I‑355 (Veteran's Memorial Tollway)

I‑355 (Veteran's Memorial Tollway)
State	Illinois
Type	Interstate
Route	355
Alternate name	Veteran's Memorial Tollway
Length mi	32.1
Established	1989
Maint	Illinois State Toll Highway Authority
Direction a	South
Terminus a	Interstate 55 in Bolingbrook
Direction b	North
Terminus b	Interstate 290 in Itasca
Counties	Will County, DuPage County

I‑355 (Veteran's Memorial Tollway) is a limited‑access toll road forming a north–south bypass west of Chicago and serving Will County and DuPage County. It connects major radial routes including I‑55, I‑80, I‑88, I‑290, and I‑294 while linking suburbs such as Bolingbrook, Naperville, Lisle, Wheaton, and Itasca. The tollway is owned and operated by the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority and is part of the Illinois Tollway system.

Route description

The roadway begins at an interchange with I‑55 near Bolingbrook and proceeds north through suburbs including Romeoville, Naperville, and Lisle before crossing DuPage River corridors and intersecting I‑88 near Warrenville. North of I‑88 the route continues past Wheaton and Roselle with interchanges at regional arterials such as U.S. 34, IL 56, and Fullerton Avenue before terminating at I‑290 near Itasca. The corridor traverses mixed residential, commercial, and industrial zones adjacent to rail corridors like Metra lines and utility rights‑of‑way used by Commonwealth Edison and Nicor Gas.

History

Planning for the corridor began in the 1950s and 1960s amid metropolitan regional proposals by entities including the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning and the Regional Transportation Authority. Construction phases in the 1980s and 1990s were funded and executed by the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority with contractors and consultants such as HNTB Corporation and local firms; the initial segment opened in 1989 and extensions completed through the 1990s connected to I‑290. Subsequent projects included interchange reconstructions influenced by federal programs overseen by the Federal Highway Administration and regional planning grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The corridor was officially designated Veteran's Memorial Tollway in recognition of military veterans, with commemorative dedications involving organizations such as the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Tolls and electronic tolling

Toll collection is administered by the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority using a combination of electronic and cashless systems; the network employs I‑PASS transponders interoperable with E‑ZPass agencies in the E‑ZPass Interagency Group and systems used by Indiana Toll Road and Ohio Turnpike. Rates vary by vehicle class and distance, with cashless billing and license‑plate tolling implemented using cameras and back‑office vendors contracted through procurement processes involving firms like Conduent and formerly Electronic Transaction Consultants Corporation. Toll policy changes have been set by the Illinois Tollway Board in coordination with state budget discussions in the Illinois General Assembly and guidance from the Governor of Illinois on infrastructure funding.

Operations and maintenance

Routine operations, winter maintenance, and asset management are performed by the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority, which coordinates snow removal with county highway departments including Will County and DuPage County. Pavement preservation, bridge rehabilitation, and intelligent transportation systems were implemented following standards from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and design guidelines by engineering firms such as Parsons Corporation. Maintenance yards and traffic control centers integrate CCTV, dynamic message signs, and highway advisory radio in partnership with agencies like the Illinois Department of Transportation and regional emergency responders including local police departments and fire departments.

Traffic, safety, and incidents

Traffic volumes reflect commuter, freight, and regional travel; estimates and counts are published by the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority and modeled by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. Safety programs have targeted collision reduction through measures recommended by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and research from the Transportation Research Board. Notable incidents have included multi‑vehicle crashes, winter pileups, and infrastructure repairs that prompted closures coordinated with Federal Highway Administration advisories and local emergency services; these events have influenced policy changes such as incident management protocols and enhanced roadside detection systems supplied by vendors like Kapsch TrafficCom and Siemens.

Future plans and expansions

Long‑range planning documents from the Illinois Tollway Authority and the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning outline corridor improvements including interchange upgrades, managed lanes concepts, and multimodal access enhancements that intersect projects by Metra and municipal transit agencies. Funding scenarios involve federal discretionary grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation, state capital programs approved by the Illinois General Assembly, and potential public–private partnership evaluations drawing interest from infrastructure investors such as Macquarie Group and John Laing Group. Environmental reviews reference the National Environmental Policy Act and coordination with agencies like the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for wetland and habitat mitigations. Future resilience planning includes floodplain adjustments, pavement adaptations for extreme weather studied by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and integration with regional congestion pricing discussions involving neighboring toll facilities such as I‑294 (Tri‑State Tollway).

Category:Transportation in Illinois Category:Toll roads in Illinois Category:Interstate Highways