Veterans Memorial Tollway

Veterans Memorial Tollway
Name	Veterans Memorial Tollway
Route	I-355
Length mi	32.5
Established	1989
Direction a	South
Terminus a	Interstate 55
Direction b	North
Terminus b	Interstate 90
Counties	Cook County, DuPage County

Veterans Memorial Tollway is a controlled-access toll road in northeastern Illinois designated as Interstate 355, forming a north–south bypass on the western flank of the Chicago metropolitan area. The Tollway connects major radial routes including Interstate 55, Interstate 290, and Interstate 90, serving suburban centers such as Bolingbrook, Naperville, Downers Grove, and Schaumburg. It is operated by the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority and integrates with regional transit nodes and freight corridors including connections to Chicago Rock Island and Pacific Railroad rights-of-way and proximity to O'Hare International Airport access routes.

Route description

The Tollway begins at an interchange with Interstate 55 near New Lenox and proceeds north through Will County into DuPage County, intersecting Illinois Route 53, U.S. Route 34 near Lisle, and Interstate 88 near Oak Brook. Northbound ramps provide access to Interstate 290 and Illinois Route 56 as the roadway skirts Wheaton and Glen Ellyn. Continuing, the route crosses the Salt Creek watershed and passes adjacent to Cantigny Park, then interfaces with Interstate 90 near Woodridge and Schaumburg, completing a link that facilitates movements between Joliet, Aurora, Elgin, and Chicago suburbs. The corridor features multi-lane express segments, collector–distributor lanes at major junctions, and multiple grade-separated interchanges engineered to federal Interstate standards administered by the Federal Highway Administration.

History

Planning for the corridor originated amid suburban expansion driven by projects such as the construction of Interstate 55 and the development of O'Hare International Airport access in the postwar period, informed by studies from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning and the Regional Transportation Authority. Initial legislation enabling the tollway's construction was enacted by the Illinois General Assembly and overseen by the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority. Construction phases in the late 1980s and early 1990s paralleled regional projects like the extension of Interstate 290 and improvements to U.S. Route 34. The route opened incrementally, with ribbon-cutting events attended by officials from DuPage County Board, Cook County Board, and state executives including the Governor of Illinois. Subsequent expansions and technological upgrades involved partnerships with entities such as Illinois Department of Transportation and consultants with ties to American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials standards development.

Tolls and operations

Toll collection transitioned from cash booths to electronic systems, primarily using I-PASS interoperable with E-ZPass networks, following initiatives by the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority and coordination with the E-ZPass Group. Toll policy decisions have been influenced by budgetary actions of the Illinois General Assembly, capital plans endorsed by the ISTHA board, and bond financings underwritten by municipal bond markets involving underwriters like Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan. Operational aspects such as maintenance, snow removal, and incident management are coordinated with the Illinois State Police, local DuPage County Sheriff offices, and emergency services from municipalities including Bolingbrook and Lisle. Revenue supports pavement rehabilitation projects guided by pavement engineering firms and standards from the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Services and facilities

Rest areas and service plazas on the corridor are limited by suburban land use patterns; traveler services are provided by adjacent commercial nodes in Naperville, Downers Grove, and Warrenville. Park-and-ride lots near interchanges connect to Metra commuter rail stations on lines such as the BNSF Railway corridor and Union Pacific West Line. Support facilities include maintenance yards operated by ISTHA and traffic management centers that integrate ITS technologies developed in collaboration with firms associated with National Renewable Energy Laboratory pilot programs and standards from the Institute of Transportation Engineers. Bicycle and pedestrian connectivity projects tie into regional trails managed by agencies like the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County.

Traffic and safety

Traffic volumes reflect commuter flows between Will County suburbs and employment centers in Cook County and DuPage County, with peak congestion at interchanges serving Interstate 88 and Interstate 290. Safety programs have included enforcement partnerships with the Illinois State Police and local police departments, application of roadway safety audits aligned with Federal Highway Administration guidelines, and deployment of CCTV and variable-message signs procured from firms in the Intelligent Transportation Systems industry. Crash mitigation measures reference research from institutions such as Northwestern University, University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, and coordination with agencies like the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Future plans and expansions

Long-range transportation plans by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning and capital improvement programs approved by the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority consider capacity enhancements, interchange reconfigurations, and possible managed lanes to serve projected growth in corridors toward Aurora and Elgin. Proposals also examine multimodal integration with Metra and bus rapid transit concepts developed by RTA planners, environmental reviews guided by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Funding scenarios reference federal discretionary grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation, state appropriations routed through the Illinois General Assembly, and public–private partnership models evaluated with advisors from KPMG and McKinsey & Company.

Category:Illinois toll roads Category:Interstate 355