A storm late Monday morning, May 18, brought torrential rain, power outages, broken limbs, downed trees and, of course, flooding in the Dixie Highway viaduct. The chronic flooding spot was closed for five or six hours after the storm, according to Homewood Public Works Director Joshua Burman. It reopened sometime between 4 and 5 p.m.

But help is on the way.

Homewood officials posted an update on Facebook Tuesday, May 19, announcing that work will begin June 1. The full 90-day closure of Dixie Highway at the viaduct is scheduled to begin on June 8.

Construction is expected to continue through October.

“Prior to and during the closure, IDOT will coordinate efforts to ensure detour routes are clearly posted in advance,” Homewood officials said. “Additional public notifications and reminders will be distributed through Village communication channels, including social media, the Home Sweet Homewood app and Rave alerts.”

A long-awaited rebuilding of the viaduct’s drainage system, which has had a collapsed section north of the viaduct for decades, was expected to begin this spring after the Illinois Department of Transportation announced the project had been funded.