River Road Closing For 10 Months, Detours Revealed

SHOREWOOD, IL — If you are accustomed to traveling south along River Road in Shorewood to get to the Troy Baseball Complex or perhaps visit the nearby Lake Chaminwood Preserve, it's about time you start looking at Google Maps to find an alternative route.

You will not be able to use South River Road for almost a year.

That's right, an entire year.

Orange detour signs are now posted in both directions along River Road, warning motorists that the inevitable day is almost here. The detour signs indicate that River Road will be shut down from Dec. 4, 2023 through September 30, 2024.

The section of River Road that will be off-limits to motorists is between the intersection at Mound Road and the one at Shepley Road.

The 10-month shutdown of River Road is necessary for the overpass bridge replacement along Interstate 80, according to Troy Township officials.

Back on Nov. 1, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker visited Joliet to talk about his $1.3 billion I-80 Corridor Project and celebrate the brand new diverging-diamond design that just opened in Joliet at the Houbolt Road interchange near Joliet Junior College.

“Illinoisans deserve infrastructure built for the modern era, with the highest standards of safety and reliability, and a little less congestion and frustration,” Pritzker declared on Nov. 1 during his Joliet visit. “That’s why the General Assembly and I dedicated $1.3 billion of our road modernization plan — the largest single allocation — to the rebuilding and restoration of I-80 through Will, Grundy and Kendall Counties.

"These improvements will not only make it safer for commercial drivers, but for the thousands of families who rely on I-80 to commute to work, drive their kids to school, and move safely through their daily lives."

According to the Governor's Office, other I-80 elements soon to be wrapping up include the Shepley Road and Wheeler Avenue bridges over the interstate. The new structures will accommodate the larger footprint needed to support I-80 capacity and safety enhancements, with pedestrian and bicycle accommodations added to Wheeler Avenue, according to Pritzker.

Similar improvements to Joliet's Briggs Street bridge are ongoing and will finish in late 2024, with construction starting on the River Road bridge near Shorewood starting this winter.