No, nothing is being built inside the clover leafs of entrance and exit ramps at Route 83 and Interstate 88 near Oakbrook Center.
Contractors for the Illinois Tollway are using the infield areas as a staging area for construction equipment and to store pieces of a barrier wall, concrete debris being removed and other construction materials for work rebuilding and widening the Reagan Memorial Tollway, or I-88, between Interstate 290 and York Road in Oak Brook, said Dan Rozek, senior manager of communications for the Illinois Toll Authority.
“All materials will be removed at the end of the project and the area reseeded,” Rozek said.
The Illinois Tollway is reconstructing the 2.4-mile segment of I-88 to extend the life of the roadway and improve travel in the area, according to information on the organization’s website.
Rozek said the two-year project also includes rebuilding and widening the York Road Bridge, repairing and widening of the I-88 bridges over Roosevelt Road, improvements on the ramps connecting I-88 and the Tri-State Tollway (I-294) and noise wall construction adjacent to residential areas.
“Work is scheduled to begin this week to remove rumble strips and pavement markings and to install construction barrier walls to prepare the work zone,” Rozek said Tuesday
He said all eastbound traffic then is scheduled to be shifted to the right.
After that work is completed in late April, all westbound traffic will be shifted to the left, with one lane of traffic traveling on the eastbound side of I-88 to accommodate a work zone. The tollway plans to maintain at least two lanes of traffic in both directions.
Traffic using the ramp from the southbound Tri-State Tollway (I-294) to westbound I-88 also will be shifted onto temporary pavement.
Traffic is scheduled to remain in this configuration through late summer.
A 45-mph zone speed limit will be in effect on I-88 throughout the reconstruction project. A 35-mph zone speed limit will be in effect on York Road.
Work 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, tollway officials said.
Reconstruction of the eastbound side of I-88 is scheduled for 2019.
cfieldman@pioneerlocal.com
Twitter @chuckwriting
