Irene Road I-90 Interchange now open to and from West

I-90 Irene Rod Interchange Complete FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

RAMP OPENINGS SCHEDULED AT NEW FULL-ACCESS IRENE ROAD INTERCHANGE  ON THE JANE ADDAMS MEMORIAL TOLLWAY (I-90) $13 million interchange improvements complete, new ramps open  DOWNERS GROVE, IL – The Illinois Tollway is completing the $13 million Irene Road Interchange Project on the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) in Belvidere today with the opening of two new ramps carrying traffic to and from the west. The new ramps at the all-electronic interchange are scheduled to open by 5 p.m. on Friday, December 18, and toll collection will begin on January 1, 2016.  The Irene Road Interchange Project included the construction of new ramps to carry traffic to and from the west, coupled with the Tollway’s reconstruction of the Irene Road Bridge completed in 2013 and construction of a new eastbound entrance ramp completed in 2014. The interchange also provides an existing exit ramp for traffic traveling from westbound I-90 to Irene Road.  “The Illinois Tollway is pleased to open the new ramps at the all-electronic Irene Road Interchange on schedule and provide new access to the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway to our customers,” said Illinois Tollway Executive Director Greg Bedalov. “Built in partnership with Boone County and the city of Belvidere, the full-access interchange is anticipated to provide opportunity for new economic development and employment to the area.”  The Irene Road Interchange is the fifth, all-electronic interchange on the Tollway's system. The Illinois Tollway’s tolling system supports the highest volume of toll payments in the nation, with more than 87 percent of all toll transactions paid electronically through I-PASS or E-ZPass.  I-PASS customers experience faster, safer and more convenient commutes and save time and money. I-PASS customers experience safer commutes because drivers are not required to switch lanes to pay cash. They also help reduce pollution by allowing drivers to maintain highway speeds without having to stop at tollbooths. Toll collection is scheduled to begin on January 1, 2016, on the ramps carrying traffic to and from the west. Tolls for cars with I-PASS will be 55 cents and tolls for trucks will range from $1.70 to $4.50 during daytime hours, with overnight discounts offered. Customers without I-PASS who use the Irene Road Interchange will have seven days to pay their unpaid tolls. The toll rate for cars will be $1.10 for customers who pay their unpaid tolls online at www.illinoistollway.com/tolls-and-i-pass/unpaid-tolls. Tollway customers who would like to pay cash can still do so at the Genoa Road Interchange to the east. The Irene Road Interchange Project is part of the 15-year, $12 billion capital program, Move Illinois: The Illinois Tollway Driving the Future.  Getting Tollway Construction Information I-90 Irene Road Interchange Complete – page 2     The Illinois Tollway has a variety of ways customers can get the latest travel information, including:  www.ilinoistollway.com -  Construction/Planning section, Tollway Trip Calculator, live roadway images and real-time roadway incident/information 1-800-TOLL-FYI-Daily lane closure information www.travelmidwest.com - Real time travel times www.twitter.com - Real time roadway incident information at Tollway Trip 90, Tollway Trip 88, Tollway Trip 355 and Tollway Trip 94/294 About Move Illinois : The Illinois Tollway's 15-year, $12 billion capital program, Move Illinois: The Illinois Tollway Driving the Future, will improve mobility, relieve congestion, reduce pollution, create as many as 120,000 jobs and link economies across the Midwest region. Move Illinois will address the remaining needs of the existing Tollway system; rebuild and widen the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) as a state-of-theart 21st century corridor; construct a new interchange to connect the Tri-State Tollway (I-294) to I-57; build the new, all-electronic Elgin O'Hare Western Access Project and fund planning studies for emerging projects.   About the Illinois Tollway The Illinois Tollway is a user-fee system that receives no state or federal funds for maintenance and operations. The agency maintains and operates 286 miles of interstate tollways in 12 counties in Northern Illinois, including the Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88), the Veterans Memorial Tollway (I-355), the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) and the Tri-State Tollway (I-94/I-294/I-80).