Houbolt Road Extension JV, LLC (“HRE-JV”), a joint venture between United Bridge Partners and CenterPoint Properties, has entered into a lease agreement with the City of Joliet and commenced construction on the Houbolt Road Extension (“HRE”) Project on March 8, 2021.
The privately financed project involves designing and constructing a new 1.5-mile-long highway extension, including a 0.4-mile-long bridge over the Des Plaines River. HRE-JV will finance, construct, operate, and maintain the bridge while collecting bridge tolls under a 99-year lease agreement with the City of Joliet. The project will provide a direct route between I-80 and CIC-Joliet, and the UP and BNSF Intermodal Facilities.
The project will deliver the following improvements:
- Design and construction of a new four-lane concrete 1.5-mile bridge and roadway, which will be outfitted with an Illinois Toll Highway compatible collection system, including a 0.4-mile bridge over the Des Plaines River with two lanes in each direction and a dedicated pedestrian/bicycle path.
- Turning and merging lanes from Houbolt Road to Schweitzer Road and US Route 6
- A signalized intersection at Vetter and Schweitzer Roads.
- Grading for pedestrian/bicycle path parallel to the new roadway on Houbolt Road.
The State of Illinois and City of Joliet will construct a new diverging diamond interchange at I-80 and Houbolt Road and reconstruct Houbolt Road from I-80 to US Route 6. The construction completion of this public project is expected to align with the expected completion of the HRE Project in 2023.
The privately-funded project will create an alternative route from I-80 into the CenterPoint Intermodal Center (“CIC”). The new route provides direct access to I-80, rerouting truck traffic off local roads like Route 53, returning these roads to the residents and surrounding communities for their daily use, absent the congestion. The project, on the southern extension of Houbolt Road over the Des Plaines River, will be paid for, operated, and maintained by HRE-JV.
The HRE-JV selected the Granite / Kraemer – A Joint Venture (“GK-JV”) team as the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (“EPC”) contractor through a best value procurement process to complete the Houbolt Road Extension project. Burns & McDonnell, a team member of GK-JV, has completed the design for the project’s bridge and roadway.
For more information and project updates, visit www.houboltroadextension.com.
