‘Transformational’: New I-490 toll road takes shape with opening of first interchange with I-294
After years of construction, drivers are getting a taste of the connectivity promised by the new Interstate 490 toll road encircling O’Hare International Airport.
Illinois tollway and local leaders on Friday announced the opening of the first section of I-490, consisting of a key interchange with the Tri-State Tollway (I-294) and ramps to and from the Franklin Park area.
Barriers should be removed at midnight Friday so drivers can access the $360 million interchange, estimated to accommodate 13,000 vehicles daily.
One new ramp leads northbound Tri-State traffic onto northbound I-490 with access to Franklin Avenue. A second ramp channels Franklin Avenue drivers onto southbound I-490, from where they can access southbound I-294.
Work will continue to build a full interchange with four ramps in conjunction with improvements to Franklin Avenue/Green Street by Cook County.
“This is transformational,” Executive Director Cassaundra Rouse said at a ribbon-cutting on the northern ramp high over the Tri-State. “They’re excited, too,” she ad-libbed as several semitrailer drivers honked.
“For generations, O’Hare has connected O’Hare to the world. Now we’re building the infrastructure that will better connect the communities and businesses surrounding O’Hare and the opportunities it creates,” she said.
When it’s completed, the 6-mile I-490 corridor also will have interchanges with Route 390 in Bensenville and the Jane Addams Tollway (I-90) near Des Plaines.
“We are working end-to-end. We’ll be opening usable segments as we complete them,” said Chief Engineer Manar Nashif, adding the next sections to go live will be on the north end.
Tolls at each ramp will cost I-PASS customers 55 cents, which will rise to 90 cents Jan. 1, 2027, when a systemwide rate hike takes effect. For truckers, daytime rates are $1.35 to $3.85 now, and will increase to $1.90 to $5 next year.
Franklin Park Mayor Barrett F. Pedersen said I-490 improvements had mitigated flooding in the village, would reduce truck congestion, and had already attracted new commercial and manufacturing companies.
“The economic opportunities created by this milestone project are limitless,” Pedersen said.
Bensenville Village President Frank DeSimone agreed. “This project also renews interest in DuPage County and the surrounding area … making it the epicenter of that attention,” he said.
Originally, the tollway anticipated I-490 construction costs would be $3.4 billion. Now, it’s estimated at $4.3 billion. A 2027 completion date has been pushed forward to 2029.
Nashif said I-490 is delivering more components than originally anticipated, and that the construction area is complex — requiring coordination with major railroads, Metra, O’Hare and the Federal Aviation Administration.
“This represents a gateway to the local municipalities, to O’Hare, and to the major freight carriers. It’s been a journey. It’s a very tight corridor to work in; we’re really threading the needle, but with great engineering we’re making it a reality.”
For information, go to illinoistollway.com.
marnipyke@dailyherald.com