SPRINGFIELD, IL -- The Illinois Department of Transportation today announced that highway construction work will be suspended, where possible, on state highways to give motorists a break for the Memorial Day weekend.

Work zone areas will be opened for normal traffic patterns during the afternoon of Friday, May 24, and will remain open until midnight Monday, May 27.

However, there will be a number of work zones that will continue to have lane closures. Motorists are advised to slow down and be alert in those work zones, and are reminded that work zone speed limits are still in effect.

"Memorial Day is the start of the summer travel season," Illinois Transportation Secretary Kirk Brown said, "and there will be many more cars on our highways. We need your help to make this a safe holiday and a safe summer.

""Plan ahead and give yourself extra travel time instead of rushing, don't drive when you're tired, never drink and drive, and always wear your seatbelts. In fact, law enforcement agencies across the state will be enforcing seatbelt usage during this holiday period.

"I would encourage motorists to be extra careful as they approach work zones," Brown added. "Be aware that traffic will be slowing down, and be prepared to stop. So far this year we have experienced five fatalities in work zones areas. That's a 50 percent reduction from last year, and a trend that we want to continue for the rest of the year."

In the greater Chicago area there will be work on the following expressways:

• I-57, lane reductions for 12 miles of rehabilitation between Halsted Street in Chicago and I-80 near Country Club Hills.
• I-55/I-294 interchange reconstruction. The ramp is closed from southbound I-55 to northbound I-294. Detours utilizing County Line Road are marked.
• Dan Ryan Expressway (I-94), although all lanes are open on the expressway, northbound traffic may experience backups because of construction on the Franklin Street Connector near Chinatown.

Other projects across the state that will continue to have lane closures are:

• US 24, eastbound Quincy Memorial Bridge over Mississippi River, closed for rehabilitation. Two-way traffic on Quincy Bayview Bridge.

• US 6/US 34 east of Sheffield, culvert replacement. One lane open, traffic controlled by signals.

• IL 78 at Carroll Creek in Mt. Carroll, bridge replacement. Traffic detoured on US 52, IL 73 and US 20.

• US 51 five miles north of Pana, bridge repairs. One lane open, traffic controlled by signals.

• I-70 between mile posts 146 and 154, pavement and bridge reconstruction. One lane open each direction on westbound lanes.
• US 40 over I-70 east of Marshall, bridge rehabilitation. One lane open.

• I-57, between mile posts 198 and 213, bridge rehabilitation on 10 structures. One lane open each direction.

• IL 58 from east of Arlington Heights Rd. to Wolf Rd, one lane in each direction.
• IL 58 from Barrington Rd. to Bartlett Rd., alternating one-way traffic controlled by a traffic signal.
• IL 72 (Higgins Rd.) from east of IL 59 to Glen Lake Rd., one lane in each direction.
• IL 50 (Cicero Ave.), at 127^th St. and I-294 (Tri-State Tollway) interchange, expecty daytime lane closures.
• 47^th St. over the Des Plaines River, bridge replacement, one lane open each direction.

• IL 64 at branch of the Kishwaukee River at Sycamore, bridge deck repairs. One lane open, traffic controlled by signals.

• IL 54 box culvert replacement east of IL 48. One lane open.

• IL 133 bridge replacement over Kaskaskia river at Chesterville. One lane open.

• IL 20 from Addison Rd. to Walnut , reconstruction and bridge replacement at IL 83, one lane in each direction at the bridge.
• IL 64 (North Ave.) from IL 59 to County Farm Rd., two lanes open in each direction.

• IL 37, 5.5 miles north of Benton, bridge replacement over Gun Creek. One lane open.

IL 94 south of Terre Haute, bridge replacement over Dugout Creek. One lane open.

• US 6 at Geneso Creek, Geneseo, bridge deck repairs. One lane open, traffic controlled by signals.

 IROQUOIS COUNTY

• I-57 at mile post 270, box culvert replacement. One lane open each direction.
• IL 49 north of Crescent City, bridge deck repairs. One lane open.

• IL 3 northeast of Gorham, bridge replacement over Worthen Bayou. One lane open.
• IL 3 four miles southeast of Randolph County line, bridge replacement over Austin Creek. One lane open
• IL 7 seven miles south of Ava, bridge replacement over Reed's Creek. One lane open.

