Temporary Closures Start This Week For I-490 Tollway Work

COOK COUNTY, IL -- Temporary, overnight lane closures are scheduled to begin this week on the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) between Illinois Route 83 and Higgins Road for bridge beam placement as part of work to construct a new interchange for the I-490 Tollway Project, according to a news release from the Illinois Tollway. Electronic message signs will be put in place in advance to alert drivers. The temporary closures are necessary to provide a work zone and safely accommodate the placement of bridge beams over the roadway.

Bridge beam placement will be scheduled during overnight hours to provide a safe work zone and minimize the impact on traffic, Illinois Tollway officials said.

“As part of the Illinois Tollway’s dedication to safety, we are committed to prioritizing the safety of both drivers and workers during construction,” said Illinois Tollway Executive Director José Alvarez. “We understand the inconvenience that this approach to roadwork can cause, so we are always working to find ways when possible to reduce the impact of this disruption to our customers.”

Beginning the week of June, 10, weather permitting, there will be full closures in both directions on I-90, each lasting 15 minutes, and will be scheduled during weeknights between midnight and 5 a.m. In advance of the full closures, eastbound I-90 traffic will be reduced to a single lane between Oakton Street and Higgins Creek and westbound I-90 traffic will be reduced to a single lane between Higgins Road and Mount Prospect Road each night, according to the news release.

Closures will not be scheduled every night, but on an as-needed basis depending on weather, Illinois Tollway officials said. The work is expected to take up to eight evenings over the course of
several weeks.

The new I-490/I-90 Interchange will consist of four ramps, including a ramp bridge over I-90 connecting westbound I-90 to I-490, constructed west of Mount Prospect Road and will provide full access between the two tollways. In addition, the I-490/I-90 Interchange Project will also include construction of a new multi-span bridge that will carry I-490 over the Metropolitan Water Reclamation of Greater Chicago’s Touhy Avenue Reservoir south of I-90.

The new interchange is scheduled to be complete in 2023.

Illinois Tollway officials said the new I-490 Tollway, coupled with the Illinois Route 390 Tollway which was completed in 2017, will connect businesses and communities with one of the nation’s busiest airports, transit facilities, major freight transportation hubs, distribution centers and multiple interstate highways including the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) and the Central Tri-State Tollway (I-294).

Designed to accommodate access into the O’Hare International Airport, the two new cashless Tollways include 17 miles of new roads with 15 new or improved interchanges. The new I-490 Tollway will be built to carry north-south traffic around the western border of O'Hare and provide access to the airport.

The Illinois Route 390 Tollway currently carries east-west traffic between Lake Street (Illinois Route 20) and Illinois Route 83 and will include an interchange connection to the new I-490 Tollway.