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Pace, tollway finalizing partnership on I-90 buses, park-n-rides

The Illinois tollway and Pace are cementing plans for public transit on the Jane Addams Tollway (I-90) that include express routes and park-n-ride lots.

An intergovernmental agreement allowing Pace buses to use I-90 shoulder lanes to avoid traffic jams was approved Monday by tollway directors at a Finance and Operations Committee meeting.

Workers are finalizing a series of 29 gantries that will go live in several months with digital messages for I-90 drivers between O'Hare International Airport and Barrington Road. The messages will indicate when Pace buses are using the shoulder lanes as well as direct traffic and provide crash alerts and travel times.

Other I-90 improvements are three park-n-ride lots at Randall Road, Route 25 and Barrington Road where drivers can drop off passengers or hop on transit themselves.

The agreement provides guidelines for special-purpose lanes at the new Barrington Road park-n-ride. The park-n-ride will include a highway bus stop along with a pedestrian bridge and underpass crossing. There will be spaces for 170 vehicles to park.

Pace is adding new bus service that will travel to the Barrington Road park-n-ride including: Route 603 between the Elgin Transportation Center and Rosemont CTA station; Route 605 between the Randall Road park-n-ride and ETC; and Route 607 between Randall Road and the Schaumburg Transportation Center.

The improvements will be phased in throughout 2017.

The I-90 corridor accommodates about 13 percent of the region's work trips, and planners hope better transit will increase employment opportunities.

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