7 things to know about I-88 work

Patience -- if not meditation and relaxation methods -- should be the mantra of motorists driving the 23-mile span of the Reagan Tollway from Aurora to Oak Brook during this construction season.

Tollway officials acknowledge this roadwork cycle is particularly harsh for I-88.

But they believe when the $750 million project ends in 2009, it will be vehicular nirvana.

In the meantime, here's a west-to-east look at seven key components of the four-year overhaul of I-88, which gets into high gear this month.

1. Tight in Aurora

What's happening: Lanes will narrow between Orchard Road and the Aurora Toll Plaza, with eastbound lanes moving to westbound lanes as the east lanes are widened this year to three lanes. This begins early this month, running through the end of the year. The westbound lanes will be widened to three lanes next year.

What else: "We're adding one lane in each, but we're making the Open Road Tolling equipment wide enough to accommodate four lanes of traffic in the future, if necessary," tollway spokeswoman Joelle McGinnis said. "Everyone will be impacted."2. Ramps closingWhat's happening: The eastbound exit and westbound entrance at Route 31 will be closed for reconstruction, starting this month and ending in the summer. The westbound exit and eastbound entrance, which are used more frequently, will have only monthlong closures in the fall, but not at the same time.What else: Within a half-mile span, the tollway is also building a new bridge over the Fox River, and another bridge is being built over Route 31, while a dormant railroad trestle will be dismantled. 3. Westbound matchWhat's happening: Widening of westbound lanes to four lanes from Finley Road in Downers Grove to Washington Street in Naperville causes lanes in both directions to thin as westbound lanes are shifted. Despite the shift, eastbound motorists still will have access to the four lanes that were built last year for the entire span. Construction starts this month and runs to the end of the year.What else: A revised law mandates motorists obey construction zone speed limits at all times, "not just when workers are present," McGinnis said. 4. Ramps openingWhat's happening: Exit and entrance ramps for westbound tollway traffic is scheduled to open in about two weeks at Freedom Drive in Naperville. These ramps replace interchanges at nearby Naperville Road, providing relief for the congested intersection at Warrenville and Naperville roads. But while the junctions will be opened, construction crews will still be working in the area for the rest of the year.What else: In anticipation of the new traffic flow, a shopping and dining district called "Freedom Commons" has opened up adjacent to the junction.5. Everybody offWhat's happening: Construction of a new westbound exit at Route 53 in Lisle consolidates traffic for motorists heading both north and south at the Morton Arboretum exit. This project began last year and is expected to be done at the end of this year. But continued widening work on the nearby overpasses at Route 53 and Warrenville Road will likely keep the area congested until that work is completed, which is anticipated to be the end of the year.What else: "This was done to improve flow and improve safety for drivers, especially the ones going south on (Route) 53," McGinnis said.6. Five-mile faceliftWhat's happening: This 50-year-old westbound segment of the tollway from Route 83 in Oak Brook to Finley Road in Downers Grove will be torn up, widened and replaced. Lanes in both directions will be thinned. The project begins in late May and runs through the end of the year. Westbound motorists will have the option of driving in a "counter-flow" lane that cannot be exited from until Winfield Road. The eastbound lanes will undergo a similar operation next year.What else: Counter-flow lanes are makeshift express lanes, and McGinnis said tollway engineers are still trying to determine whether to cut access points into the lane.7. Big-time backupWhat's happening: Rebuilding and widening of westbound lanes from York Road to Route 83 in Oak Brook forces westbound motorists from local and northbound Tri-State Tollway access points into the "cash-only" lanes at the York Road toll plaza. Westbound drivers from the Eisenhower and the southbound Tri-State lanes with I-Pass will be able to use Open Road Tolling, unless they want to exit at Spring Road or Route 83. Perhaps the most harrowing part of the project, it begins this month and runs until the end of the year. It also includes the loss of one of the three Open Road Tolling lanes from mid-spring to early summer.What else: "This is going to be particularly bad," McGinnis said. "I wouldn't say that the Open Road Tolling lanes will be free of congestion; there's a lot going on there."By the numbersBy the time construction dust settles in 2009, these figures will be reached$750 million: Total cost of project. 23: Miles of tollway affected from Orchard Road in Aurora to York Road in Oak Brook18: Bridges reconstructed or reworked1.2 million: Cubic yards of earth moved80,000: Tons of asphalt used6,600: Tons of steel used221,500: Cubic yards of concrete used I-88: Tollway admits some spots will be bad 512238Westbound motorists now are funneled into the cash or I-Pass lane at the York Road plaza. Soon, though, all except motorists coming from the Eisenhower Expressway will have to use the cash lane.Scott Sanders | Staff Photographer