ROCHELLE — The Illinois 38 at I-39 Interchange in Rochelle will undergo a $20.5 million upgrade aimed at improving traffic flow. The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) plans to replace the current “Diamond” interchange with a “Diverging Diamond” design, which will increase capacity and safety, allowing the interchange to handle double the traffic.
During Monday’s Rochelle City Council meeting, Mike Kuehn from the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) provided an update on the ongoing Preliminary Engineering Study, which began in late 2020.
“We eliminate some of the crash movements or potential crashing movements with this diverging diamond interchange. So it makes it safer. And then at the same time, the capacity increases quite a bit on it” he said.
The project, set to be finished by 2027, will also include replacing the bridge deck, upgrading signals, and repaving the area, with major construction starting in 2026.
