Construction Alert: Expect I-90 Lane Closure

The Illinois Tollway is advising motorists to be alert for bridge deck rehabilitation and beam repairs that will close two lanes on the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway Interstate 90 this week.

Westbound I-90 will be reduced to two lanes on the bridge over Sleepy Hollow Road/McLean Blvd. from 9 a.m. Friday, Sept. 7 to 1 p.m. Monday, Sept. 10, for bridge deck repairs, according to a release.

Work includes repairs to the bridge beams and the bridge deck.  A full closure is necessary because the local roadway under I-90 is too narrow to accommodate traffic while completing this work, the release stated.

Additionally, Sleepy Hollow Road and McLean Blvd. under the bridge will be closed today, Wednesday, Sept. 5 to Wednesday, Sept. 12.

A detour will direct northbound McLean Blvd. traffic east on Big Timber Road, north onto Route 31 and west on Boncosky Road to reach Sleepy Hollow Road, Tollway officials said.  Southbound Sleepy Hollow Road traffic will follow the same detour in reverse.

The bridge closure was coordinated with the city of Elgin, the village of West Dundee, the village of Sleepy Hollow, Dundee Township, Community Unit School District 300 and the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Up to 4,050 vehicles use this stretch of road daily.

This year’s bridge repairs and shoulder widening on I-90 between Elgin and Rockford are needed to prepare for the start of the rebuilding and widening of I-90 scheduled to begin in 2013.

Work Zone Safety

A 45 mph speed limit is in effect 24/7 in all construction zones on I-90, whether or not workers are present.  Drivers should continue to watch for changing traffic patterns and use caution at all times.  The posted speed limit on Sleepy Hollow Road/McLean Blvd. is 30 mph.

Illinois State Police have zero tolerance for drivers speeding in work zones. The minimum penalty for speeding in a work zone is $375. Posted signs advise drivers of a $10,000 fine and 14-year jail sentence for hitting a roadway worker.