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Tollway, IDOT want to fix Tri-State, I-90 merge congestion

It lacks a catchy name such as the “Hillside Strangler,” but the infamous bottleneck where the Jane Addams Tollway (I-90) meets the Kennedy Expressway by Rosemont is just as infuriating for commuters as its I-290 counterpart.

Multiple lanes of traffic converge from two major highways near the River Road Toll Plaza. Making traffic even tougher is a well-used exit onto Cumberland Avenue that stalls forward progress as drivers cross lanes to reach it.

Tackling the infamous highway confluence will be among the priorities of the Illinois Tollway's recently formed I-90 Corridor Planning Council, officials said Thursday.

The council includes state, tollway and local representatives and is studying widening the Jane Addams between Chicago and Rockford while incorporating bus rapid transit lanes. Another concern is the transition from I-90 to the Kennedy.

The Illinois State Toll Highway Authority and Illinois Department of Transportation will collaborate on the bottleneck issue, agency Executive Director Kristi Lafleur said.

“There's a commitment to a partnership to relieve congestion,” Lafleur said.

The traffic jam occurs when three to four lanes from the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway and two lanes from the Tri-State Tollway combine. Three lanes exit from the toll plaza and two lanes from I-190 join before traffic squeezes into three lanes on the Kennedy at Cumberland.

The average daily traffic on the Jane Addams at the River Road Toll Plaza is 124,650 vehicles. But at the Kennedy Expressway and Cumberland, it's 287,200 vehicles.

“The I-90 corridor plays a critical role in the national transportation system and is essential to northern Illinois' continued economic growth and vitality,” tollway Communications Chief Wendy Abrams said.

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