The Illinois Tollway’s $19 million Illinois Route 31 Interchange Project on the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) in Elgin is scheduled to begin the week of March 23 with work to prepare to remove and rebuild the bridge carrying I-90 over Illinois Route 31.

The Illinois Route 31 Interchange Project is reconstructing the I-90 bridges over Illinois Route 31, as well as the eight ramps that make up the interchange and includes improvements to the ramp toll plazas. All work scheduled to be complete in 2016.

“The Illinois Tollway has been working with local officials to ensure the improvements at the Illinois Route 31 Interchange meet the needs of the Tollway, as well as the community,” said Illinois Tollway Executive Director Kristi Lafleur. “Coupled with the I-90 Rebuilding and Widening Project, the new interchange will improve access for drivers traveling to and from Elgin for decades to come.”

Weather permitting, beginning the week of March 23, off-peak, daytime lane closures will be scheduled in both directions on Illinois Route 31 to prepare for the removal of the bridge carrying I-90 traffic.

Electronic message signs will be put in place in advance to alert drivers to the lane closures. Daytime lane closures on Illinois Route 31 between Davis Road and Airport Road will be scheduled daily between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. One lane will remain open in both directions at all times. Overnight lane closures to remove bridge beams and install protective shielding will be scheduled later in the spring.

All bridges and ramps at the Illinois Route 31 Interchange will remain open to traffic throughout the project. A temporary traffic signal will be installed on Illinois Route 31 during construction.

The Illinois Route 31 Interchange Project is being coordinated with Kane County, the city of Elgin and the Illinois Department of Transportation, along with local police and fire departments. Up to 21,000 vehicles use the existing interchange daily.

Illinois Route 31 Interchange Project

The Illinois Route 31 Interchange Project includes reconstruction of the bridges carrying I-90 over Illinois Route 31 and eight interchange ramps to accommodate the I-90 Rebuilding and Widening Project and to improve traffic flow.

The Illinois Route 31 Bridge and ramps were constructed as part of the original Tollway system in the 1950s.

In 2015, the westbound entrance ramps to I-90 and the westbound exit ramps to Illinois Route 31 and the entrance ramp carrying northbound Illinois Route 31 traffic to eastbound I-90 are scheduled to be reconstructed. In 2016, the entrance ramp carrying southbound Illinois Route 31 traffic to eastbound I-90 traffic to Illinois Route 31 are scheduled to be reconstructed.

In addition, the existing toll plazas on the eastbound entrance and westbound exit ramps will be reconstructed to provide one I-PASS or Pay Online lane and one automatic coin machine.

The $19 million Illinois Route 31 Interchange Project is funded by the Illinois Tollway’s 15-year, $12 billion capital program, Move Illinois: The Illinois Tollway Driving the Future. Construction information about the Illinois Route 31 Interchange Project is available in the “Projects by Roadway” section in the Construction/Planning section on the Tollway’s website at www.illinoistollway.com.

SOURCE: Illinois Tollway press release