Transforming Touhy: Gridlocked and hazardous, major suburban thoroughfare is getting a redo

The simple task of crossing the Union Pacific Railroad tracks at Touhy Avenue in northwest Cook County frustrates millions of motorists a year when trains intervene.

But a county transformation of the congested Touhy corridor in the Des Plaines/Elk Grove Village area is coming this spring. Highlights include a grade separation at the railway tracks, revamped intersections and access to I-490, currently under construction by the Illinois tollway.

“We’re proud to be advancing a project of national significance to the region,” Cook Transportation and Highways Superintendent Jennifer “Sis” Killen said Friday.

The $87.2 million, two-year overhaul is being done in coordination with the tollway, plus other stakeholders, including federal, state and local agencies, and utilities.

County leaders saw the tollway’s ambitious I-490 project as an opportunity to collaborate on relieving local traffic problems and ensure residents will benefit from the larger initiative, officials said.

Key aspects include:

• Elevating Touhy Avenue with bridges over the UP tracks and I-490.

• Reconfiguring the Touhy/Elmhurst Road intersection.

• Building connections with I-490 ramps. The new tollway along O’Hare’s west side will link with I-90 near Des Plaines, Route 390 by the airport and I-294 near Franklin Park.

• Realigning Mount Prospect Road and Old Higgins Road.

What does “elevating” Touhy Avenue mean?

“It’s a grade separation,” Killen translated. “It will be bringing Touhy Avenue above the existing UP rail crossing. This is a very busy crossing for UP, so we will improve safety by eliminating that direct point of conflict.

“It’s a benefit not only to the railroad but also to the users of Touhy,” who include O’Hare workers accessing an employee entrance, she added.

At Touhy and Elmhurst Road, “we are eliminating conflicts between turning vehicles and pedestrians at a very busy intersection and separating the intersection out to better serve the volume of traffic that moves through it,” Killen said. “It’s also going to help with the future traffic generated by the I-490 interchange.”

Intersection work includes relocating Mount Prospect Road to accommodate the grade separation.

Currently, there’s a dearth of sidewalks on the corridor. The plan would create a pedestrian and bicycle network with multi-use paths on the north side of Touhy Avenue and the east side of Elmhurst Road.

About 31,500 vehicles use Touhy daily between Elmhurst and Mount Prospect roads.

With train delays, “you can sit there for 20 minutes — I’m not exaggerating,” tollway Chief Engineering Officer Manar Nashif said after a Cook County briefing in December.

“The Touhy Avenue project is a necessary component of the new I-490 tollway project,” he noted Friday. “Partnering with Cook County to improve Touhy Avenue will provide the local infrastructure improvements needed to support the new tollway and also offer improved traffic flow and significant congestion relief for local traffic.”

Because of its regional significance, the project has qualified for about $40 million in federal funding.

Engineers anticipate substantial completion by the end of 2027.

In the meantime, drivers can expect detours and lane reductions in a few months.

“At the end of the project, we will have safer, more efficient intersections and accommodations for all users,” Killen said.

You should know

Kane County is embracing winter with a “Name the Snowplow” contest that drew more than 100 creative entries from residents.

The first-place winner, chosen by a committee of county Division of Transportation employees, is “Plowasaurus Rex,” submitted by Olivia Gates.

Second place honors went to Erik Jensen’s “Clear-o-patha,” while David Bus came in third with “Mailbox Mauler.”

KDOT officials appreciated the humor from Bus while noting the crew took “great care to avoid damaging mailboxes.”

Got a snowplow name to nominate or a transportation query? Drop an email to mpyke@dailyherald.com.

Gridlock alert

It’s a new year, but construction continues on the I-290/I-88 interchange. Southbound I-294 drivers can expect traffic to be shifted to a counterflow configuration on the northbound side soon between St. Charles Road and the Cermak Toll Plaza. On a positive note, the ramp taking westbound Roosevelt Road drivers to southbound I-294 reopens this month.