IA 297 had 50 days to live when this picture was taken, May 20, 2003
The most interesting thing about this summer’s reconstruction project of I-380/US 20 is the creation of unequal lanes. There is going to be a 14-foot-wide “driving lane”, presumably the right one, and 12-foot “passing lane.” This is the first time the concrete has been rebuilt since it was first set in 1984.
The project doesn’t include creation of new lanes, so nearly the whole thing will remain two lanes in either direction. The exceptions are between the west 380 interchange and the River Forest Road exit and the westbound lanes between I-380’s east merge and old IA 297 (above). It is, however, comprehensive enough that there are planned “emergency detours.”