New lane configurations coming to Central Tri-State
Lane shifts are coming to the northbound Tri-State between Wolf Road and Grand Avenue in the Elmhurst area starting Friday, Illinois tollway officials said.
The work is part of a massive widening and reconstruction on the Central Tri-State (I-294).
The changes start at 8 p.m. Friday with lane closures between Wolf and Grand. At times traffic will be down to a single lane overnight.
All lanes will be available by 5 a.m. Saturday.
At that point, two lanes of northbound traffic will be shifted to the left with a work zone on the right.
"The two additional lanes of northbound traffic will remain on the southbound side in a counterflow configuration," officials said.
The traffic setup will continue through summer of 2024.
Work crews have several ambitious projects in this section of the Central Tri-State that takes in Elmhurst, Franklin Park and Northlake.
They include: rebuilding bridges that take I-294 over North and Grand avenues and the Union Pacific railway, as well as constructing ramps connecting the Tri-State to the new I-490 Tollway.
The I-490 Tollway will run along O'Hare International Airport's western flank and link with I-294 near Franklin Park and I-90 near Des Plaines.
The $4 billion Central Tri-State reconstruction project began in 2018 and stretches over 22 miles between Rosemont and Oak Lawn.
Planners anticipate completing work throughout the corridor by the end of 2026.
To find out more, go to illinoistollway.com.