A year-long reconstruction project beginning this month will eventually bring congestion relief at the interchange between the Stevenson Expressway (I-55) and the Tri-State Tollway (I-294) in the Chicago area.

"Rebuilding the interchange of I-55 at I-294 is one of our top priorities for 2002," said Dirk Fuqua, IDOT's Engineer of Project Implementation in the Chicago area. "However, construction activities will likely have a major impact on traffic."
The $12.7 million project will begin March 15, weather permitting. It is scheduled for completion by October 31. Planned improvements include replacing and widening two bridges and reconstructing and realigning five ramps. An existing two-lane bridge over Joliet Road forces traffic from both northbound and southbound I-55 to merge into the same lane as it approaches the northbound I-294 toll plaza. Likewise, traffic leaving the southbound I-294 toll plaza must merge into the same lane to exit at Joliet Road or northbound I-55. The new interchange design increases the number of lanes on this bridge from two to four to provide a separate lane of each of these ramps.
Beginning March 15, work will begin on the reconstruction of the ramp from southbound I-294 to southbound I-55. This ramp will remain open during construction with traffic shifted to one side. Later this year, other ramps will be fully closed and marked with detour routes.
No work will occur on the mainline lanes of the Stevenson as part of this project. However, occasional overnight lane closures will be used to accommodate the bridge replacement activities.