Interstate 90 in Illinois

Interstate 90
Route information
Maintained by ISTHA, IDOT, and SCC
Length:	107.82 mi[1] (173.52 km)
Major junctions
West end:	I-39 / I-90 at Wisconsin state line
	I-39 / US 51 in Rockford I-290 / IL 53 in Rolling Meadows I-294 in Rosemont I-190 in Chicago I-94 in Chicago I-290 / IL 110 (CKC) in Chicago I-55 in Chicago I-94 / Chicago Skyway in Chicago
East end:	I-90 / Indiana Toll Road at Indiana state line
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Future Illinois State Highway System Interstate U.S. State Tollways ← IL 89 IL 90 →

Interstate 90 (I-90) in the U.S. state of Illinois runs roughly northwest-to-southeast through the northern part of the state. From the Wisconsin state line at South Beloit, it heads south to Rockford before heading east-southeast to the Indiana state line at Chicago. I-90 traverses 108 miles (174 km) through a variety of settings, from farmland west of the Fox River Valley through the medium-density suburbs west of O'Hare International Airport, through downtown Chicago, and through the heart of the industrial southeast side of Chicago before entering Indiana.

I-90 comprises several named highways. The Interstate runs along the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway from South Beloit to O'Hare Airport, the Kennedy Expressway runs from O'Hare to the Chicago Loop, the Dan Ryan Expressway from the Loop to the Chicago Skyway, and the Skyway to the Indiana state line. The Jane Addams and Chicago Skyway are toll roads maintained by the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority (ISHTA) and Skyway Concession Company (SCC), respectively. The remainder of the highway is maintained by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT).

The Chicago Skyway, also known as Chicago Skyway Toll Bridge System, is a 7.8-mile-long (12.6 km) toll road in Chicago carrying I-90 from the Indiana Toll Road to the Dan Ryan Expressway on Chicago's South Side. The main feature of the Skyway is a ¹⁄₂-mile-long (0.80 km) steel truss bridge, known as the "High Bridge". The toll bridge spans the Calumet River and Calumet Harbor, a major harbor for industrial ships. The main span is 650 feet (200 m) long, provides for 125 feet (38 m) of vertical clearance, and is the highest road in Chicago.

The Jane Addams Tollway was built in the late 1950s and early 1960s as the Northwest Tollway. It was renamed in 2007 after Jane Addams, the Nobel laureate and founder of the Settlement House movement in the United States. Between 2001 and 2004, authorities spent $250 million to rebuild much of the Chicago Skyway.

Route description

The Jane Addams Tollway in Schaumburg prior to the 2015-16 rebuild/widen.

I-90 enters from Beloit, Wisconsin with I-39. At the Rockton Road exit, I-39/I-90 becomes the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway. The two Interstates run concurrently south to Rockford, where I-39 continues as a freeway south to Bloomington–Normal. I-90 continues east-southeast to Belvidere and Elgin on the way through the Chicago area. In Schaumburg, I-90 meets the western end of I-290, the only loop from I-90 in Illinois.

I-90 passes north of O'Hare International Airport, where I-190 branches west to the airport terminals. I-90 also meets I-294 at this junction with I-190. I-90 continues southeast as the Kennedy Expressway and is later joined with eastbound I-94; westbound I-94 runs on the Edens Expressway. I-90 and I-94 then head toward the Loop, intersecting the eastern end of I-290. South of I-290, the highway is given the name of the Dan Ryan Expressway.

On Chicago's South Side, the Dan Ryan passes I-55 before I-90 splits off from I-94 just south of 63rd Street, and becomes the Chicago Skyway, again becoming a toll road. I-90 then runs directly southeast to the Indiana state line, and becomes the Indiana Toll Road at the state line.

Directional system

Often confusing to non-residents is the direction system for I-90/94, in which signs that say "I-90/I-94 West" go north-northwest and signs that say "I-90/I-94 East" go south-southeast. This naming system is due to the overall direction of the freeway. Westbound I-90 runs physically northward to Wisconsin and eventually to Seattle. Eastbound I-90 runs physically southward and then turns east into Indiana and eventually to Boston.

