Easter Traffic: 6.6 Million Vehicles Expected On Illinois Tollway

CHICAGO, IL — With Easter and Passover quickly approaching, families across Illinois are planning to hit the highway to visit friends and family. If you're heading onto the Illinois Tollway this Easter weekend, be sure to allow yourself some extra travel time. With some 6.6 million cars expected on the tollway between April 19 and 22, it is shaping up to be one of the worst times of the year to travel.

Tollway officials say the heaviest day for traffic will be Friday, with 1.8 million vehicles expected on the I-294 tollway. This is roughly 200,000 more cars than the daily average on the Illinois Tollway.

To help keep traffic snarls to a minimum during the busy Easter travel times, the Illinois Tollway plans to limit the amount of construction work between Friday and Monday. Motorists may still encounter construction traffic in the following areas:

• On I-294 at 82nd and 83rd Street toll plazas, traffic will be shifted in both directions
• On Edens Spur, traffic will be reduced to a single lane between Pfingsten and Edens Expressway
• At 159th Street interchange, ramps will be closed
• On I-88, traffic is shifted between York Road and I-290 in both directions

With the increased holiday traffic, commuters are advised to stay vigilant, wear their safety belts, and avoid driving while impaired.