Interstate 355 South Extension
Project of the Year: Transportation
The Interstate 355 South Extension is 12.5 mi of new highway connecting interstates 55 and 80 in Will County, Ill., southwest of Chicago.
Three lanes of PCC pavement with bituminous shoulders were provided in each direction. Traffic are separated by a concrete barrier, and lighting was installed the entire length of the corridor. Six interchanges were built to connect the intestate to the existing roadway system.
Will is one of the fastest-growing counties in Illinois, and the extension will provide a regional connection that improves north-south mobility between I-55 and I-80. The extension is expected to reduce travel times 20% and provide a direct route between residences in Will and areas where jobs are plentiful.
The new roadway follows an alignment recorded in the 1960s. Local municipalities have protected the alignment restricting development and limiting usage to primarily agricultural. The thoroughfare crosses the Des Plaines River, multiple railroad crossings, two canals and several creeks.
A 1.3-mi-long bridge across the Des Plaines River was construction as part of the extension. It also spans the Illinois & Michigan Canal, the Ship & Sanitary Canal and the Canadian National Railroad.
Construction of a new interchange at I-55 and I-355 was included. More than 100,000 vehicles travel through the interchange on a daily basis, so fly-over ramps were built to help facilitate operation of the interchange.
Temporary runarounds were constructed on most local streets crossed by the new highway during construction of the new cross-road bridges to mitigate the impact on local traffic.
Litigation Affects Project Start
Construction of the I-355 South Extension was begun in 1996, but a challenge in court to the environmental impact statement halted work. The court injunction was ultimately lifted, but funding was no longer available until the project was included in the $2.3 billion Congestion Relief Program implemented by the Tollway.
The design plans were more than 10 years old and required revision. They needed to be updated to reflect policy changes. The geometry was evaluated to accommodate increases in traffic volumes and changing land-use, and temporary construction easements had lapsed, requiring the Tollway needed to renegotiate easements with all the adjacent property owners.
Jury Comments: “It’s 12.5 mi: It’s like McCormick Place in terms of cost and magnitude. The project will relieve congestion and help spur economic development. The team had to deal with costly and time-consuming litigation.”
Click
here for more Best of 2007 Award Winners >>
|
print this page
e-mail this page