Chicago Skyway designation

Historically, the Chicago Skyway was signed as, and was widely considered to be part of, I-90 from the mid-1960s forward (after I-90 in this area had been swapped with I-94). However, around 1999, the City of Chicago realized they had never received official approval to designate the Skyway as I-90. The city subsequently replaced most of the "I-90" signage with "TO I-90/I-94" signage. However, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) has always and continues to report the Skyway as part of the Interstate Highway System, and the Federal Highway Administration also considers the Chicago Skyway an official part of I-90.^[2]

The Skyway's official name, referring to it as a "toll bridge" rather than a "toll road", is the result of a legal quirk. At the time of its construction, the city charter of Chicago did not provide the authority to construct a toll road. However, the city could build toll bridges, and it was found that there was no limit to the length of the approaches to the bridge. Therefore, the Skyway is technically a toll bridge with a six-mile-long (9.7 km) approach. This also is part of the reason that there are no exits available until after one has crossed the bridge and paid the toll.^[3]

Tolls

Toll plaza along the Chicago Skyway.

Toll plaza along the Chicago Skyway.

Along the Jane Addams Tollway, there are four mainline toll barriers in each direction—two split plazas and two full plazas. The barriers are located around the O'Hare International Airport area (River Road eastbound and Devon Avenue westbound), in Elgin, near Marengo (eastbound), in Belvidere (westbound), and in South Beloit. I-39 travelers exiting or entering at Rockford paid at the Cherry Valley toll plaza, but that toll plaza has been decommissioned southbound in 2003 and northbound in 2004 due to traffic congestion.^[4]

In February 2006, the Marengo westbound and the Belvidere eastbound toll plazas were removed. Two two-toll plazas near O'Hare and the one in Elgin each charge cash tolls of $1.50 (as of January 1, 2012) and I-Pass tolls of 75 cents for a two-axle passenger vehicle. The South Beloit toll plaza near the Illinois and Wisconsin state line is $1.90 and 95 cents for I-Pass users (formerly $1.00 and 50¢ before 2012). Eastbound traffic does not pay a toll at Belvidere because of the removal of the eastbound Belvidere plaza, but pays $3.00 at Marengo (I-Pass users pay $1.50). On the other hand, westbound traffic pays no toll at Marengo but pays $3.00 at Belvidere (I-Pass users pay $1.50). This change was done to accommodate open road tolling construction. Originally, a ticket system was used to compute tolls on the segment between Beloit and Elgin with each driver receiving a Hollerith card upon entering and paying upon exiting, but it was replaced with a cash barrier system in the late 1970s. It was the only portion of the Illinois Tollways to use a ticket system.

The current rate for passenger cars and other two-axle vehicles on the Chicago Skyway is $5.00; vehicles with more axles pay higher rates. A discount is given during the overnight hours for vehicles with three or more axles.^[5]

Services

I-90 at the Belvidere Oasis following the 2013-14 rebuild/widen.

One Oasis on the Jane Addams Tollway is sited at Belvidere, an over-highway oasis. This unique rest stop provides several vendors and allows tollway travels to rest, refuel, and eat without having to exit the tollway. Another oasis was previously sited in Des Plaines near O'Hare, but it was closed and demolished in 2014 to make room for the widening of I-90 and the O'Hare West Bypass.^[6] A welcome center is located south of Beloit, Wisconsin, that is located on the IDOT portion of the highway between the border with Wisconsin and Illinois tollway control.

At the Chicago Skyway's toll plaza, a McDonald's was at highway grade in the road's median until July 2015.^[7]

Golden Corridor

From O'Hare to Huntley, the region around the Jane Addams Tollway is sometimes referred to as the "Golden Corridor", due to the proximity of commercial and business activity located along the corridor in northwest suburban Chicago. A number of Fortune 500 companies, large malls, hotels, entertainment and exhibition facilities, restaurants, and retailers are located along the corridor.

History

Jane Addams Memorial Tollway

The 76-mile (122 km) Northwest Tollway portion of I-90 opened on August 20, 1958.^[8] Prior to the opening, the first vehicle to officially travel the new roadway was a covered wagon navigated by local resident John Madsen who took 5 days to make the journey.^[9]

On September 7, 2007, the Northwest Tollway was renamed the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway after Jane Addams, the Nobel Peace Prize winner and founder of the Settlement House movement in the United States.^[10][11]

The Illinois Tollway's 2005–2012 Congestion-Relief Program provided $644.1 million in improvements to the I-90 corridor.^[12] The most prominent projects were the reconstruction of the I-90/I-39 interchange to improve traffic flow and reconstructing and widening the tollway to six lanes between I-39 and Rockton Road. This construction started in 2008 and was completed by the end of 2009.^[13]

As part of the Tollway's $12 billion capital program, Move Illinois, over US$2 billion will be spent on improving the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90). Projects include rebuilding and widening the roadway to six lanes between I-39 and Randall Road, and eight lanes between Randall Road and the Kennedy Expressway. The inside shoulders will be widened for future transit opportunities, and active traffic management will be incorporated into the corridor.^[14][15] In addition, almost all of the crossroad bridges will be rebuilt and several interchanges will be reconfigured/expanded.^[16]

Chicago Skyway

Chicago Skyway in 1999.

