The Central Tri-State Tollway (I-294) Project by the numbers.
In a thriving suburban landscape, delivering smart infrastructure projects requires innovative approaches to navigate a maze of challenges while ensuring minimal disruption to daily life. Rounding out the 16-year, $15 billion capital program, “Move Illinois: The Illinois Tollway Driving the Future,” the Central Tri-State Tollway (I-294) Project stands as a testament to the complexities involved in delivering modern infrastructure.
The Illinois Tollway is dedicated to providing and promoting a safe and efficient system of highways while ensuring the highest possible level of service to customers. The Tollway is a user-fee system: no state or federal tax dollars are used to support maintenance and operations. At the heart of the Tri-State Tollway is a 22-mile section stretching from Balmoral Avenue to 95th Street, notably providing access to Chicago O’Hare International Airport. This Central Tri-State corridor carries the heaviest volume of passenger and freight traffic, making it the workhorse of the Illinois Tollway system.
The $4 billion Central Tri-State (I-294) Project, spanning 2018 through 2026, will revitalize and modernize a critical transportation corridor, enhancing safety, alleviating congestion, improving connectivity and supporting economic growth across the Midwest region. Key challenges for project teams include navigating the needs of numerous stakeholders, managing traffic flow during construction, addressing utility conflicts within complex urban environments, and minimizing disruptions to the public and commerce. Compounding these factors were executing this project through a pandemic, labor disputes, inflation and massive supply chain disruptions.
The project includes reconfiguring the I-290/I-88 Interchange at I-294; rebuilding the Mile Long Bridge over the Des Plaines River valley, I&M canal and railroads, and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Bridge; and integrating SmartRoad technology to modernize this corridor. SmartRoad components include flex lanes, intelligent transportation systems (ITSs) and active traffic management (ATM).
Flex lanes, a central component of the I-294 project, offer a dynamic approach to managing traffic congestion. The flex lane is situated on the left inside shoulder of the road and primarily serves as a dedicated lane for emergency-incident response. In addition to its primary function, the flex lane also can be used as a temporary alternate lane during incidents to alleviate congestion. Moreover, it holds potential for future transit benefits, contributing to enhanced transportation efficiency and accessibility.
Through deployment of ITS, the Tollway gains real-time data providing insights into traffic patterns, allowing for proactive management of roadways. ITS is a sophisticated network of sensors, cameras and communication technologies designed to collect and disseminate real-time traffic data. By leveraging advanced data analytics, ITS empowers the Tollway to make informed decisions, optimize traffic operations and improve the overall commuter experience.
ATM further enhances the Tollway’s ability to respond dynamically to changing traffic conditions. Through the integration of variable speed limits, lane-control signals and dynamic message signs, ATM provides real-time guidance to motorists, promoting smoother traffic flow and reducing the likelihood of accidents.
The reconstructed Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway Bridge carries a triple-track railroad over the Tri-State Tollway (I-294).
People Drive Everything
The benefits of deploying advanced solutions such as these on large-scale projects are plentiful. Although smart technology will continue to make significant impacts, it’s the smart people delivering these complex projects and leading the innovation of processes that ultimately will modernize U.S. transportation infrastructure.
The Central Tri-State (I-294) Project is being delivered by a team of the nation’s leading AEC firms. TranSystems serves as the owner’s representative (OR) as well as the construction corridor manager on behalf of the Illinois Tollway. For more than 58 years, TranSystems has served owners as passionate problem solvers, working diligently to deliver outstanding infrastructure solutions that solve complex challenges.
With more than 30 years of engineering experience, Jeffrey Allen, Tollway deputy chief of engineering overseeing I-294’s design and construction, welcomed having an OR, which is a novel approach for the Tollway. “Given the project’s magnitude and the multitude of stakeholders, having singular overarching support and accountability from design to construction was crucial,” he emphasizes. “We believed having a trusted advisor guiding us would be imperative in completing I-294 on time and on budget.”
Utilizing an OR ensures alignment with the project owner’s vision and goals through independent oversight and advocacy, while streamlining coordination among stakeholders. As a central communication hub, they coordinate among stakeholders, facilitating efficient decision-making and conflict resolution. Additionally, their specialized expertise improves project delivery by providing valuable insights and risk-mitigation strategies to the team.
