Jump to content

Interstate 355

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by TwinsMetsFan (talk | contribs) at 02:06, 11 December 2007 (→Opening: fixed busted {{cite web}} transclusion). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Template:Infobox Interstate/Intrastate Interstate 355 (abbreviated I-355), also commonly known as the Veterans Memorial Tollway, is an interstate highway and tollway located in the western and southwest suburbs of Chicago, USA. Like other tollways in northeastern Illinois, it is run by the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority. I-355 runs from Interstate 80 in New Lenox north to Interstate 290 in Itasca.[1] This is a distance of 32.5 miles (52.3 km).[2] The highway is six lanes wide for its entire length.

I-355 was opened in 1989 as the North-South Tollway to ease congestion on Illinois Route 53, a north-south two-lane state highway in central DuPage County. The highway, initially running from I-55 to I-290, cut travel times along the Schaumburg-Wheaton-Bolingbrook corridor. On November 11, 2007, a southern extension to I-355 opened from I-55 to I-80, a distance of 12.5 miles (20.1 km); on opening the southern extension, the highway was renamed to the Veterans Memorial Tollway. The extension was built through Will County and a small portion of Cook County, one of the fastest-growing regions in Illinois. ISTHA expects the extension to cut travel times in the region 20 percent.[3]

Although the interstate is known for being a tollway, the tollway portion actually starts at the Army Trail Road Toll Plaza, 2 miles (3 km) south of the northern terminus. Exits to U.S. Route 20 (Lake Street) in both directions and Army Trail Road from the north are free, and pre-existed on the freeway portion of old Illinois 53.[4]

Map of I-355.

History

Early history

From 1923 through 1963, the north-south transportation corridor including eastern portions of DuPage County was serviced via Rohlwing Road (also known as SBI Route 53, and later Illinois 53), a major north-south two-lane arterial that still exists in the county today. From 1963 to 1970, a new expressway was built north from Army Trail Road through Schaumburg to the Northwest Tollway (now the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway). When it was completed, Illinois 53 was moved onto this new expressway from Rohlwing Road.[4][5]

I-355 was commissioned in 1989 to ease pressure on nearby Illinois 53, and to a lesser extent, to ease pressure on the rapidly-growing Tri-State Tollway (Interstate 294). A new expressway was built from the southern extent of the existing expressway at Army Trail Road, south to Interstate 55 near Woodridge. During construction, the highway had to be built around the ecologically sensitive and low-lying DuPage River valley, as well as the Morton Arboretum.[6] In addition, Illinois 53 was moved back onto Rohlwing Road from Army Trail Road on the south to Biesterfield Road on the north. The initial length of I-355 was 20.01 miles (32.20 km) from I-55 north to I-290.[7][1]

Governor James R. Thompson and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Samuel K. Skinner dedicated the tollway on December 22, 1989. The total cost of building 17.7 miles (28.5 km) of new pavement was $450 million. At the time it was opened, officials estimated travel times from Schaumburg to Oak Brook would be reduced from 55 minutes to 34 minutes, and from Wheaton to Darien from 60 to 34 minutes. Tollway officials also estimated that 200,000 cars per day would use I-355.[7]

Opening

I-355 opened at the stroke of midnight on December 24, 1989. As a Christmas "gift," the first two days of operation were completely free.[7] Due to lower traffic counts at the north and south ends of the highway and lack of construction money, the road built with four lanes from Illinois Route 64 (North Avenue) to Interstate 88 (Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway) on the north end, and around I-55 on the south end. As early as 1991, tollway officials had drawn up plans to widen the highway to three lanes in each direction.[8] Widening from North Avenue (Illinois Route 64) to Butterfield Road (Illinois Route 56) took place in 1995.[9] The old lines marking the former shoulder can still be seen in the right lane as a result of the Tollway Authority's attempt to grind them away.

As one of the newer tollways in the system, the Veterans Memorial Tollway has also seen considerable toll-collection related improvements earlier than the other tollways. I-PASS, the tollway system's electronic payment method, was tested on the entire stretch of I-355 in 1993 at various tollbooths; by September 1994, every plaza on I-355 accepted I-PASS.[10] By 1998, the toll barriers were remodeled to have dedicated I-PASS lanes (lanes specifically set aside for electronic toll collections) installed.[11] In 1999, it became the first tollway to receive I-PASS Express Lanes (also known as open road tolling, or ORT). With the installation of the express lanes, vehicles with I-PASS could be tolled at highway speeds of 55 miles per hour (89 km/h).[12] In 2005, the express lanes were widened from two lanes to three lanes in each direction. This allowed the number of express lanes to match the number of travel lanes on the tollway.[13]

Unlike all of the other tollways in the tollway system, no oases were constructed on the Veterans Memorial Tollway. This is primarily due to the widespread access to food and fuel throughout the western suburbs when construction began in the late 1980s.[14] When the southern extension was opened in Will County in 2007, that segment of road also did not have any oases.

