[Editor: This is the text of a March 15, 2017, news release from the Illinois Tollway Authority.]
Illinois Tollway Receives Award from Hispanic American Construction Industry Association for Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) Rebuilding and Widening Project
DOWNERS GROVE, IL – The Illinois Tollway will be presented its second Project of the Year Award today at the Hispanic American Construction Industry Association’s (HACIA) 38th Annual Awards Banquet in Chicago in recognition of the $2.5 billion Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) Rebuilding and Widening Project.
The four-year project delivered the rebuilding and widening of 62 miles of roadway on schedule and within budget, providing four lanes in each direction between the Tri-State Tollway (I-294) near O’Hare International Airport and Elgin, as well as three lanes in each direction from Randall Road in Elgin to I-39 in Rockford.
The initial phase of the project, which reconstructed and widened the western segment of I-90 between Rockford and Elgin, earned the Project of the Year Award from HACIA in 2015.
“This massive project dramatically reshaped the I-90 corridor, and we’re honored that it again has been recognized by a business group that supports the Hispanic-owned firms and workers who played a vital role in delivering transportation improvements in Northern Illinois,” said Illinois Tollway Board Chairman Bob Schillerstrom. “HACIA is a valuable partner in achieving our goals of promoting inclusion and creating more opportunities for diverse workers and businesses to participate in the work we do.”
The I-90 Rebuilding and Widening Project involved more than 540 firms, including 415 construction companies and 125 professional services firms, with more than 200 firms identified as disadvantaged, minority- and women-owned business enterprise firms and veteran-owned businesses. A total of 46 HACIA member companies participated on the I-90 Project.
“This project demonstrates how the Illinois Tollway has helped contribute to the growth and development of Hispanic-owned firms in the Chicago area and across Northern Illinois,” said HACIA Executive Director Jorge Perez. “We are pleased to recognize this project for the benefits it provides to drivers, businesses and communities and for the powerful effect the project has in promoting the increased involvement of diverse businesses in the construction industry.”
The I-90 Rebuilding and Widening Project is part of the Tollway’s 15-year, $12 billion capital program, Move Illinois: The Illinois Tollway Driving the Future. The I-90 corridor serves nearly one million travelers per day between Rockford and downtown Chicago via roadway travel and public transit, including CTA and Pace service.
In addition, to delivering a new roadway and improvements to 16 interchanges and more than 100 bridges, the new I-90 features flexible infrastructure and technology to enable the Tollway to add new “smart” features as needed and to introduce the first SmartRoad this spring incorporating active traffic management, communicating real-time roadway and traffic information to drivers and delivering a 21st century corridor. Additionally, the project accommodates transit and direct access for the public to Pace Bus service for the first time in the agency’s history.
The new roadway is projected to serve up to 400,000 average daily vehicles. Improvements will save drivers up to 30 minutes on the average trip from Rockford to O’Hare Airport, save drivers 27 minutes on the average trip from Elgin to the Kennedy Expressway and save drivers $440 million annually in fuel and productivity costs.
About Move Illinois
The Illinois Tollway’s 15-year, $12 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 five 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 HACIA
The Hispanic American Construction Industry Association (HACIA) works to ensure equitable participation of its members in the construction industry, while also advocating for public policy that outlines the rights and responsibilities of minority-owned construction firms. HACIA coordinates training and professional development programs, assists Hispanic students in obtaining construction industry-related college degrees and also trains Hispanic-owned firms to bid and excel as prime contractors.
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 292 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.
# # #
CONTACT:
Dan Rozek
630-241-6800 x2392