The OR’s role is broad, overseeing key responsibilities throughout the project lifecycle—from design and pre-construction to construction and project closeout. Expertise is required in various areas, including design, materials, land acquisition, public communications, utilities, claims and railroad coordination.
“TranSystems being the owner representative, we assumed full responsibility across all project disciplines and phases,” explains John Sadler, formerly with the City of Chicago Department of Transportation and now TranSystems’ OR executive. “This involved taking on unconventional roles such as right-of-way manager, project communications liaison, etc. Rather than outsourcing, we hired subject-matter experts to bolster our team, fostering accountability, interdisciplinary collaboration and effective communication for the Tollway’s benefit.”
With more than 300,000 vehicles traveling daily on this corridor, minimizing the impact on public and local businesses was of utmost importance to all stakeholders. Throughout the multi-year project, daytime lane closures were minimized with four lanes mandated to remain open in each direction. In addition, there were many stakeholders to coordinate, including Illinois Department of Transportation, rail freight and utility owners, local communities, counties, civic organizations, environmental groups, etc.
The Central Tri-State Concept Plan reveals the corridor’s comprehensive and transformative vision.
Successful Project- Management Tools
The project design and construction were significantly influenced by overcoming challenges, including the need to protect critical infrastructure such as 8-foot-diameter water mains to ensure uninterrupted service. The project involved relocating and upgrading 30 345kV transmission towers for ComEd, including safety enhancements to the Illinois Prairie Path.
An open, collaborative regional-planning process developed a regionally appropriate corridor vision. Delivering that vision required reliable data and unprecedented collaboration, supported by TranSystems’ smart project controls and innovative risk-mitigation strategies.
“We believe the backbone of success is maintaining strict project controls throughout the entire lifecycle of the project,” says Mike Day, associate vice president of project controls at TranSystems and key member of the OR team. “It’s about maintaining a clear roadmap with accurate and transparent data to guide our actions and enable all stakeholders to make informed decisions every step of the way.”
Effective project management relies on meticulous project controls, which monitor and manage aspects such as cost, schedule, scope and quality. These controls provide a proactive framework for planning and executing the project safely from inception.
Mitigating Risk
“Juggling breaking ground for construction alongside ongoing design, managing utility conflicts and land acquisition posed significant complexity,” notes Chris Kent, deputy executive for the OR team. “To address this, we needed a dynamic tool and process to grasp how issues in one area might impact the entire corridor. Relying solely on the original risk register wasn’t sufficient.”
A risk register is a common project-management tool for identifying, assessing and prioritizing potential risks. When created at the project’s outset, they quickly become outdated, limiting their effectiveness in addressing evolving risks.
The OR team partnered to drive a non-traditional, proactive risk-management strategy, continually identifying, assessing and mitigating potential risks in this complex and fluid project. “The initial risk register for the Tollway was created as a contract deliverable during the engineering phase,” explains Day. “The file was the typical static view of the program as a snapshot in time and focused on design risks and the pre-mitigated aspect of it.
“When the OR’s team got involved, we set a cadence of more regular meetings focused on risk and expanded it to include the other elements such as construction, utilities and right of way,” he adds. “We then sought to transform the original risk register to become dynamic by bringing in the post-mitigated values and by continually running Monte Carlo simulations. The developers of the original risk registry saw the value of this new approach and partnered with the owner’s representative team to make it happen.”
Indeed, the outcome was a dynamic risk register that enabled extended project teams to continuously identify potential risks. The new register allowed them to assess risk likelihood, estimate associated costs, devise mitigation strategies and assign proactive risk owners.
“At the peak of the project, the smart risk register managed over 600 risks such as material shortages, right-of-way acquisition, utility relocation, design changes, etc.,” says Day. “Over 50 different risk owners were assigned, spanning disciplines such as design, construction, utility, client, legal, OR, etc. Managing all of this dynamically allowed teams to collaborate efficiently to keep the project on track.”
TranSystems implemented annual stakeholder risk workshops and weekly review meetings as part of their project controls strategy. These sessions engaged more than 50 stakeholders, risk champions and risk owners to collaboratively assess, prioritize and address project risks. The OR team facilitated open dialogue and knowledge sharing, empowering stakeholders to proactively mitigate risks and resolve issues downstream. Routine touch points with Tollway executives and risk owners ensured accountability.
