IDOT Transforms I-57 With $325M Expansion

IDOT is expanding I-57 in southern Illinois with a $325M project to add lanes, improve safety and support freight traffic. Stretching nearly 37 miles from Marion to Mt. Vernon, the upgrade includes bridges, drainage and interchange reconstruction, enhancing a key corridor linking major interstates and boosting regional economic growth.

May 5, 2026 - Midwest Edition #10
Lori Tobias – CEG Correspondent

Illinois DOT photo

The I-57 project stretches from the I-57/I-24 junction south of Marion (milepost 44) to the I-57/I-64 junction north of Mt. Vernon (milepost 96) and will expand the interstate over a nearly 37-mi. corridor.

A $325 million expansion project in southern Illinois is transforming one of the region’s busiest freight corridors. (Illinois DOT photo)

Construction on the I-57 corridor has been ongoing for nearly two decades. (Illinois DOT photo)

Work involves adding lanes, installing new drainage structures and constructing median barrier walls. (Illinois DOT photo)

The project includes replacing bridges over Marcum Branch, Gun Creek, Dodds Creek and reconstructing the I-57/64 interchange with Illinois 15. (Illinois DOT photo)

A $325 million expansion project in southern Illinois is transforming one of the region's busiest freight corridors. The I-57 project stretches from the I-57/I-24 junction south of Marion (milepost 44) to the I-57/I-64 junction north of Mt. Vernon (milepost 96) and will expand the interstate over a nearly 37-mi. corridor.

"This corridor is vital to the region and the nation," Ben Wills, construction engineer IDOT District 9, told Construction Equipment Guide. "We're proud to be delivering a project that enhances safety, supports economic growth and keeps southern Illinois moving. Once complete, I-57 will offer three lanes in each direction between I-24 and I-64, providing a safer, more efficient route for freight and passenger traffic. Planning for the lane expansions began nearly 20 years ago, demonstrating the long-term vision behind this project."

The stretch of Interstate, part of the National Highway Freight Network (NHFN), sees about 40,000 vehicles daily, of which about 14,000 are trucks.

Illinois DOT photo

"This project strengthens a critical freight and multimodal corridor connecting Chicago to Gulf Coast ports and linking major interstates like I-80, I-70, I-64, I-55 and I-24," Wills said. "The upgrades will support regional economic growth while making the road safer for everyone."

Work involves adding lanes, installing new drainage structures and constructing median barrier walls. The project also includes replacing bridges over Marcum Branch, Gun Creek, Dodds Creek and reconstructing the I-57/64 interchange with Illinois 15. In addition, it will include new guard rails, rumble strips and raised reflectors.

"We're using advanced equipment and techniques to keep traffic moving safely while ensuring the work progresses efficiently," Wills said, noting the management of heavy traffic is one of the biggest challenges on the project.

"High traffic volumes have presented unique construction challenges. Lane closures can create significant backups during the day. To address this, all contracts require two lanes to remain open during daytime, with major construction operations occurring at night. The project also features innovative techniques, including slip-forming median barriers and jacking storm sewers into place to avoid large cuts adjacent to live traffic." The size and number of contracts make the project "a huge undertaking for District 9."

Key Components

Illinois DOT photo

Construction on the I-57 corridor has been ongoing for nearly two decades. Planning began with a feasibility study in 2007, and multiple segments have since opened:

• 2012–2015 — early sections near Marion and Mt. Vernon (MP 52–MP 58.6, MP 92–MP 96)

• 2020 — TIGER 9 grant funded 4.4 mi. north of Marion (MP 58.6–MP 63)

• 2022 — Illinois Competitive Freight Grant funded 3 mi. near West Frankfort (MP 63–MP 66)

• 2025 — Benton area segment (MP 66–MP 75)

• 2027 and 2029 — remaining sections near Mt. Vernon and Rend Lake (MP 75–MP 92)

The project is part of the Rebuild Illinois Capital Program, signed into law in June 2019 and calling for an investment of a total of $25.4 billion into Illinois' roads and bridges.

"Rebuild Illinois is creating economic opportunity and improving infrastructure in Illinois while enhancing safety and quality of life throughout the state," Construction Equipment Guide learned from the Illinois Department of Transportation website. "Illinois is the transportation hub of the nation and the sixth largest state in the United States, but has not had a comprehensive, multi-year capital plan since 2009. Overall, Illinois' infrastructure has a C-rating, and deferred maintenance backlogs for our road and transit systems alone have reached $30 billion. Currently, 74 percent of Illinois roads and 86 percent of bridges are rated as acceptable.

Illinois DOT photo

"Rebuilding Illinois through a capital plan will create good jobs and develop needed infrastructure in each area of the state, investing $44.8 billion over six years, with $33.2 billion of that amount allocated to transportation, and supporting an estimated 540,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs throughout the life of the 6-year Rebuild Illinois plan (approximately 90,000 jobs per year). Rebuild Illinois includes:

• $25.3 billion for Illinois' roads and bridges.

• $1.3 billion for major rail projects and added Grade Crossing Protection projects.

• $558 million for aeronautic facility improvements.

• $150 million in new funding for port improvements. CEG

Lori Tobias

Lori Tobias is a career journalist, formerly on staff as the Oregon Coast reporter at The Oregonian and as a columnist and features writer at the Rocky Mountain News. She is the author of the memoir, Storm Beat - A Journalist Reports from the Oregon Coast, and the novel Wander, winner of the Nancy Pearl Literary Award in 2017. She has freelanced for numerous publications, including The New York Times, The Denver Post, Alaska Airlines in-flight, Natural Home, Spotlight Germany, Vegetarian Times and the Miami Herald. She is an avid reader, enjoys kayaking, traveling and exploring the Oregon Coast where she lives with her husband Chan and rescue pups, Gus and Lily.