IDOT extends I-55/70 closure after Monday morning thunderstorm
The weekend closure of southbound Interstate 55/70 from Troy to Collinsville has been extended because of the rain, the Illinois Department of Transportation said.
“Due to circumstances beyond IDOT’s control, the closures on I55/70 and ramps will not be opened any time soon. We will continue to update as we get answers. Thank you for your patience,” IDOT tweeted this morning.
The agency in a news release on Monday said the surface that was applied “did not cure properly.”
“As a result, we have been unable to reopen the lanes to traffic. We are working hard to remedy the situation and we hope to be able to reopen the road by 5 a.m. (Tuesday) morning,” IDOT said in the news release.
IDOT closed westbound I-70 from the I-270/70/55 interchange near Troy to Black Lane near Collinsville over the weekend in order to repave the roughly 10-mile stretch of highway.
The road was scheduled to reopen at early Monday morning.
Monday morning’s storm dropped several inches of rain on the metro-east, including between 5.5 and 7.5 inches in Granite City, according to the National Weather Service in St. Louis.
Several other roads were closed, mostly in Madison County, including South Morrison Road, east of Collinsville High School.
This story was originally published August 12, 2019 at 12:30 PM.
