If your daily drive takes you anywhere near the I-80 and Center Street interchange in Joliet, brace yourself. After the evening rush on Monday, nearly every ramp at the interchange is set to close for a multiyear rebuild that could stretch through late 2028, bringing long detours and a whole lot of extra time behind the wheel.
The shutdown will remove most on- and off-ramps and will also close Center Street and Meadow Avenue over I-80 between Wheeler Avenue and Morgan Street. Local drivers, delivery services, and nearby businesses are being warned to expect longer trips and major reroutes while crews tear into the aging interchange.
In a press release, the Illinois Department of Transportation said the closures are needed to reconstruct and reconfigure the interchange and will begin, weather permitting, after the evening rush on Monday. The agency noted that the ramp from eastbound Meadow Avenue to eastbound I-80 is the lone survivor for now and will stay open until it is scheduled for repairs in fall 2027. IDOT is warning motorists to expect lane shifts, overnight lane closures, and serious delays while the project is underway.
What’s Closing and the Long Timeline
Nearly every ramp at the I-80 and Center Street interchange, including the eastbound I-80 ramp to northbound Center Street, the ramps from Center Street onto westbound I-80, the ramp from southbound Center Street onto eastbound I-80, and the ramps from westbound I-80 onto Center Street, will be shut down for construction, as reported by NBC Chicago. Center Street will be closed in both directions around the interchange while crews are working.
All of the affected ramps are expected to reopen in fall 2028, which means this is not a quick patch job. Drivers who rely on this interchange are looking at years of detours before traffic returns to anything close to normal.
Detours and What Drivers Should Expect
During construction, detours will push traffic over to U.S. 6, Larkin Avenue (Illinois 7), and Jefferson Street (U.S. 52). Detailed detour maps are posted on the project website’s traffic page at I-80 Will.
The project site also flags staged traffic shifts and overnight work that could leave vehicles crawling or stopped at times. Drivers are urged to plan alternate routes, allow extra travel time and follow posted signs through the work zone if they want to keep their blood pressure in check.
How This Fits Into the Bigger I-80 Rebuild
The Center Street overhaul is just one piece of a roughly $1.3 billion push to rebuild about 16 miles of I-80 from Ridge Road in Minooka to U.S. 30 in Joliet and New Lenox. The wider project will replace or rehab more than 30 bridges and add auxiliary lanes aimed at improving safety, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.
Substantial completion of the overall work is projected by the end of 2028, with landscaping and cleanup stretching into 2029. Officials say redesigned interchanges and new flyovers should help traffic flow more smoothly once the dust finally settles.
For now, anyone who regularly uses the Center Street interchange is encouraged to check detour maps before heading out and to consider traveling during off-peak hours, especially in the early stages of the closure. The I-80 project site and its traffic alerts will carry the latest schedule updates and contact details for the project outreach team. Since the schedule is weather-dependent, drivers should keep an eye on changes if storms or harsh conditions roll through.
Local businesses that depend on quick interstate access are also being urged to review the posted routes and reach out to the project team with any delivery or routing questions using the contact information listed on the project site.
