12/14/09 Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88) Rebuild & Widening Project Complete

 Opening New Lanes Between Finley and IL Route 83 Completes Improvements to 23-Mile Corridor from Oak Brook to North Aurora, Relieving Congestion and Improving Mobility

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. – The Illinois Tollway’s Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88) Rebuild & Widen Project on the corridor between York Road in Oak Brook and Orchard Road in North Aurora was completed this weekend and drivers are now benefitting from four lanes in each direction between York Road and IL Route 59, and three lanes in each direction between the Aurora Toll Plaza and Orchard Road.  The final segment between Finley Road and IL Route 83 was opened to four lanes in each direction by Sunday morning, December 13, completing the corridor’s improvements.  The Reagan Memorial Tollway Rebuild & Widen Project is part of the Illinois Tollway’s $6.3 billion Congestion-Relief Program – Open Roads for a Faster Future – and is being completed on schedule and within budget.  

Completion of the corridor will provide congestion relief to commuters and distance travelers by replacing 50-year-old pavement and expanding the roadway by adding an additional lane in each direction, improving safety and mobility.  Average daily traffic volumes along the stretch have grown from a high of about 30,000 vehicles a day in 1970 to a high of more than 160,000 vehicles daily in 2008.

“The completion of this five-year corridor-wide project between Oak Brook and North Aurora will bring real congestion relief to commuters and help provide relief on local roads as well,” said Acting Executive Director Michael King.  “Along with the conversion to Open Road Tolling, suburban travelers in this technology corridor will benefit from reduced travel times so they can spend less time commuting and more time with their families.”

Completion of the project between Finley Road and IL Route 83 provides drivers on the corridor with four lanes in each direction between York Road and IL Route 59, including improvements to bridges, with 15 bridges reconstructed and five bridges rehabilitated.  Eleven interchanges were improved, including the complete reconstruction and reconfiguration of the Naperville Road and IL Route 53 interchanges and reconfiguration of the connector ramps between the Reagan Memorial (I-88) and Tri-State (I-294) Tollways. 
Overall on the 23-mile corridor, more than 460,000 cubic yards of concrete and 7,400 tons of steel were used to construct the new pavement and bridges and more than 1.2 million cubic yards of earth were moved as part of this project.  On any given day, about 1,200 to 1,600 professional and construction staff were working on the corridor.

Work in the corridor began in summer 2004 in the westbound lanes between IL Route 59 and Washington Street and four lanes in each direction were open by the end of 2005.  The section between Washington Street and Finley Road began in 2006 with advance work to strengthen shoulders and build retaining walls.  The eastbound lanes were rebuilt and widened in 2007 and the eastbound lanes were completed by the end of 2008.  Work in the sections between York Road and IL Route 83 and from the Aurora Toll Plaza to Orchard Road began in 2007 and were completed this year. 

The Rebuild & Widen Project between Finley Road and IL Route 83 began in 2008 to reconstruct and add a fourth lane in the westbound direction.  Eastbound reconstruction and widening was completed this weekend.  No interchange or bridge reconstruction was required in this section of roadway, nestled between the rebuild and widen projects to the west between Finley Road and IL Route 59 and to the east between IL Route 83 and York Road.  The mainline lanes were reconstructed while maintaining the same number of lanes during construction as were available before construction began.

In the section between Finley Road and IL Route 83, more than 118,000 cubic yards of concrete was used to construct the new pavement and more than 300,000 cubic yards of earth was moved.            

Minor punch list work is scheduled to complete sewer work and install rumble strips.  All punch list work is scheduled to be complete before Christmas.

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.nbcchicago.com
• Construction eNewsletter – www.illinoistollway.com

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.

By the end of 2009 the Illinois Tollway will complete nearly $3 billion in work to reconstruct/rehabilitate and widen about 120 miles of roadway across the 286-mile system.  These improvements on the Tollway’s roads will result in a smoother ride for motorists and serve as an economic engine for Northern Illinois.

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!

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