Central Tri-State Tollway I-294 concept plan overview

[I-90]

From Illinois tollway

[ET21]

88th Ave getting some love and I liked the general concepts for the Strangler, but very disappointed there was nothing about 95th Street which I argue is a top 5 issue for that section.

[NWI_Irish96]

I'm disappointed they aren't adding a southbound entry between Roosevelt and Ogden.  York Rd is clogged every afternoon with cars going all the way down to Ogden to get to a southbound entry ramp. 

[Super Mateo]

88th Ave getting some love and I liked the general concepts for the Strangler, but very disappointed there was nothing about 95th Street which I argue is a top 5 issue for that section.

The southbound entrance ramp requires turning onto 76th Avenue, then hanging a left to access the ramp.  I'm not sure there's a good way to fix it, however.  If adding or moving ramps over to Harlem is an option, that would help.  The current westbound US 12/20 to northbound I-294 ramp needs another lane.

I like the idea of the "fly under" ramp for I-290.  That loop ramp is always backed up.  A extra lane wouldn't hurt there, either.

The biggest thing they could do to help things flow better is to actually enforce the "no trucks 2 left lanes" rule they have.  There are many trucks that ignore it and go into the third lane, forcing more cars into the far left lane.

[ET21]

88th Ave getting some love and I liked the general concepts for the Strangler, but very disappointed there was nothing about 95th Street which I argue is a top 5 issue for that section.

The southbound entrance ramp requires turning onto 76th Avenue, then hanging a left to access the ramp.  I'm not sure there's a good way to fix it, however.  If adding or moving ramps over to Harlem is an option, that would help.  The current westbound US 12/20 to northbound I-294 ramp needs another lane.

I like the idea of the "fly under" ramp for I-290.  That loop ramp is always backed up.  A extra lane wouldn't hurt there, either.

The biggest thing they could do to help things flow better is to actually enforce the "no trucks 2 left lanes" rule they have.  There are many trucks that ignore it and go into the third lane, forcing more cars into the far left lane.

That pretty much comes down to ISP. In general trucks are usually good for getting out of the third lane after passing, but I agree it could use some extra enforcement for those that camp there and flip you off for passing them

[Super Mateo]

That pretty much comes down to ISP. In general trucks are usually good for getting out of the third lane after passing, but I agree it could use some extra enforcement for those that camp there and flip you off for passing them

It all comes down to perception.  If they're not going to enforce the rule, get rid of it.  I do agree, though, that many trucks are good about getting back over in decent time and they do stay out of the far left lane.

[Crash_It]

88th Ave getting some love and I liked the general concepts for the Strangler, but very disappointed there was nothing about 95th Street which I argue is a top 5 issue for that section.

The southbound entrance ramp requires turning onto 76th Avenue, then hanging a left to access the ramp.  I'm not sure there's a good way to fix it, however.  If adding or moving ramps over to Harlem is an option, that would help.  The current westbound US 12/20 to northbound I-294 ramp needs another lane.

I like the idea of the "fly under" ramp for I-290.  That loop ramp is always backed up.  A extra lane wouldn't hurt there, either.

The biggest thing they could do to help things flow better is to actually enforce the "no trucks 2 left lanes" rule they have.  There are many trucks that ignore it and go into the third lane, forcing more cars into the far left lane.

That pretty much comes down to ISP. In general trucks are usually good for getting out of the third lane after passing, but I agree it could use some extra enforcement for those that camp there and flip you off for passing them

The actual statute states that they can't even use restricted lanes to pass. I have so many dashcam clips of trucks that refuse to get out of the restricted lanes and even change into them for no apparent reason other than to do it.

[NWI_Irish96]

I commute from Munster to Oak Brook each day, and can confirm that plenty of trucks ride in the third lane even when not passing, and it forces slower cars into the left lane, which is what causes the faster cars to weave so much.    There are also way too many cars that refuse to get out of the left lane even when there is nobody in the third lane, which causes even more passing on the right.  More often than not, the people are on their phones.

[Great Lakes Roads]

This morning when I was driving along I-294 on my way to O'Hare, I noticed that some of the message board signs were saying, "Trucks use the right two lanes"... I thought that was pretty interesting because truckers always hog the lane that is illegal to the truckers...     

[Crash_It]

This morning when I was driving along I-294 on my way to O'Hare, I noticed that some of the message board signs were saying, "Trucks use the right two lanes"... I thought that was pretty interesting because truckers always hog the lane that is illegal to the truckers...     

