Illinois
Illinois Tollway Board approves billion-dollar, multi-year capital plan
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/27FFSN3UHFAE3OWMVENFTZQD2U.jpg?ssl=1 "Illinois Tollway Board approves billion-dollar, multi-year capital plan")
DIXON — The Illinois Tollway Board of Directors has approved a new seven-year capital plan to support ongoing infrastructure projects and bridge the gap between the “Move Illinois” program and the agency’s next long-term capital plan, “Bridging the Future.”
The $2 billion “Bridging the Future” capital plan will help modernize the Illinois Tollway’s infrastructure to help support future projects while addressing maintenance issues along the five roadways on the Tollway system, including the Tri-State Tollway (I-94/I-294/I-80), the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90), the Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88), the Veterans Memorial Tollway (I-355) and the Illinois Route 390 Tollway.
‘Bridging the Future’ overview
- Connecting infrastructure – $258 million will be spent on interchange work, including the I-355/I-88 interchange, state Route 390 Tollway at County Farm Road and the I-88 at York Road/22nd Street interchanges. Improvements will also be made to the Lake Cook Road Bridge over I-94.
- Improving mobility – $725 million will be spent on bridge reconstruction and widening projects, including local crossroad and mainline bridges on I-294, railroad bridges on I-294 and I-88 and crossroad bridge reconstruction at the north end of I-94.
- Modernizing the system – $532 million will be spent on system upgrades and maintenance systemwide, including bridge repairs, pavement rehabilitation and funding for improvements to toll plazas and tollway facilities.
- Preparing for the future – $485 million will be allocated for technology investments in active traffic management, upgrades to back-office systems and support for pilot programs and studies.
“The Bridging the Future capital plan is a smart and balanced approach that ensures the completion of critical improvements as we continue the engagement necessary to advance our long-term capital planning process,” Board Chairman Arnie Rivera said. “The Illinois Tollway Board has a fiscal responsibility to prioritize strategic regional projects with system upkeep to leverage funds efficiently.”
No changes to the tollway’s current tolling structure or any further debt financing are expected to fund “Bridging the Future” outside of what is already planned for the “Move Illinois” program, according to a news release.
“Throughout the past year, we’ve been gathering stakeholder and community input as part of our long-term strategic and capital planning process, and one thing we’ve heard across the board is that customers, communities and contractors don’t want to see a pause in progress or wait for the next capital program to begin,” Executive Director Cassaundra Rouse said. “The Bridging the Future plan will help keep our regional economic engine primed, delivering jobs and contract opportunities and also ensuring our planned infrastructure improvements remain on track.”
“Move Illinois,” the tollway’s current $15 billion capital program, is expected to finish by the end of 2027. The program has already accomplished several milestones, including the 2017 completion of state Route 390, the rebuilt Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) with its SmartRoad corridor and the 2022 interchange connecting I-294 to I-57.
Construction of the new I-490 Tollway, including reconstruction and widening of the Central Tri-State Tollway (I-294), is on schedule for completion.
The Illinois Tollway is a user-funded system without federal or state funding for its maintenance and operations. It oversees 294 miles of roadways across 12 counties in Northern Illinois.
For more information, visit illinoistollway.com.
Illinois
Thousands of birds could migrate over the Chicago area this week, and here’s how to protect them
Thousands upon thousands of birds are expected to cross over Illinois as part of their spring migrations in coming days.
Thursday night saw the highest migration totals of the season so far, but researchers at Cornell believe that Sunday and Monday nights could see even more avian traffic in the skies over the Chicago area, with hundreds of thousands of birds expected to traverse the area.
According to estimates from Birdcast, Sunday night and into Monday morning there could be “medium” activity for migrating birds, with thousands of birds per kilometer flying over the area.
Even more birds are expected to take flight Monday night and into Tuesday morning thanks to favorable weather conditions, with a “high” number of birds expected to take to the skies over the Chicago area.
According to estimates, up to 383 million birds could be in flight over the central United States during the peak of the migration overnight.
On Thursday night the Chicago area experienced its busiest night of the spring migration season so far, with more than 367,000 birds having been estimated to have passed over Cook County alone.
In all, more than 23,000,000 birds are believed to have crossed the state of Illinois so far during the spring migration.
Among the primary birds expected to be flying through the area are American Redstarts, Magnolia Warblers, Baltimore Orioles and Indigo Buntings, according to researchers at the CornellLab.
As millions of birds continue visiting the Chicago area, here are some steps that residents can take to keep them safe.
When do birds typically migrate?
Peak migration for birds over the state of Illinois occurs in mid-to-late May, with hundreds of different species heading north for the summer breeding season.
Those migration flights for songbirds and other species typically take place in the overnight hours. According to experts, birds typically take flight 30-to-45 minutes after sunset, with the greatest number of birds in flight typically seen approximately two-to-three hours later.
When should residents turn lights off?
One of the best ways to help protect birds is to turn off lights during peak migration times.
According to Birdcast, the best time to turn off or dim exterior lights and interior lights is between the hours of 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., when most birds are active.
Bright lights can disorient and attract birds, making them vulnerable to collisions and to predators on the ground, according to the website.
Hundreds of millions of birds are killed each year in collisions with buildings, and residents and businesses are being asked to do their part to keep the creatures safe.
In addition to turning off unneeded exterior lights, residents and businesses are also asked to dim or turn off lights in lobbies, and to draw blinds to help keep light from escaping through windows.
Finally, exterior lights should be aimed downward and be well-shielded so that birds aren’t attracted to them.
Are there other steps?
Another key step in protecting birds is to bring pet cats inside during overnight hours.
According to the American Bird Conservancy, cats kill an estimated 2.4 billion birds in the United States every year, and during migration season those impacts can be even more devastating, as exhausted birds typically seek refuge in plants and trees to rest on their journeys, making them vulnerable to attack.
Since cats like to hunt at night, active migrating birds can be a target, leading to experts asking residents to keep animals inside when possible.
Police are investigating after a motorcyclist was killed in a crash in suburban Oswego on Saturday afternoon.
Officers responded to the 4000 block of Route 34 near Wolf Road for the crash around 1:42 p.m. The motorcyclist was unconscious and was receiving CPR when officers arrived.
They took over medical care until paramedics arrived and took the victim, identified as a 20-year-old man, to a local hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
The victim’s identity is being withheld pending an autopsy scheduled for Monday, police said.
Initial reports say the victim was traveling eastbound on Route 34 when he hit an enclosed trailer being towed by a van. According to the police, the van was also traveling eastbound and was attempting to make a right turn into a driveway when the crash occurred.
The driver and passenger in the van were not hurt, police said.
Route 34 was closed between Wolf Road and Boulder Hill Pass for four hours for crash reconstruction.
The crash remains under investigation pending completion of the traffic crash reconstruction report.
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