Illinois Route 390

Route description

IL 390 is a highway located about five to seven miles (8.0 to 11.3 km) to the south of Interstate 90 (I-90), which it parallels. From US 20, the highway travels over a half-mile-long (0.8 km) bridge over the Metra Milwaukee District West Line tracks, and some wetlands. The highway then enters Cook County from DuPage County and intersects IL 19 (Irving Park Road). At Meacham Road, the highway crosses back south into DuPage County.

A four-lane arterial roadway continues east, named Thorndale Avenue. This road terminates at York Road near the western border of O'Hare Airport. Thorndale is currently being replaced with the eastern extension of IL 390.

History

Although the concept of an Elgin–O'Hare Expressway dates back to the 1960s, the highway was not seriously considered until the late 1980s. Around that time, congestion was rapidly increasing on local roads, especially US 20 (Lake Street). Although Lake Street was extensively widened prior to the completion of the highway, initially to Glen Ellyn Road and then to the Roselle-Bloomingdale border nearly ten years later, its capacity was still insufficient for the rapidly growing western suburbs. Construction on the highway began around 1991 and was completed two years later. Governor Jim Edgar opened the highway at an afternoon ceremony on November 2, 1993.

When the highway first opened, both of its termini had traffic signals with major arterial roads in the area. This arrangement caused large backups during weekday rush hours. According to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), average daily traffic counts (in 2003) for IL 390 are 39,600 vehicles for the western two miles (3.2 km) and around 82,000 to 87,000 cars per day for the remainder.

On October 29, 2013, IDOT announced that the highway was re-designated IL 390 at groundbreaking ceremonies for the Elgin–O’Hare Western Access Project.

Current status

The Illinois State Toll Highway Authority (ISHTA) has started an ambitious eastward extension of IL 390 to a new interchange on the western border of O'Hare International Airport, where it will meet the planned I-490 connecting I-90 to the north and I-294 to the south. This interchange may also incorporate ramps into a planned western terminal at O'Hare. The official groundbreaking for the expansion took place on October 29, 2013.

The highway will follow an alignment close to that of the existing Thorndale Avenue, through the communities of Itasca, Wood Dale, Elk Grove Village, and Bensenville.

Construction on the eastern extension began in 2013. The first part was a rehabilitation and widening of the existing Elgin–O'Hare Tollway, especially construction of noise control walls. The road will then be extended eastward to the western edge of O'Hare, where it will be connected to the O'Hare West Bypass. Toll collection on the existing segment began in 2016. The entire eastern extension is expected to be completed by late 2017.

Future

As of 2016, a feasibility study is underway on the western extension of IL 390 from US 20 to North Avenue, as well as improvements to US 20 between North Avenue and Shales Parkway. However, unlike the original plans, the entire extension is proposed to be an arterial road rather than a limited access freeway or tollway.

Exit list

There are six exits as of 2014.