Event scheduled in Harvey includes career and workforce training information
The Illinois Tollway will host an open house meeting next week to share information about 2019 construction and workforce training opportunities as part of the $719 million Tri-State Tollway (I-294)/I-57 Interchange Project.
The open house meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 25, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the South Suburban Cook County American Job Center in the offices of the Illinois Department of Employment Security, 16845 S. Halsted Street, in Harvey.
“We want to make sure that customers, residents, businesses and communities are prepared for construction to resume as we work to complete this significant interchange project,” said Illinois Tollway Executive Director José Alvarez. “Building the new ramps will increase access and provide job opportunities for the Chicago Southland communities.”
The Illinois Tollway is advancing work to complete the interchange connecting I-294 to I-57. This final stage of work now scheduled for 2019-2022 will build ramps providing access to and from Chicago, improving regional mobility that began with the completion of ramps providing access to and from Champaign in 2014.
To complete the I-294/I-57 Interchange, four new ramps will be built connecting southbound I-57 to I-294 and 294 to northbound I-57. As part of this work, a new I-57 median will be constructed and the I-57 mainline will be widened. Work will also include excavation, drainage improvements, erosion control and new landscaping, as well as retaining wall, noise wall and bridge construction.
In addition, the contract for 2019 work scheduled to begin late spring/early summer, the project will also include three additional contracts in 2020-2022. All contracts include opportunities for participation the Illinois Tollway’s ConstructionWorks Program designed to link job seekers with opportunities for rewarding careers in Illinois’ high-demand transportation related construction industry.
The Illinois Tollway values public input and believes that Tollway customers are best served when a variety of perspectives on the issues are shared.
Construction information for 2019 construction season and the plan to complete the I-294/I-57 Interchange can be viewed online at illinoistollway.com/projects. In addition, comments can be shared with the Tollway at any time via email at [email protected].
The Tri-State (I-294)/I-57 Interchange Project is funded by the Illinois Tollways 15-year, $14 billion capital program, Move Illinois: The Illinois Tollway Driving the Future.
About Move Illinois
The Illinois Tollway’s 15-year, $14 billion capital program, Move Illinois: The Illinois Tollway Driving the Future, is improving mobility, relieving congestion, reducing pollution, creating as many as 120,000 jobs and linking economies throughout the region. The first seven years of Move Illinois is on schedule and within budget, delivering the rebuilt and widened Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) as a state-of-the-art 21st century corridor and opening a new interchange connecting the Tri-State Tollway (I-294) to I-57. Progress continues on projects addressing the remaining needs of the existing Tollway system, delivering the Elgin O’Hare Western Access Project and planning for emerging projects, including reconstruction of the Central Tri-State Tollway (I-294).
About the Illinois Tollway
The Illinois Tollway is a user-fee system that receives no state or federal funds for maintenance and operations. The agency maintains and operates 294 miles of roadways in 12 counties in Northern Illinois, including the Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88), the Veterans Memorial Tollway (I-355), the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90), the Tri-State Tollway (I-94/I-294/I-80) and the Illinois Route 390 Tollway.
