Illinois Tollway Prepared for Holiday Travel
2023-12-19
The Illinois Tollway is prepared for this holiday season and working to help customers take some of the stress out of holiday travel the Christmas and New Year’s holidays through I-PASS benefits and roadway customer service efforts.
The heaviest traffic is expected on Wednesday, December 20, Thursday, December 21, and Friday, December 22, when nearly 1.7 million vehicles each day are projected to travel on the 294-mile Tollway system.
About 1.1 million vehicles are expected to travel on the Tollway system on Sunday, December 24, and about one million vehicles on Christmas Day. Less than 1 million vehicles are expected on the Tollway system on Sunday, December 31, and on New Year’s Day. On an average day, 1.5 million vehicles use the Illinois Tollway.
“The Illinois Tollway wishes all of our customers a safe and happy holiday season,” said Illinois Tollway Executive Director Cassaundra Rouse. “While the holidays can be stressful, we pledge to do everything we can to help make holiday traveling easier and more convenient by offering savings through our IPASS and I-PASS Assist programs and by providing outstanding roadside service to customers who need assistance on our roads.”
I-PASS Assist – start the new year with savings
The Illinois Tollway’s I-PASS Assist program offers income-eligible individuals and families the cost-saving benefits of I-PASS with lower up-front costs for pre-paid tolls and no deposits required. Through a partnership with the Illinois Department of Revenue and the Illinois Department of Human Services, the Illinois Tollway is able to verify the eligibility of households via a secure web form that requires minimal information to determine if household income falls below the required threshold based on Federal Poverty Guidelines.
E-ZPass – take your I-PASS when you travel
Before you hit the road don’t forget to bring your I-PASS, it’s accepted in 19 states and within more than 35 tolling agencies using E-ZPass, and includes a 50 percent discount on tolls on the Illinois Tollway’s five roadways. As a member of the E-ZPass IAG consortium, you have the luxury of traveling worry free whether in your car or rental car.
*999 – call us for roadway assistance
Drivers should call *999 to get help from Tollway roadway maintenance crews or from Illinois State Police Troop 15 who patrol the Tollway system 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Motorist aid patrols stand ready to help stranded customers change tires, jump-start batteries, add coolant, dispense fuel, transport customers, move vehicles away from traffic and call for a tow truck.
Construction – lane closures suspended for holidays
Ongoing construction activity will be restricted to better serve Tollway customers during holiday travel with any temporary maintenance and construction lane closures suspended from noon on Friday, December 22, through 9 a.m. on Tuesday, December 26, and again from noon on Friday, December 29, through 9 a.m. on Tuesday, January 2. Some construction work zones may remain in place, so drivers are reminded to slow down and obey work zone speed limits.
Areas where Tollway drivers can expect to see ongoing work include:
Tri-State Tollway (I-94/I-294/I-80)
- On I-294 between Wolf Road and St. Charles Road, traffic shifts in both directions with northbound counterflow lanes throughout this segment of the Central Tri-State corridor. Watch for signage indicating changing traffic patterns.
- On southbound I-294 between St. Charles Road and Butterfield Road traffic shifts into a split configuration with two left lanes continuing on I-294 mainline and two right lanes on auxiliary lanes providing access to exit ramps for eastbound I-290 and for westbound I-88 before reconnecting with the southbound I-294 mainline.
- On I-294, the ramps from westbound I-290 to northbound I-294 and westbound Roosevelt Road to southbound I-294 are closed and detours are posted.
- On southbound/northbound I-294 there are long-term lane closures through the I-55 ramp toll plazas with two lanes of traffic maintained in each direction.
About the Illinois Tollway
The Illinois Tollway is a user-fee system that receives no state or federal funds for maintenance and operations. The agency maintains and operates 294 miles of roadways 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), the Tri-State Tollway (I-94/I-294/I-80) and the Illinois Route 390 Tollway.