Southern extension

Des Plaines River Valley Bridge during Roll the Tollway opening ceremonies on November 11, 2007.

The concept of a route that ran from Schaumburg south to Joliet had been considered as early as 1962 (27 years before the northern portion of I-355 was built) as part of the Chicago Area Transportation Study, an ongoing committee that examines transportation issues in the Chicago metro area. After the northern portion of I-355 opened in 1989, the Illinois General Assembly authorized the tollway authority to begin studying the southern extension of I-355.[15]

The discovery of the Hine's Emerald Dragonfly, an endangered species, and related concerns for the environmental health of the Des Plaines River wetlands in 1995 ignited a series of legal challenges that delayed construction of the I-355 extension for several years. The Sierra Club filed a lawsuit in 1996 to block planning of the southern extension. In January 1997, a federal judge sided with the Sierra Club, halting construction of the southern extension while the state appealed. In 1999, the state dropped its appeal and amended the environmental impact study (EIS) to meet the Sierra Club's concerns.[15] The supplemental EIS was released in 2000, and in 2002 the FHWA issued a Record of Decision, allowing construction of the tollway to proceed after six years of delays. Land acquisition and utility relocation took place in 2004. Governor Rod Blagojevich's $5.6 billion Congestion-Relief Program for the Illinois Tollway was passed in September 2004, with $729.3 million being set aside for the extension.[16] Bidding on an excavation contract passed on November 18, 2004 with construction beginning several days later.[17]

To document and reduce the impact of construction on the dragonfly's habitat, construction crews agreed to keep carcasses of any dragonfly kills. In addition, separate habitats for the dragonfly were developed near the Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve in Lemont and in two other preserves in Cook and Will counties.[18] In late 2005, construction began on the roadway of the 12.5 miles (20.1 km) long southern extension of I-355 from I-55 in Bolingbrook to I-80 in New Lenox.[3]

Another controversy erupted in February 2006, when the Tollway Authority threatened to build the tollway with no interchanges unless the suburbs through which the new extension ran contributed $20 million for construction of the interchanges. This was the first time that the Tollway Authority had required local municipalities to contribute funds for interchange construction.[19] The towns of Homer Glen, Lemont, New Lenox, Lockport and Will County agreed in a June 2006 intergovernmental agreement to provide $20 million in both cash and in-kind contributions for the interchanges.[20]

The southern extension is expected to become an economic catalyst for municipalities located along the tollway. The village of New Lenox estimates that it will receive an additional $12 million in sales taxes after its two malls are built out. In Lockport, new Home Depot and SuperTarget stores are planned for the areas near 159th Street and I-355. Large warehouse facilities are also being developed in areas near the Lockport interchanges.[21]

One of the most notable features of the new highway is the Des Plaines River Valley Bridge, a bridge over the Des Plaines River, the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, the Illinois and Michigan Canal, Bluff Road, New Avenue, numerous railroads, and a major Commonwealth Edison utility corridor. The bridge is 1.3 miles (2.1 km) long, and constituted $125 million of the cost. Work on the bridge included the construction of 34 piers and elevation of existing high-voltage electricity lines to accommodate the highway.[3] In order to limit the number of piers in the valley, the bridge was built with both 170 feet (52 m) pre-stressed bulb tee girders and 270 feet (82 m) post-tensioned segmental concrete girders. This was $12 million less expensive than the concrete box girder design option, and $50 million less expensive than the steel plate girder design option. A design-build clause in the original contract for the bridge, in addition to success in the design-build contracts on the Tri-State Tollway widening and reconstruction, allowed project managers to redesign and build the new bridge.[22]

A ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony was held on Veterans Day, 2007 (November 11, 2007), when the entire length of I-355 was officially renamed the Veterans Memorial Tollway.[23] Ceremonies were held on the tollway near the 127th Street interchange in Lemont, at 147th Street in Homer Glen, and at U.S. Route 6 in New Lenox. In addition to the dedication, the day's activities included a Charity Walk/Run/Roll and "Roll the Tollway," a charity pre-opening bicycle ride on the highway's south extension.[24] After noting the success of the festival, ISTHA announced plans to repeat the event annually, including the closure of the entire southern extension.[25] At 11:00 pm on November 11, a group of Illinois State Police vehicles escorted the first motorists along the I-355 extension, signifying the highway was officially open.

As part of constructing the southern extension, a 20 feet (6 m) wide corridor was donated to local municipalities for the construction of a bicycle trail that will run along most of the length of the tollway from I-80 to I-55. Completion of the trail is expected to cost $10 million, with funding to be provided by local communities along the path. A new construction fund for the trail was created from registration fees collected for "Roll the Tollway." [26]

Route description

Interstate 355 at the Illinois Prairie Path, looking south towards Downers Grove in the distance.

