Aurora Toll Plaza to Orchard Road - Rebuild and Widen
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The Illinois Tollway is rebuilding & widening a 3.4-mile section of the Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88) between the Aurora Toll Plaza and Orchard Road . This work is part of the Tollway's Congestion-Relief Program to reduce travel times.
In addition to rebuilding the roadway, the Rebuild & Widen Project will add a third lane in each direction to provide additional capacity and help reduce congestion. The project also includes plans to construct a new Fox River Bridge immediately south of the existing bridge, reconstruct the existing Fox River Bridge, rebuild the bridge carrying IL Route 31 over the Tollway and the ramp bridge at the IL Route 31 interchange, and rebuild portions of the entrance and exit ramps at IL Route 31 and Orchard Road as required to meet the widened mainline pavement. The project will also remove the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad Bridge structure over I-88, just west of the IL Route 31 interchange.
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Update – Latest Construction Info
The new westbound Fox River Bridge is now open with three lanes and three Open Road Tolling lanes are now available at the westbound Aurora Toll Plaza just east of the bridge. The far right lane on the bridge serves as an exit to IL Route 31. Eastbound traffic on the bridge to the south is shifted to the right and will be shifted back to the standard configuration as weather permits.
Median work will continue over the winter between the Aurora Toll Plaza and the bridge to rebuild the center median wall. When all work is complete in the spring the new westbound Fox River Bridge will carry three lanes of through traffic and an auxiliary lane for traffic exiting the cash side of the Aurora Toll Plaza and traffic exiting at IL Route 31.
In the westbound direction, work will continue over the winter to rebuild a small section of the left lane between the two IL Route 31 ramps, which served as the jog for westbound traffic to return to the westbound side of the road after crossing the river on the eastbound Fox River Bridge. This work could not be done until traffic was traveling on the new westbound bridge and is scheduled for completion in spring 2010.
New Westbound Fox River Bridge
The new westbound Fox River Bridge under construction will be 1,345 feet long, supported by 10 spans underneath the roadway – including a series of five, 178-foot-long arch spans. Each of the 40 precast arch segments weighs approximately 92 tons and is comprised of 48 cubic yards of concrete. The bridge will carry three lanes of westbound traffic and mirrors the adjacent bridge structure to the south completed in 2008 to carry three lanes of eastbound traffic.
Minimizing Impact to Reduce Delays
During construction, two lanes of Tollway mainline traffic were maintained in both directions during daytime hours through the use of reduced lane widths and shifted lanes.
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. Remember to drive safely in work zones and abide by the 45 m.p.h. speed limit on the mainline.
See the Tollway’s Work Zone Safety page for more information.
Schedule
- 2007 – Pre-stage shoulder work completed. Construction of new Fox River Bridge begins.
- April-Fall 2008 – Ramp closures at IL Route 31 eastbound exit and westbound entrance.
- April 2008 – Eastbound mainline and median reconstruction and widening begins.
- Spring 2008 – Aurora Toll Plaza modifications begin.
- Fall 2008 – Ramp closures at the IL Route 31 interchange and at Orchard Road interchange.
- Early 2009 – Begin work to demolish and rebuild the westbound bridge over the Fox River .
- 2009 – Westbound entrance and exit ramp closures at Orchard Road and IL Route 31 and completion of westbound mainline rebuild and widen work and completion of westbound Fox River Bridge .
- Spring 2010 – Completion of median and crossover work.
Purpose – Pertinent Details on Why and How
Rebuilding and widening this section of road to three lanes will provide congestion relief and reduce travel times. The Illinois Tollway will be coordinating with the Illinois Department of Transportation, Kane County , the Illinois Commerce Commission, Fox Valley Park District, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad, the Village of North Aurora and the City of Aurora to coordinate work. Further east on the corridor, the sections from IL Route 59 to Finley Road and from IL Route 83 to York Road have been rebuilt and widened to four lanes in each direction. Projects are also in place from Finley Road to IL Route 83.
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