Governor Quinn Announces $23.4 Million for Circle Interchange Work

CHICAGO – Governor Pat Quinn today announced capital investments of more than $23.4 million to replace the Morgan Street Bridge and fill in abandoned underground tunnels, the first work on the $475 million Circle Interchange construction project in Chicago. The projects are part of Governor Quinn’s agenda to create jobs and drive Illinois’ economy forward.

“Replacing the Morgan Street Bridge and filling in underground tunnels are the first major steps in the state’s biggest and one of our most important construction projects,” Governor Quinn said. “This project will create thousands of jobs for Illinois workers, help businesses and industry, and make life easier for motorists. These improvements will guarantee a safe, efficient and modern interchange for generations to come.”

The Morgan Street Bridge on I-90/94 at the Congress Parkway (I-290) will be removed and replaced in a project that also includes approach work, underpass and roadway lighting and traffic signals. The interchange will remain open during the work. The lower of two bidders for the job was F.H. Paschen, S.N. Nielsen & Associates LLC of Chicago with a quote of $18,459,602. Work will start this month with estimated completion in April 2014. The Illinois Department of Transportation will manage the project.

Five abandoned underground water tunnels will be filled in at Harrison, Des Plaines, Van Buren and Halsted Streets, and Chicago Avenue, for $4,983,836 by Kenny Construction Company of Northbrook. The work will help strengthen the underground foundation for the Circle Interchange project.

The four-year, $475 million Circle Interchange construction project in Chicago will create thousands of construction jobs and improve the nation’s most congested interchange. The project will start with work on the Morgan Street Bridge and encompass the bridge, roadway and drainage systems for the Dan Ryan, Eisenhower and Kennedy Expressways and the Congress Parkway that make up the interchange. According to estimates by transportation planners, the improvements will reduce traffic delays by at least 50 percent, save drivers five million hours annually and the improved traffic flow will lead to a savings of 1.6 million gallons of fuel per year.

The Circle Interchange project is part of Governor Quinn’s $31 billion Illinois Jobs Now! program, which will support more than 439,000 jobs over six years. Illinois Jobs Now! is the largest capital construction program in Illinois history, and is one of the largest capital construction programs in the nation.