Prairie State Wire

The Illinois Tollway Board of Directors has approved four contracts totaling over $22.4 million for construction and professional engineering services at its September meeting. This includes a new contract aimed at extending access from the Illinois Route 390 Tollway Lake Street (U.S. Route 20) Interchange to County Farm Road in Hanover Park.

Cassaundra Rouse, Executive Director of the Illinois Tollway, said, "The Illinois Tollway has been coordinating with IDOT, DuPage County and Hanover Park over the last few years to study and plan for new access to the Illinois Route 390 Tollway." She added that this collaboration is focused on improving local traffic flow and connections to public transit.

The current interchange at Lake Street marks the western end of the Illinois Route 390 Tollway. The new interchange aims to provide more direct access to County Farm Road, easing congestion on local roads. It will also facilitate movement for pedestrians and school buses serving multiple schools in the area.

The construction contract awarded includes a $7.3 million agreement with Utility Dynamics Corp., based in Oswego, IL, for systemwide closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera installation. The professional engineering services contracts feature a $7.7 million deal with Michael Baker International Inc., Chicago, IL, for design services related to roadway and ramp construction on the Illinois Route 390 Tollway from Lake Street to County Farm Road; a $4.4 million contract with STV Inc., Chicago, IL, for bridge reconstruction design on the Tri-State Tollway (I-294) at the CSX Railroad; and a $3 million contract with ABNA Engineering Inc., East St. Louis, IL, for systemwide design services upon request.

These contracts involve participation from 14 certified disadvantaged, minority-, and women-owned business enterprises (D/M/WBE), as well as three certified veteran-owned firms. D/M/WBE participation commitments range from 17.36% to 77% per contract, while veteran participation commitments range from 3.75% to 5%.

In total, nearly $370.8 million in contracts have been approved by the board in 2025 as part of two major initiatives: Move Illinois and Bridging the Future plans.

Move Illinois is a long-term capital program valued at $15 billion over 16 years that aims to improve mobility across Northern Illinois' tollways by reducing congestion and pollution while creating jobs. Bridging the Future is a seven-year initiative worth $2 billion that focuses on ongoing infrastructure improvements based on stakeholder feedback.

The Illinois Tollway operates without state or federal funding through user fees across its network of roadways covering multiple counties in Northern Illinois.

For more information about ongoing projects or public meetings broadcasted online by the agency visit www.illinoistollway.com.

Information from this article can be found here.