The Illinois Tollway will suspend construction lane closures to clear the way for the 8.3 million vehicles expected to travel on the 286-mile system for this Thanksgiving holiday.

“We want our customers to have a happy and safe Thanksgiving holiday, so we encourage them to avoid distractions and stay alert while driving,” said Illinois Tollway Executive Director Kristi Lafleur.

Those 8.3 million vehicles will travel the Tollway system this Thanksgiving holiday from Wednesday, Nov. 26, through Monday, Dec. 1. The most popular travel day is expected on Wednesday, Nov. 26, when 1.7 million vehicles are projected to be on the road. On an average day, about 1.4 million vehicles use the Tollway.

Lane Closures Suspended

To accommodate increased Thanksgiving holiday travel, the Illinois Tollway is restricting construction activity and suspending all temporary construction lane closures over the long holiday weekend to better serve customers. All temporary maintenance and construction lane closures will be suspended from noon on Wednesday, Nov. 26, through 9 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 1.

Some work may continue behind barriers to keep work on schedule, but this work will not impact traffic.

Work zone speed limits are in effect 24/7 in all construction zones where lanes are reduced, shifted or traffic is traveling on a shoulder, whether or not workers are present. The minimum penalty for speeding in a work zone is $375.

Areas where work zones will continue during the holiday include:

Tri-State Tollway (I-94/I-294/I-80)

• Between the Bishop Ford Freeway and Halsted Street, traffic is shifted for bridge repairs.

Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90)

• Between the Kennedy Expressway and I-294, westbound traffic is shifted onto the eastbound side of the road and reduced from three lanes to two lanes for roadway reconstruction.
• Between I-294 and Illinois Route 25, three lanes of traffic are available in both directions, but traffic is shifted at various points to provide construction work zones.
• At the Marengo Toll Plaza, eastbound traffic is shifted to the left and reduced to one open road tolling lane; an I-PASS Only lane is available in the cash plaza for I-PASS users.
• Between Mill Street and the Kishwaukee River Bridge, traffic is reduced to two lanes in both directions for construction.

Elgin O’Hare Western Access Project – Illinois Route 390

• Between Meacham Road/Medinah Road and Rohlwing Road, traffic in both directions is shifted at various points.
• At Irving Park Road, the ramp carrying traffic from Irving Park Road to eastbound Illinois Route 390 is closed and traffic is detoured.

Tollway Travel Tips

The Tollway offers the following ways for drivers to get the latest travel information before they get on the road:

• www.illinoistollway.com – Construction/Planning section, Tollway Trip Calculator, live roadway images and real-time roadway incident information
• 1-800-TOLL-FYI – Daily lane closure and travel information
• www.travelmidwest.com – Real-time travel times
• www.twitter.com – Real-time roadway incidents