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Tollway advances barrier‑free plaza conversions and fiber expansion; Plaza 47 work starts
Summary
Tollway staff reported continued conversion of toll plazas to barrier‑free, all‑electronic tolling, including work that has begun at Plaza 47 on the South Tri‑State near Halsted Street, and said it will advertise tier‑2 plaza design contracts and expand fiber optic capacity along the corridor.
Chief Engineering Officer Menar told the committee that the Tollway is continuing its conversion of toll plazas to a barrier‑free, all‑electronic toll collection system and is taking a phased approach with tiered plazas.
"The goals are improved traffic operations, address aging infrastructure at our plaza locations, and then remove the roadway obstacles and barriers, that aren't needed anymore, due to our conversion to all electronic tolling," Menar said.
Menar presented Plaza 47 on the South Tri‑State near Halsted Street as an example of a tier‑1 location where construction is just getting started; he showed a rendering that removes the large canopy and replaces it with over‑road monotubes to house tolling equipment and new plaza buildings on each side of the roadway. He referenced the Thornton Quarry adjacent to the site and noted the heavy truck presence on the South Tri‑State.
Staff said they recently advertised four new design contracts for tier‑2 plaza work under the Bridging the Future program and that those designs will be followed by construction management contracts. Menar also said the Tollway is expanding its fiber‑optic system across the corridor and that "the demand for reliable access to fiber is increasing at a rapid rate." The update noted fiber is both an operational support for the Tollway and a revenue source the agency can market to data centers and other developments.
There was no committee vote on the plaza work at the meeting; staff described current contracts in construction and next steps for design and advertisement.
