Illinois Route 390
 Illinois Route 390 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elgin O'Hare Expressway | ||||
 | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Length | 6.01 mi[1] (9.67 km) | |||
| Existed | October 29, 2013[2]–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |  US 20 in Hanover Park | |||
 IL 19 in Schaumburg IL 53 in Itasca | ||||
| East end |  I-290 in Itasca | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Illinois | |||
| Counties | DuPage, Cook | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
Illinois Route 390 (IL 390), previously called the Elgin–O'Hare Expressway, is a highway in northeastern Illinois. Contrary to its given name, the roadway does not enter either Elgin or O'Hare International Airport. However, it does connect existing local roads from Elgin to O'Hare Airport, and construction is underway to extend it eastward to the edge of O'Hare. IL 390 currently connects U.S. Route 20 (US 20, Lake Street) in Hanover Park to the intersection with Interstate 290 and Thorndale Avenue in Itasca.[3][4] The only other towns it borders are Schaumburg and Roselle. The IL 390 is 6.01 miles (9.67 km) long.[1]
Route description
IL 390 is a highway located about five to seven miles (8.0 to 11.3 km) to the south of Interstate 90 (I-90), which it parallels. From US 20, the highway travels over a half-mile-long (0.8 km) bridge over the Metra Milwaukee District West Line tracks, and some wetlands. The highway then enters Cook County from DuPage County and intersects IL 19 (Irving Park Road). At Meacham Road, the highway crosses back south into DuPage County.
A four-lane arterial roadway continues east, named Thorndale Avenue. This road terminates at York Road near the western border of O'Hare Airport. Thorndale is currently being replaced with the eastern extension of IL-390.
History
 Illinois Route Elgin–O'Hare Expressway | |
|---|---|
| Location | Hanover Park–Schaumburg |
| Length | 5.95 mi[1] (9.58 km) |
| Existed | November 2, 1993[2]–October 29, 2013[5] |
Although the concept of an Elgin-O'Hare Expressway dates back to the 1960s, the highway was not seriously considered until the late 1980s. Around that time, congestion was rapidly increasing on local roads, especially US 20 (Lake Street). Although Lake Street was extensively widened prior to the completion of the highway, initially to Glen Ellyn Road and then to the Roselle-Bloomingdale border nearly ten years later, its capacity was still insufficient for the rapidly growing western suburbs. Construction on the highway began around 1991 and was completed two years later. Governor Jim Edgar opened the highway at an afternoon ceremony on November 2, 1993.[2]
When the highway first opened, both of its termini had traffic signals with major arterial roads in the area. This arrangement caused large backups during weekday rush hours. According to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), average daily traffic counts (in 2003) for IL 390 are 39,600 vehicles for the western two miles (3.2 km) and around 82,000 to 87,000 cars per day for the remainder.[3]
On October 29, 2013, IDOT announced that the highway was re-designated IL 390 at groundbreaking ceremonies for the Elgin–O’Hare Western Access Project.[5]
Current status
The Illinois State Toll Highway Authority (ISHTA) has started an ambitious eastward extension of IL 390 to a new interchange on the western border of O'Hare International Airport, where it will meet the planned O'Hare West Bypass connecting I-90 to the north and I-294 to the south.[6] This interchange may also incorporate ramps into a planned western terminal at O'Hare. The official groundbreaking for the expansion took place on October 29, 2013.[5]
The highway will follow an alignment close to that of the existing Thorndale Avenue, through the communities of Itasca, Wood Dale, Elk Grove Village, and Bensenville.
Construction on the eastern extension began in 2013. The first part was a rehabilitation and widening of the existing Elgin–O'Hare Expressway, especially construction of noise control walls.[7] The road will then be extended eastward to the western edge of O'Hare, where it will be connected to the O'Hare West Bypass. Toll collection on the existing segment is expected to begin in 2016.[8] The entire eastern extension is expected to be completed by late 2017.