There are also signs that say " No trucks left 2 lanes". Those were installed around June after so many instances of them riding the third lane and misunderstanding the "trucks use 2 right lanes" signs. Perhaps this video that i shot in May was the inspiration behind it

[SSOWorld]

This morning when I was driving along I-294 on my way to O'Hare, I noticed that some of the message board signs were saying, "Trucks use the right two lanes"... I thought that was pretty interesting because truckers always hog the lane that is illegal to the truckers...     

There are also signs that say " No trucks left 2 lanes". Those were installed around June after so many instances of them riding the third lane and misunderstanding the "trucks use 2 right lanes" signs. Perhaps this video that i shot in May was the inspiration behind it

Promoting road rage are we not?

[Crash_It]

This morning when I was driving along I-294 on my way to O'Hare, I noticed that some of the message board signs were saying, "Trucks use the right two lanes"... I thought that was pretty interesting because truckers always hog the lane that is illegal to the truckers...     

There are also signs that say " No trucks left 2 lanes". Those were installed around June after so many instances of them riding the third lane and misunderstanding the "trucks use 2 right lanes" signs. Perhaps this video that i shot in May was the inspiration behind it

Promoting road rage are we not?

Nah, if there was road rage in that video I wouldn't have rated it PG.

[Brandon]

This morning when I was driving along I-294 on my way to O'Hare, I noticed that some of the message board signs were saying, "Trucks use the right two lanes"... I thought that was pretty interesting because truckers always hog the lane that is illegal to the truckers...     

There are also signs that say " No trucks left 2 lanes". Those were installed around June after so many instances of them riding the third lane and misunderstanding the "trucks use 2 right lanes" signs. Perhaps this video that i shot in May was the inspiration behind it

They don't give a shit, and I've even seen them in the far left lane on I-55 and I-80.  They need to be pulled over and risk losing their CDLs for this shit.

[skluth]

This morning when I was driving along I-294 on my way to O'Hare, I noticed that some of the message board signs were saying, "Trucks use the right two lanes"... I thought that was pretty interesting because truckers always hog the lane that is illegal to the truckers...     

There are also signs that say " No trucks left 2 lanes". Those were installed around June after so many instances of them riding the third lane and misunderstanding the "trucks use 2 right lanes" signs. Perhaps this video that i shot in May was the inspiration behind it

They don't give a shit, and I've even seen them in the far left lane on I-55 and I-80.  They need to be pulled over and risk losing their CDLs for this shit.

A short automatic impoundment of their truck for up to 24 hours (and a possible thorough safety inspection while impounded) would put a quick stop to this practice. You don't even need to impose fines or points. Escort the offending vehicle to the next oasis or exit, where a small parking lot can be built and the truck parked. Keys will be kept at the police station or highway patrol where they can be picked up the next morning. A clamp can be put on the truck front wheel to prevent the truck from being driven using another key. No owner is going to want their shipment delayed because some fool driver lost access to their truck overnight.

[SSOWorld]

Not in Chicago it won't.

[Stephane Dumas]

A bit ironic to see they'll put back an northbound off-ramp to Cork Avenue where it was once removed. http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=41.74600,-87.83507&z=15&t=T

[DrMyEyes]

What of expanding north and south and staying down to four lanes at Indian Head Park/Joliet Road/i55? Will we have the IHP strangler?

[ChiMilNet]

What of expanding north and south and staying down to four lanes at Indian Head Park/Joliet Road/i55? Will we have the IHP strangler?

There's also the stretch between the Hillside Strangler and Lake Street that is currently slated to remain at four lanes each way. I hope these two spots don't become choke points after the reconstruction. Overall, I really like the proposal and concept, and these are the only two areas that I have a little bit of pause on.

[Joe The Dragon]

What of expanding north and south and staying down to four lanes at Indian Head Park/Joliet Road/i55? Will we have the IHP strangler?

There's also the stretch between the Hillside Strangler and Lake Street that is currently slated to remain at four lanes each way. I hope these two spots don't become choke points after the reconstruction. Overall, I really like the proposal and concept, and these are the only two areas that I have a little bit of pause on.

The 4 lane parts are between where ramps take off / add on 1-2 lanes.

It seems to be 6 from I-490 to I-88/I-290 ramp split and 5 from I-88/I-290 to lake and then 6 from lake to I-490.

