Chicago-based transportation consulting engineering firm H.W. Lochner, Inc. (Lochner) is the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority’s construction management consultant for the $44.5 million Design-Build project for the proposed improvements of the Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88) between Mile Post 116.7 to Mile Post 117.5, including the Fox River Bridge, IL 31 and IL 31 Ramp Bridge in Kane County, Illinois.
The Fox River Bridge project, one of the first Design-Build contracts in Illinois, increases capacity on the Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88) from two to three lanes with full shoulders in each direction and replicates the appearance of the 51-year-old existing bridge. The project’s major component is the construction of a second 10-span arch bridge over the River to carry three lanes of eastbound traffic. This unique project is the only arch bridge in the Tollway’s 286-mile system. “Every bridge has its own personality,” stated Robert Jetter, P.E., Lochner employee and the Tollway’s resident engineer for the project. “This is very environmentally pleasing.”
The existing route and Fox River Bridge, completed in 1958, was inadequate for today’s travel demands. With an estimated 240,000 daily users, I-88 necessitated rebuilding and widening. Having three lanes travel in each direction compared to two, commuters now experience relief, and there is greater capacity to reduce congestion and reduce travel times, providing numerous benefits to the public. With a realigned intersection and an extended ramp lane from IL 31 to I-88 eastbound, the project is also providing a safe means for the public to get to and from their destinations.
Along with safety, sustainability was foremost in the design process. The concrete in the bridge was typically high strength, which should allow the bridge to withstand the increased traffic load for the next 75 years. The temporary stone access to the river was recycled into the subbase of the new approach pavements. Metal stay-in-place forms were used for the deck construction.
Relocating traffic, working in a confined site, historic rains creating strong currents and rapid water flows, transporting the 92-ton arch segments, adhering to strict environmental regulations, and maintaining the Fox Valley Park District’s bicycle trail have been significant challenges to completing the project. Despite its myriad of complications, the 10-span arch bridge over the Fox River in the western suburbs of Chicago remains on schedule and on budget.
Lochner is a leader in providing innovative solutions in transportation engineering, planning, consulting and construction management with corporate headquarters in Chicago, Illinois. Established in 1944, Lochner is independently owned and operated with offices in 17 states. For more information, visit www.hwlochner.com.