Illinois Tollway to Open Bridge Detour This Weekend for Bikers on Fox River Trail

Submitted by the Illinois Tollway 

The Illinois Tollway will open a detour route in time for the weekend to provide safe passage for bicycles and pedestrians using the Fox River Trail which crosses through the construction of the $95 million Fox River Bridge Project in Elgin on the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90). The detour route, scheduled to be completed Friday evening, October 10, will maintain trail access throughout construction of the new Fox River Bridge which is scheduled for completion by the end of 2016.

Maintained by the Forest Preserve District of Kane County, the Fox River Trail is about 40 miles long, extending from Aurora to Algonquin along the Fox River. The Fox River Trail travels on the east side of Fox River in Elgin and into the middle of the work zone as the Tollway removes and rebuilds the Fox River Bridge carrying I-90 traffic.

“Providing a detour is the best way to ensure the safety of bicyclists and pedestrians while we remove and rebuild the Fox River Bridge,” said Illinois Tollway Executive Director Kristi Lafleur. “As we continue work on this project, closures on the Fox River Trail and on local roads are considered only as a last resort in order to minimize the disruption to local residents.”

Construction of seven new bridge piers for the Fox River Bridge Project is currently underway adjacent to and in the Fox River below the existing bridge to support the new bridge structures. In addition, bridge structure removal is also taking place in the area of the Fox River Trail.

Fox River Trail Detour

Approximately 300 feet of the Fox River Trail will be temporarily relocated to the east adjacent to Duncan Avenue, extending from the Trout Park parking lot to the south, traveling under the Fox River Bridge and connecting back to the Fox River Trail to the north of the bridge.

The detour provides a paved asphalt path with concrete barrier wall and chain link fence separation to protect bicyclists and pedestrians from traffic. In addition, a canopy covering is constructed above the detour path to provide a barrier as construction activity continues overhead.

Due to tight turns entering and exiting the detour, cyclists using the 6-foot-wide path will need to dismount and walk their bicycles through the detour. Signage is in place to help direct trail users along the detour.

As construction continues through 2016, temporary closures of the Fox River Trail detour will be necessary at times during bridge beam placement activities and bridge removal work as the Fox River Bridge is reconstructed and widened. Construction signage will be put in place to alert the public in advance of the closures. In addition, construction project and detour information is also available in the “Projects By Roadway” section in the Construction/Planning section on the Tollway’s website atwww.illinoistollway.com.

When the Fox River Bridge Project is completed, the Fox River Trail will be restored in its original location. Improvements also include the replacement of a 660 foot-long bicycle and pedestrian bridge underneath the I-90 Fox River Bridge providing public access to cross the river. As part of the Forest Preserve District of Kane County’s East-West Spur of the Fox River Trail, the new bicycle and pedestrian bridge will be widened from the current 9-foot width to about 12 feet wide to improve access and assist with Tollway maintenance and inspection of the Fox River Bridge.

The Illinois Tollway is coordinating work on the Fox River Bridge Project, including the detour on the portion of the Fox River Trail underneath I-90, with the Forest Preserve District of Kane County, the city of Elgin and Kane County.

Fox River Bridge Project

Constructed as part of the original Tollway system in the 1950s, rebuilding and widening the Fox River Bridge is necessary to accommodate the $2.5 billion I-90 Rebuilding and Widening Project scheduled to be completed in 2016. The Fox River Bridge Project includes construction of two new bridge structures that will increase capacity from six lanes to eight lanes with full shoulders in both directions to accommodate the new, wider I-90 roadway and also provide for drainage improvements and replacement of the existing bicycle and pedestrian bridge.

The new Fox River Bridge will include two, side-by-side 1,315-foot-long structures that will stand 40 feet above the surface of the Fox River and adjacent roadways. Each of the new structures will have fewer piers to reduce the environmental impact on the waterway and forested fen below. The new bridge structures will have eight spans supported by seven piers. The existing structures have 14 piers.

Currently, up to 101,300 vehicles travel on the I-90 Fox River Bridge daily. The Tollway is coordinating work on the Fox River Bridge Project with the city of Elgin, Kane County, the Forest Preserve District of Kane County, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife, Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), IDNR Office of Water Resources and the Illinois Nature Preserve Commission.

The $95 million Fox River Bridge Project is funded by the Illinois Tollway’s 15-year, $12 billion capital program, Move Illinois: The Illinois Tollway Driving the Future.

I-90 Rebuilding and Widening Project

The $2.5 billion Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) Rebuilding and Widening Project will deliver a 21st century, state-of-the-art corridor linking Rockford to O’Hare International Airport. The I-90 corridor from downtown Chicago to Rockford serves nearly one million travelers per day. The project encompasses 62 miles and includes reconstruction and expansion of I-90 to eight lanes from the Tri-State Tollway (I-294) to Randall Road in Elgin and six lanes from Randall Road to I-39 near Rockford, as well as significant improvements to seven interchanges. The new I-90 will feature flexible infrastructure to enable the Tollway to add new “smart” features as needed and is accommodating transit options along the I-90 corridor for the first time in the agency’s history.

In 2014, the Illinois Tollway is scheduled to complete the reconstruction and widening between Elgin and Rockford. The eastbound lanes were completed in 2013. Work on the segment of I-90 from the Tri-State Tollway (I-294) to Elgin is scheduled for 2014-2016.