The southern terminus of I-355 is located northeast of New Lenox, where the highway intersects I-80. I-355 is routed north and slightly west through rural, hilly portions of Will County. Just after the U.S. Route 6 interchange, tollway drivers pay a toll at Spring Creek Toll Plaza, the only toll plaza on the southern extension of I-355. It continues north through the rural sections of Will County, having exits that serve the towns of Homer Glen and Lockport. At 135th Street in Lemont, Interstate 355 briefly enters Cook County. After an interchange at 127th Street, I-355 crosses over the Des Plaines River on the Des Plaines River Valley Bridge before returning to Will County. Shortly north of the bridge, I-355 intersects I-55 at Bolingbrook. Multiple flyover ramps connect all directions of both highways.[27]

North of I-55, I-355 continues to run almost due north through the established western suburbs of Chicago in DuPage County. Travelers pay another toll just north of Boughton Road, at the Boughton Road Toll Plaza. Continuing north, I-355 has another multiple flyover interchange with I-88, commonly called the Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway. On the southern end of the interchange, northbound I-355 has exits to both directions of I-88. I-355 then swings below I-88 and runs side-by-side with the other tollway for 1 mile (2 km). Southbound exits to both directions of I-88 are located at the northern end of the interchange. At the Army Trail Road Toll Plaza, through traffic pays the last toll of the tollway. I-355 has no tolls north of the Army Trail Road exit in Addison. There is one free exit at U.S. Route 20 (Lake Street) north of the tollway. I-355 terminates at the I-290 interchange near the border of the villages of Itasca and Addison.[27]

The northernmost two toll plazas (Boughton Road and Army Trail Road) charge $1.00 cash and $0.50 for cars with I-PASS and E-ZPass. The Spring Creek Toll Plaza charges $2.00 for cash and $1.00 for I-PASS and E-ZPass.[28] All three toll plazas force traffic paying with cash to exit to a manned toll plaza away from the mainline. I-PASS and E-ZPass equipped cars and trucks are permitted to stay on the mainline and pay tolls at highway speeds in the tollway's Open Road Tolling lanes.[29]

Exit list

Exits on the Veterans Memorial Tollway are not numbered.

County Location Plaza #[30] Mile[27] Destinations[23] Notes[27]
I-355 southern terminus
Will
New Lenox 0.0 I-80 — Joliet, Indiana Trumpet interchange with I-80
101 1.0 US 6 — Southwest Highway Tolls on southbound entrance, northbound exit ramps. Standard diamond interchange.
Lockport 99 3.5 Spring Creek Toll Plaza[31]
97 5.0 IL 7 — 159th Street Tolls on southbound exit, northbound entrance ramps. Standard diamond interchange.
Homer Glen 95 7.5 IL 171 — Archer Avenue
143rd Street 		Tolls on southbound exit, northbound entrance ramps. Frontage road connects both roads.
Cook Lemont 93 9.0 127th Street Tolls on southbound exit, northbound entrance ramps. Standard diamond interchange.
12.0 Des Plaines River Valley Bridge
Will
Bolingbrook 12.5 I-55 — St. Louis, Chicago Cloverleaf ramp from I-355 NB to I-55 SB. Flyover ramps on all other directions.
89 13.5 Boughton Road Toll Plaza
90 14.0 Boughton Road Tolls on southbound entrance, northbound exit ramps. Standard diamond interchange.
DuPage Woodridge 87 15.5 75th Street Tolls on southbound exit, northbound entrance ramps. Standard diamond interchange.
85 17.0 63rd Street Tolls on southbound exit, northbound entrance ramps. Standard diamond interchange.
Lisle, Downers Grove 83 18.5 Maple Avenue Tolls on southbound exit, northbound entrance ramps. Standard diamond interchange.
19.5 US 34 — Ogden Avenue Standard diamond interchange. Southbound exit ramp merges with I-88 EB exit ramp to US 34.
Downers Grove 19.5 NB, 23.0 SB I-88 — Aurora, Chicago I-88 and I-355 run side-by-side for over two miles at this point. Flyover ramps on all directions, separated by 3.5 miles (5.6 km).
79 23.0 IL 56 — Butterfield Road Interchange is part of I-88 collector-distributor ramp southbound, and part of eastbound I-88 entrance ramp northbound. Tolls on southbound entrance, northbound exit ramps. Standard diamond interchange located on collector-distributor ramps.
Glen Ellyn, Lombard 77 25.0 IL 38 — Roosevelt Road Tolls on southbound entrance, northbound exit ramps. Standard diamond interchange.
Glendale Heights 75 28.0 IL 64 — North Avenue Tolls on southbound entrance, northbound exit ramps. Standard diamond interchange.
73 29.0 Army Trail Road Toll Plaza
Addison 30.0 Army Trail Road No access from northbound I-PASS express lanes.
31.5[32] US 20 — Lake Street Partial collector-distributor ramps to a diamond interchange southbound; standard diamond interchange northbound.
Itasca[1] 32.5 I-290 — Rockford, Chicago Flyover ramp from I-290 WB to I-355 SB. Flyover ramp also carries I-290 EB through interchange.
I-355 northern terminus. Expressway continues north onto I-290 westbound and east onto I-290 eastbound.

