At its April meeting, the Illinois Tollway Board of Directors recently approved six new construction and engineering service contracts totaling nearly $228.7 million.
In all, the money will include contracts for pavement and structural preservation and rehabilitation on I-88, landscaping and planting improvements along I-90, grading and erosion control efforts — along with general repairs — along I-294, design corridor manager services for the I-490 Tollway Project and construction management services upon request along I-88 and beyond.
The largest construction contract ever awarded by the Illinois Tollway, which totals $184.6 million, will be awarded to F.H. Paschen S.N. Nielsen and Associates for roadway and bridge construction of the northbound Mile Long Bridge on I-294, otherwise known as the Central Tri-State Tollway. That bridge sees daily traffic that can reach up to 150,000 vehicles and has been in service for more than 60 years. New construction will focus on the removal and rebuilding of the bridge and is expected to last until 2023, though access will remain throughout.
All projects were bid for competitively, based on demonstrated competence and qualifications. In the case of the Mile Long Bridge project, the effort is also part of a far larger construction that will eventually see around $4 billion put into the rebuilding of both sides of the Central Tri-State Tollway.