IDOT to close major Gurnee intersection to remove old train bridge this weekend

The intersection of Grand Avenue and Route 41 in Gurnee will be shut down this weekend so state transportation officials can remove what remains of the old railroad bridge.

The intersection will be closed from 7 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday. Grand Avenue traffic will be directed about a mile south to Washington Street.

The work is part of the larger state project to widen the Grand Avenue underpass, which is currently one lane in each direction, and to provide new sidewalks for pedestrians.

Last year, the Illinois Department of Transportation started building a temporary rail bridge so trains can pass by while the underpass project is completed.

Jack Linehan, the assistant to the village administrator, said trains need to slow down a lot so they can cross the temporary bridge, so it couldn't be a long-term solution.

"It had to be a pretty hefty bridge to handle the train traffic," Linehan said.

Linehan said trains have been running on the temporary bridge for the last few weeks.

Once the old train bridge is removed, the two big items remaining for IDOT crews will be to widen Grand Avenue and to build a new railroad bridge over it.

Adding more turn lanes to Grand Avenue will provide a better, safer flow of traffic, according to IDOT.

The underpass project will be completed in spring 2019, IDOT officials said.

Even though the intersection will be shut down, all of the Grand Avenue businesses between Route 41 and Green Bay Road will be open as usual, Linehan said.

"They're the ones who are really going to be hurt from this closure," Linehan said.