References

  1. ^ a b c Illinois Technology Transfer Center (2006). "T2 GIS Data". Retrieved 2007-11-08.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference length_note was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c Illinois Tollway (2007). "I355 South Extension". Retrieved 2007-11-17.
  4. ^ a b Chicago Vicinity Map (Map). Rand McNally. 1967. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
  5. ^ "2nd result: "The Daily Herald (Newspaper) - January 16, 1970, Chicago, Illinois"". Google News. The Daily Herald. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
  6. ^ Sun Times Editorial Board (1989-12-28). "A road that fits the land". Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
  7. ^ a b c Hausner, Les (1989-12-22). "Opening of I-355 will put some zip in Du Page traffic". Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved 2007-11-15.
  8. ^ Szymczak, P. Davis (1991-12-25). "State, motorists get money's worth in North-South Tollway". Chicago Tribune.
  9. ^ Mills, Steve (1995-12-15). "I-355 work dominates toll projects". Chicago Tribune.
  10. ^ Gillis, Michael (1993-11-18). "On I-355, change is no longer a constant - new device collects tolls automatically". Chicago Sun-Times.
  11. ^ Presecky, William (1997-08-13). "Tollbooth to nowhere put to the test: vacant Lemont tract a proving ground for new I-PASS technology". Chicago Tribune.
  12. ^ Mannion, Annemarie (1999-02-06). "Toll plaza gets up to speed: I-PASS express lanes debut at Boughton Road site". Chicago Tribune.
  13. ^ Hilkevich, Jon (2005-11-21). "Open-road toll lanes wait for Blagojevich". Chicago Tribune.
  14. ^ Kemp, Jan (2006-06-28). "Why isn't there an oasis on the North-South tollway?". Retrieved 2007-11-15. Via an interview/response through the Daily Herald.
  15. ^ a b The Herald News (2007-11-11). "Tollway timeline". The Herald News (Joliet, IL). Retrieved 2007-11-15.
  16. ^ Illinois State Toll Highway Authority (2007). "Congestion-Relief Program SUMMARY". Illinois State Toll Highway Authority. Retrieved 2007-11-15.
  17. ^ Ziemba, Stanley (2007-05-13). "Bridge to southwest around the corner". Chicago Tribune.
  18. ^ Tridgell, Guy (2007-02-23). "Dragonflies to get new homes". Retrieved 2007-03-15.
  19. ^ Ziemba, Stanley (2006-02-05). "A tollway that has no exits?". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2007-11-14.
  20. ^ Cain, Cindy Wojdyla (2006-06-02). "County to vote on I-355 local contribution plan". Chicago Sun Times.
  21. ^ Graf, Tony and Ferrell, Patrick (2007-11-11). "I-355 extension will change travel". The Herald News (Joliet). Retrieved 2007-11-12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  22. ^ Marsh, Don (2007-10-01). "Prairie Passage". Concrete Products. Retrieved 2007-11-15.
  23. ^ a b Burmaster, Bill (2007-10-13). "Northbound Interstate 355 Extension". Retrieved 2007-10-14.
  24. ^ Illinois State Toll Highway Authority (2007). "I-355 South Extension Open for Business". Retrieved 2007-08-29.
  25. ^ NBC 5 Chicago (2007-11-12). "Will County Commuters Hit Open Road On I-355". NBC 5 Chicago. Retrieved 2007-11-12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  26. ^ Komperda, Jack (2007-11-11). "Can a Sunday bike ride get new trail started?". Daily Herald. Retrieved 2007-11-12.
  27. ^ a b c d Illinois Tollway (2007). Illinois Tollway Complimentary Map (Map). Illinois State Toll Highway Authority. Retrieved 2007-11-25.
  28. ^ Illinois State Toll Highway Authority (2007). "I-355 South Extension" (PDF). Retrieved 2007-06-09. (PDF).
  29. ^ Illinois State Toll Highway Authority (2007). "About I-PASS". Retrieved 2007-11-28.
  30. ^ Illinois Tollway (2007). Illinois Tollway Complimentary Map (page 2) (Map). Illinois State Toll Highway Authority. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
  31. ^ Hilkevitch, Jon (2007-10-22). "New superhighway opening soon in Will". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2007-10-23.
  32. ^ Google Maps estimate.

Template:Illinois Tollway

Template:Chicagoland expressways

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Interstate_355&oldid=177122300"