Governor Quinn Announces $68 Million Project to Build New Barrington Road Interchange on I-90

HOFFMAN ESTATES – Governor Pat Quinn today announced a $68 million project to reduce congestion and increase access at the Barrington Road Interchange on the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90). The project will reconfigure the busy interchange to provide full access to and from I-90, and accommodate a future Pace bus route along the Tollway. Today's announcement is part of Governor Quinn's agenda to create jobs and build a 21st century infrastructure that will drive Illinois’ economy forward.

“This major infrastructure project will drive economic development throughout the area,” Governor Quinn said. “The rebuilt interchange will create full access to nearby medical facilities, make it easier for customers to reach area businesses and create hundreds of construction jobs.”

The existing interchange provides I-90 access to and from the east – but not the west. Once complete, the reconstructed and reconfigured interchange will create full access to I-90 from Barrington Road, reducing congestion and improving traffic flow. The average daily traffic on Barrington Road is approximately 30,000 vehicles to the north of I-90 and 45,000 to the south.

The $68 million interchange project includes $40.8 million from the Illinois Tollway, which maintains I-90; $22.2 million from the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), which maintains Barrington Road; and $5 million from Hoffman Estates.

“This project is another tremendous example of state and local governments working together to advance transportation projects with regional benefits,” Illinois Tollway Executive Director Kristi Lafleur said. “Not only will this project improve access for Tollway customers traveling to and from Hoffman Estates, it will also offer opportunities for new jobs and economic development along Barrington Road and beyond.”

“Every day we work to tirelessly help people who need to get to places faster through more efficient travel,” IDOT Secretary Ann L. Schneider said. “This interchange will do just that with better access to key areas and services.”

The project will include construction of one of the first Park & Ride facilities along I-90, which will ease commutes by employees of St. Alexius and other major employers the Chicago metro area. The improved public transit will help employers draw a more diverse workforce from across the Chicago area. It will also include direct ramps from the Park & Ride facility to eastbound and westbound I-90, as well as a pedestrian walkway to allow commuters to cross I-90.

The contract for the initial phase of construction is expected to be considered by the Illinois Tollway Board of Directors later this month, with construction anticipated to begin in the spring. Bids for the main construction phase are scheduled to be opened in the fall. The entire project should be complete in 2016.

“On behalf of our Village, I would like to thank Governor Quinn for being responsive to the public health and safety needs of this region by opening up full access to St. Alexius Medical Center and the Women and Children’s Hospital via Interstate 90,” Hoffman Estates Mayor William McLeod said. “I would also like to thank State Representative Fred Crespo, the Illinois Tollway, the Illinois Department of Transportation, and Alexian Brothers Health System for their full support of this project. We are looking forward to both the improvement to important life safety issues as well as the positive economic impact to the region.”

“We're excited to get to work on the Barrington Interchange for a number of reasons,” Laborers' District Council of Chicago & Vicinity Business Manager Jim Connolly said. "Any time you can update and improve our region's crumbling and overly congested infrastructure, while also putting hundreds of people to work, it's a great thing. Our contractors and members are always ready to provide first-class construction to IDOT and the Illinois Tollway.”

“The full interchange at Barrington Road has been one of my top priorities and a project we’ve been working on for a long time,” State Representative Fred Crespo (D-Hoffman Estates) said. “It’s going to create economic development opportunities in the region and improve critical access to St. Alexius Hospital. I want to thank Governor Quinn, The Illinois Department of Transportation and the Illinois Tollway for assisting us in making this happen.”

“We are extremely pleased that the Barrington Road Interchange will be available to our patients and the community,” Alexian Brothers Health System President and CEO Mark Frey said. “It will be a tremendous asset for patients trying to reach us for emergent services and we are grateful for the support of the Governor, IDOT, the Tollway and the Village of Hoffman Estates for their work to see this project to fruition.”

The Illinois Tollway’s 15-year, $12 billion capital program, Move Illinois: The Illinois Tollway Driving the Future, will improve mobility, relieve congestion, reduce pollution, create as many as 120,000 jobs and link economies across the Midwest region. Move Illinois will address the remaining needs of the existing Tollway system; rebuild and widen I-90 as a state-of-the-art 21st century corridor; construct a new interchange to connect the Tri-State Tollway (I-294) to I-57; build a new, all-electronic Elgin O’Hare Western Access and fund planning studies for the Illinois Route 53/120 Project and the Illiana Expressway.

The I-90/Barrington Road 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.