Aug. 12--A section of 159th Street in Orland Park is scheduled to close for 10 days starting next week for construction work on a railroad crossing needed as part of a road-widening project, the Illinois Department of Transportation and Metra announced Tuesday.
IDOT is widening 159th Street to two lanes in each direction between Ravinia Avenue in Orland Park and Gougar Road in Homer Glen, requiring changes to the railroad crossing at the Metra tracks on the SouthWest Service Line, the agencies said in a statement.
Starting Aug. 19, 159th Street will be closed to all traffic between 104th Avenue and 108th Avenue. The closure is expected to last 10 days, according to IDOT.
A detour will be posted directing drivers to 167th Street between 104th Avenue and 108th Avenue.
Metra and IDOT officials said the work won't impact train service but may create delays for drivers.
Earlier this year, workers prepared the road for widening by moving utilities and removing trees, IDOT spokesman Guy Tridgell said. Construction on the new lanes won't start until next year, Tridgell said, though it's possible workers will begin installing temporary pavement this fall.
The $105 million project, expected to be completed in the fall of 2017, will create two 12-foot-wide lanes in each direction, separated by a raised, curbed median, and also includes a multiuse path and sidewalk, according to IDOT.
lzumbach@tribpub.com
