One traffic jam gone at I-90 and Tri-State

Your commute into Chicago on I-90 just got a little easier.

The ramp bridge from the southbound Tri-State Tollway onto the eastbound Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) will reopen today, Illinois State Toll Highway Authority officials announced.

Work on the ramp started in July. The tollway replaced the bridge deck and beams and repaired the original structure.

The entire project will cost about $13 million. In 2012, work crews will tear up and replace the ramp bridge leading from the northbound Tri-State to westbound I-90.

Tollway officials said the construction finished three weeks ahead of schedule.

Tollway Executive Director Kristi Lafleur acknowledged closing a ramp is a “last resort,” but said the repairs were essential for the interchange, which handles more than 32,000 cars and trucks a day.

The final stages of the project included closing some lanes on the southbound Tri-State Friday and early this morning. The ramp should reopen at 9 a.m. today.