I-39 construction in Cherry Valley begins March 16

CHERRY VALLEY – The Illinois Department of Transportation announced today that a multiyear project to reconstruct Interstate 39 in Cherry Valley will begin Monday, March 16. The 2-mile work zone is from the U.S. 20/Harrison Avenue interchange to Mulford Road.

The $125.9 million project involves expanding I-39 from four to six lanes with an accessory lane between the Harrison Avenue and U.S. 20 interchanges. Work includes building new bridges over Harrison Avenue/U.S. 20, the Union Pacific Railroad and the Canadian National railroad in addition to new structures that will run the Cherry Valley Path and Madigan Creek underneath I-39.

Construction will take three construction seasons to complete. Two lanes will be open in both directions and will include multiple traffic shifts. Also, the Cherry Valley Path will be closed at I-39 this summer and will be detoured via the new path running along Harrison Avenue.

This year, construction will focus on reconstructing southbound I-39 and traffic will be shifted to the left side of the road to accommodate earthwork to build the new lanes and bridges. There also will be lane shifts and closures on Harrison Avenue/U.S. 20 underneath I-39 to accommodate construction of the new I-39 bridges. This work will conclude by the end of the year.

Work will resume in spring 2027 to build the median and continue construction on bridges and other structures. The southbound lanes will be completed when construction shuts down for the winter. In spring 2028, the project will wrap up with the construction of the new northbound lanes and completion of all bridges and structures along with final pavement on Harrison Avenue/U.S. 20 underneath I-39. A noise wall also will be built along northbound I-39. The entire project is expected to be completed in late fall, with some final touch-up work being done in 2028.

The I-39 project is part of a larger multiyear, $302.4 million project made possible by Gov. JB Pritzker’s Rebuild Illinois capital program to improve I-39 between the U.S. 20/Harrison Avenue interchange and Blackhawk Road in Rockford and Cherry Valley. A $98.8 million project was completed in 2024 that reconstructed the I-39 and U.S. 20 interchange, and the $44.3 million conversion of the Harrison Avenue/U.S. 20 and I-39 interchange from a cloverleaf to a diverging diamond design was completed in 2025.

The final project will expand U.S. 20 from four to six lanes at the intersection of Mill Road and replace the bridges crossing the Kishwaukee River in Cherry Valley is anticipated to begin this year. All projects are anticipated to conclude by the end of 2028. More information about the I-39 reconstruction project is available on the project webpage.

Drivers are urged to pay close attention to changed conditions and signs in the work zone areas, obey the posted speed limits, refrain from using mobile devices and be alert for workers and equipment.

Over the next six years, IDOT is planning to improve 7,107 lane miles of highway and 8.4 million square feet of bridge deck as part of Rebuild Illinois, which is investing $33.2 billion into all modes of transportation. Accomplishments through Year Six of Rebuild Illinois include almost $20.8 billion of improvements statewide to 21,309 lane miles of highway, 815 bridges and 1,181 additional safety improvements.

For IDOT District 2 updates, follow us on X at @IDOTDistrict2 or view area construction details on IDOT’s traveler information map on GettingAroundIllinois.com.