Design and Construction Report staff writer
The Illinois Tollway Board of Directors has approved seven construction and professional engineering contracts worth more than $84.8 million to support toll plaza upgrades and infrastructure improvements across the system.
The contracts, awarded at the board’s August meeting, include major construction projects on the Tri-State (I-294) and Reagan Memorial (I-88) tollways, as well as design services for bridge and toll plaza reconstruction and systemwide technology upgrades.
“Contracts being approved today ensure we are continuing to advance improvements at toll plazas systemwide to support a barrier-free Tollway system and better serve our customers,” Illinois Tollway Executive Director Cassaundra Rouse said. “This work will improve traffic operations, address aging infrastructure and eliminate roadway obstacles that are no longer necessary with the transition to cashless tolling.”
The August construction contracts include:
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$29.4 million to F. H. Paschen, S.N. Nielsen & Associates of Chicago for toll plaza improvements on I-294 between 159th Street and Cermak Road.
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$24.4 million to K-Five Construction Corp. of Westmont for toll plaza improvements on I-88 between Orchard Road and Farnsworth Avenue.
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$9.9 million to Aldridge Electric Inc. of Libertyville for active traffic management systems, fiber-optic installation, and other technology upgrades on I-294 between North Avenue and Balmoral Avenue.
Professional engineering services contracts awarded include:
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$7.7 million to V3 Companies of Woodridge for design services for bridge reconstruction on I-294 at Chicago Road and Vincennes Road.
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$5.8 million to Gotham Engineering/RailPros of Illinois (Irving, Texas) and A. Epstein and Sons International of Chicago for bridge reconstruction design on I-294 at the Union Pacific Railroad.
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$4.7 million to Bravo Company Engineering of Montgomery for design services for toll plaza improvements on the Veterans Memorial Tollway (I-355).
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$3 million to American Veteran Engineering of Lombard for on-call construction management services for intelligent transportation systems.
The Tollway highlighted diversity participation in the August contracts, noting commitments from 35 disadvantaged, minority- and women-owned business enterprises (D/M/WBE) and eight veteran-owned firms. Participation ranges from 15 to 44 percent per contract for D/M/WBEs and 2.04 to 56 percent for veteran-owned businesses.
So far in 2025, the Tollway Board has approved more than $350.6 million in contracts, including $232.8 million as part of the 16-year, $15 billion Move Illinois capital program and $117.8 million under the new seven-year, $2 billion Bridging the Future plan. The agency’s 2025 capital budget calls for $1.15 billion in overall investment.
