I-490 (Western O'Hare Bypass)

[SEWIGuy]

Ironically the Tollway is obnoxious and overrated- just like Ditka.

Seems very appropriate.

[edwaleni]

When did IDOT designate US 34 the Payton Highway? Is it actually signed anywhere?

I thought, not too long after Sweetness's death, that Ogden Ave should have been renamed Walter Payton Ave...this is not quite the same, but similar

http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/legisnet91/summary/910HJR0071.html

Names Interstate 72, traversing through the heart of Illinois  as     
   the   Purple  Heart  Memorial  Highway.  Designates  that  portion  of     
   Interstate 74 between Interstate 57 and  U.S.  Route  45  as  Veterans     
   Memorial  Parkway.   Designates  a  specified  route  as  the Historic     
   Lincoln Highway.  Designates Interstate 39 from its point of origin in     
   Winnebago County to its intersection with Interstate Route 88 as  E.J.     
   "Zeke"  Giorgi  Highway.   Designates  U.S. Route 34 the Walter Payton     
   Memorial Highway. Designates U.S. Route 40 the Historic National Road.     
   Urges the Illinois Department of Transportation to name the bridge  on     
   South  Chatham  Road,  crossing Interstate 72 and Route 36, the Thomas     
   William Davenport Memorial Bridge. Names the part of Interstate 57  of     
   the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways which is within     
   Illinois as the Thurgood Marshall Memorial Freeway. Renames the Poplar     
   Street  Bridge  the  Mark McGwire Bridge. Designates Illinois Route 50     
   from North Street to Larry Power Road in Bradley the Kenneth P.  Hayes     
   Memorial Highway.       

[edwaleni]

To answer your question on signage....

To my knowledge and from my driving, I have not seen a sign identifying it as a memorial highway.

Google Maps defines it as such from the beginning of US-34 in Riverside all the way to the Great River Bridge in Burlington, Iowa.  In fact some people have come to calling the bridge in Burlington the Walter Payton Highway Memorial Bridge, which is inaccurate.

Knowing how IDOT works, if the legislature makes a pronouncement like this but provides no money to create and deploy signage, then you probably won't see anything.

[hobsini2]

My brother suggested it be called the Ernie Banks or Minnie Minoso. He said we already have the Walter Payton Highway (US-34).  I don't think anyone wants to call US-51 the Butkus.

If US 51 connected Chicago to Urbana-Champaign (instead of US 45) I bet it would already be the Dick Butkus Highway

When did IDOT designate US 34 the Payton Highway? Is it actually signed anywhere?

I thought, not too long after Sweetness's death, that Ogden Ave should have been renamed Walter Payton Ave...this is not quite the same, but similar

I seem to recall seeing a sign for Walter Payton Highway in Oswego near IL 71.

[silverback1065]

how will this improve traffic in the area?

[edwaleni]

My brother suggested it be called the Ernie Banks or Minnie Minoso. He said we already have the Walter Payton Highway (US-34).  I don't think anyone wants to call US-51 the Butkus.

If US 51 connected Chicago to Urbana-Champaign (instead of US 45) I bet it would already be the Dick Butkus Highway

When did IDOT designate US 34 the Payton Highway? Is it actually signed anywhere?

I thought, not too long after Sweetness's death, that Ogden Ave should have been renamed Walter Payton Ave...this is not quite the same, but similar

I seem to recall seeing a sign for Walter Payton Highway in Oswego near IL 71.

That sign says "Leon McNair Highway"

[ET21]

how will this improve traffic in the area?

Take a lot of traffic off the Tri-State which has been notorious for having nasty backups, especially southbound from the Bensenville Bridge up to Willow Road. It could also help take truck traffic off local roads that needs to get through EGV and Bensenville.

Between this and the expansion on 294, traffic should be moving smoothly around O'Hare.

[Revive 755]

Take a lot of traffic off the Tri-State which has been notorious for having nasty backups, especially southbound from the Bensenville Bridge up to Willow Road. It could also help take truck traffic off local roads that needs to get through EGV and Bensenville.

