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Price tag for eastbound I-90 exit at Lee Street now $13M

The estimated cost of the planned eastbound Jane Addams Tollway exit at Lee Street has risen to $13 million, as the project scope has expanded, officials said.

Illinois Tollway officials said the agency will pay at least half the cost, while Rosemont will be on the hook for $3 million and Des Plaines $1 million. It's likely Chicago will also contribute to the project, which will be built near the northeast edge of O'Hare International Airport.

The tollway board last summer approved an intergovernmental agreement with Rosemont to build the exit ramp at an estimated cost of $10.9 million, but further planning discussions led to the design of additional improvements near the proposed exit, such as enhanced access to O'Hare, said Joelle McGinnis, a tollway spokeswoman.

Plans call for relocation of Upper Access Drive and construction of a detention pond.

A new proposed intergovernmental agreement is now being circulated among officials from the tollway, Rosemont, Chicago and the Illinois Department of Transportation. It eventually would need the approval of the local governing boards.

Rosemont, which would front $4 million for the project, would ink a separate deal with Des Plaines to be reimbursed for $1 million.

Rosemont Mayor Brad Stephens, Des Plaines aldermen and State Rep. Marty Moylan have lobbied for the Lee Street exit since at least 2014, arguing it would yield economic benefits for the Allstate Arena, Rivers Casino and other local attractions.

Officials have been trying to finalize plans for the off-ramp so it can be constructed by the end of this year, when the tollway wraps up its major rebuilding and widening of the Jane Addams. Interchanges are nearing completion at Elmhurst and Barrington roads, while landscaping and lighting upgrades still need to be done, McGinnis said.

A deal is in the works for eastbound exit to Lee Street

Lee Street ramp for eastbound I-90 drivers coming in 2017

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