Jeff Robinson, Will County’s director of transportation, briefed the board on the Illinois Department of Transportation’s multi‑year plan and said the county won a $750,000 grant for the Weber Road expansion during his update Tuesday.

Robinson said IDOT announced a multiyear plan and a $400 million grant program; Will County applied and “did get $750,000 for the Weber Road expansion,” Robinson said. He added the Weber Road project — described in the presentation as an airport‑to‑130th Street corridor project — is in design and the awarded federal funds will contribute to that work.

Board members asked about project details and potential mitigation measures. One member asked whether adding a turn lane on Weber Road between 115th Street and Lily Cache Road would require a noise barrier; Robinson said the county would consider sound walls if the roadway expansion were large enough to trigger those design elements.

Robinson also summarized other projects called out in the IDOT materials, saying the multiyear plan has substantial focus on Interstate 55, Interstate 80, U.S. 52 and Illinois routes 52 and 53. He said the fact sheet circulated to the board includes Will County projects and links to detailed project pages.

Board members raised several local concerns during the discussion. A member asked whether federal‑level funding cuts would affect the plan; Robinson said the department had advised that federal dollars supporting the projects should not be impacted. A question about the Route 53 walk‑bike path from River Road to Gardner elicited Robinson’s confirmation that the corridor remains in the plan and that a phase‑2 design contract is being procured or posted.

Members also pressed Robinson about a long‑standing proposal to build a connector and bridge (referred to in the meeting as the Kate and Farm Road bridge) linking Crest Hill to Lockport. Robinson said the county had completed a Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) study but that the project stalled because adjoining municipalities had not committed to participate financially. He explained that federal guidelines require corridor‑level studies and that building a standalone bridge without addressing the broader corridor is not permitted under the current federal approach.

Robinson told the board the estimated costs discussed during the study exceeded $600 million for the corridor with the bridge estimated at roughly $250 million; he said those figures and commitments from adjoining jurisdictions would be necessary before the county could move to construction.

Robinson also noted that last week’s IDOT announcements included many regionally significant projects and that the county’s fact sheet condensed the agency’s 40‑page plan into an eight‑page summary for board review. He invited members to follow up with more specific questions so staff could return with details.

The transportation presentation was informational; no board action was requested or taken at the meeting.