Free Holiday Coffee on the Tollway; Some Construction Suspended

To ease holiday travel, the Illinois Tollway has suspended lane closures and construction. And travelers can get a free cup of coffee at the tollway oases, too, on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.

Nearly 18.9 million vehicles are expected to use the Illinois Tollway system during the final weeks of the year, through Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016, according to tollway officials, a 5.7 percent increase from the 17.9 million last season. On Tuesday, the start of the “holiday commute,” an estimated 1.7 million vehicles rolled on the tollways, about 200,000 more than an average day.

FREE COFFEE

As a gift to holiday travelers, 7-Eleven and McDonald’s offer a free cup of coffee at the tollway oases on Dec. 24 and Dec. 31, during the following times:

Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90)

• Des Plaines Oasis, 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. – 7-Eleven only
• Belvidere Oasis, 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Tri-State Tollway (I-94/I-294/I-80)

• Lake Forest Oasis, 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.
• O’Hare Oasis, 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. to 6 a.m. – McDonald’s; 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. – 7-Eleven
• Hinsdale Oasis, 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.
• Chicago Southland Lincoln Oasis, 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. to 6 a.m. – McDonald’s; 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. – 7-Eleven

Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88)

• DeKalb Oasis, 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.

LANE CLOSURES SUSPENDED

Most temporary maintenance and construction lane closures will be suspended from noon on Wednesday, Dec. 24, through 9 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 26, and from noon on Wednesday, Dec. 31, until 9 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 2, 2016. However, some lane closures may be scheduled on the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) between Roselle Road and Illinois Route 53 during this time to shift traffic into its winter configuration. Here are the details.

Jane Adams Memorial Tollway (I-90)

• Between the Tri-State Tollway (I-294) and Illinois Route 25, traffic shifts in some areas are scheduled to be in place.
• Between Roselle Road and Illinois Route 53, temporary lane closures are possible.
• Westbound traffic exiting to Elmhurst Road is detoured to the exit ramp to the Des Plaines Oasis and through the oasis to reach the ramp to Elmhurst Road.
• The ramp from Illinois Route 31 to westbound I-90 is closed and traffic is rerouted within the interchange.

Elgin O’Hare Western Access Project – Illinois Route 390

• Construction is ongoing at the I-290 Interchange to Illinois Route 390, with all ramps open.
• On I-290 at Illinois Route 390, both directions are shifted and the shoulders are closed and temporary lane closures are possible.

Tollway Travel Tips

The Tollway offers the following ways for drivers to get the latest travel information before they get on the road:

• www.illinoistollway.com – Construction/Planning section, Tollway Trip Calculator, live roadway images and real-time roadway incident information
• 1-800-TOLL-FYI – Daily lane closure and travel information
• www.travelmidwest.com – Real-time travel times
• www.twitter.com – Real-time roadway incident information at Tollway Trip 90, Tollway Trip 88, Tollway Trip 355 and Tollway Trip 94/294

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