Illinois Tollway holds open house to update drivers on construction

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The Illinois Tollway is having the first of two open house meetings Wednesday evening to update drivers on what's ahead this construction season.

After years of suffering through delays on the Jane Addams Tollway, there is light at the end of the construction tunnel.

According to Greg Bedalov, Executive Director, Illinois Tollway, "The main line road is due to be returned to the motoring public and construction complete by the end of this construction season, 2016."

Tollway engineers will be on hand to answer questions about remaining work on I-90 at this evening's open house in Hoffman Estates, as well as to introduce the new smart road system that will be installed between Barrington Road and O'Hare.

"We're going to be putting in sensors and ribbons and all kinds of technology in the road that will help our customers know which lanes are moving fast, where there's an accident, where they should slow down and how they can manage their time more effectively to get from point a to point b," Bedalov said.

The other major tollway project is the ongoing work on Route 390. The biggest change this year? Cashless tolling will begin on July 5th.

Bedalov stated, "We're gonna have a one month grace period on that, it is our first all-electronic tolling road, which means that customers either need a transponder, or they have seven days to go online and pay the tolls that are due."

The open house for the Route 390 project is May 12th in Elk Grove Village. Topics will include cashless tolling, as well as the eastward expansion from Rohlwing Road to Route 83. Toll officials are working with local suburbs to schedule more open house meetings this year in an effort to try and answer all your questions.