I-90 at I-290-Congress Parkway Construction – Jane Byrne Interchange, Adams St. and Jackson Blvd.

Adjacent to the west end of Chicago’s central business district, Adams Street and Jackson Boulevard carry Historic Route 66 over the Kennedy Expressway (I-90/94). The corridors are part of the Jane Byrne interchange (formerly known as the Circle interchange), which is one of the most congested in the nation with an average daily traffic count of over 400,000 vehicles. One of multiple projects to replace the interchange’s aging infrastructure, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) is replacing the Adams Street and Jackson Boulevard bridges. The $43M construction project also includes constructing six retaining walls, reconstructing or relocating I-90/94 on/off ramps, improving drainage, and widening sidewalks. Improvements to Jackson Boulevard include the installation of an eastbound bicycle lane. Lochner is providing construction engineering and inspection services.

Lochner is responsible for onsite construction inspection and documentation, coordination of materials inspection, change order management, construction schedule monitoring, reviewing of the contractor’s submittals and coordination of the work with the client and the contractor.

As a result of Adams Street’s proximity to the historic Old St. Patrick’s Church, Lochner is closely monitoring vibration caused by construction to prevent foundation shifts in the church as well as 26 nearby buildings. The devices installed are slope inclinometers, groundwell monitoring devices, tilt meters and Vibration Monitors.

Extensive coordination with stakeholders and adjacent project teams is required to successfully sequence construction work.