How much time will new Tri-State/I-290 ramp save? Tollway gives update on mega project

A revamped interchange channeling northbound Tri-State Tollway (I-294) drivers onto westbound I-290 should shave seven minutes off commutes, officials estimated Wednesday.

As a crane hefted a 115,000-pound beam high above a construction site near Elmhurst, tollway engineers below provided an update on the mega I-290/I-88 interchange project at I-294.

The $800 million redo is on target to wrap up in 2027 and should reduce chronic backups where the three corridors meet.

One fix involves building a “fly-under” that will eliminate a notoriously slow single-lane loop ramp from northbound I-294 onto westbound I-290.

“There is always a lot of congestion because the trucks can’t go at a high speed around that ramp so traffic backs up,” said Tollway Chief of Staff John Donato, who uses it frequently.

Rebuilding the ramp, which dates to the 1950s, posed problems because the space around it is constricted. Engineers decided to construct beneath the Tri-State, tunneling into part of what was once an old neighborhood in Berkeley.

“I-294 was previously built on an embankment, we’re now excavating that and building abutment walls, then setting beams and introducing a bridge that allows traffic under the structure,” Senior Project Engineer Laura Thompson said.

Overall, the I-290/I-88 interchange at I-294 accommodates about 300,000 vehicles a day on average. The tollway is tackling the project as it widens the Central Tri-State, another major endeavor.

Navigating the northbound I-294 to westbound I-290 interchange takes about 10 minutes now; the upgrade should reduce that to three minutes, Thompson said.

On Wednesday, crews clustered around an immense beam that will help support the new southbound lanes of I-294 so drivers on the fly-under ramp can travel below.

A towering crane lowered a “spreader bar,” or smaller beam, that hooked up to the larger one. Workers held ropes attached to both ends of the beam to help stabilize and the massive weight was gradually shifted to its final resting place in full view of passing traffic.

“It’ll get landed, we’ll make it safe and secure, then turn around and grab the second one,” Walsh Construction’s David Copeland explained.

Other improvements include:

• Installing barriers “to separate various ramp movements from merging traffic.” That is expected to reduce congestion caused by drivers weaving from eastbound I-290 to southbound I-294, officials said.

• Redesigning the ramp from southbound I-294 to westbound I-88 to expedite trips.

For more information on the project, visit agency.illinoistollway.com/outreach/projects-in-your-community/central-tri-state-tollway.