10/16/2009 Illinois Tollway Construction Alerts

• One lane in each direction between the Lake Forest Oasis and Stearns School Road will close at 10 p.m. tonight, October 16, for barrier wall work. All lanes will reopen at 7 a.m. on Saturday, October 17. The same closures are planned on Sunday, October 19.

• Three southbound lanes from 159th Street to 171st Street will close at 10 p.m. on Saturday, October 17, for pavement striping work. All lanes will reopen at 5 a.m. on Sunday, October 18.

• One southbound lane at the Grand Avenue Bridge will close at midnight on Sunday, October 18, for pavement work. The lane will reopen in late October.

• One southbound lane between Balmoral Avenue and Irving Park Road will close at 7 p.m. Saturday, October 17, for pavement striping and a traffic shift. The Express Lane will close between Touhy Avenue and Balmoral Avenue at 8 p.m., as well as one lane on the ramp from westbound I-190 to southbound I-294. A second mainline lane and all of the Open Road Tolling lanes at the Irving Park Toll Plaza will close at 10 p.m. Several full, 15-minute closures will begin after midnight for overhead sign relocation work. All lanes will reopen by 5 a.m. on Sunday, October 18. At that time, southbound traffic between Balmoral Avenue and Franklin Street will be shifted to the left shoulder and three left lanes with a work zone on the right. The same closure is scheduled Sunday, October 18, as a contingency in case of inclement weather.

• One northbound lane between Dempster Street and Lake Cook Road will close at 7 p.m. on Sunday, October 18, for pavement striping and a traffic shift. A second lane will close at 11 p.m. When all lanes reopen by 5 a.m. on Monday, October 19, the Express Lane will close at Willow Road, shortening the length of the Express Lane. North of Willow Road, three contiguous lanes will be traveling on the right shoulder and two right lanes. Traffic exiting at Willow Road must remain in the two Local Lanes on the right. The next exit from the Express Lane will be Lake Cook Road. The same closures are planned on Monday, October 19, as a contingency in case of inclement weather.

• The I-PASS Only lane on the northbound entrance ramp from Willow Road will close from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, October 17, for a concrete pour. The same closure is planned Monday, October 19, following the same schedule.

• All lanes on Devon Avenue at I-294 will close from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, October 17, for painting work. A detour will be posted. Traffic east of I-294 will be directed south on River Road to Higgins Road, and north on Higgins to reach Devon Avenue. Traffic west of I-294 will be directed south on Higgins Road to River Road, and north on River to reach Devon Avenue. The same closure is scheduled on Sunday, October 18, as a contingency.

• One southbound lane between Balmoral Avenue and Irving Park Road will close 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, October 17, for pavement striping work.

• One southbound lane and two northbound lanes between Ridgeland Avenue and Harlem Avenue will close from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily beginning Monday, October 19, through Friday, October 23, for noisewall work.

• The two left eastbound lanes between Naperville Road and Finley Road will close at 8 p.m. tonight, October 16, for pavement repair work. Two right lanes will remain open to traffic. The lanes will reopen by 5 a.m. on Monday, October 19.

• One lane in each direction on Eola Road between I-88 and the IL Prairie Path Bridge will close from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, October 17, for pavement work. The same closure is planned Monday, October 19, and daily through Friday, October 23, following the same schedule.

• One lane in each direction on Bilter Road between the I-88 ramps and Eola Road will close from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, October 17, for barrier wall removal work.

• One eastbound lane between Farnsworth Avenue and EJ&E Railroad will close from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, October 19, for bridge work. The same closures are planned daily through Friday, October 23.

• One eastbound lane between Swanson Road and East Riverside will close at 10 p.m. tonight, October 16, for pavement striping work. The lane will reopen at 5 a.m. on Saturday, October 17. The same closure is planned on Monday, October 19.

• One eastbound lane between IL Route 31 and IL Route 25 will close at 7 p.m. on Saturday, October 17, for pavement striping work. A second lane will close at 11 p.m. All lanes will reopen at 7 a.m. on Sunday, October 18.

• One lane in each direction between 75th Street and Ogden Avenue will close at 5 a.m. on Saturday, October 17, for paving work. The southbound lane will reopen at noon and the northbound lane will reopen at 5 p.m. The same closures are planned on Monday, October 19.

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.

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

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