159th Street Closing For At Least 60 Days During Roadwork

OAK FOREST, IL -- City officials announced Wednesday that an upcoming construction project will significantly impact two major Oak Forest thoroughfares.

The Illinois Department of Transportation has notified the city that crews' work to replace a large culvert beneath road and intersection improvements will require 159th Street to close from Oak to Cicero avenues "for at least 60 days" beginning April 2. Construction kicks off in February and will impact Cicero Avenue in its final June- to -November phase.

"Improvements will include new double turning lanes on east bound 159th to north bound Cicero Avenue and a turn lane on east bound 159th to southbound Cicero," officials said, in a community alert.

Once 159th Street is closed, traffic will detour up Cicero Avenue to 167th Street, west to Harlem Avenue, and north back to 159th Street.

The culvert will be replaced under both 159th Street and Cicero Avenue in the following stages:

• Mid-February: Installation of temporary traffic signals and utility relocations begin. This work will require only daytime closures.
• April 2: Complete closure of 159th Street from Oak to Cicero avenues starts for 60 days. Once 159th Street is finished, it will be reopened to all lanes of traffic.
• June: Cicero Avenue will be reduced to one lane of traffic in each direction following the reopening of 159th Street. The traffic pattern will remain in effect through the project's completion, which is estimated to be Nov. 15.

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