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The Mill Street/South 51 intersection will close again Monday, weather permitting, three weeks after its original scheduled closing.
Joe Lenzini, a construction engineer for the Illinois Department of Transportation, said that the department changed staging for the expansion of Highway 51 to save both time and money.
Lenzini said IDOT wanted to complete the sidewalk outside of the Wesley Foundation completed before completing the passing lane on south 51 at Mill Street, which would close the intersection.
"We were going to build some temporary pavement but since revised the plan so that there was no need for that," he said. "We didn't have to build something we would later have to tear down."
The expansion of Highway 51 includes the widening of the intersection at Grand Avenue to six lanes. It also incorporates a free-flowing right-turn lane onto Lincoln Drive, which had to be tapered beginning at Mill Street, and a general shift of the road.
IDOT Resident Technician Larry Wood said that although Mill Street will be cut-off from the highway, motorists traveling on Highway 51 would only be forced to find a detour if they are traveling north and wish to turn onto Mill Street. Southbound vehicles on Highway 51 may still veer to the right on the one-way street just before the intersection.
"You'll still be able to use the "V" to get to Mill Street," he said. "But once you get past the stop sign and make a left to go eastbound, it will be closed off like last time."
Wood said the Mill Street closing was also delayed because a retaining wall as well as pavement needed to be laid before they could close the left passing lane and open the right.
Wood hopes to re-open the intersection the following Friday.
Wood said the construction appears to be ahead of schedule. He's slating the date for completion sometime next fall, though the re-routing of Lincoln Drive will be completed the first week of August, before students head back to campus.
Lenzini said that the weather has been very cooperative with the construction crews, with the exception of early spring. He said they have accomplished quite a lot in the past month which should push up completion.
