 | 08/19/2009 Southbound Traffic Shift Scheduled for
Veterans Memorial Tollway (I-355) Resurface & Widen Project
Traffic Will Move to New Pavement Between 63rd Street and 75th Street;
Work Begins to Rebuild Inside Lanes
DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. – Drivers will be shifted to new pavement this weekend in the first of two traffic shifts scheduled in the next two weeks on the Veterans Memorial Tollway (I-355) Resurface & Widen Project between 75th Street and Ogden Avenue. The traffic shifts will move southbound lanes to the right onto new pavement and brings this project one step closer to completion.
The Veterans Memorial Tollway (I-355) Resurface & Widen Project will be completed by the end of this year. Northbound traffic is currently traveling on new pavement between 75th Street and Ogden Avenue. This project is part of the Illinois Tollway’s $6.3 billion Congestion-Relief Program – Open Roads for a Faster Future.
Traffic Shift Scheduled Overnight Saturday
The first southbound traffic shift is scheduled overnight on Saturday, August 22, moving three southbound lanes between 63rd Street and 75th Street onto new pavement on the right shoulder and two right lanes. Three lanes will remain open to traffic during peak hours. All entrance and exit ramps will be maintained at 75th Street, 63rd Street, Maple Avenue, the Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88), and Ogden Avenue. A rain date is scheduled overnight on Sunday, August 23.
Southbound traffic between Ogden Avenue and 63rd Street is scheduled to shift to new pavement on the right in early September. After the traffic shifts, work will begin to rebuild the remaining lanes in the new work zone in the median and left lanes.
Work Zone Safety
A 45 m.p.h. speed limit is in effect 24/7 in all construction zones, whether or not workers are present. Drivers should continue to watch for changing traffic patterns and use caution, especially when workers are present. Illinois State Police have zero tolerance for drivers speeding in work zones. The minimum penalty for speeding in a work zone is $375. Posted signs advise motorists of a $10,000 fine and 14-year jail sentence for hitting a roadway worker. Keep Workers Alive – Drive 45.
Know Before You Go
The Tollway offers a variety of ways for drivers to get the latest information on construction and traffic on our roads.
- www.illinoistollway.com – Construction Section – for details by road
- 1-800-TOLL-FYI – daily lane closure info
- Roadway and electronic signs
- www.gcmtravel.com – travel times
- Sign up for E-mail updates
- Up-to-the-minute traffic by road – www.nbc5.com
- Construction eNewsletter – www.illinoistollway.com
Part of Tollway’s Congestion-Relief Program
The Veterans Memorial Tollway (I-355) Resurface & Widen Project is part of the Tollway’s Congestion-Relief Program, Open Roads for a Faster Future, which will reduce travel times by rebuilding/restoring nearly the entire system, widening/adding lanes to many miles of existing roads, converting 20 mainline toll plazas to barrier-free Open Road Tolling, and extending I-355 south to I-80 in Will County.
About the Illinois Tollway
The Illinois Tollway maintains and operates 286 miles of interstate tollways in 12 counties in Northern Illinois, including the Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88), the Veterans Memorial Tollway (I-355), the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) and the Tri-State Tollway (I-94, I-294, I-80). Tollway customers save time and money with I-PASS electronic toll collection - Get I-PASS & Get Going!
All Work Is Weather Dependent.
| |