OVERVIEW: Balmoral Avenue to Demptser Street - Rebuild and Widen
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The Illinois Tollway is reconstructing and widening to four lanes the 4.5-mile section of the Central Tri-State Tollway between Balmoral Avenue and Dempster Street in order to provide congestion relief and reduced travel times for Tollway customers. This work is part of the Tollway's Congestion-Relief Program to reduce travel times.
Update – Latest Construction Info
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Work has begun to patch and resurface the O'Hare Interchange ramp carrying northbound Tri-State Tollway traffic to westbound I-190 and O'Hare International Airport. The work is scheduled to last approximately two months, reducing the ramp from two lanes to one lane during construction. Delays are expected primarily during the morning rush hour.
Southbound traffic is split into a work zone configuration between Touhy Avenue and Balmoral Avenue , putting one southbound lane of traffic into an Express Lane on the northbound side of the road in order to keep three lanes open to traffic during construction. The remaining two southbound Local Lanes are shifted to the right shoulder and right lane on new pavement to accommodate the work zone on the left while keeping three lanes open in both directions. Southbound traffic traveling in the Express Lane will not be able to exit until Irving Park Road – three miles to the south. Traffic planning to exit at the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) must stay in the Local Lanes to access the exit.
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Minimizing Impact to Reduce Delays
Three lanes of traffic will remain available in both directions during peak travel times throughout this project. Lane closures will be permitted off-peak only, to minimize the impact to traffic.
Please see our Daily Lane Closures for specific daily lane closures per project.
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Work Zone Safety
Construction zone speed limits are in effect in all construction zones 24/7 and drivers should continue to watch for changing traffic patterns and use caution, especially when workers are present.
A 45 m.p.h. speed limit will be in place on the mainline.
See the Tollway’s Work Zone Safety page.
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Schedule
- Fall 2006 – Northbound work began from Touhy Avenue to Dempster.
- Late 2007 – Northbound lanes from Touhy Avenue to Dempster completed.
- Spring/Summer 2008 – Northbound complete, southbound work began.
- Spring 2009 – Counterflow configuration in place southbound, Touhy to Balmoral.
- Summer 2009 – Touhy southbound entrance ramp reopens.
- Completion by end of 2009.
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Purpose – Pertinent Details on Why and How
Rebuilding and widening this section of road to four lanes will provide congestion relief and reduce travel times. The Tollway is coordinating work with local, county and state transportation officials on work to reconstruct I-294 in this section. When Rebuild & Widen Projects on the north, central and south segments are complete, the Tri-State Tollway will provide four lanes in each direction from Indiana , up to the north end of the system near the Wisconsin state line.
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News
