Five years in: When will the dust settle on Central Tri-State rebuild?
With lane shifts, cement mixers and piles of rocks to entertain them, drivers on the Central Tri-State Tollway never are bored in summer.
But for those whose blood pressure shoots up upon merging onto Interstate 294 amid a massive rebuild and widening, here's an update on when it will finish.
As of Friday, planners anticipate "completing work throughout the corridor by the end of 2026," Illinois tollway spokesman Dan Rozek said.
The $4 billion redo kicked off in 2018 on 22 miles of the Central Tri-State stretching between Rosemont and Oak Lawn.
"The tollway has made great progress so far opening new lanes of traffic on the north end between Balmoral and Wolf Road," Rozek said. "Mainline widening from I-55 to 95th Street is complete with five lanes open both directions, with work beginning this summer to place the final asphalt pavement needed to complete the south section in 2024.
"In addition, major projects within the project have been completed, including rehabilitation of the Bensenville Yard Bridge, reconstruction of the BNSF Railway Bridge and the Mile Long Bridge, and completion of improvements at the St. Charles Road Interchange."
Major focuses on the Central Tri-State in 2023 include:
• Ongoing reconstruction and widening between Wolf Road and I-55 near Willowbrook.
• Reconstruction and widening between I-55 and Cermak Road near Oak Brook, which started this year.
• Reconstruction and widening at the I-290/I-88 interchange and a section between St. Charles and Wolf roads near Elmhurst.
• Reconfiguring ramps at the Ogden Avenue interchange near Hinsdale. Currently, the ramp from eastbound Ogden to northbound I-294 is open.
In June, workers completed rebuilding the Plainfield Road Bridge taking traffic over I-294 near Willowbrook and mainline bridges over 87th Street and Roberts Road near Palos Hills.
The agency "thanks customers for their patience as they accommodate the lane and ramp closures required to safely complete this project," Rozek said.
Meanwhile, a separate but related mega-project - I-490 - is progressing. The toll road will wrap around O'Hare International Airport's west side, connecting with I-90 to the north and I-294 to the south.
This year, crews are building the I-294/I-490 interchange near Franklin Park. Since it's a new toll road there's minimal impact on the existing corridor.