Welcome to the Illinois Route 53 Study

The Illinois Department of Transportation (Department) is currently engaged in preliminary engineering and environmental studies (Phase I) for the improvements of Illinois Route 53 (IL 53) from West Arsenal Road to US 52 (Doris Avenue) located in the City of Joliet and the Village of Elwood, in Will County, Illinois.  The Phase I study was initiated to address safety and operations along IL 53.

This website has been created to provide the public with educational information, materials, and updates about the IL 53 study. The goal is to keep the public informed about the project development process and to provide an opportunity to express their needs and concerns.

Please explore the project website which includes a Links section, learn more about the IL 53 study, and provide comments regarding the study through our Contact Us section.

To see upcoming events related to this project, please visit our Project Updates section.

Project Update

A Stakeholder Meeting was held on August 14, 2018 from 4pm-7pm at the Stone City V.F.W. 2199 (124 Stone City Drive, Joliet, IL 60436). The purpose of the meeting was to obtain public input on the improvement options at the intersection of Mills Road at Gardner Street and Nowell Avenue and Doris Avenue from Gardner Street to IL 53.  The meeting documents presented at the meeting are available in the Documents section.

The Illinois Department of Transportation will be resurfacing IL 53 and adding shoulder rumble strips in the Summer of 2017 from Manhattan Road to US 52 (Doris Ave.).  This is a maintenance project that is unrelated to the IL 53 Phase I Study. However, these improvements will be incorporated into the IL 53 Phase I design.