2002 Eminent Conceptor | 2002 Honor | 2002 Special Achievment | 2002 Merit

PARSONS BRINCKERHOFF QUADE & DOUGLAS
I-290 Eisenhower Expressway - Hillside Interchange
"Taming the Hillside Strangler"
Owner/Client: Illinois: Alfred Benesch & Company; Singh & Associates, Inc.; Shah Engineering; Huff & Huff, Inc.; Avila & Associates, Inc.; Bowman, Barrett & Associates, Inc.; Knight Infrastructure; McClure Engineering Associates, Inc.; Smith Engineering Consultants, Inc.; O'Brien & Associates;RSV Engineering. Ohio: So Deep, Inc.

The I-290 Hillside Interchange, west of Chicago, had been identified as one of the most congested bottlenecks in the U.S. To significantly improve traffic flow, 3 to 4 years earlier than would normally be possible, the Illinois Department of Transportation and its prime engineering consultant, Parsons Brinckerhoff, worked hand in hand to fast track the normal 48-month design process into 18 months.

The project incorporates a number of innovative techniques including: partnering, accommodating a future HOV solution (the state's first), and extensive use of ITS technology. The project features advance ramps and a collector-distributor (CD) roadway; reconstruction and/or replacement of 8 bridges; and multiple improvements to adjacent roadways. The majority of the project was opened on October 24, 2001 in a ceremony attended by Illinois Governor George Ryan and other dignitaries. The project is on schedule to be fully opened to traffic by January 1, 2002.