a day, the village said.

Design of the bridge started in early 2020 and repairs atop I-55 were completed in 2021, but bridge pier patching has been delayed since last year, the village said.