Government officials joined representatives of industry and labor Tuesday to break ground on a project designed to reduce truck traffic on Will County roads.

Speakers hailed the innovative financing for the Houbolt Road extension, a 1.5 mile privately funded, $172 million toll road that will span the Des Plaines River in Joliet and connect Interstate 80 with CenterPoint Intermodal Center, North America’s largest inland port.

The 6,400-acre business and industrial park has developed over the past 20 years as a hub for rail and truck commerce on land that formerly was part of the Joliet Arsenal munitions plant.

“We have suffered from one major issue, and that is managing the truck traffic in and out of the park,” said Michael Murphy, chief development officer for CenterPoint Properties. “Success has been great, but infrastructure comes later.”

Will County motorists contend with large numbers of trucks on Illinois Route 53, Laraway Road and other area routes. E-commerce has fueled a boom in logistics, warehouses and related businesses but also created traffic jams.

Users will pay tolls when the bridge opens in 2023. Toll prices have yet to be determined, Murphy said. Tolls will be integrated with the Illinois Tollway’s I-Pass system, he said. Toll rates are subject to approval by the Will County Board.

“It’s built for cars and trucks, but principally for trucks,” he said. “The idea here is whether you’re coming in from I-80 or leaving the intermodal, this will give you a very efficient way to access I-80 so we can limit traffic on Route 53.”

Houbolt Road ends at U.S. Route 6, just south of I-80. The existing interchange will be rebuilt as a diverging diamond interchange.

The Illinois Department of Transportation and city of Joliet will cover the $43 million cost of the interchange, while private investors are financing $140 million for the bridge and roadway.

“This should be a great relief

and minimize some of the congestion,” Murphy said.

Countryside-based International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 is an investor in the project, Murphy said. The union has donated $27.6 million to politicians in recent years.

Joliet will own the bridge and manage a 99-year lease of the structure, officials said. The city will receive a portion of toll revenues for a fund to maintain the bridge, officials said.

“What we’re doing here in Joliet is going to have a regional effect,” Joliet Mayor Bob O’Dekirk said. “It’s important that Joliet and other cities in Will County all partner together.”

O’Dekirk said he spoke with Larry Walsh, the late Will County executive, about the Houbolt Road extension when O’Dekirk was first elected mayor in 2015. Walsh first proposed extending Houbolt Road over the Des Plaines River, Murphy said.

“I’ve said many times this is not going to solve the traffic problem or the trucking problem but it is a big step in the right direction,” O’Dekirk said. “I think it’s the biggest step that has been taken since the intermodals came to our area.”

Oak Brook-based CenterPoint Properties is a national real estate development firm. The company said it has invested more than $2 billion in the Joliet/Elwood intermodal facility. Centerpieces of the shipping hub are rail yards for Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroads.

Economic development boosters have said Will County leads Illinois in population and job growth.

“I think we have become the playbook for the entire state of Illinois,” said Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, Will County executive. “When things are getting done, they look to us here in Will County.”

Financing for the project reflects an innovative collaboration among private investors, labor unions, state, county and local government, said Jose Rios, Region 1 engineer for the IDOT.

“It is a pleasure to be here today to showcase the first of its kind agreement in Illinois between state and local governments and CenterPoint Properties,” Rios said.

The project will reduce traffic on local roads, improve safety and strengthen the state economy, Rios said.

“This is an exciting time for the region,” Rios said.

The Houbolt Road project complements the state’s efforts to rebuild 16 miles of I-80 between U.S. Route 30 in New Lenox and Ridge Road in Minooka, Rios said.

“This includes replacement of the Des Plaines River bridges,” he said.

Concerned motorists avoided using the interstate bridges in 2019 when IDOT rated the integrity of the westbound bridge at six out of 100 and scored the eastbound bridge at 7.2. Local 150 paid for billboards that fueled safety fears and led to legislative approval or the $45 billion Rebuild Illinois infrastructure program.

As part of $1.2 billion in new construction planned for 16 miles of I-80 in Will County, IDOT recently launched a $48 million project to replace eastbound I-80 bridges over Hickory Creek, Richards Street east of the Des Plaines River in Joliet. Traffic has shifted onto the right shoulder and temporary pavement.

IDOT said it hoped to complete the work by late 2022, then shift focus to replacing the westbound bridges with new, wider structures.

Work is nearing completion on a three-year, $47 million reconstruction of the I-80 interchange with Route 30 in New Lenox.

Joliet has been involved in a legal fight with Elwood, Manhattan and other entities over NorthPoint’s proposal to build a massive business park near the CenterPoint Intermodal Center. Opponents have cited potential increases in truck traffic as a major concern.

Ted Slowik is a columnist for the Daily Southtown.tslowik@tribpub.com