Two-year Lincoln Highway reconstruction to start Wednesday

A reconstruction project that will start Wednesday on a two-mile stretch of Lincoln Highway in southwest suburban Joliet is expected to last through the summer of 2017.

Lanes will be shifted along Lincoln Highway between Interstate 55 and Division Street as utility companies begin moving their facilities to make room for an improved drainage system and a wider roadway, according to a statement from the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Several stages of construction throughout the project will change traffic patterns, IDOT said.

The project will turn Lincoln Highway into a five-lane highway between I-55 and Renwick Road, IDOT said. A three-lane section will be built from Renwick to Division, and additional turn lanes will be added at some intersections.

Later this year, a detour will be in place between Renwick and Division from July 8 to Nov. 20, IDOT said. The project is expected to be finished by the summer of 2017.