State of Illinois completes major project
The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) has completed the Jane Byrne Interchange reconstruction, a multiyear project to modernize a key gateway into downtown Chicago and a critical transportation hub for the region and entire Midwest. Governor JB Pritzker announced the completion of the project in a statement, saying: “Today, I’m proud to announce the reconstruction of the Jane Byrne Interchange is finally completed. For almost a decade, Illinois’ first-rate workforce worked day in and day out to entirely reconstruct this massive project and in the last few years, IDOT accelerated and streamlined the construction process to get this done.”
The $806.4 million project is one of the largest in state history and eliminates a notorious national bottleneck and improves safety, efficiency, and mobility across multiple modes of transportation while better connecting people and jobs throughout the Chicago area. IDOT exceeded the participation goal on the Jane Byrne for minority- and female-owned businesses involved in the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program. The initial goal of 18.23% for minority- and female-owned firms with contracts on the project was surpassed and reached 19.54%, representing a total value of $117.6 million to disadvantaged and emerging businesses.
The project also provided thousands of hours on-the-job training through the Highway Construction Careers Training Program. Illinois AFL-CIO President Tim Drea said: “The completion of the Jane Byrne Interchange is an example of organized labor, businesses, neighborhoods, and elected officials coming together to prioritize and create good-paying, equitable jobs for Illinois workers. Together, we invested in a long overdue infrastructure upgrade that will usher Illinois into the 21st century and benefit future generations of Illinoisans.”
The project is predicted to result in a 50% reduction in vehicle delays, saving motorists an annual 5 million hours previously spent sitting in traffic and $185 million in productivity. Vehicle emissions are anticipated to reduce by a third and the number of crashes are predicted to go down 25%. The project used approximately 52 million pounds of steel, the equivalent of 2.5 times the weight of the Eiffel Tower, as well as 2,100 miles of rebar, the distance between Chicago and San Francisco. More than 223,000 cubic yards of concrete were required, which would fill 25,000 trucks. Also, 12 miles of storm sewer were installed.
Improvements and benefits include: 19 bridges and 21 ramps reconstructed or rehabilitated, a new northbound collector-distributor road created on the Dan Ryan and Kennedy expressways by relocating left-hand entrance ramps at Jackson and Adams streets and separating exit ramps to Washington Boulevard, Lake, Madison, and Randolph streets from mainline traffic, a new storm water detention system under the Polk Street accident investigation site, an additional lane added in each direction to the mainline Kennedy and Dan Ryan, and an additional lane to the inbound Eisenhower.