The Illinois Tollway Board of Directors approved five construction and professional engineering services contracts totaling nearly $346 million at its August board meeting. The contracts include work to advance the ongoing reconstruction and reconfiguration of the I-290/I-88 Interchange at the Central Tri-State (I-294) Tollway.
Nearly $765.6 million in contracts has been approved by the Tollway board in 2022, as part of the 11th year of the Tollway's 15-year, $14 billion Move Illinois capital program. To date, nearly $10.2 billion has been invested by the Illinois Tollway since the Move Illinois Program began in 2012, with more than $2.6 billion of that total committed to small, diverse and veteran-owned firms. In addition, the capital program has created or sustained an estimated 112,140 total jobs as of July.
"Relieving congestion and simplifying movements at the massive I-290/I-88 Interchange is a major component of our Central Tri-State Tollway (I-249) Project and requires reconstruction of the mainline road and bridges," said Lanyea Griffin, interim executive director. "The contract approved will allow us to begin work on the northbound segment of roadway as work continues simultaneously to rebuild and reconfigure the ramp connections. Approval of this contract represents a significant move toward completing the project."
The reconfiguration and reconstruction of the I-290/I-88 Interchange is estimated at $700 to $800 million and will reduce congestion, improve safety and address operational issues, as well as infrastructure conditions as part of the Illinois Tollway's Central Tri-State Project.
Improvements will reduce backups and dramatically improve the chokepoint so that commuters, travelers and commerce using the Tri-State Tollway (I-294), the Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88) and the Eisenhower Expressway (I-290) can more efficiently reach their destinations.
The contracts approved in August include one contractor and 26 subcontractors and subconsultants that are certified as disadvantaged, minority-and women-owned business enterprise (D/M/WBE) firms and three subcontractors and subconsultant that are certified veteran-owned firms. Commitments for D/M/WBE participation range from 22.02 to 39.57 percent per contract and commitments for veteran participation range from 0.52 to 4.01 percent per contract.
August construction contracts awards include:
- A $205.9 million contract to Walsh Construction Co. II, Chicago, Ill., for roadway and bridge reconstruction on the northbound Tri-State Tollway (I-294) between Roosevelt Road and St. Charles Road as part of the I-290/I-88 Interchange Project.
- A $130.4 million contract to Lorig Construction Co., Des Plaines, Ill., for roadway and bridge reconstruction and widening between Ogden Avenue and Cermak Road as part of the Central Tri-State Tollway (I-294) Project.
- A $2.3 million contract to Schwartz Excavating Inc., Countryside, Ill. for grading and drainage improvements at the Elmhurst Quarry on the Tri-State Tollway (I-294).
- A $788,000 contract to Drive Construction Inc., Bridgeview, Ill., for plumbing/fire protection for Tollway traffic operations and dispatch center construction.
August professional engineering services contract awards include:
- A $6.5 million contract to Bollinger, Lach & Associates Inc., Itasca, Ill., for construction management services for the I-490 Tollway Project between I-90 and I-294 at Franklin Avenue.
Illinois Tollway professional engineering services contracts are selected in accordance with the qualifications-based selection process (Illinois Public Act 87-673 (30 ILCS 535/1-535/80) Architectural, Engineering and Land Surveying Qualifications-Based Selection Act), which requires state agencies to select professional architects, engineers and surveyors based on demonstrated competence and professional qualifications. Construction contracts for Illinois Tollway projects are competitively bid under the rules of the Illinois Procurement Code. All contracts are presented to the Illinois Tollway board of directors for review and approval.
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