Project completions - Illinois Tollway, SJTA

Illinois State Toll Highway Administration (ISTHA locally known as the Illinois Tollway) announce the completion of what they call their systemwide Rebuild and Widen. They say Dec 19 will mark the opening of the last components of a huge $3 billion project in which they reconstructed and rehabilitated and widened some 120 miles (193km) of their 286 mile (460km) network of Chicago area tollroads.

An announcement from Illinois Tollway says: "Work on the Tri-State between Balmoral Avenue and Dempster Street is already complete with four lanes in each direction open to traffic.  

"The final segments between Dempster Street and Lake Cook Road and between Half Day Road and Grand Avenue are scheduled to open to four lanes in each direction by Saturday morning, December 19, completing the corridor’s improvements."

Michael King acting exec-director is quoted: "The completion of this four-year corridor-wide project between O’Hare International Airport and the Wisconsin state line will bring real congestion relief to commuters and long-distance travelers. Coupled with similar improvements on the South Tri-State Tollway (I-294/I-80), drivers now have four lanes in each direction between Indiana to just south of the Wisconsin state line, reducing travel times for commuters and commercial vehicles alike.”

Budgeted at $1.34 billion the 40 mile (64km) segment Balmoral Avenue to the Wisconsin state line provides four lanes in each direction, includes reconstruction of 12 interchanges  and improvements to 64 bridges.  More than 1.3m cubic yards (0.9m m3) of concrete and over 1 million tons of steel were used to construct the new pavement and bridges. More than 8m cubic yards (5.6m m3) of earth were moved.  

Work began in the fall of 2006 and traffic at an average 150k vehicles/day was maintained throughout.

SJTA completes new interchange over-bridge

On the Atlantic City Expressway operator South Jersey Transportation Authority celebrated completion of a new 6-lane over-bridge - of Berlin-Cross Keys Road (NJ689) - at MP41 in Cross Keys NJ toward the western end of the expressway.  

As well as widening to 6 from 4-lanes and signals were improved in the $5.5m project. Better provision was also made for pedestrians and cyclists.

Safety was improved with wider shoulder and better sight lines on the Expressway underneath.

The nearby area is seeing developments at a nearby shopping center called The Shoppes at Cross Keys. The new interchange and wider bridge makes for easier travel in an area of growing traffic on this far southeastern fringe of the Philadelphia metro area.

TOLLROADSnews 2009-12-18