Illinois Tollway Board Renames Tollway Portion of I-90
Jane Addams Memorial Tollway
Directors Approve Legislature’s Request to Honor Illinois’ Native Daughter
DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. – The Illinois Tollway Board of Directors has approved a resolution renaming the Tollway portion of I-90 the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway. During a special meeting of the board this month, members voted unanimously in favor of a resolution to rename the Northwest Tollway (I-90) which stretches from the Tri-State Tollway (I-294) to Rockton Road.
The vote by the Tollway Board honors the Illinois Legislature’s request to pay tribute to Jane Addams by renaming the main interstate that connects the Rockford region where she attended college with the Chicago area where she founded the world famous social settlement Hull House in 1889.
“It is an honor to dedicate this roadway to the memory of Jane Addams,” said Tollway Chairman John Mitola. “Now, when people drive on I-90, they’ll remember one of our nation’s most prominent women who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931 for her dedication to the rights of women and children, and international efforts for world peace.”
To commemorate Jane Addams, the Illinois Legislature adopted a joint resolution earlier this year. The resolution was introduced by Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie, D-Chicago, and Sen. Mattie Hunter D-Chicago.
“Through the efforts of Jane Addams and the other Hull House reformers, in 1903 the Illinois legislature enacted protective legislation for women and children that provided a model for future federal laws,” Currie said. “Renaming the roadway that connects the beginnings of Jane Addams’ life to the place of her pioneering human service work is a fitting tribute to a courageous leader.”
Jane Addams was born in Cedarville, Illinois, just north of Freeport in Stephenson County, on September 6, 1860. After graduating from what is now Rockford College and then traveling around the world, Addams returned to Illinois and founded Hull House in 1889 with her lifelong friend Ellen Gates Starr, in what is now the University Village area of Chicago. One of the first settlement houses in the United States, Hull House was not only a homeless shelter, a soup kitchen, and a public bath in a time when many of the area tenements lacked running water, but also a venue that provided social and educational opportunities to nearly 2,000 people a week in the largely immigrant neighborhood.
The interstate’s new name took effect immediately following the approval of the Tollway Board of Directors. The Tollway will now be coordinating design and placement of memorial signs on I-90 to reflect its new name.
About the Illinois Tollway
The Illinois State Toll Highway Authority maintains and operates 274 miles of interstate tollways in 12 counties in Northern Illinois, including the Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88), the North-South Tollway (I-355), the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) and the Tri-State Tollway (I-94, I-294, I-80/I-294). The Illinois Tollway offers customers I-PASS electronic toll collection for congestion relief and ease of travel. Customers can buy an I-PASS at Jewel-Osco or online at www.getipass.com, where existing I-PASS customers now can also manage their account online.
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