Between this and the expansion on 294, traffic should be moving smoothly around O'Hare.

^ But I have to wonder if it may lead to a new bottleneck on the Tri-State at the south end of I-490.

Also have to wonder why the southbound afternoon backups seem to stop at the Bensenville Bridge - there aren't any lane reductions there, any exits to loose a lot of vehicles, or a major entrance nearby.

Elk Grove Village and Bensenville already have two good north-south arterials with IL 83 and the section of York Road north of IL 19/Irving Park.  I could see part of I-490 south of IL 390 being underutilized, especially if the tolls are set too high.

[lstone19]

Elk Grove Village and Bensenville already have two good north-south arterials with IL 83 and the section of York Road north of IL 19/Irving Park.  I could see part of I-490 south of IL 390 being underutilized, especially if the tolls are set too high.

You obviously haven't driven either of those roads in rush hour.

But as to purpose of I-490, just think of it as a pair of extra long ramps connecting I-294 south of the O'Hare complex to I-90 west of the O'Hare complex and replacing (except for local traffic) the equivalent ramps in the O'Hare interchange complex. Hopefully given that purpose, the Tollway will charge the same toll for through traffic using I-490 as they'd pay going through the O'Hare complex (currently $0.75 I-Pass for moves between the I-290/I-90 interchange in Schaumburg and the I-290/I-294 interchange in Hillside. A higher toll would just bias traffic to going the old way through the O'Hare complex.

[ET21]

Yeah I avoid IL-83 and York/Elmhurst Road during rush. Truck traffic is very heavy

[Brandon]

It's happening!

Illinois Tollway reaches railroad deal, paving the way for construction of a beltway around O'Hare

The Illinois Tollway board on Thursday approved agreements with two major railroads, which will make possible long-anticipated western highway access into O'Hare International Airport.
The agreement with the Soo Line Railroad Co., doing business as Canadian Pacific, and Union Pacific Railroad provides the Tollway with the property rights it needs to build a planned beltway around O'Hare.

The new I-490 Tollway is scheduled to be complete by the end of 2025 and will carry north-south traffic around the western border of O'Hare and provide access to the airport, according to the Tollway. The Illinois Route 390 Tollway, which currently carries east-west traffic between Lake Street (Illinois Route 20) and Illinois Route 83, will include an interchange connection to I-490.

[Joe The Dragon]

https://www.illinoistollway.com/documents/20184/051d0ec7-eb5e-a2a8-6bb9-2cef27438105

[thenetwork]

They should change the route number to 890 and name the highway after Coach Ditka.

"Welcome to the Mike Ditka Tollway"  (with the Ditka "flying the bird"  Picture) would be a great Welcoming sign to the roadway

Most people would just call it "Da Deet-ka".

[hobsini2]

They should change the route number to 890 and name the highway after Coach Ditka.

"Welcome to the Mike Ditka Tollway"  (with the Ditka "flying the bird"  Picture) would be a great Welcoming sign to the roadway

Most people would just call it "Da Deet-ka".

Or Da Cochhhhh

[DJ Particle]

I trust IL-390, when complete, will become I-390?   

[ChiMilNet]

I trust IL-390, when complete, will become I-390?   

Tough to say, maybe when I-490 is built and at least connected to either I-90 or I-294. I know it doesn't and will not likely connect to its parent (unless for some reason decades from now it is extended West and then over the Elgin bypass and then connects to I-90 somewhere near Hampshire or that area, but I'll stop as I am getting very much into fictional territory). That said, there is precedent for child interstates not connecting to their parents (see the x78s in NYC).

[lstone19]

That said, there is precedent for child interstates not connecting to their parents (see the x78s in NYC).

And I-280, I-380, and I-980 in the San Francisco Bay area, I-105 in Los Angeles, and I-990 in Buffalo.

