I-80 Ramp Closures At I-55: Are They Forever? Here's What We Know

JOLIET — If you were thinking it would be a great idea for the Illinois Department of Transportation to completely shut down the exit ramp for Interstate 80 at Interstate 55, you have finally gotten your wish.

According to Channahon village Facebook page: the I-80 ramp closures will take place on March 24, which is Monday.

During the shutdown, the ramp from I-55 south to I-80 east will be closed.

Southbound traffic needing to travel east on I-80 will be redirected to exit at the U.S. Route 6 stoplight in Channahon and then take I-55 north to I-80 east.

The ramp is anticipated to reopen in the fall of 2026, that's right — not the fall of 2025, but in almost one and a half years from now.

Here's a sampling of comments posted by people on Channahon's village Facebook page:

• "This is gonna be a nightmare on rt 6. Yippee!"
• "To dump onto Rt6 is the detour? Better reprogram those lights!"

"Well us in Village of Channahon, IL are gonna have to sit in traffic EVERYDAY for a year. THIS IS BS."

• "Getting onto 55 in the morning is already so busy! This is gonna be awful."
• "First wreck, Monday by 2:00."

If you want to read more about the I-80 expansion project, visit the IDOT website here.