By I-55 4 over I-55 with add / drops where the I-55 ramps come in.

[ChiMilNet]

What of expanding north and south and staying down to four lanes at Indian Head Park/Joliet Road/i55? Will we have the IHP strangler?

There's also the stretch between the Hillside Strangler and Lake Street that is currently slated to remain at four lanes each way. I hope these two spots don't become choke points after the reconstruction. Overall, I really like the proposal and concept, and these are the only two areas that I have a little bit of pause on.

The 4 lane parts are between where ramps take off / add on 1-2 lanes.

It seems to be 6 from I-490 to I-88/I-290 ramp split and 5 from I-88/I-290 to lake and then 6 from lake to I-490.

By I-55 4 over I-55 with add / drops where the I-55 ramps come in.

I'm sure space constraints might play a factor with this decision. Hopefully, these ramps will facilitate the flow of traffic in these spots as intended. One other area that gets overlooked, but is notoriously bad, is the area around O'Hare, especially SB in the afternoon. The additional lanes there should make a world of difference.

[Joe The Dragon]

What of expanding north and south and staying down to four lanes at Indian Head Park/Joliet Road/i55? Will we have the IHP strangler?

There's also the stretch between the Hillside Strangler and Lake Street that is currently slated to remain at four lanes each way. I hope these two spots don't become choke points after the reconstruction. Overall, I really like the proposal and concept, and these are the only two areas that I have a little bit of pause on.

The 4 lane parts are between where ramps take off / add on 1-2 lanes.

It seems to be 6 from I-490 to I-88/I-290 ramp split and 5 from I-88/I-290 to lake and then 6 from lake to I-490.

By I-55 4 over I-55 with add / drops where the I-55 ramps come in.

I'm sure space constraints might play a factor with this decision. Hopefully, these ramps will facilitate the flow of traffic in these spots as intended. One other area that gets overlooked, but is notoriously bad, is the area around O'Hare, especially SB in the afternoon. The additional lanes there should make a world of difference.

maybe some areas can get super wide shoulders Like how I-88 is getting on one side for York to I-290

[Revive 755]

One other area that gets overlooked, but is notoriously bad, is the area around O'Hare, especially SB in the afternoon. The additional lanes there should make a world of difference.

The O'Hare area should benefit from the completion of I-490, unless the tolls on I-490 make it cheaper to keep using I-294 to/from I-90.

[Joe The Dragon]

One other area that gets overlooked, but is notoriously bad, is the area around O'Hare, especially SB in the afternoon. The additional lanes there should make a world of difference.

The O'Hare area should benefit from the completion of I-490, unless the tolls on I-490 make it cheaper to keep using I-294 to/from I-90.

They should add some virtual toll tickets (ETC ONLY to the system) or move to FULL ETC ONLY 407 ETR like or EOE like with lot's of points.

[ET21]

What of expanding north and south and staying down to four lanes at Indian Head Park/Joliet Road/i55? Will we have the IHP strangler?

There's also the stretch between the Hillside Strangler and Lake Street that is currently slated to remain at four lanes each way. I hope these two spots don't become choke points after the reconstruction. Overall, I really like the proposal and concept, and these are the only two areas that I have a little bit of pause on.

The 4 lane parts are between where ramps take off / add on 1-2 lanes.

It seems to be 6 from I-490 to I-88/I-290 ramp split and 5 from I-88/I-290 to lake and then 6 from lake to I-490.

By I-55 4 over I-55 with add / drops where the I-55 ramps come in.

I'm sure space constraints might play a factor with this decision. Hopefully, these ramps will facilitate the flow of traffic in these spots as intended. One other area that gets overlooked, but is notoriously bad, is the area around O'Hare, especially SB in the afternoon. The additional lanes there should make a world of difference.

I hope it does, there's way too many merges in that sections between Touhy and the Oasis southbound (Touhy/River, I-190/90, Balmoral., Irving Park Toll, and the Oasis) that backs up traffic even on a light day now

[abefroman329]

One other area that gets overlooked, but is notoriously bad, is the area around O'Hare, especially SB in the afternoon. The additional lanes there should make a world of difference.

The O'Hare area should benefit from the completion of I-490, unless the tolls on I-490 make it cheaper to keep using I-294 to/from I-90.

Or it doesn't actually end up being faster to use I-490 than the current options.