The Chicago Skyway was originally known as the Calumet Skyway.^[17] It cost $101 million (1958, $791 million in 2011) to construct and took about 34 months (nearly 3 years) to build. Nearly 8 miles (13 km) of elevated roadway, the Chicago Skyway was originally built as a shortcut from State Street, a major north-south street on Chicago's South Side that serves the Loop, to the steel mills on the Southeast to the Indiana state line where the Indiana Toll Road begins. Later, when the Dan Ryan Expressway opened, the Chicago Skyway was extended west to connect to it. There are only two eastbound exits east of the toll barrier, whereas there are four westbound exits west of the toll barrier (so that no exits are available until one has crossed the bridge and paid the toll). The Chicago Skyway opened to traffic on April 16, 1958.^[17][18]

In the 1960s, the newly constructed Dan Ryan Expressway and the neighboring Calumet Expressway, Kingery Expressway and Borman Expressway provided free alternatives to the tollway, and the Skyway became much less used. As a result, from the 1970s through the early 1990s, the Skyway was unable to repay revenue bonds used in its construction.^[19]

Traffic volumes have rebounded in recent years, (to 47,700 vehicles per day)^[20] partially because of the construction of casinos in Northwest Indiana, along with re-construction of the Dan Ryan, Kingery and Borman Expressways. The city of Chicago claims a record number of motorists used the Skyway in 2002.

In 2003 and 2004, the city of Chicago initiated a $250 million project to rehabilitate and widen the Skyway. The project involved extensive work on the cantilever span and its approaches that included replacing the bridge's structural steel, rebuilding the piers that support the structure, and reconstructing the bridge deck. Because the city of Chicago required the Skyway to remain open during construction, engineers had to construct temporary bridge piers that would bear the load of the bridge and its traffic while new piers were built. The bridge was lifted up onto the temporary piers using 600 ton hydraulic jacks, the old piers were removed, and new ones were built. Crews also devised innovative methods for replacing the bridge's structural steel, replacing steel members one at a time. This process involved installing hydraulic chords around the component to be replaced. The bridge load was then transferred to the hydraulic chord, the steel member was removed and a new steel member was then installed.^[21]

In June 2005, the Skyway became compatible with electronic toll collection, with users now able to pay tolls using I-PASS or E-ZPass transponders. There is no discount for using a transponder.

The city of Chicago's Department of Streets and Sanitation formerly maintained the Chicago Skyway Toll Bridge System. A transaction that gave the city of Chicago a $1.83 billion cash infusion leased the Skyway to the Skyway Concession Company (SCC), a joint-venture between the Australian Macquarie Infrastructure Group and Spanish Cintra Concesiones de Infraestructuras de Transporte S.A., which assumed operations on the Skyway on a 99–year operating lease. SCC will be responsible for all operating and maintenance costs of the Skyway but has the right to all toll and concession revenue. The Triple-A bond insurer Financial Security Assurance Inc. (FSA) has guaranteed $1.4 billion of senior bonds to provide long-term funding for the privately operated Chicago Skyway. On June 30, 2006, this same joint-venture assumed responsibility for operating and maintaining the adjacent Indiana East–West Toll Road for $3.8 billion. The agreement between SCC and the city of Chicago marked the first time an existing toll road was moved from public to private operation in the United States.^[22]

The SCC has been owned by a consortium of Canadian pension funds (Borealis Infrastructure, Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, and CPP Investment Board) since February 2016.^[23]

