Infrastructure Upgrades
Work begins to repair, widen region's tollways
By Barbara Connors, RCC
More than 1.4 million vehicles driven a day have taken a toll on the Illinois tollways. John Mitola, chairman of the Illinois Toll Highway Authority Board of Directors, gave an update at a breakfast meeting at Giovanni's on April 11 to 80 members of the Rockford Chamber's Government Affairs Council on the progress to resurface, repair and expand the state's major tollways.
The GAC group had a particular interest in the work on the I-90 corridor, comprised of the $80 million project to complete a new Cherry Valley Interchange and the $160 project to add a third lane in both directions, from Newburg Road to Rockton Road. "We looked at those projects from the perspective of what they were going to do for the region's economy," Mitola said.
With the successful completion of open road tolling in less than two years, he said the toll authority has shifted its main focus to a number of repair and expansion projects, many of which are in the tri-state tollway area of the Chicago suburbs, an area he said was "the backbone of the system, which generates the most revenue and supports the rest of the system."
The I-90 corridor around Winnebago County also was important with population growth projections to 2030 of 20 percent for Winnebago County, 25 percent for Boone County and 50 percent for McHenry County.
The following are updates on progress in the Rockford Region. With a summer home in Janesville, Wis., Mitola, an Illinois resident said, "I will personally keep track of the progress," to some laughter from the audience.
Cherry Valley Interchange at I-90/I-39
Work to reconstruct and reconfigure the interchange began in February. The Newburg Road Bridge will be removed and replaced and a new westbound exit ramp constructed at Irene Road. Work is scheduled for completion by the end of 2009.
Reconstruction, Widening I-90 from Newburg Road to Rockton Road
Work to widen the 13-mile section of I-90 to three lanes in each direction began in mid-April. Structural repairs will be made to nine crossroad bridges. Work is scheduled for completion by the end of 2009.