“We recognized that project success goes beyond construction,” explains Sadler. “As owner’s representative, our duty is to solve problems without creating new ones. Using a smart risk register combined with the workshops and weekly meetings allowed us to identify interdependencies and find solutions early on. For instance, we could mitigate land-ownership issues through land swaps or proactive IGA terms, satisfying both agencies. By solving problems proactively, we reduced the need for future lane closures, extended legal negotiations, etc.”
The Illinois Tollway board of directors, executive team and staff alongside the Central Tri-State project team.
The ‘Crown Jewel’ Interchange
The I-290/I-88 Interchange at I-294, dubbed “the crown jewel” of the overarching Central Tri-State Tollway Project, is a vital hub for both commuter and freight traffic, accommodating more than 300,000 vehicles daily. Connecting the Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88), the Eisenhower Expressway (I-290) and the Tri-State Tollway (I-294)—alongside various local and state roads—it plays a pivotal role in the Tollway system. The ongoing reconstruction aims to alleviate congestion, enhance safety and improve infrastructure conditions, with completion scheduled by the end of 2026 at a cost approaching $800 million.
A photo shows the I-290/I-88 at I-294 Interchange facing north.
This is a unique infrastructure project due to several key factors. Plagued by flooding and drainage challenges, it encompasses both Tollway and Illinois Department of Transportation roadways while spanning the county line between Cook and DuPage counties, demanding a multi-agency collaboration. Additionally, it features some of the highest ramp pairs within the entire Tollway system, with truck volumes exceeding 20 percent on major ramps, underscoring its significance for freight transportation. Moreover, the interchange shares right-of-way with several major utilities, including 72-inch and 90-inch water-transmission mains, 345kV ComEd transmission towers, and a 20-inch high-pressure gas main, requiring intricate coordination efforts by the OR team.
The challenges faced during the Central Tri-State Tollway Project significantly influenced design and construction. Jacobs utilized PTV Vissim multi-modal traffic-flow simulation software to design and model traffic for the interchange improvements, assessing metrics such as overall delay reduction and travel-time savings. Additional stormwater detention was added to mitigate flooding, while temporary noise walls were constructed to reduce disruptions to nearby residential areas during construction.
Upon completion in 2026, the project is expected to yield significant regional benefits for the Illinois Tollway and IDOT systems. For the northbound I-294 to westbound I-290 route managed by the Illinois Tollway, the replacement of a tight-radius loop ramp with a high-speed directional ramp “fly-under” is projected to reduce travel time from 10.2 to 2.9 minutes, constituting a remarkable 72-percent decrease. Similarly, for the eastbound I-290 to westbound I-88 route overseen by IDOT, construction of a collector distributor road to eliminate weaving movements from the I-294 mainline is forecasted to reduce travel time from 16.2 to 6.8 minutes, marking a 58-percent decrease. In addition, the project is set to enhance regional flood control, with an anticipated availability of an additional 8.93 acre-feet of regional detention for the Lower Salt Creek watershed.
Learning Lessons
Implementing a closed-loop lessons-learned cycle allowed designers and construction managers to regularly review learnings without blame. These collaborative insights led to improvements in plans, design standards and specifications for future Tollway projects.
In summary, the partnership between the Tollway and the AEC community in delivering the Central Tri-State (I-294) Project exemplifies a forward-thinking approach to tackling the Midwest region’s intricate transportation challenges. Through strategic planning, innovative design and collaborative partnerships, the project aims to enhance mobility, foster economic vitality and secure the long-term prosperity of Illinois’ transportation network.
The fact that any project of this size, scope and complexity is being delivered on time, on budget and to spec is a testament to the fine work done by the entire project team. The Central Tri-State (I-294) Project is on track with 95 percent of design and 70 percent of construction work completed, 100 percent of utility relocations and right-of-way acquisitions have been completed, and 35 percent of contracts closed to date.
Ultimately, the success of the Illinois Central Tri-State Tollway I-294 Project will be measured by the benefits it delivers to project owners and the community at large. TranSystems, in service to the Tollway, led with innovation, streamlining project coordination and risk mitigation from design to construction. Their efforts ensure that every Tollway dollar spent translates into tangible public benefits.
About Katherine Flesh
Katherine Flesh is director, Transportation Strategy Americas, at Microsoft; email: katherine.flesh@microsoft.com.
The post Driving Innovation: The Modernization of Illinois’ Central Tri-State Tollway first appeared on Informed Infrastructure.