The first stretch of a new tollway in the western suburbs will open to drivers and truckers this weekend, with the years-long project near O’Hare International Airport “finally coming into focus.”
The stretch is part of the new Interstate 490, that, once fully constructed, would connect the Jane Addams Tollway near Des Plaines to the Tri-State Tollway in Franklin Park, skirting the western edge of O’Hare in the process.
Essentially, the tollway will provide freight companies and suburban commuters a connection to the northwest suburbs without having to go through Rosemont, NBC 5 traffic reporter Kye Martin said.
Construction for the $4.3B project started in 2018, Martin added, with I-294 widened and modernized.
The first segment of I-490 opens overnight Friday. The 1.5 mile stretch of the tollway will be open in the north and southbound lanes between the I-294 tollway and Franklin Avenue in Franklin Park, Martin said.
The next phase continues north, Martin said, with workers developing an interchange with the I-390 Tollway that originates in Hanover Park.
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.
