 | 10/09/2009 Westbound Traffic Shifts Back to Westbound Lanes and IL Route 31 Westbound Entrance Ramp Reopens on Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88) Rebuild & Widen Project
Overnight Lane and Ramp Closures Scheduled October 11 and 13 as Rebuild & Widen Work Enters Final Stage
DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. – The Illinois Tollway will shift westbound traffic on the Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88) between IL Route 31 and Orchard Road back onto the westbound side of the road on newly constructed pavement next week. The westbound entrance ramp from IL Route 31 also will reopen as part of the stage change. The Rebuild & Widen Project between the Aurora Toll Plaza and Orchard Road is entering its final stage and all road work, including the new westbound Fox River Bridge, is scheduled for completion by the end of this year.
Multiple Rebuild & Widen Projects are nearing completion along a 23-mile stretch of the Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88) from Oak Brook to North Aurora. The 2009 work involves three separate rebuilding and widening projects with all roadway work scheduled for completion by the end of 2009 as part of the Illinois Tollway’s $6.3 billion Congestion-Relief Program – Open Roads for a Faster Future. The sections between IL Route 59 and Finley Road are already complete and drivers are benefitting from four new lanes of pavement in each direction.
Orchard Road Ramp Closures Overnight October 11 and 13
Overnight closures of the I-88 westbound entrance and exit ramps at the Orchard Road Interchange will close during overnight hours next week for pavement striping work in advance of the traffic shift. The westbound exit ramp will close at 10 p.m. on Sunday, October 11, and will reopen by 3 a.m. The westbound entrance ramp will close at midnight and will reopen by 5 a.m. on Monday, October 12. The ramps also will close overnight on Tuesday, October 13, for the traffic shift starting at 8 p.m. and reopening by 5 a.m. on Wednesday, October 14.
Overnight Traffic Shift on Tuesday, October 13
Overnight lane closures are scheduled on Tuesday, October 13, to complete pavement striping and barrier wall relocation for a traffic shift to move two lanes of westbound traffic onto new pavement on the westbound side of the road between IL Route 31 and Orchard Road. A new outside shoulder also will be open. Westbound traffic currently is shifted onto the eastbound side of the road in order to maintain two lanes of traffic in each direction during the Rebuild & Widen Project.
After westbound traffic is shifted back onto the westbound side of the road, work will begin to rebuild the remaining pavement in the new work zone in the median and left lane. Eastbound traffic will remain shifted to the right as work begins to remove barrier wall in the corridor. The new third lane in each direction is scheduled to open by the end of the year.
The entrance ramp from IL Route 31 to westbound I-88 will reopen when all mainline lanes open at 6 a.m. on Wednesday, October 14. The ramp was closed earlier this spring to facilitate mainline and Fox River Bridge construction.
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 Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88) Rebuild & 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/I-294). Tollway customers save time and money with I-PASS electronic toll collection - Get I-PASS & Get Going!
All Work Is Weather Dependent.
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