The intersection of U.S. 20 and Illinois 73 in Lena is being rebuilt, according to a community announcement.
The $11.8 million project includes grading, culvert replacement, additional turn lanes and new traffic signals.
U.S. 20 will be improved from Rees Road to about a half-mile west of Illinois 73. Illinois 73 will be improved just north and south of U.S. 20.
A $11.8 million IDOT project will rebuild the U.S. 20 and Illinois 73 intersection in Lena, with traffic changes starting March 28.
Road closures and detours planned
March 28: Work resumed on a temporary runaround for U.S. 20 north of the intersection with Illinois 73. Work on the runaround began in late 2025, according to the announcement.
April 20 will bring a closure of the north leg of Illinois 73 at U.S. 20 to finish the temporary runaround. Illinois 73 will follow a posted detour of Galena Road, U.S. 20, Illinois 26 and Illinois 72. The south leg of Illinois 73 will not be affected by this closure.
In late April, the temporary runaround will be completed and U.S. 20 will be rerouted onto it to construct the new intersection. The south leg of Illinois 73 will be closed at U.S. 20, and all Illinois 73 traffic will follow the Galena Road–U.S. 20–Illinois 26–Illinois 72 detour.
The Illinois 73 detour is expected to end Oct. 8.
There will be no detour of U.S. 20 in the area, as traffic will utilize the temporary runaround to travel through. However, one lane of traffic will be open and controlled by temporary signals on a portion of U.S. 20 in the work zone. The project is expected to be completed in early November, according to the announcement.
Rebuild Illinois improvements total nearly $20.8 billion in the first six years
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 the first six years 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.
This story was created by reporter Nida Tazeen, NTazeen@usatodayco.com , with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process.
This article originally appeared on Journal Standard: IDOT plans one‑season rebuild at US 20 and IL 73 in Lena
