Ramp will provide some Rt. 60 relief
Workers in a Lake Forest business park will receive a substantial benefit with no co-pay.
The bonus will be a short cut via a temporary ramp directly from Conway Park to the northbound Tri-State tollway. About 1,100 employees from several businesses are expected to use the ramp daily, allowing them to avoid mega-congestion at and around their usual exit.
Considered temporary during the widening and reconstruction of Route 60 and its bridge over the tollway, the ramp is no makeshift fix. The 600-foot-long exit will cost an estimated $2.6 million -- or $2,363 per user.
More than a dozen companies determined that would be less expensive than having to replace and train workers who quit rather than deal with major congestion for a prolonged period.
"It will be greatly appreciated by all the employees in the park who won't be stuck on 60," said Larry Meilbeck, president of the Conway Park Owners' Association.
Construction to widen the Route 60 bridge over the tollway recently began. Tollway work at that point also is in progress, creating long jams for motorists heading east or west on the state route.
Those headed south on the tollway will have to endure it, however, as will truckers. Tolls still will be due on the temporary ramp, but only I-PASS will be accepted.
Meilbeck hosted a ceremonial ground-breaking Friday for local state legislators, Lake Forest and business leaders who are partnering with the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority on the project. It will connect Field Drive to the existing northbound exit from the Lake Forest Oasis.
The road base for the ramp has been set and Peter Baker & Son Co. in Lake Bluff is keeping its asphalt plant open solely for this project. Sewers are scheduled to be installed Monday and Tuesday, followed by paving that could be done by the end of the week.
The ramp could be open for traffic by Jan. 1, depending on the weather.
As part of the deal, the tollway will be granted a permanent easement for about 1.5 acres, which will allow for expansion of truck parking at the oasis.
Widening the Route 60 bridge to three through lanes and two turn lanes in each direction has been sought for years. Once the $18.5 million project was put on the Illinois Department of Transportation's to-do list about a year ago, business owners began discussing options regarding a ramp.
The bridge work is scheduled to be complete in December 2008. It's needed to accommodate the tollway widening, which is scheduled to begin in earnest in that area next spring and continue until 2010.
Route 60 has become a major bottleneck and the employee population is expected to double in the next two years with two new hotels and several other buildings in progress.