Future
Original plans intended for the Elgin-O'Hare to continue westward from its interchange at US 20/Lake Street, circling around the Ontarioville neighborhood of Hanover Park to merge into Lake Street at the North Avenue intersection. This would create a smoother transition from US 20 onto the limited access portion. From there, the existing US 20 alignment would be used to connect the expressway to Elgin, although the section between the Elgin Bypass and North Avenue would have remained an arterial road with stoplights.[2] The existing US 20 interchange is designed to allow for a future westward expansion of the Elgin–O'Hare.
As of 2015[update] no western extension of the Elgin–O'Hare has been funded in Illinois's Five-Year Highway Improvement Plan. However, a western extension in some form continues to appear in long-range planning documents.[9]
The Village of Hanover Park has stated that its economic development in the southern portion of the village has been hampered by the delay of the western extension of the IL 390. The village has expressed interest in seeing it developed, not as a limited access freeway/tollway, but rather a controlled-access parkway or a regional arterial boulevard.[10]
Exit list
There are six exits as of 2014[update].
| County | Location[1] | mi | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DuPage 0.00–0.80 | Hanover Park | 6.0 | 9.7 | US 20 (Lake Street) | Partially built interchange; current western terminus of the Elgin-O'Hare Expressway | |
| Cook 0.00–4.22 | Schaumburg | 7.1 | 11.4 | IL 19 (Irving Park Road) | Eastbound exit is located here; IL 19 marker is not on overhead sign, instead placed on a separate sign on the right side of the road stating "To IL 19" | |
| Roselle | 7.4 | 11.9 | 7B | Gary Avenue | Flyover ramp to southbound Gary Avenue; westbound exit, eastbound entrance | |
| Schaumburg | 7.7 | 12.4 | 7A | IL 19 (Irving Park Road) | Westbound exit is located here; IL 19 marker is not on overhead sign, instead placed on a separate sign on the right side of the road stating "To IL 19"; eastbound entrance ramps from IL 19 are here | |
| 8.3 | 13.4 | 8 | Rodenburg Road, Wright Boulevard | Westbound exit to North Frontage Road, which accesses both streets and eventually IL 19; eastbound, South Frontage Road terminates and joins with the Elgin O'Hare Expressway | ||
| Roselle | 9.4 | 15.1 | 9 | Roselle Road | Full diamond interchange | |
| Cook–DuPage | Elk Grove Village | 11.3 | 18.2 | 11 | Meacham Road Medinah Road IL 53 (Rohlwing Road) | Medinah Road southbound, Meacham Road northbound; westbound exit to a left-lane turnaround ramp leading to ramp for IL 53 |
| DuPage | Elk Grove Village | 12 | I-290 – Rockford, Chicago | At-grade intersection | ||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | ||||||
References
- ^ a b c d Illinois Technology Transfer Center (2007). "T2 GIS Data". Illinois Department of Transportation. Retrieved January 3, 2009.
- ^ a b c d Ibata, David (November 3, 1993). "Gridlock Bandage: Elgin-O'Hare Expressway—at Least Part of It—Opens". Chicago Tribune.
- ^ a b Illinois Department of Transportation (2006). "Getting Around Illinois". Illinois Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 3, 2007.
- ^ Illinois Department of Transportation (2010). DuPage County, Illinois General Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Springfield: Illinois Department of Transportation. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
- ^ a b c "Governor Quinn and Local Leaders Break Ground on $3.4 Billion Elgin O'Hare Western Access Project: New Illinois Route 390 is First Part of the State's Largest Roadway Project and Will Create Thousands of Jobs" (Press release). State of Illinois. October 29, 2013. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
- ^ Illinois State Toll Highway Authority. "EOWA Corridor Overview". Illinois State Toll Highway Authority. Retrieved September 20, 2015.
- ^ Rice, Jennifer (January 17, 2013). "Elgin-O'Hare access approved for construction". The Fox Valley Labor News. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
- ^ Illinois State Toll Highway Authority. "EOWA Project Update". Illinois State Toll Highway Authority. Retrieved September 20, 2015.
- ^ Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. "Priority Projects". Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
- ^ Village of Hanover Park. "Hanover Park 2010 Comprehensive Plan Update" (PDF). Village of Hanover Park. Retrieved August 5, 2015.