Exit list

County	Location	mi[1]	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Winnebago	South Beloit	0.00	0.00		I-39 north / I-90 west – Madison	Continuation into Wisconsin
		0.29	0.47	1	US 51 north / IL 75 – South Beloit	Western end of US 51 overlap
	Rockton	2.71	4.36	3	CR 9 (Rockton Road) – Roscoe	Northwestern end of Jane Addams Memorial Tollway
		3.60	5.79	South Beloit Toll Plaza
	Rockford	8.94	14.39	9	IL 173 (West Lane Road) – Machesney Park
		12.47	20.07	12	East Riverside Boulevard – Loves Park
		15.76	25.36	15	US 20 Bus. (State Street)
		17.40	28.00	17	I-39 south / US 51 south to US 20 – Bloomington	Eastern end of I-39 / US 51 overlap. To Chicago Rockford International Airport via US 20 West
Boone	Belvidere	20.40	32.83	21	Irene Road
		22.93	36.90	Belvidere Toll Plaza (westbound)
		23.51	37.84	Belvidere Tollway Oasis
		24.62	39.62	25	Belvidere–Genoa Road – Belvidere
McHenry	Riley	37.39	60.17	Marengo Toll Plaza (eastbound)
Kane	Hampshire	41.54	66.85	42	US 20 – Marengo, Hampshire
	Huntley	46.02	74.06	47	IL 47 – Huntley, Woodstock, Elburn	I-PASS only
	Elgin	51.78	83.33	52	CR 34 (Randall Road)
		53.42	85.97	Elgin Toll Plaza
		54.22	87.26	54	IL 31 (State Street, 8th Street) – Elgin, Carpentersville, St. Charles, Geneva
Kane–Cook county line		55.95	90.04	56	IL 25 (Dundee Avenue)
Cook	Hoffman Estates	57.77	92.97	58	Beverly Road	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance only
		59.31	95.45	59	IL 59 (Sutton Road) – Barrington, Hoffman Estates, Streamwood, Bartlett
		61.81	99.47	62	Barrington Road – Barrington, Hoffman Estates, Streamwood, Hanover Park	Interchange under construction; expected to be completed in the middle of 2017
	Schaumburg	65.19	104.91	65	Roselle Road – Schaumburg, Palatine, Roselle, Hoffman Estates	A new entrance ramp to westbound I-90 from Central Road will be built by Cook County[24]
		66.93	107.71	67	Meacham Road	I-PASS only; westbound exit and entrance only, no access from I-290 and IL 53 ramp
	Rolling Meadows	67.84	109.18	68	I-290 east (Eisenhower Expressway) / IL 53 – Chicago, West Suburbs, Northwest Suburbs	Signed as exits 68A (I-290) and 68B (IL 53); to I-355 (Veterans Memorial Tollway); to IL 390 (formerly the Elgin-O'Hare Expressway)
	Arlington Heights	70.47	113.41	70	Arlington Heights Road – Arlington Heights, Elk Grove, Rolling Meadows
	Des Plaines	73.25	117.88	73	Elmhurst Road – Des Plaines, Mount Prospect, Elk Grove Village, Bensenville	to IL 83
		75.80	121.99	76	IL 72 (Lee Street)	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance only
	Rosemont	76.75	123.52	Devon Avenue Toll Plaza (westbound)
		77.03	123.97	—	IL 72 / Devon Avenue	Westbound entrance only
		77.20– 78.65	124.24– 126.57	77/78	I-190 west (Kennedy Expressway) – O'Hare Airport I-294 (Tri-State Tollway) – Indiana, Milwaukee	Signed as exits 77A (I-294 south/I-190 west) and 77B (I-294 north) eastbound; signed as exits 77 (I-294 north) and 78 (I-294 south/I-190 west) westbound
		78.20	125.85	River Road Toll Plaza (eastbound)
	Chicago	78.49	126.32	Southeastern end of Jane Addams Memorial Tollway Northwestern end of Kennedy Expressway
		79.28	127.59	79	IL 171 south (Cumberland Avenue)	Signed as exits 79A (south) and 79B (north)
		79.99	128.73	80	Canfield Road	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance only
		80.84	130.10	81A	IL 43 (Harlem Avenue)
		81.14	130.58	81B	Sayre Avenue	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance only
		81.85	131.72	82A	Nagle Avenue	No westbound exit
		82.09	132.11	82B	Bryn Mawr Avenue	Westbound exit only
		82.31	132.47	82C	Austin Avenue	Eastbound exit only
		82.79	133.24	83A	Foster Avenue	No eastbound exit
		83.01	133.59	83B	Central Avenue	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance only
		83.71	134.72	84	Lawrence Avenue	Eastbound To I-94
		84.35– 84.59	135.75– 136.13	—	I-94 west (Edens Expressway) – Milwaukee	Western end of I-94 overlap; westbound exit and eastbound entrance only; western end of reversible express lanes
		84.77	136.42	43C	Montrose Avenue	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance only
		85.03	136.84	43D	Kostner Avenue	Westbound exit only
		85.39– 85.62	137.42– 137.79	44A	IL 19 (Irving Park Road) / Keeler Avenue	No westbound exit
		85.62– 85.81	137.79– 138.10	44B	IL 19 (Irving Park Road) / Pulaski Road	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance only
		86.34	138.95	45A	Addison Street
		86.77	139.64	45B	Kimball Avenue
		87.08	140.14	45C	Belmont Avenue	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance only
		87.64	141.04	—	Sacramento Avenue	Eastbound entrance only
		87.79	141.28	46A	California Avenue	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance only
		87.96	141.56	46B	Diversey Avenue	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance only
		88.53– 88.90	142.48– 143.07	47A	Western Avenue, Fullerton Avenue	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance from Western Avenue
