Work is scheduled to begin Sunday, August 3, on the new entrance ramp from 88th/Cork Avenue to the southbound Tri-State Tollway in Justice as part of the massive Central Tri-State Tollway Project.
The $39 million 88th/Cork interchange was just one part of the $4 billion Central Tri-State project.
The interchange has been a dream of Justice Mayor Kris Wasowicz for years and has been in the planning stages for years.
“The project will facilitate investment in and redevelopment of the Village of Justice and several surrounding communities while improving efficiencies for freight related companies for more cost-effective shipping and logistics and will create employment opportunities and mobility for the region,” Wasowicz said when groundbreaking on the project began in 2022. Work is scheduled to be complete by the end of 2026.
Area residents may remember when there was an exit ramp from northbound Interstate 294 to 88th/Cork Avenue. It was removed in 1992 as a perceived safety threat to a nearby school, which itself was closed a few years later.
The new interchange is located within an enterprise zone created by the Village of Justice and will encourage new construction and support job creation in the village, as well as opening up an entryway to Justice and other surrounding communities to relieve traffic congestion and provide easier access to destinations including freight related businesses and SeatGeek Stadium.
On Sunday, Industrial Drive at 88th/Cork Avenue is scheduled to close to traffic to begin ramp construction. Access to local businesses will be maintained throughout construction.
Construction of the new ramp will allow traffic in both directions on 88th/Cork Avenue to access southbound I-294. Industrial Drive will be permanently closed, and access to businesses in the area will be maintained via a new extension of 81st Street.
The interchange project is a collaboration between the Tollway Authority, the Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways, the Village of Justice and the Illinois Department of Transportation.
A northbound ramp connecting 88th/Cork Avenue to theTri-State has already been completed. That work included widening the 88th/Cork bridge over Interstate 294 to provide a southbound left-turn lane as well as additional pedestrian and bicycle access. The project also includes noisewalls, drainage and lighting improvements.
Local road improvements are being built by Cook County and include reconstruction and widening of 88th/Cork Avenue and Oak Grove Avenue from south of 81st Street to north of Archer Avenue. New frontage roads will be built between 88th Avenue and 81st Street and intersection improvements will be made at 88th Avenue and 81st Street and at the southbound I-294 entrance ramp. Intersection improvements are also planned for the Archer Avenue and Oak Grove Avenue and Oak Grove Avenue and 79th Street intersections. Construction will mean reduced lanes on Archer, Oak Grove, 79th and 88th Avenue.
The new interchange is designed to be compatible with a new ramp connecting southbound Archer Avenue to northbound I-294.
Information about the 88th/Cork Avenue Interchange Project including maps and construction updates is available on the Tollway’s website at www.illinoistollway.com in the Projects section.
Construction signage will be in place in advance to alert drivers to each of the closures. Up-to-date closure information will be posted on the Tollway website in the Daily Construction Alert. All work is weather dependent.
The $4 billion Central Tri-State Tollway (I-294) Project is reconstructing and widening the roadway between Balmoral Avenue and 95thStreet to provide congestion relief, update old infrastructure to meet current and future transportation demand and address regional needs. This work is part of the Tollway’s 15-year, $14 billion capital program, Move Illinois: The Illinois Tollway Driving the Future.