[ET21]

Signage has been hoisted on eastbound 390 east of Busse. They do not have the I-490 shield but clearly looks like it is the split between the I-490 ramp and the York Road exit. Interesting note, it has a TO IL-19 on the split, showing that you might have to use York Road to access IL-19 Irving Park Road

[Revive 755]

Signage has been hoisted on eastbound 390 east of Busse. They do not have the I-490 shield but clearly looks like it is the split between the I-490 ramp and the York Road exit. Interesting note, it has a TO IL-19 on the split, showing that you might have to use York Road to access IL-19 Irving Park Road

Those signs don't look like they have enough space for a full I-490 shield - wonder if the plan is to open the road to IL 19/Irving Park next?

There's also a bunch of new ground mounted assemblies east of IL 83, installed so the plain metal side faces traffic for now, with a blue north banner and a "TO TOLL I- [part blocked by the sign post] 0" on a rectangular sign, white text on a blue background.

[machias]

Signage has been hoisted on eastbound 390 east of Busse. They do not have the I-490 shield but clearly looks like it is the split between the I-490 ramp and the York Road exit. Interesting note, it has a TO IL-19 on the split, showing that you might have to use York Road to access IL-19 Irving Park Road

Can you see enough legend to confirm there's no issue with the wrong sized lower case letters? Some of the Elmhurst Rd signs on the Jane Addams Tollway near the future I-490 interchange are really bad.

[JoePCool14]

Signage has been hoisted on eastbound 390 east of Busse. They do not have the I-490 shield but clearly looks like it is the split between the I-490 ramp and the York Road exit. Interesting note, it has a TO IL-19 on the split, showing that you might have to use York Road to access IL-19 Irving Park Road

Can you see enough legend to confirm there's no issue with the wrong sized lower case letters? Some of the Elmhurst Rd signs on the Jane Addams Tollway near the future I-490 interchange are really bad.

Yes, please do. And if so, flood ISTHA's email inbox.

[ChiMilNet]

It seems that the Tollway hasn't done much to update the project pages for I-490, although the other route pages seem to have been updated for March. Anyone have any latest on this, and why there seems to be a somewhat suspicious lack of updates on this particular tollway?

[edwaleni]

It seems that the Tollway hasn't done much to update the project pages for I-490, although the other route pages seem to have been updated for March. Anyone have any latest on this, and why there seems to be a somewhat suspicious lack of updates on this particular tollway?

The new I-490 Tollway, scheduled to be complete by the end of 2025, coupled with the Illinois Route 390 Tollway which was completed in 2017

Construction of the new I-490 Tollway is planned to cross the Union Pacific Railroad at several
locations, including where western access into and out of O'Hare International Airport is planned, as
well as near the Tri-State Tollway (I-294) at the location of the future I-490/I-294 Interchange. The new
I-490 Tollway is also planned to cross over the Canadian Pacific at several locations including where
western access to the airport is planned and in the Canadian Pacific's Bensenville Yard. The project will
require relocating Canadian Pacific trackage south of the yard.
The agreements would also provide the Tollway with property rights that will advance adjacent projects
supporting construction of Cook County's planned improvements to Touhy Avenue, which include
replacement of the at-grade crossing at the Union Pacific Railroad with a new bridge that will relieve
congestion and improve access to the north side of O'Hare International Airport.

The engineering involved that meets the complexity of these requirements in lieu of Covid is probably why its dragging its feet.

The original plan that was published was based on what ISTHA wanted, not necessarily what CP Railroad agreed to.

If history holds up, they are probably waiting on CP Rail to relocate their tracks.

[Joe The Dragon]

https://icc.illinois.gov/rail-safety/crossing/174087Y/inventory
CONVERT TO A GRADE SEP BY NOV 2021 AS PART OF O'HARE WESTERN BYPASS

[ChiMilNet]

https://icc.illinois.gov/rail-safety/crossing/174087Y/inventory
CONVERT TO A GRADE SEP BY NOV 2021 AS PART OF O'HARE WESTERN BYPASS

So I wonder if their plan is to wait for the track crossing to be built and go from there? I thought I recalled it would be the other way around and the connection from I-90 to IL-390 would be completed first, then the connection to I-294.