Ribbon Cutting For Houbolt Road Extension In Joliet

A ribbon cutting was held on Tuesday for the Houbolt Road Extension at the Autobohn Country Club in Joliet. Local officials including Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant and Joliet Mayor Terry D’Arcy were on hand. President of CenterPoint Michael Murphy said there have been only 14 projects across the U.S. since 2020 of this magnitude. The public/private bridge over Des Plaines River in partnership with CenterPoint and United Bridge Partners was on time and on budget and took less than 2 years to build. The bridge has been open since April and the number of cars and trucks taking the Houbolt Road Extension is expected to increase according to Murphy. Monday through Friday, the bridge is handling about 7,000 vehicles a day of which a majority are trucks.

The idea for the a bridge over the Des Plaines River was first thought of with the late Will County Executive Larry Walsh Sr. in 2006. Illinois State Rep. Larry Walsh Jr. was also on hand to help with the ribbon cutting. The total cost of the 1.4 mile long bridge was $140-million dollars.

Meanwhile, Will County received its first paycheck from the toll bridge $6,000. The bridge opened April 27 of this year.