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[Brandon]

It's been approved at the Federal level as well as at the State level.

U.S. OKs turning Elgin-O'Hare Expressway into tollway

The U.S. Transportation Department approved an agreement allowing the Illinois Tollway to include the existing highway in its $3.6 billion Elgin-O’Hare Western Access Project, according to officials in Washington, D.C., and Illinois.

The Elgin-O’Hare Western Access Project will include construction of a new, all-electronic toll road around the western border of O'Hare International Airport.

The new tollway will link the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) and the Tri-State Tollway (I-294). The existing Elgin-O’Hare Expressway will be turned into a tollway and will be widened and extended east along Thorndale Avenue to O'Hare.

[nwi_navigator_1181]

This...is interesting.

A bypass inside of a bypass...eliminating the need to kink eastward on I-294 if you wish to access I-90 west toward Rockford, also eliminating the gap between the current east terminus of the Elgin-O'Hare Expressway and the junction with I-290. I actually like this.

I know there will be those who will complain about the fact that it's tolled. While I understand that, the fact that the Illinois Tollway Authority is willing to fill a known gap in an expressway that currently serves little functionality is remarkable. The connector between I-294 and I-90 will be great for those who want to quickly access I-90 without dealing with airport traffic.

It will be more than a decade before it comes to fruition, but I like to see what they come up with.

[3467]

I hope they make sure they help the 46 displaced business which I suspect are manufacturing or wholesale. The Ohare are is the manufacturing center of Illinois.
I am suprised it needed FHWA approval for tolls because it was primarily a state project. Perhaps any federal money involved requires FHWA approval?
I think the EIS documents are still on IDOTs site

[Rick Powell]

I hope they make sure they help the 46 displaced business which I suspect are manufacturing or wholesale. The Ohare are is the manufacturing center of Illinois.
I am suprised it needed FHWA approval for tolls because it was primarily a state project. Perhaps any federal money involved requires FHWA approval?
I think the EIS documents are still on IDOTs site

I hope they make sure they help the 46 displaced business which I suspect are manufacturing or wholesale. The Ohare are is the manufacturing center of Illinois.
I am suprised it needed FHWA approval for tolls because it was primarily a state project. Perhaps any federal money involved requires FHWA approval?
I think the EIS documents are still on IDOTs site

I think this was just a formality, but needed b/c the original EOE used some federal funds in its design or construction.  It would be a lot tougher (but not impossible) to toll if it were a current "free" marked interstate route according to the current FHWA policy.

The Tier One and Tier Two EIS's are indeed available at IDOT's website.  Both have received a Record of Decision.

[3467]

Illinois did so many routes before(Ike Kennedy) and after(rest of 88.72.155.39) I bet they could get FHWA approval on those too...In realted topic they will try to add IL 53 to the Tollway . Illinois does have untapped assets. Its may have to tap those because it runs a federal type fiscal policy w/o benefit of a printing press

[Revive 755]

I got a couple quick glances at a sign layout for the western end of the EOE recently:

* It appears the EOE will be numbered as IL 390.

* It appears the EB exit to IL 19 will be Exit 7.

* Looked like there was going to be some sort of mainline I-Pass gantry signing - something along the lines of 'I-Pass/toll collected ahead/toll amount.'

[Brandon]

I got a couple quick glances at a sign layout for the western end of the EOE recently:

* It appears the EOE will be numbered as IL 390.

* It appears the EB exit to IL 19 will be Exit 7.

* Looked like there was going to be some sort of mainline I-Pass gantry signing - something along the lines of 'I-Pass/toll collected ahead/toll amount.'

IIRC, the EOE will be all electronic tolling.

IL-390 sounds like they're prepping it for I-390 (given how Illinois slaps an I-number on damn near everything).

[mgk920]

Is there any discussion of extending the EOT westward to that US 20 feed that I mentioned in another thread at any time in the foreseeable future?

Mike

[Brandon]

Is there any discussion of extending the EOT westward to that US 20 feed that I mentioned in another thread at any time in the foreseeable future?

Mike

None that I've seen currently.

[Henry]

IL-390 sounds like they're prepping it for I-390 (given how Illinois slaps an I-number on damn near everything).

And we're still waiting for I-394 to happen...

[NE2]

And we're still waiting for I-394 to happen...

How many of the voices in your head comprise that we?

[ET21]

All I know is this will help the 190-90-294 traffic. That triple exit with River Road and Touhy on the side is hairy during rush hour

[StogieGuy7]

Ah, the "Elgin-O'Hare" Expressway, an is still noteworthy for leading to neither of it's named destinations!  Well, it's about time that this bad joke is corrected. 

As for it being tolled, this may not be ideal but it is the only way that any new highways will be constructed in northern Illinois. So a new tollway is better than no road at all.

[Joe The Dragon]

Is there any discussion of extending the EOT westward to that US 20 feed that I mentioned in another thread at any time in the foreseeable future?

Mike

maybe some they can add a link back I-90 there and number it I-290

[Brandon]

Just today...

Tollway advances $160 million in projects

The Illinois Tollway today tentatively approved construction contracts totaling nearly $160 million for work on the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) , the proposed Elgin-O’Hare Western Access and other projects.