• US 34 (Ogden Ave.) from US 30 to Montgomery, one lane open each direction.

• IL 50 (Schuyler Ave.) over the Kankakee River, Kankakee, closed for bridge repairs. Posted detour.

• US 150 at Knoxville, bridge replacement over I-74. One lane open.
• US 150 (Henderson St.), Galesburg, pavement reconstruction from Main St. to Carl Sandburg Dr.. One lane open each direction.
• IL 41 at St. Augustine, culvert replacement over Cedar Creek. One lane open.
• IL 97 north of Rapatee, bridge replacement over Littlers Creek. One lane open.

• US 45 from IL 176 to Winchester Rd., two lanes open each direction. From Winchester Rd. to Temple, one lane open each direction.

• IL 351 over Illinois River, Peru, closed for bridge replacement. Posted detour.

• US 50 at Lawrenceville, road and bridge reconstruction. One lane open in each direction. Short section of closed roadway with detour on old route.

• US 52/IL 2/IL 26 at the Rock River Bridge in Dixon, bridge replacement. One lane open each direction.
• US 52 between Amboy and south of Sublette, work on four bridges, one lane open controlled by traffic signals.

• IL 105 east of 16^th St. in Decatur, slope failure. One lane open eastbound.

• IL 138 at west enge of Wilsonville, bridge repairs. One lane open, traffic controlled by signals.

• IL 89 south of La Rose, closed for box culvert replacement. Posted detour.
• IL 40/IL 17 south of Camp Grove, bridge replacement over Camp run Creek. One lane open.

• IL 23, bridge reconstruction over Riley Creek, one lane open controlled by traffic signal.

• IL 16 two miles east of Litchfield, bridge repairs over Shoal Creek. One lane open, traffic controlled by signals.
• IL 16 between Nokomis and Ohlman, repairs to two bridges. One lane open, traffic controlled by signals.

• IL 104 at east edge of Jacksonville, bridge reconstruction. Westbound lanes closed with two-way traffic on eastbound lanes.

• I-74 from mile posts 72 to 75 and from 78 to 82, west of Peoria, pavement patching and bridge work. One lane open each direction.
• IL 8/IL 29/IL 116, Cedar Street Bridge over the Illinois River, Peoria, bridge repairs. One lane open each direction.

• IL 4 north of Willisville, bridge replacements over tributary to Fox Creek. One lane open.

• I-74 at the Rock River Bridge in Moline, bridge replacement. One lane open each direction.
• US 67 at the Rock River Bridge between Milan and Rock Island, bridge painting. One lane open each direction.
• IL 92 (Centennial Expressway) at the Rock River Bridge in Rock Island, bridge replacement. One lane open in each direction.

• US 45 a half-mile north of Stonefort, bridge replacement. One lane open, traffic controlled by signals.
• IL 145, 3.5 miles south of Mitchellsville, bridge replacement. One lane open, traffic controlled by signals.

• IL 4 over Panther Creek, 2 1/4 miles north of Auburn, bridge repairs. One lane open, traffic controlled by signals.
• IL 4 at Thayer, bridge repairs. One lane open, traffic controlled by signals.

• IL 78, bridge replacement over Walnut Creek tributaries, 1.5 and 3 miles north of West Jersey. One lane open.

• I-57 from mile post 29 to mile post 34. One lane open each direction.

• I-64 between mile posts 45 and 55 near Okawville, resurfacing and bridge reconstruction, One lane open each direction.

• IL 242 over I-64 (mile post 100), bridge repairs. One lane open, traffic controlled by signals.

• IL 141 at New Haven, bridge repairs. One lane open, traffic controlled by signals.

• I-88 at the Rock River southwest of Rock Falls, bridge replacement. One lane open each direction.
• IL 78 at the I-88 interchange, structure rehabilitation. One lane open, traffic controlled by signals.

• IL 59 from 111^th St. to 143^rd St., one lane open each direction.
• IL 7, bridge reconstruction at the I & M Canal. Traffic over marked detour at the I & M Canal.

• IL 148, 5 miles south of IL 13, bridge replacement over Little Wolf Creek. One lane open, traffic controlled by signals.

• US 20 at Kishwaukee St., Rockford, bridge replacement. One lane open each direction.
• IL 251 at McDonald Creek, Roscoe, bridge replacement. One lane open each direction.

###