		89.08	143.36	47B	Damen Avenue	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance only
		89.52	144.07	48A	Armitage Avenue	Eastbound traffic uses Armitage Avenue to Ashland Avenue
		90.10	145.00	48B	IL 64 (North Avenue)	Westbound traffic uses North Avenues to Ashland Avenue
		90.66	145.90	49A	Division Street
		90.91	146.31	49B	Augusta Boulevard, Milwaukee Avenue	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance only
		91.40	147.09	50A	Ogden Avenue	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance only
		91.62	147.45	50B	Ohio Street	Eastern end of reversible express lanes
		92.19	148.37	51A	Lake Street	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance only
		92.27	148.49	51B	Randolph Street west
		92.34	148.61	51C	Washington Boulevard east	Exits only; no entrances
		92.44	148.77	51D	Madison Street
		92.53	148.91	51E	Monroe Street	Eastbound exit only
		92.62	149.06	51F	Adams Street west	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance only
		92.71	149.20	51G	Jackson Boulevard east	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance only
		92.72– 93.35	149.22– 150.23	51H 51I	I-290 / IL 110 (CKC) west (Eisenhower Expressway) – West Suburbs Congress Parkway – Chicago Loop	Circle Interchange; signed as exits 51H (west) and 51I (east); southeastern end of Kennedy Expressway and northern end of Dan Ryan Expressway
		93.42	150.34	52A	Taylor Street, Roosevelt Road	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance only
		93.57	150.59	52B	Roosevelt Road, Taylor Street	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance only
		94.22	151.63	52C	18th Street	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance only
		94.22– 96.04	151.63– 154.56	53B 53C	I-55 south (Stevenson Expressway) – St. Louis I-55 north (Stevenson Expressway) / Lake Shore Drive, Cermak Road – Chinatown	Signed as exits 53B (south) and 53C (north) westbound; Cermak Road access from westbound only; western end of express lanes
		94.48	152.05	53A	Canalport Avenue, Cermak Road	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance only; Chinatown exit
		96.16	154.75	54	31st Street
		96.45	155.22	55A	35th Street	U.S. Cellular Field, Illinois Institute of Technology
		96.98	156.07	55B	Pershing Road
		97.44	156.81	56A	43rd Street
		97.97	157.67	56B	47th Street
		98.88	159.13	57	Garfield Boulevard
		99.50	160.13	58A	59th Street	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance only
		100.00	160.93	58B	63rd Street	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance only
100.00– 100.33		160.93– 161.47	—	I-94 east (Dan Ryan Expressway) – Indiana	Eastern end of I-94 overlap; eastern end of express lanes; western end of Chicago Skyway
100.33		161.47	100	State Street	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance only
101.42		163.22	101	St. Lawrence Avenue	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance only
101.78		163.80	102	73rd Street	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance only
103.04– 103.33		165.83– 166.29	103	Stony Island Avenue to Lake Shore Drive	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance only
103.93		167.26	—	Jeffery Boulevard, 84th Street	Eastbound entrance only
104.28		167.82	104	87th Street	Westbound exit
104.67		168.45	Chicago Skyway Toll Plaza
105.26		169.40	105	Anthony Avenue, 92nd Street	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance only
105.82– 106.21		170.30– 170.93	Chicago Skyway Toll Bridge
107.82		173.52	107	US 12 / US 20 / US 41 (Indianapolis Boulevard)	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance only
				I-90 east / Indiana Toll Road east to I-80 / I-65 / I-94 – Toledo, Ohio	Continuation into Indiana; eastern end of Chicago Skyway
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       ETC       Incomplete access       Route transition       Unopened

Related routes

• I-190 - a spur into O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. Also known as the Kennedy Expressway O'Hare Extension or the O'Hare Expressway.
• I-290 - a southwest dogleg left route accessing the west suburbs and heading east into downtown Chicago. Also known as the Dwight D. Eisenhower Expressway.

See also

• List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in Illinois

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Interstate 90 in Illinois and Chicago Skyway.

Route map: Google

• Illinois Tollway official site
• Official website of the Chicago Skyway
• Chicago Department of Transportation
• Description and history at Richard Carlson's Illinois Highways
• Historic, Current & Average Travel Times For The Jane Addams Tollway
• Best of Transportation Page
• Chicago Skyway (I-90) at Steve Anderson's ChicagoRoads.com
• Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. IL-145, "Chicago Skyway Toll Bridge"
• Chicago Skyway High Bridge at Structurae

Interstate 90
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