Overnight closures planned for Roberts Road and 87th Street for Tri-State Tollway (I294) construction work
Full intersection closures with detours also needed to safely accommodate bridge beam placement
Local road closures, including weekend full intersection closures with detours, have been rescheduled on Roberts Road and 87th Street for August and September to accommodate mainline bridge beam placement as part of the Central Tri-State Tollway (I-294) Project.
The temporary closures are necessary to safely accommodate the placement of bridge beams on I-294 over Roberts Road and 87th Street and will be scheduled during overnight hours to minimize the impact on local road traffic.
Electronic message signs and construction signage will be in place in advance to alert drivers to each of the overnight closures and detours. Up-to-date closure information will be posted on the Tollway website in the Daily Construction Alert . All work is weather dependent and is subject to change.
On Saturday, August 27, beginning at 7 p.m., full lane closures on eastbound 87th Street under I-294 are scheduled to begin and a detour will be posted. All lanes are scheduled to reopen by 5 a.m. the following morning. A similar closure and detour will be scheduled overnight for Monday, August 29.
In addition, no left turns will be permitted from southbound Roberts Road onto eastbound 87th Street from Monday, August 29, to Monday, September 19.
During the weekend of September 9, full closures of both 87th Street and Roberts Road intersections will be needed and detours will be posted. The closures are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. on Friday, September 9, with the roadway reopening by 10 a.m. the following morning. Similar closures are scheduled for overnight on Saturday, September 10, beginning at 6 p.m. with the roadway reopening by 11 a.m. the following morning.
During the closures posted detours will reroute Roberts Road traffic via 95th Street, 88th Avenue/Cork Avenue and 79th Street. In addition, 87th Street traffic will be rerouted via Cork Avenue, 95th Street and Harlem Avenue. (see map below)
To accommodate bridge replacement work, traffic is currently reduced in both directions on Roberts Road and 87th Street. Traffic will remain in this configuration through 2022 for bridge work.
Construction in this area is being coordinated with the Illinois Department of Transportation, Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways, Village of Bridgeview, City of Hickory Hills, Village of Justice, as well as local fire and police departments.
Construction updates, project information, maps and detour information for work that is part of the Central Tri-State Tollway (I-294) Project are available in the Projects section on the Tollway’s website at www.illinoistollway.com .
In 2022, the Illinois Tollway is continuing work on southern section of the Central Tri-State Project between I-55 and 95th Street, which includes rebuilding and widening the roadway to five lanes in both directions, including construction of new I-294 bridges over I-55, Flagg Creek, 87th Street and Roberts Road, as well as reconstructing shoulders including adding Flex Lanes. This morning mainline work is scheduled to be complete by the end of 2023.
The $4 billion Central Tri-State Tollway (I-294) Project is reconstructing and widening the roadway between Balmoral Avenue and 95th Street to provide congestion relief, update old infrastructure to meet current and future transportation demand and address regional needs. This work is part of the Tollway’s 15-year, $14 billion capital program, Move Illinois: The Illinois Tollway Driving the Future. More than 220,000 vehicles use the Central Tri-State Tollway daily.
Work Zone Safety
Construction zone speed limits are in effect in all construction zones 24/7 and drivers should continue to watch for changing traffic patterns and use caution, especially when workers are present. On I-294, a 45 mph work zone speed limit is in effect throughout the construction season. On both 87th Street and Roberts Road, a 35 mph work zone speed limit is in effect.
The Illinois Tollway reminds motorists that the “Move Over Law” requires motorists to change lanes or to slow down and proceed with caution when passing any vehicle on the side of the road with hazard lights activated. If you see flashing lights ahead, please move over or slow down.
Illinois State Police have zero tolerance for drivers speeding in work zones or failure to comply with the Move Over Law. The minimum penalty for speeding in a work zone is $250 with up to a $25,000 fine and a 14-year jail sentence for hitting a roadway worker. Penalties for failure to slow down or move over for a vehicle on the shoulder with flashing lights includes up to a $10,000 fine, 2-year suspension of driving privileges and jail time, in extreme cases.
About Move Illinois
The Illinois Tollway’s 15-year, $14 billion capital program, Move Illinois: The Illinois Tollway Driving the Future, is improving mobility, relieving congestion, reducing pollution, creating as many as 120,000 jobs and linking economies throughout the region. The first 10 years of Move Illinois is on schedule and within budget, delivering the rebuilt and widened Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) as a state-of-the-art 21st century corridor and opening a new interchange connecting the Tri-State Tollway (I-294) to I-57. Progress continues on projects addressing the remaining needs of the existing Tollway system, delivering the Elgin O’Hare Western Access Project and reconstruction of the Central Tri-State Tollway (I-294).
About the Illinois Tollway
The Illinois Tollway is a user-fee system that receives no state or federal funds for maintenance and operations. The agency maintains and operates 294 miles of roadways in 12 counties in Northern Illinois, including the Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88), the Veterans Memorial Tollway (I-355), the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90), the Tri-State Tollway (I-94/I-294/I-80) and the Illinois Route 390 Tollway.
Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.
Email Ray Hanania at rghanania@gmail.com.
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