Is I-294 Project In Elmhurst On Track?

ELMHURST, IL — The project improving the Interstate 290-294 interchange in Elmhurst is on track, but the deadline was extended shortly after it started in mid-October, an Illinois Tollway official said last week.

The extension was the result of weather and changes to the design, tollway spokesman Dan Rozek said in an email to Patch.

The work is part of the $4 billion Tri-State Tollway project, which is improving 22 miles of Interstate 294 between Balmoral Avenue in Rosemont and 95th Street in Oak Lawn, Rozek said. Overall, the project remains on schedule, he said.

At the local interchange, the tollway is realigning the ramp from southbound I-294 to westbound I-290 to connect with the reconstruction of southbound lanes of I-294, Rozek said. The aim, he said, was to ease congestion and improve traffic flows.

The ramp connecting southbound I-294 to westbound I-290 is expected to remain closed to traffic through December, although completion of that work depends on weather conditions, Rozek said.

The Illinois Tollway plans to add construction signage to alert drivers in advance of the ramp reopening.