I-294 Interchange Planned for Southwest Suburban Justice

I-294 interchange planned for southwest suburban Justice

The Village of Justice will be getting a $30 million interchange to connect with I-294, under a new multi-governmental partnership intended to relieve traffic congestion and promote commerce in the southwest suburbs, officials announced on Tuesday. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)

By Mary Wisniewski Chicago Tribune

OCTOBER 16, 2018, 1:00 PM TRY 3 FREE MONTHS! LEARN MORE › Holiday Sale ends 1/3/19 he village of Justice will be getting a $30 million interchange to connect with Interstate 294 under a new multigovernmental partnership intended to relieve T traffic congestion and promote commerce in the southwest suburbs, officials announced on Tuesday.

Under a deal among the Illinois Department of Transportation, Cook County, the village of Justice and the Illinois Tollway, an interchange is planned at 88th Avenue/Cork Avenue to connect with the Tri-State Tollway, or I-294. It will be built in conjunction with the Tollway’s $4 billion project to widen and rebuild 22 miles of I-294 between Balmoral Avenue in Rosemont and 95th Street in Oak Lawn.

The Justice interchange will encourage new construction and job creation while also relieving traffic congestion and providing easier access to places like Toyota Park, the home of the Chicago Fire soccer team, officials said.

“Building a new interchange here will open a vital new gateway into our village,” Justice Mayor Kris Wasowicz said in a statement. “Commercial trucks will be able to enter Justice directly from I-294, diverting them off local roads and allowing them to move their products more safely and efficiently.”

The Tollway will pay for half of the project, and the cost of the rest will be shared by the state, county and village, said Tollway spokesman Dan Rozek. Justice already has used $1.4 million in federal money to do initial environmental and engineering studies. The design will take about a year and a half, after which construction can begin, Tollway Chairman Bob Schillerstrom said in an interview.

“Hopefully, we can have a shovel in the ground in less than two years,” Schillerstrom said. He said local officials had been talking about the project for years, but the idea got new life once the Tollway decided to expand the I-294 project from just rebuilding to making other improvements.

Besides new ramps on and off the Tollway, the project will include intersection improvements along 88th/Cork at 79th Street and Archer Avenue, the Tollway said.

The reconstruction of I-294 is expected to be go through 2026.

Other places where the Tollway could work with local governments to improve access are near the south end of the Tri-State at 95th and 103rd Streets, Rozek said. The Tollway already is working with Marengo to build a new interchange at Illinois Route 23 on the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) and with Sugar Grove on an interchange expansion at Illinois Route 47 on the Reagan Memorail Tollway (I-88). [email protected]

Twitter @marywizchicago

This article is related to: Illinois Department of Transportation

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