[Revive 755]

Update from speaking with Tollway officials at a recent public meeting:

* The Toll Authority will seek to designate the West Bypass as I-490.  The application should come before AASHTO this fall.

In addition, there were some griping by some members of the public about traffic problems at the current terminus of the EOE at US 20, and a desire to extended the EOE west to County Farm Road.

[Stratuscaster]

In addition, there were some griping by some members of the public about traffic problems at the current terminus of the EOE at US 20, and a desire to extended the EOE west to County Farm Road.

It may be useful for folks heading further south into Dupage County to be able to go directly from the EOE to southbound County Farm Road - and for those heading north on County Farm to exit onto the EOE - but really that just transfers that load of traffic from the 6-lane US-20 to the 4-lane residential County Farm Road.

Much like the rebuild of the Hillside Strangler - it just moves the bottleneck further down the line. You'd end up with something similar to the now-unnumbered north end of IL-53 at Lake-Cook Road.

[hobsini2]

In addition, there were some griping by some members of the public about traffic problems at the current terminus of the EOE at US 20, and a desire to extended the EOE west to County Farm Road.

It may be useful for folks heading further south into Dupage County to be able to go directly from the EOE to southbound County Farm Road - and for those heading north on County Farm to exit onto the EOE - but really that just transfers that load of traffic from the 6-lane US-20 to the 4-lane residential County Farm Road.

Much like the rebuild of the Hillside Strangler - it just moves the bottleneck further down the line. You'd end up with something similar to the now-unnumbered north end of IL-53 at Lake-Cook Road.

I disagree with that conclusion Stratuscaster.  There will still be plenty of people using US 20 Lake St to head west. But what this will do (extending to County Farm Rd) is take people off of the 2 lane 25 mph zoned Ontarioville Rd between Lake St and County Farm Rd. A lot of people use that road as a shortcut. In reality if the EOE does go to County Farm, you would have the traffic that uses the current 2 westbound lanes at the current end of the EOE being split in to 3 lanes through west and 2 through lanes south. Oh and BTW, the 3rd lane on Lake St drops after County Farm Rd anyway.

[cwm1276]

Would County Farm road get an interchange with an extended Tollway to Elgin?  Or would people be expect to still use Lake Street?

Also is the any proposal for the routing of the Eligin-O'hare to Elgin?

[Brandon]

Would County Farm road get an interchange with an extended Tollway to Elgin?  Or would people be expect to still use Lake Street?

Also is the any proposal for the routing of the Eligin-O'hare to Elgin?

If, and this is a big if, the EOE is extended to County Farm, then there will be an interchange at County Farm on the EOE.

The original proposal was to connect the EOE to the US-20 Bypass of Elgin.  As far as I know, the proposal is either dormant or dead.

[ET21]

Would County Farm road get an interchange with an extended Tollway to Elgin?  Or would people be expect to still use Lake Street?

Also is the any proposal for the routing of the Eligin-O'hare to Elgin?

If, and this is a big if, the EOE is extended to County Farm, then there will be an interchange at County Farm on the EOE.

The original proposal was to connect the EOE to the US-20 Bypass of Elgin.  As far as I know, the proposal is either dormant or dead.

Most likely dormant because they do have the land standing by if EOE goes west

[sandwalk]

Would County Farm road get an interchange with an extended Tollway to Elgin?  Or would people be expect to still use Lake Street?

Also is the any proposal for the routing of the Eligin-O'hare to Elgin?

If, and this is a big if, the EOE is extended to County Farm, then there will be an interchange at County Farm on the EOE.

The original proposal was to connect the EOE to the US-20 Bypass of Elgin.  As far as I know, the proposal is either dormant or dead.

Most likely dormant because they do have the land standing by if EOE goes west

Totally a pipe-dream, but why not extend it to the US-20 Elgin Bypass and then swing the road up northwest back to I-90 (somewhere east of the IL-47 interchange)?

Or---let's get crazy---and extend the EOE southwest from it's current terminus (roughly following Stearns Road). The EOE would go through the north side of St. Charles to I-88 just east of DeKalb (near the village of Maple Park).  You might have to take 'Elgin' out of the name, but it's never gone there to begin with.

[hobsini2]

Sandwalk, as much as that is a pipe dream to go to DeKalb with the EOE, I would love to see that happen. It would cut off a good chunk of mileage from 294-88 as well as not having to deal with the mess of traffic on 294 during rush hour.

[Revive 755]

Most likely dormant because they do have the land standing by if EOE goes west

The long range plan by CMAP has it "early stages of planning," but I would lean towards dormant.
http://www.cmap.illinois.gov/documents/20583/93d6cada-5f17-41ac-b521-71186b2af3e5 (See Page 38/42)  I think there is a more recent version of this list that drops some projects such as the Illiana - Prairie Parkway connector, but I can't find it tonight.

Looks to me like the land is only available to a little ways west of County Farm Road; it appears IDOT didn't manage to grab all of the parcels soon enough between County Farm and US 20 at North Avenue (a different North Avenue, not IL 64).

[3467]

It looks that way to me too....Considering how tough it has become to build anything in metro Chicago I would say an extension to county farm road is about it although I really like both of the other ideas