‘One of the most important infrastructure projects in the country’: What’s next with I-490, Route 390
Illinois tollway officials Monday predicted major progress in 2024 on a game-changing project.
The agency is building a new toll road (I-490) around O’Hare’s western flank that will connect with the extension of Route 390, formerly the Elgin O’Hare Expressway.
A massive interchange with myriad ramps linking both corridors will provide access to York and Irving Park roads, and the west side of O’Hare International Airport.
“This is a big year,” Chief Engineer Manar Nashif said during a site tour with U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi.
High above the ground, at the eastern end of Route 390 in Bensenville, Nashif pointed toward York Road and O’Hare International Airport.
In the coming months, the tollway plans “to start the next phase, which is moving east, building bridges over the (Union Pacific and Canadian Pacific) railroads and York Road,” he said.
“It’s very complex work. We have to coordinate with the railroads and DuPage County.”
The $340 million project will wrap up in 2027.
“By 2026, I definitely believe the public should be able to see some dramatic improvements,” tollway Executive Director Cassaundra Rouse said.
Schaumburg Democrat Krishnamoorthi said jokingly what’s been dubbed the Elgin O’Hare Western Access project “is the most aspirationally named piece of infrastructure in America because it neither reaches Elgin, nor O’Hare.
“But like every aspiration, our intention is for this to one day live up to its name. This is one of the most important infrastructure projects in the country.”
I-490 will wrap around O'Hare International Airport's west side, connecting with the Jane Addams Tollway (I-90) near Des Plaines, the Tri-State Tollway (I-294) near Franklin Park, and Route 390 in between.
Focuses in 2024 also include continued work on the far north and south I-490 interchanges with I-90 and I-294, respectively.
The “connection between I-294 and Franklin Park may be one of the segments we open first,” Nashif said.
Route 390 currently runs between Lake Street near Hanover Park and Route 83.
Tollway planners estimate the project will reduce traffic on local roads by more than 16% with a related 24% decrease in delays.
The project is anticipated to change commuting patterns in the suburbs and spur economic development in Cook and DuPage counties.