The Illinois Tollway has completed its construction on the Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88) and all work-zone speed restrictions have been removed. In 2012, more than $70 million in roadway improvements between Orchard Road in North Aurora and Illinois Rte. 251 in Rochelle have been completed.
“On any given day, nearly 230 workers—designers, engineers and construction workers—worked to complete these projects on time and on budget, and we thank them for their dedication and hard work,” said Illinois Tollway Executive Director Kristi Lafleur. “We also thank our customers for their patience as we made these important improvements to I-88 that will allow us to continue to provide safe and convenient travel for many years to come.”
The Tollway’s 2012 work on I-88 included two major roadway improvement projects:
The Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88) Rebuild and Widen Project began in June and included reconstructing the two existing lanes and adding a third lane in both directions between Orchard Road and Illinois Rte. 56 to provide additional capacity and extend the life of the roadway. The project also included improvements on the ramps at the Illinois Rte. 56 Interchange.
The Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88) Resurfacing Project began in April and included roadway repairs and asphalt resurfacing on a 38-mile section between Illinois Rte. 56 and Illinois Rte. 251 to extend the life of the roadway and provide a new, smooth surface. Altogether, 153 lane-miles of pavement and five interchanges were repaired and resurfaced, and 16 bridge structures were rehabilitated throughout the corridor. This portion of I-88 was opened to traffic in 1974 and was last rehabilitated in 2001.
While major roadway repairs are complete, some off-peak lane and shoulder closures will be needed to wrap up remaining punch-list work. No additional traffic shifts or long-term lane reductions are needed.
As part of its commitment to "Building Green," the Tollway minimized the environmental impact of construction by reducing, recycling and reusing materials. Recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) along with supplemental cements such as fly ash and ground granulated slag from industrial waste were part of the 15,000 tons of new concrete pavement used in the I-88 Rebuild and Widen Project. Twenty thousand tons of warm-mix asphalt was also used on the roadway sub-base and shoulders. For the I-88 Resurfacing Project, the new asphalt overlay incorporated 323,900 tons of warm-mix asphalt and included RAP and recycled asphalt shingles. In addition to reducing the cost of this work, reuse of these materials reduces the need for virgin asphalt materials and reduces the volume of material that would otherwise be sent to landfills.
