Interstate 294

Interstate 294
	Tri-State Tollway
	I-294 highlighted in red
Route information
	Auxiliary route of I-94
	Maintained by ISTHA
Length	53.45 mi[1] (86.02 km)
Existed	1957–present
History	Completed 1968
Major junctions
South end	I-80 / I-94 / IL 394 in Lansing
	I-80 in Hazel Crest; I-57 in Blue Island; I-55 in Indian Head Park; ; I-88 / I-290 / IL 110 (CKC) in Hillside; ; I-90 / I-190 in Rosemont;
North end	; I-94 / Lake Cook Road in Northbrook
Location
Counties	Cook
Highway system

Interstate 294 (I-294) is a tolled auxiliary Interstate Highway in northeastern Illinois. It forms the southern portion of the Tri-State Tollway in Illinois. I-294 runs from South Holland at I-80/I-94, and Illinois Route 394 (IL 394) to Northbrook at I-94. I-294 is 53.42 miles (85.97 km) long; 5.32 miles (8.56 km) are shared with I-80.[1] It serves as a bypass around the city of Chicago. I-294 is also the longest auxiliary route of I-94, at 10 miles (16 km) longer than I-494 in Minneapolis–Saint Paul. In addition the tollway is the longest auxiliary Interstate Highway in Illinois.

Route description

I-294 has four of the Tri-State Tollway's six mainline barriers. These are located at:

163rd Street
82nd Street (southbound) and 83rd Street (northbound)
Cermak Road
Irving Park Road (IL 19; southbound) and Touhy Avenue (northbound)

The other two barriers are on I-94.

History

I-294 southbound, at the intersection with I-90 near O'Hare Airport

The portion of the Borman Expressway that was completed from Gary westward and the Kingery Expressway were originally designated as I-80, I-90, and I-294 from shortly after the Interstate Highway program was enacted until about 1965, when the connection between the Borman and the Indiana Toll Road was completed, and I-90 was swapped with I-94 west of that junction (and east of where those routes share the same road in Chicago), cutting back I-294 to its current south terminus (eliminating the Indiana part of I-294). Indiana later proposed to extend I-294 east on the current Borman Expressway to Indiana State Route 912, before having it turn north at that point, west at U.S. Route 12, and then back to I-94, most likely somewhere on the Bishop Ford Freeway near 130th Street. The request was denied.

I-294 was built largely before the growth and maturation of the suburbs that run along the corridor. As a result, the vast majority of the interchanges are partial, or were configured to have entrance ramps feeding the toll plazas. Gaps between exit ramps are common, the 6.5-mile (10.5 km) gap between Cicero Avenue (IL 50/IL 83) and 95th Street (US 12/US 20) being one of the more notable ones. Partial interchanges are located at Roosevelt Road (IL 38; northbound exit, southbound entrance), Irving Park Road (IL 19) (southbound exit, northbound entrance), Touhy Avenue (northbound exit, southbound entrance), Dempster Street (US 14; northbound exit, southbound entrance), and Golf Road (IL 58; southbound exit, northbound entrance). Several former partial interchanges have been converted to full interchanges, with automated toll collection facilities on the new ramps, such as at 159th Street (US 6; northbound on and southbound off added) and 95th Street (US 12/US 20; southbound on and northbound off added). The 79th Street exit was moved to 75th Street/Willow Springs Road, and made a complete interchange in the same manner.

From 1992-1993, the central portion of I-294 between Balmoral and 95th Street was widened to eight lanes.[2] Between 2006-2009, the southern and northern portions of I-294 (IL-394 to 95th Street and I-90 to Lake Cook Road respectively) were fully reconstructed and expanded, bringing the entire highway up to eight lanes.

ISTHA and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) are partnering to construct a new interchange to connect I-294 to I-57. The primary interchange connections between I-294 and I-57 were completed in 2014, while the remaining ramps will be completed in 2022.[3]

The central portion of I-294 between Balmoral Avenue and 95th Street is currently being reconstructed and widened to a five/six lane cross section, with the inside shoulder being a flex lane that can be used during emergencies or heavy congestion. The work also includes reconfiguring the interchange with I-88/290. The entire project is scheduled to be completed in 2026.[4]

Exit list

The entire route is in Cook County.

