I-294 Expansion Moves Forward with $4 Billion Price Tag

OAK BROOK, IL — The Central Tri-State Tollway expansion plan has moved forward and it’s gained momentum along the way. The proposed expansion now has an estimated cost of $4 billion —twice as much as its original $1.9 billion estimate— as it heads to a final vote on Thursday, Chicago Tribune reported.

The Illinois Tollway’s I-294 expansion would widen the Central Tri-State Tollway between Balmoral Avenue and 22 miles north through 95th Street in Chicago by adding a lane in each direction and designating flex lanes to be used by emergency vehicles. If approved, the tollway expansion would begin in 2020 and is estimated to take two years.

Tollway Board Chair Bob Schillerstrom said he is confident the $4 billion Tri-State Tollway expansion would eliminate some of the congestion on this stretch of I-294, which is currently used by more than 150,000 vehicles daily. Schillerstrom also reassured residents that there would not be increased tolls, according to Daily Herald.

>>Related on Patch: Burr Ridge Torn Over Proposed I-294 Expansion

The decreased traffic is little consolation for some residents, who doubt the potential benefits of the proposal would be worth enduring the noise and air pollution that would affect communities along the affected stretch of I-294.

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