Interstate 294

Infobox road
state=IL
route=294
type=I
maint=Illinois Tollway

---

length_mi=53.42
length_round=2
length_ref=cite web |author=Illinois Technology Transfer Center |url=http://www.dot.state.il.us/gist2/select.html |title=T2 GIS Data |accessdate=2007-11-08 |date=2006]
year_established=1957 (completed 1968)
direction_a=South
terminus_a=Jct|state=IL|I|80|I|94|IL|394 in Lansing
junction=Jct|state=IL|I|80 in Hazel Crest
Jct|state=IL|I|55 in Indian Head Park
Jct|state=IL|I|88 in Hillside
Jct|state=IL|I|290 in Hillside
Jct|state=IL|I|190 in Chicago
Jct|state=IL|I|90 in Chicago
direction_b=North
terminus_b=Jct|state=IL|I|94 in Deerfield
previous_type=I
previous_route=290
next_type=IL
next_route=336

Interstate 294 (I-294) is a tolled Interstate Highway in northeastern Illinois, U.S.A.. It forms the southern portion of the Tri-State Tollway in Illinois. I-294 runs from South Holland at Interstates 80 and 94, and Illinois Route 394 to Deerfield at I-94. Interstate 294 is convert|53.42|mi|km|2 long; convert|5.32|mi|km|2 are shared with I-80.

Route description

Interstate 294 has four of the Tri-State Tollway's five mainline barriers. These are located at:
*163rd Street
*82nd Street (Southbound)/83rd Street (Northbound)
*Cermak Road
*Irving Park Road (Illinois Route 19) (Southbound)/ Touhy Ave. (Northbound)

The fifth is on I-94 near Waukegan.

Interstate 294 is generally 6 lanes wide between I-94 at Deerfield and I-90 by O'Hare. From O'Hare to 95th Street, U.S. 12/U.S. 20, the road is 8 lanes wide. The Illinois Tollway Authority is currently expanding the tollway from 6 to 8 lanes from 95th Street to the end of the tollway, to be completed in early 2009.

History

The portion of the Borman Expressway that was completed from Gary westward and the Kingery Expressway were designated as I-80, 90, and 294, from some time 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, cutting back I-294 to its current south terminus. Later, Indiana wanted to extend Interstate 294 east on the current Borman Expressway to Indiana State Route 912, before having it turn north at that point, west at U.S. Highway 12, and then back to I-94, most likely somewhere on the Bishop Ford Expressway near 130th Street. The request was denied.

The I-80, I-294 portion of the Tollway is being widened in conjunction with similar projects on the Borman and Kingery.

Interstate 294 was built largely before the growth and maturation of the suburbs that run along Interstate 294. 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 9.5 mile (15.3 kilometer) gap between Cicero Avenue (Illinois 50/83) and 95th Street (U.S. 12/20) being one of the more notable ones. Partial interchanges are located at Roosevelt Road (Illinois Route 38) (southbound exit, northbound entrance), Irving Park Road (Illinois 19) (southbound exit, northbound entrance), Touhy Avenue (northbound exit, southbound entrance), Dempster Street (U.S. 14) (northbound exit, southbound entrance), and Golf Road (Illinois 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 (U.S. 6) (northbound on and southbound off added), and 95th Street (U.S. 12/20) (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.

Future

As of 2007, Interstate 294 has no interchange on Interstate 57, although one is being considered. This is one of the only places that two interstate highways cross but do not feature connecting ramps. Plans for the interchange are currently at PE 1, or preliminary engineering, but have been repeatedly put on hold due to insufficient funding since 1993. In 2006, a consortium of south suburbs again pushed the Illinois Department of Transportation and the Tollway Authority to construct the interchange, whose construction costs are now estimated at between $235 million and $250 million USD. [cite news |author=Ziemba, Stanley |title=South suburbs join to make a connection |publisher=Chicago Tribune |date=2006-05-09 |accessdate=2006-05-09 |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0605090138may09,1,1392087.story?coll=chi-news-hed]

Exit list

See Tri-State Tollway for all exits on Interstate 294.

References

External links

* [http://www.kurumi.com/roads/3di/i294.html Kurumi's 3di page: Interstate 294]
* [http://illi-indi.com/il_EndsPage.php?id=3294&section=1 Illinois Highway Ends: Interstate 294]