The halfway mark has been reached in redecking Interstate Highway 90 over the Fox River near Elgin, a major source of traffic congestion in recent months.
But relief for motorists is still months away.
Illinois State Toll Highway Authority officials said this week that although the project has reached a milestone, motorists should expect more changes and congestion in the Elgin area in coming weeks because all lanes of traffic are going to be rerouted to the north side of the bridge to allow redecking of the other side.
Construction of two I-PASS only toll-collection lanes at the Elgin toll plaza has compounded the congestion. In addition to those construction projects, crews also are widening the interstate to three lanes between the Elgin plaza and the bridge’s western edge.
The price tag for the three projects is $15 million.
“We can’t flip traffic on the bridge over to the other side until we get the road widening work caught up,” said John Wagner, the tollway’s construction manager.
Traffic over the Fox River bridge has been reduced to two lanes in each direction as a result of all the construction. All this rerouting of traffic, which requires use of the roadway’s shoulders, has created some last-minute cross-lane traffic on the westbound approach to the toll plaza.
Signs are posted that instruct trucks not to use the shoulder lanes, which are narrow and are not built to handle large vehicles. It’s particularly troublesome to motorists who are westbound because trucks have to change lanes near the toll plaza to enter the manual collection booths.
“Cars were getting choked off trying to get to the automatic lanes,” Wagner said. To address the problem, Wagner said a third lane approaching the plaza should open soon.
On several occasions, traffic has been reduced to one lane in each direction, causing congestion that backs up from the Elgin toll plaza to near the Illinois Highway 25 overpass, nearly 2 miles away.
The construction has prompted many of the commuters who work at companies in the Elgin area to exit the tollway east or west of the construction and use back roads to get to work.
“Most people in this area know to get off at Beverly Road or some place and come in the back way,” said Jody Staekowiak, an administrative assistant for economic development at the Elgin Chamber of Commerce.
As a result, traffic has increased on some local roads.
“It is putting stress on Routes 25 and 31,” said Sgt. Tom Shergold, traffic director for Elgin’s police department.
Beginning Monday, the exit ramp that provides westbound traffic access to Illinois Highway 31 will be closed for two weeks so crews can repair a toll-collection box.
Wagner, who is overseeing construction on every leg of the tollway’s 274-mile system this summer, argues in favor of tackling three closely grouped projects simultaneously, like those at Elgin.
“It’s best to bite the bullet all at one time. It may seem more complicated, but in the long run it’s a better situation,” he said. The alternative, Wagner said, would be to do the three projects during three construction seasons.
