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 N. River Road to Patterson Road 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 Public Hearing was held on March 21st, 2024 from 4pm to 7pm at the Stone City VFW (124 Stone City Drive, Joliet, IL 60436).  The intent of the hearing was to:

• Describe the project development process
• Present the proposed improvements
• Present the Section 4(f) analysis for Nowell Park
• Present road closures at the east leg of Doris Avenue at the IL 53 intersection and the north leg of Nowell Avenue at the Mills Road/US 52 intersection
• Obtain public input

More information on the Public Hearing is available here. The presentation and exhibits presented at the hearing are available in the Documents section.