The Illinois Department of Transportation and Capital Development Board were joined today by local officials and industry leaders to celebrate the completion of the new $63 million Materials Testing and Research Center. The cutting-edge facility, on the grounds of IDOT’s headquarters next to the Harry R. Hanley Building, will continue to propel the state in the field of highway construction materials and keep Illinois at the forefront of industry research, while helping to ensure the public is getting value and durability with road and bridge projects.

“Under Gov. JB Pritzker, IDOT has more work taking place than ever before throughout the state. High-quality construction materials are at the foundation of almost everything we are doing,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Gia Biagi. “This new lab and research facility immediately becomes one of our most important assets at IDOT, inspiring us to deliver the most modern, innovative projects we can for the people of Illinois”

Built under the supervision of the Capital Development Board, the new building stretches across 81,000 square feet, nearly half of which is dedicated lab space. Construction started in late 2024. In addition to housing IDOT’s Bureau of Research offices and library, the building will be home to the Bureau of Programming’s traffic instrumentation laboratory, meeting rooms, a loading dock and the materials lab for District 6, which serves 15 counties in Central Illinois.

“Modern, reliable and resilient infrastructure starts with sound engineering, strong quality control and the ability to test and verify the materials that go into our roads, bridges and transportation systems,” said Kevin Artl, President and CEO of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois. “This new Materials Testing and Research Center reflects IDOT’s innovative and forward-thinking approach to strengthening project delivery, advancing research and making long-term investments that will help ensure Illinois’ infrastructure is built to last.”