The Illinois Tollway, entering the 12th year of its 15-year, $14 billion Move Illinois capital program, continues to make strategic investments in its transportation infrastructure. Foremost among these investments in 2023 is continuing work to rebuild and widen the Central Tri-State Tollway (I-294) from 95th Street to Balmoral Avenue and to build the new I-490 Tollway along the west side of O’Hare International Airport.

When a crash temporarily closed the westbound lanes on the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) in McHenry County, a driver veered around four Illinois Tollway trucks stopping traffic, only to slam into another Tollway truck assisting with the crash cleanup.

That incident was just one of the 29 times this year that drivers have struck a Tollway vehicle, a number that is up by over 30% from last year. It’s a dangerous problem—not just for roadway workers and emergency responders, but for drivers themselves.

The regional transportation network in Northern Illinois is continuously growing, improving and evolving to meet the current and future needs of the traveling public. 

So, having leadership from the Illinois Tollway and other major transportation agencies gathered together in one place is a great opportunity for transportation industry professionals to learn about what’s coming up and gain perspective on how all the upcoming improvements fit together.