Tollway construction starting – meaning possible delays

Starting Sunday or Monday, your Tollway commute might take a little longer – until late fall.

That’s because the Tri-State Tollway (Interstate 294) Resurfacing Project begins early Monday between 95th Street in Oak Lawn, all the way to Balmoral Avenue in Rosemont, the Illinois Tollway said.

Most of the work will be done during overnight hours to minimize the impact of traffic to the corridor, which is used by up to 190,000 vehicles a day. The Tollway will use traffic shifts and shoulders to keep four lanes in both directions open during daytime hours.

The work includes roadway repairs and resurfacing of the 19-mile section between 95th Street and Franklin Avenue in Franklin Park, with a new layer of asphalt and concrete repairs on the three-mile section from Franklin Avenue to Balmoral Avenue.

The $112.6 million project – to be completed by late fall – also includes repairs to 54 bridge structures throughout the corridor, the Tollway says.

Also, a resurfacing project begins early Sunday on the Reagan Memorial Tollway (Interstate 88) between Illinois Route 56 in North Aurora and Illinois Route 251 in Rochelle. That $60.1 million project requires the month-long closure of the eastbound entrance and exit ramps at Annie Glidden Road in DeKalb.

Officials are reminding drivers that a 45 mph speed limit is in effect at all times in construction zones, whether or not workers are present.