Editor’s Note: Lanes on I-55 reopened about 12:25 p.m.
Some I-55 northbound lanes were shut down in the southwest suburbs during the Thursday morning rush hour commute after a speeding car on a Frontage Road broke through the barrier wall and landed on the interstate, with at least one person dead and another injured.
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NBC 5 traffic reporter Kye Martin described the closure as a “major traffic alert” for those who take northbound I-55 through Bolingbrook, with heavy delays building before and after sunrise. At 5:50 a.m., the Romeoville Police Department said traffic in the area would be shut down “for the foreseeable future” as an investigation continued.
The crash happened about 4:23 a.m. on Frontage Road near Taylor Road, the Romeoville Police Department said.
In a release, the Village of Romeoville said the crash occurred when a vehicle traveling westbound on Frontage Road at a high rate of speed hit a curve and went airborne. The car then crashed through the barrier wall onto northbound I-55, where it was struck by another vehicle.
The driver of the speeding car was killed, the village said. The driver of the vehicle on I-55 sustained non-life threatening injuries.
The crash left heavy damage to the sound barrier wall, with a gaping hole where the vehicle broke through and debris scattered across the road.
Photos and video from the scene captured by NBC 5 photographer Joe Amigleo showed major backups, with long stretches of cars and trucks sitting in traffic. Multiple emergency vehicles were also on the scene, which appeared to extend into Plainfield.
As of 5:25 a.m., a detour was in place at U.S. 30, Martin said. Drivers will take Division Street to Weber Road where they’ll get back on I-55.
“This impacts you as you commute in from Joliet, from Plainfield,” Martin warned drivers. “This backup is all the way back to before the detour. You do not want to be stuck in this.”
Romeoville police said that some cars were stuck in the backups on I-55 and surrounding roads, and that Frontage Road between Airport and Taylor Roads were closed as part of the investigation.
“Motorists are advised to avoid the area,” the Romeoville Police Department said.
Later Thursday morning, cars could be seen getting by the scene on one northbound lane.
This story will be updated as more details become available.