Location	mi[1][5]	km	Exit[6]	Destinations	Notes
Lansing	0.00	0.00		I-80 east / I-94 east / US 6 east (Kingery Expressway) – Indiana	Southern terminus; southern end of I-80 concurrency; southern end of US 6 concurrency (NB lanes only)
Lansing			161	US 6 west / IL 83 (Torrence Avenue)	Exit number follows I-80; no southbound entrance; northern end of US 6 concurrency (NB lanes only); only free exit northbound
Lansing–Thornton Township line			0	I-94 west (Bishop Ford Freeway) – Chicago IL 394 south (Calumet Expressway) – Danville	Southbound exit and northbound entrance; southern terminus of Tri-State Tollway; I-94 exit 74B
South Holland	0.90	1.45	Chicago Southland Lincoln Oasis
East Hazel Crest	2.83	4.55	2	IL 1 (Halsted Street)	Signed as exits 2A (north) and 2B (south)
East Hazel Crest	4.33	6.97	4	Dixie Highway	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
Hazel Crest	5.26	8.47	5	I-80 west to I-57 south – Iowa	Northern end of I-80 concurrency; I-80 exit 155
Hazel Crest	5.81	9.35	163rd Street Toll Plaza
Markham	6.48	10.43	6	US 6 (159th Street)	Signed as exits 6A (east) and 6B (west)
Blue Island	7.75	12.47	7	I-57 south to I-80 west – Memphis	I-Pass only; southbound exit and northbound entrance; full interchange opening 2023–24; I-57 exit 349
Blue Island	8.33	13.41	8	IL 83 (147th Street / Sibley Boulevard)	I-Pass only; southbound exit and northbound entrance
Alsip	12.13	19.52	12	IL 50 (Cicero Avenue) / IL 83 (127th Street)	Signed as exits 12A (south) and 12B (north)
Hickory Hills	17.63	28.37	17	US 12 / US 20 (95th Street) / 76th Avenue	Signed as exits 17A (east) and 17B (west) southbound; no northbound signage for 76th Avenue
	19.37	31.17	83rd Street Toll Plaza (northbound)
	19.78	31.83	82nd Street Toll Plaza (southbound)
Justice				CR W30 (88th/Cork Avenue)	Future interchange
Justice	20.45	32.91	—	US 12 / US 20 / US 45 (La Grange Road) / IL 171 (Archer Avenue)	Southbound entrance only
Des Plaines River	21.20– 21.88	34.12– 35.21	Mile-Long Bridge
Hodgkins	22.04– 22.28	35.47– 35.86	22	75th Street / Willow Springs Road
Indian Head Park	23.20– 24.24	37.34– 39.01	23	I-55 (Stevenson Expressway) – Chicago, St. Louis Historic US 66 (Joliet Road)	Signed as Exit 23A (north) and Exit 23B (south) northbound; no exit number southbound; no southbound entrance from I-55 south. (Access from I-55 South to I-294 South is via US 12-20-45 La Grange Rd. and is signed as such on I-55.); I-55 exit 277; southbound exit and northbound entrance provide access from and to Joliet Road
Indian Head Park	23.42	37.69	23B	Wolf Road	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
Hinsdale	25.13	40.44	Hinsdale Oasis
Western Springs	27.57	44.37	27	US 34 (Ogden Avenue)	Signed as exits 27A (east) and 27B (west)
Oak Brook	29.40	47.31	29	I-88 west / IL 110 (CKC) west (Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway) – Aurora	Northbound exit and southbound entrance; I-88 exit 138
	29.63	47.68	29	Cermak Road (22nd Street)	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
	30.00	48.28	Cermak Road Toll Plaza
Hillside	30.64	49.31	30	IL 38 (Roosevelt Road)	Northbound exit and southbound entrance; signed as exits 30A (east) and 30B (west)
Hillside	31.15	50.13	31A	I-88 west / IL 110 (CKC) west (Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway) – Aurora	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
Berkeley	31.74	51.08	31B	I-290 east / IL 110 (CKC) east (Eisenhower Expressway) – Chicago	Signed as exit 31 northbound; I-290 exit 15
Elmhurst	33.76	54.33	33	I-290 west to US 20 / IL 64 – Rockford	Signed as exit 31 northbound; I-290 exit 13A
Bensenville				I-490 north (O'Hare Western Bypass)	Future interchange
Schiller Park	37.96	61.09	O'Hare Oasis (Gas station only)
	38.41	61.81	38	IL 19 (Irving Park Road)	Southbound exit and northbound entrance; signed as exits 38A (east) and 38B (west)
	38.89	62.59	Irving Park Toll Plaza (southbound)
Rosemont	39.91	64.23	39	Balmoral Avenue	I-Pass only on northbound exit ramp; northbound exit and southbound entrance
	40.42	65.05	40A	I-190 west (Kennedy Expressway) / River Road – O'Hare	Signed as exit 40 northbound; I-190 exits 1C-D; northbound exit to River Road only
	40.88	65.79	40B	I-90 (Jane Addams Memorial Tollway / Kennedy Expressway) – Rockford, Chicago	Signed as exit 40 northbound; I-90 exits 77 and 78
Park Ridge	41.64	67.01	Touhy Avenue Toll Plaza (northbound)
Park Ridge	42.28	68.04	42	Touhy Avenue	Northbound exit and southbound entrance; signed as exits 42A (east) and 42B (west)
Des Plaines	44.32	71.33	44	US 14 (Dempster Street)	Northbound exit and southbound entrance; signed as exits 44A (east) and 42B (west)
Des Plaines	45.34	72.97	45	IL 58 (Golf Road)	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
Glenview	49.02	78.89	48	Willow Road
Northbrook	52.75	84.89	52	Lake Cook Road	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
Northbrook	52.75	84.89	—	I-94 west (Tri-State Tollway north) – Wisconsin	Northern terminus; northbound exit and southbound entrance; I-94 exit 25B
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus Incomplete access Tolled Unopened

