Work on Illinois 251 in Machesney Park begins Sept. 8

MACHESNEY PARK – The Illinois Department of Transportation announced today work on Illinois 251 (North Second Street) in Machesney Park will begin Monday, Sept. 8. The work zone is between Windsor Road in Loves Park to Melbourne Avenue just south of Illinois 173 (West Lane Road) in Machesney Park.

Work will patch and resurface the road. Previous work by the village of Machesney Park reconstructed medians between Harlem and Roosevelt roads and ADA sidewalk improvements between Harlem Road and Copper Drive.

One lane will be closed in each direction during the $8.2 million project and paving is anticipated to be completed by the end of the year. Additional work including traffic signal modifications and pavement striping will be done in spring 2026. The entire project is anticipated to be completed in mid-June.

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 more than 3,200 miles of highway and nearly 9 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 on 7,897 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.