New Tollway Ramps Open In Sugar Grove

New tollway ramps in Marengo and Sugar Grove that are meant to "improve regional mobility and support economic opportunities" have opened or will open soon, Illinois Tollway officials announced Tuesday. The new ramps carrying traffic to and from the east on the Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88) at Illinois Route 47 in Sugar Grove were slated to open on Tuesday ahead of the evening rush hour.

Meanwhile, a new full-access interchange connecting Illinois Route 23 to the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway in Marengo is scheduled to open to traffic on Monday, December 23, according to a news release.

The $25 million Illinois Route 47 Interchange Project on the Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88) in Sugar Grove brought new ramps to create a new, full-access interchange. Approximately 3,000 vehicles use this interchange daily. Improvements also included realignment of existing ramps carrying traffic to and from the west and rehabilitation of the existing Illinois Route 47 Bridge over I-88.

The Tollway project included funding from the Village of Sugar Grove, Kane County and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT).

“Completing the interchange will finally put to rest the 45-year question of why the ramps were never constructed in the first place,” said Sugar Grove Village President Sean Michels. “The new ramps will help reduce miles traveled by local residents, promote economic development and eliminate a very confusing interchange. Sugar Grove truly appreciates the cooperation of the other agencies. By cooperating together, the agencies have made the region a better place to live and work.”

The $33.4 million Illinois Route 23 Interchange Project on the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) provides a new, full-access interchange – the first direct interstate connection to I-90 constructed in McHenry County. Traffic projections estimate the new interchange will serve a total of about 4,800 vehicles daily. In conjunction with the project, local road improvements including construction of a roundabout intersection at Illinois Route 23 and Harmony Road will be completed in 2020. The Tollway project included funding from the City of Marengo, McHenry County and IDOT.

“We are thrilled to finally see the opening of the first Tollway access in McHenry County come to fruition,” said Marengo Mayor John Koziol. “The collaborative effort with the State of Illinois, IDOT, the Tollway, and McHenry County has been wonderful. We see the new interchange as a major driver for economic development in the City of Marengo, and McHenry County, and we want to let everyone know we are open for business.”

Under intergovernmental agreements, the Illinois Tollway agreed to finance no less than half of each projects’ costs.

Consistent with the Tollway’s Interchange and Roadway Cost-Sharing Policy requiring local communities to cover the remaining cost of interchange improvements, the local share was split wtih IDOT contributing approximately 25 percent and the remainder funded by Sugar Grove and Kane County and Marengo and McHenry County, according to the news release.

Both Marengo and Sugar Grove also funded the cost of preliminary design and engineering studies, as required by the Tollway.