I-355 Resurfacing, Bridge Repair Work to Begin Thursday

Watch for a traffic shift on southbound I-355 Thursday as roadwork begins.

I-355 Resurfacing, Bridge Repair Work to Begin Thursday

Watch for a traffic shift on southbound I-355 Thursday as roadwork begins.

Resurfacing and repair work on I-355 will begin late Wednesday, according to an Illinois Tollway press release.  Sign up for our daily email newsletter Like us on Facebook. The Illinois Tollway will resurface three sections of I-355 between I-55 and Army Trail Road and repair 12 bridges in 2013. Resurfacing will start first and is expected to be finished in a month. The bridge work will be done by the end of the year. This is the final major repair work on I-355 until 2025. Bridges will be repaired and upgraded this year, as well as repairs on the ramp bridges at the I-355 and Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88) Interchange and the Finley Road crossroad bridge over I-355.  The majority of resurfacing and bridge repair work will be done during …

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Tollway Steps Up Stranded Driver Patrols; Safety Tips Offered

The season's first blast of single-digit temperatures and subzero wind chills prompt warnings on what to do to be safe and during emergency situations.

As wind chills drop to 4 below Tuesday night and 8 below Wednesday night and temperatures go into the single digits both nights, the Illinois Tollway is also stepping up efforts to keep drivers safe. Hourly patrols will be conducted around the clock to ensure that motorists who might be stranded get help as quickly as possible. The effort will continue until the wind chill temperatures rise above zero, according to a news release from the agency. According to the most recent forecast, issued at 8 p.m. Tuesday by the National Weather Service in Romeoville, the overnight low Tuesday was predicted to be 5. Wind will be from west at 5 mph. Temperatures will climb during the day Wednesday, hitting an expected high of 24, the forecast said. …

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Tollway Hike Takes Effect; Drivers React

Drivers who pay tolls with cash now pay double what I-PASS users are charged.

Tollway Expects Increased Holiday Traffic, Offers Free Coffee to Travelers

The Illinois Tollway will partner with McDonald's and 7-Eleven to provide customers with a free small cup of coffee on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. at each of the seven Oases to help keep drivers safe and alert while traveling.

If you're heading out for the holidays, you might want to allow a little more time for travel. The Illinois Tollway expects 15.4 million vehicles will use the Tollway system during the Christmas and New Year's holidays between Friday, December 23, and Tuesday, January 3, 2012 — a 3 percent increase over the same period in 2010. Tollway officials were predicting the heaviest travel on Dec. 23, with a projected 1.6 million vehicles on the road. On an average day, about 1.4 million vehicles use the Tollway, according to a press release. To ease congestion and accommodate increased holiday travel, the Tollway will suspend all maintenance and construction lane closures starting at noon Friday, Dec. 23, until 9 a.m. Monday, Dec. 26. Lane …

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Tollway Gears Up for Long Holiday Weekend

Construction lane closures will be suspended over the holiday, although the work-zone speed limit remains 45 mph. State police will be out in force, conducting roadside checks.

The Illinois Tollway expects 7 million vehicles on the tollway system this Labor Day holiday from Friday through Tuesday. The tollway is suspending all temporary construction lane closures over the weekend. In addition, Illinois State Police will provide heightened traffic enforcement, including roadside safety checks. While construction lane closures are suspended, motorists should be aware of major traffic shifts in place in work zones, the tollway said in a press release. Some work may continue behind barriers to keep construction on schedule, but that won't impact traffic, the tollway said. A 45 mph speed limit is in effect 24/7 in all construction zones, whether or not workers are present. The minimum penalty for speeding in a work …

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Toll Increase Could Fund $12 Billion Capital Plan

Ilinois Tollway proposal would mean 35-cent increase for I-Pass users.

Motorists will have to pay more to drive on the state's tollway system if the Illinois Tollway gets its way. To pay for a proposed $12 billion, 15-year capital plan, tolls would increase 35 cents for I-Pass users at a typical mainline toll plaza, with cash-paying passenger vehicles continuing to pay double the I-Pass rate, according to a Chicago Tribune report. The hike would be the first toll increase in 28 years, the report says. The plan, according to an Illinois Tollway release, includes reconstructing the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (Interstate 90) to link Rockford to O’Hare Airport, a new interchange to connect Interstate 294 to Interstate 57 and a new all-electronic Elgin O’Hare West Bypass that can provide western access the …

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