References

Illinois Technology Transfer Center (2006). "T2 GIS Data". Retrieved November 8, 2007.
P. Davis Szymczak (September 27, 1991). "Widening of Tri-State could begin in October". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 18, 2010.
"I-294/I-57 Interchange Project - Phase 2". Retrieved 12 August 2020.
"Central Tri-State Tollway (I-294) Project". Retrieved 12 August 2020.
Illinois State Toll Highway Authority. System Map (Map). Downers Grove: Illinois State Toll Highway Authority. Archived from the original on January 24, 2009. Retrieved January 23, 2009.
"Toll Rates by Plaza (For Years 2009+)" (PDF). Illinois State Toll Highway Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 12, 2009. Retrieved January 23, 2009.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[t2-1] Illinois Technology Transfer Center (2006). "T2 GIS Data". Retrieved November 8, 2007.

[2] P. Davis Szymczak (September 27, 1991). "Widening of Tri-State could begin in October". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 18, 2010.

[3] "I-294/I-57 Interchange Project - Phase 2". Retrieved 12 August 2020.

[4] "Central Tri-State Tollway (I-294) Project". Retrieved 12 August 2020.

[5] Illinois State Toll Highway Authority. System Map (Map). Downers Grove: Illinois State Toll Highway Authority. Archived from the original on January 24, 2009. Retrieved January 23, 2009.

[6] "Toll Rates by Plaza (For Years 2009+)" (PDF). Illinois State Toll Highway Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 12, 2009. Retrieved January 23, 2009.

Auxiliary routes of Interstate 94
Montana Business North Dakota 194¹ Business Minnesota 394 494 694 Business Wisconsin 794 894 Illinois 294 494² 494³ 694² Indiana Michigan 194 Business
¹Unsigned ²Proposed ³Unbuilt