I-490 rising: Cost overruns, delays trail monumental O’Hare corridor

It’s a game-changing, engineering marvel that will alter how millions of suburbanites and Chicagoans commute.

But Interstate 490 is crossing the finish line over budget and tardy, records show.

The Illinois tollway’s new road swirling around the western flank of O’Hare International Airport will connect drivers with I-90 near Des Plaines, Route 390 in Bensenville and the Tri-State in Franklin Park.

It is “the most complex undertaking in the Illinois tollway’s history,” spokesperson Joelle McGinnis said Friday of the Elgin O’Hare Western Access Project that includes I-490 and extending Route 390

Originally, the tollway anticipated costs would be $3.4 billion. Now it’s estimated at $4.3 billion.

A 2027 completion date has been pushed forward to 2029, although a new I-490 and I-294 interchange in Franklin Park will open later this week, tollway officials anticipate.

The interchange will allow drivers to go from Franklin Avenue onto southbound I-294, and from northbound I-294 to Franklin Avenue.

So, what’s driving up overall costs? One significant example is the toilsome relocation of the Union Pacific Railroad tracks near O’Hare to make room for I-490.

At a Sept. 17 meeting, the tollway board OK’d a $941,138 change order on a contract to move the tracks.

It was one of many. The contract with Des Plaines-based Lorig Construction Co. approved for $107.4 million in 2021 has burgeoned to $138.1 million.

“The railroad relocation work is among the most complex parts” of the entire project, McGinnis said. “Work is being done largely on property owned and operated by others, next to O’Hare within regulated airspace and in an active rail environment involving UP, CPKC and Metra.

With all the freight and commuter trains, there’s limited work windows and strict railroad and Federation Aviation Administration requirements to follow so rail operations aren’t disrupted, she explained.

Here’s a look at how track relocation costs spiraled over the years and increases approved by the tollway board.

• June 2022 — nearly $1.9 million for retaining wall construction and supplies after underground conditions necessitated design revisions.

• March 2023 — $2.6 million to modify a retention system holding soil in place for workers to build a retaining wall needed to relocate the tracks. It resulted from UP updating requirements for the retention system, officials said.

• May 2024 — $7.5 million, which included paying for extended shifts and weekend work, additional labor, material and equipment.

• September 2024 — $3.8 million to haul away and dispose of unsuitable material discovered during excavation.

• June 2025 — $3 million to modify the soil retention system and related costs due to updated UP requirements.

• June 2026 — $4.4 million for additional labor, materials and equipment due to “unexpected site conditions and changing requirements” from UP.

“The contract includes more than 3,000 feet of retaining wall and the relocation of about 2.5 miles of UP track,” McGinnis noted, adding the work supports new railroad and I-490 bridges over the massive CPKC Bensenville Intermodal Yard.

“The tollway is also building facilities that UP will ultimately own and operate, so they must meet the railroad’s safety, engineering, operational and long-term maintenance requirements,” she said.

Asked why some change orders seemed repetitive, McGinnis said the adjustments addressed distinct requirements at different locations.

“Each was resolved as it was encountered and as UP approved revised designs over this multiyear effort. The tollway began coordinating with UP several years before construction and built the railroad’s requirements into the design. Some railroad criteria have continued to evolve since the contract was awarded,” McGinnis said.

Regarding the continual soil issues, McGinnis said it’s not a case of the same problem “coming back again and again. They reflect different conditions in different work areas and phases, including the actual depth and location of obstructions and unsuitable material that had to be excavated, disposed of and replaced.

“The active railroad environment limited how much investigation could be done before construction.”

Got a question or comment? Drop an email to mpyke@dailyherald.com.