A brand new Illinois tollway will aim to connect motorists to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, with the project taking significant steps forward. Kye Martin has the details.
Illinois has plans for a new tollway that would connect drivers to Chicago's O'Hare Airport in a new way, but where is it?
The project took significant steps forward this week as renderings and planning details were released.
Once constructed, Interstate 490 would connect the Jane Addams Tollway near Des Plaines to the Tri-State Tollway in Franklin Park, skirting the western edge of O’Hare in the process. Within the roughly seven miles of new interstate highway, connections will be made to York Road, Irving Park Road and O’Hare, along with Illinois 390, according to officials.
More than a dozen ramps and bridges will need to be built to complete the project, the Illinois Tollway said, helping to carry traffic over established rail lines and other areas.
“There’s a tremendous amount of freight activity, and a lot of economic development has already occurred,” Manar Nashif, the chief engineering officer of the Illinois Tollway Authority, said. “This will provide a major regional connection to I-90 and to the Tri-State Tollway.”
The initial routing of the project was approved in 2009, but construction is set to accelerate on the rest of the project in coming months, with an anticipated completion date of late 2027.
Construction on the interchange with the Jane Addams has been ongoing, and is expected to be finished in coming years, according to the Illinois Tollway.
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Another key component in the construction, according to NBC Chicago’s Kye Martin, was the approval to lift aviation approach lighting leading into O’Hare, with six east-west runways ending near the brand new tollway.
Details on the city of Chicago's full connection from the tollway to terminal access have not yet been finalized.
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"We are coordinating with the city of Chicago on that, but above and beyond that, we do believe we are providing a crucial access to relieve congestion and save time," Nashif said.
More information can be found on the Illinois Tollway’s website.
