'Significant' Progress On I-294 Project

ELMHURST, IL – When the Interstate 294 project started, there was no such thing as COVID-19 or a President Joe Biden. And acronyms such as AI and DEI were hardly known.

The work began in 2018 and is slated to end in 2027.

Asked about the $4 billion project's progress last week, Illinois Tollway spokesman Dan Rozek described it as "significant."

The goal is to rebuild and widen the 22 miles of highway from Balmoral Avenue to 95th Street. The section serves more than 300,000 vehicles daily, according to the Tollway.

Last year, the Tollway reported completing the southern end of the project between Interstate 55 and 95th Street in Oak Lawn.

Work was also finished last year on the north end between North Avenue and Balmoral Avenue, Rozek said.

"The Central Tri-State project is a large-scale, complex project with many phases, and the Tollway remains committed to delivering this transformational project to our region," he said in an email.

He said improvements at the Interstate 290 and Interstate 88 interchange will reduce congestion and improve traffic flows. That will help drivers using I-294, I-88 and I-290, he said.

"Between I-55 and Cermak Road, reconstruction and widening have advanced and the majority of traffic is now traveling on new pavement," Rozek said.