Drivers living in Chicago’s northwest suburbs soon will be able to breathe a sigh of relief as roadwork on Interstate 88 nears its completion.

Construction on the 37-mile stretch of road from Sugar Grove to Rochelle is set to be completed by the end of next month, said Joelle McGinnis, press secretary for the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority.

The road was resurfaced because of the severe weather that plagued the area last winter, and construction began shortly after July 4, requiring workers to strip all existing layers of asphalt down to the concrete and repave it completely.

A thick layer of asphalt is laid over concrete to maximize the life of the tollway, McGinnis said.

Last winter, the Illinois Tollway Authority had to perform emergency repairs on the interstate. Those efforts included replacing potholes caused by ice and snow with cold patches (re-filling potholes with new asphalt).

Because of the extremely cold temperatures, McGinnis said it was impossible for the cold patches to adhere with the asphalt already present, thus creating additional breakup and more potholes.

The tollway authority feared the temporary solutions would not hold up to another severe winter, McGinnis said.

That fact is why the decision was made to put forth the necessary funds to strip down all existing asphalt down to its concrete and then repave it.

Four groups of construction workers went ahead on the repairs, separated into quadrants. Eastbound from Sugar Grove to DeKalb is one, eastbound from DeKalb to Rochelle is another and the other two sections are on the same stretch of road westbound.

Once completed, McGinnis said the road should be able to hold up for 10 years without any additional repairs, but enough severe winters could cause premature construction.