Dubbed the Congestion Relief Project, the Illinois Tollway system, an integral part of Chicagoland’s highway network, is a series of construction projects aimed at modernizing and expanding the multiple-route system in northern Illinois. The overall project was approved in September 2004.

Interstate 355 northbound at Illinois 171.

One of the main aspects of the project was the modernization of the 20 main line toll collecting facilities. Work involved the conversion of the conventional toll booth barriers into a hybrid of high-speed electronic toll collection, called “open road tolling” and newly built attended toll booths for cash and coin based payment. The open road tolling works with I-Pass, a prepaid toll program that works with transponders affixed to car’s windshields that are read by sensors as drivers pass under pass readers at normal freeway speeds. Account holders may bypass the conventional toll booths, which were relocated to outside carriageways, on the tollway mainlines. Additionally I-Pass account holders are charged reduced rates.

Reaching the Des Plaines River Bridge on Interstate 355 north. Monuments are posted at each bridge end with “Veterans Memorial Tollway” inscribed on the columns.

We checked out two of the Illinois Tollway system roads over Memorial Day Weekend. In November 2007, the Veterans Memorial Tollway, a 12.5-mile extension of Interstate 355 south from Interstate 55 to Interstate 80 opened to traffic as a new facility. The North-South Tollway extension acts mainly as a commuter freeway through the western suburbs and includes a $2 cash toll for travelers between the aforementioned Interstates. Among the highlights of the $729.3-million route is the Des Plaines River Bridge, the longest span on the Illinois Interstate system. The span is even featured on the cover of the newest Illinois Tollway map cover.

Just beyond the current construction zone at the ramps to Interstate 88. Interstate 355 and 88 parallel one another briefly north of U.S. 34.

Work on original Interstate 355 is also underway in the form of lane widening (from six to eight) and resurfacing. Construction between 75th Street and Interstate 88, a distance of 4.5 miles, is underway currently between 75th Street and Maple Avenue at a cost of $60.4 million.

Approaching the first mainline toll plaza of Interstate 88 west at the beginning of the eight-laning project.

Interstate 88, the East-West Tollway and formerly Illinois 5, joins Chicago with Aurora and other western suburbs as part of a longer route joining Chicagoland with the Quad Cities. The route exists partially as a commuter freeway and partially as a long distance route with its connection to Interstate 80 and Iowa.

Ramps to Interstate 355 part ways with Interstate 88 west near their parallel alignment.

Modernization is underway along Interstate 88 from Aurora to Hillside in a multi-stage project. Work is underway along a 2.2 mile segment between York Road and Illinois 83 to widen the road from six to eight lanes. This $178.2-million project includes the initial main line toll plaza which is already partially complete.

A short expressway connector (Illinois 56) joins Interstate 88 with U.S. 30 west of Aurora. The wye interchange represents the end of Aurora area road work.

Adjacent to that project is the 5.1-mile to expand Interstate 88 from six to eight lanes between Illinois 83 and Finley Road, a $99.7-million investment that is underway concurrently with the easternmost work. Following that work is the $273.4-million phase to eight-lane Interstate 88 westward to Washington Street, also underway.

Farm land and long exit less stretches are the norm along Interstate 88 west of the last suburbs.

Those projects lead drivers into a completed stretch of eight-lane tollway between Washington Street and Illinois 59, a huge relief to travelers that trudged westward from Hillside. However before one can get accustomed to jersey-barrier freeway driving, construction again joins the fold along Interstate 88 west of the Aurora main line toll plaza to Deerpath Road in the form of a $162.5 million six-laning project.

Other projects to either expand or replace the aged pavement are proposed for after 2010, but for now the drive beyond Aurora is devoid of construction barrels and barriers.

Drawbacks to the Illinois Tollway system:

  • While Travel Oases (service plazas) are provided along the Tollway mainlines, no other travel service signs are posted along the facilities, including the rural stretches of Interstate 88 west of Aurora.
  • All exits along the Tollway system are unnumbered, irregardless of the Interstate.
  • Tolls are sometimes twice as much for cash-based payments, which makes the venture pricey when entering from out of state.
  • When departing the tollway system in search of services, tolls are levied for reentry, even if tolls at a nearby plaza were previously paid.

The good news is that the Illinois Tollway now accepts EZPass! Though no signs display this information yet in the field, it is mentioned on the Illinois Tollway web site.

Sources

Congestion-Relief Program SUMMARY, http://www.illinoistollway.com/pls/portal/docs/PAGE/TOLLWAY/TRAFFICCONST/TRAFFICCONST_CRP/TRAFFICCONST_PLAN/2007_CRP_COMPLETE_BOOK_09.04.07_FINAL.PDF Illinois Tollway Authority.