Illinois Tollway reports progress on Move Illinois, approves four engineering items for full board

The Engineering, Planning and Development Oversight Committee of the Illinois Tollway received a progress update on the Move Illinois and Bridging the Future capital programs and approved placement of four engineering items on the full board agenda.

Menar Nash, the tollway’s chief engineering officer, told the committee that the Move Illinois program has delivered the bulk of projects planned over the past decade. “In total, on this program, the board has awarded 904 contracts valued at approximately $13,400,000,000,” Nash said, adding that that figure represents about 88% of the program’s $15,000,000,000 budget.

The update focused on two of the program’s largest projects: the Central Tri‑State corridor and the I‑490 corridor. Nash said the Central Tri‑State work is roughly 84% complete and the I‑490 corridor is about 69% complete. He described ongoing construction at heavily traveled interchanges, relocation of runway lighting at O’Hare International Airport for I‑490 construction, and complex railroad bridge work where the tollway must coordinate with freight and commuter railroads.

Why it matters: the committee’s work advances contract approvals and extra work orders that keep multi‑year construction schedules on track. Officials said the program generated substantial regional economic activity and contractor participation: Nash reported more than $3 billion paid to DBE firms, about $146 million to veteran‑owned firms, nearly 1,900 unique subcontractors, and nearly 40,000 jobs supported by program work. He also noted the program had banked roughly $20 million in bid credits and enrolled 220 firms in the Tollway’s small business initiative since January 2021.

Committee members and staff described current and future risks to delivery, including interagency coordination, remaining land transfers, ongoing railroad coordination, permitting and utility relocations (including jet fuel pipelines near O’Hare). Nash said the tollway is monitoring those risks and adjusting schedules and work sequencing as needed.

Committee action: the panel considered four items (presented together) and voted by voice to consolidate them for consideration and to place them on the full board agenda. The four items described in the committee presentation were:

- Item 1: a construction contract award for plaza improvements on the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I‑90) from Barrington Road to Arlington Heights Road. The recommended award was to K5 Construction Corporation, the low bidder, for $13,804,906.91. The work includes conversion of four plazas to a barrier‑free system, ramped pavement and shoulder replacement, plaza removals, installation of monotubes, lighting, pavement marking and signing, electrical work and maintenance of traffic. Nash said the low bid was above estimate primarily because electrical contractors are highly busy, and that K5 used previously earned bid credits to maintain a low bid.

- Item 2: an extra work order in the amount of $4,500,000 for contract I214732 with Walsh Construction to modify the design of a Union Pacific railroad bridge (part of the I‑490 corridor railroad relocations). Nash said the modifications — including drilled shafts up to 85 feet deep capable of supporting large loads — are intended to expedite construction and coordinate with Canadian Pacific operations at the intermodal yard.

- Item 3: an extra work order for $6,600,000 to Loring Construction for schedule recovery on the Central Tri‑State (Ogden Avenue to Cermak Road). Nash said differing site conditions — notably encountering bedrock at a higher elevation than anticipated while constructing a long retaining wall — require premium time (extended shifts and weekend work), resequencing and retaining‑wall modifications to regain schedule alignment with adjacent contracts.

- Item 4: an amendment to an emergency contract with Mead Incorporated, not to exceed $500,000, to provide temporary, systemwide intelligent transportation system (ITS) field equipment maintenance while a new solicitation is completed. Nash said the ITS equipment supports the tollway’s 24/7 traffic operations center and must be maintained without interruption; the emergency amendment bridges operations until a new contract from an advertised solicitation is in place.

The committee moved and seconded consolidation and placement of items 1–4 on the full board agenda; the chair called for a voice vote and the motion carried. The committee’s recommendation is to forward the consolidated package to the full board for action at the March 4 board meeting.

Nash invited directors to field tours when weather allows and committed to continued monitoring of costs and schedule impacts. Director Sweeney and other board members asked operational questions about traffic relief at a major interchange and about coordination with freight rail and the FAA for O’Hare runway work; Nash provided operational responses and schedule context.

The committee approved the minutes of its Feb. 20, 2025 meeting earlier in the session by voice vote and concluded after the engineering items were forwarded to the full board.

Notes on attribution: quotes and attributions in this article come from committee remarks recorded in the meeting transcript and are attributed to the speakers listed below.