Chicago Weekend Fun!

This weekend there will be a historic new tollway opened in Illinois. The Veteran’s Memorial Tollway (I-355 South Extension to I-80) has been in the works since the 1950′s and various states of completion since the 1990′s but soon I-355 will connect to I-80 and give millions of people access to cheap housing and truck based shipping through Will County.

The public is invited to come see the new extension in person and either bike the entire length of the tollway (20 miles) or run a 5 mile segment. The thing is that it is sold out so you might be better off to just drive on it next week when it is open if you are curious and want to see it in person. We are all excited about this since a lot of our tax dollars and toll fees have been put towards this project for the last 20 years.

I remember when 355 opened and it was gleaming and new and seemed to open up the northern suburbs for those of us living in the south west burbs like me. Downers Grove, Darien, Woodridge and Naperville all enjoyed quick access to jobs, friends, hobbies and family located up north via this highway. It was $0.40 each way and .35 at some entrance ramps and exits. As I understand it now, it is $0.80 to drive without an I-Pass and 355 is clogged with traffic most the time. Not that this extension will help with that. I spent many days driving fast and furious in my younger days on this tollway when it didn’t have cops or speed cameras. Now I am older and wiser and the traffic has caught up with my slow driving speeds.

The 355 South Extension  Grand Opening Celebration will also feature family-oriented community festival including a Touch-a-Truck exhibit with a variety of construction equipment used in the building of the tollway, Illinois State Police demonstrations (we’re not sure what they will be demonstrating, maybe how to arrest people? how to quilt? How to make a origami bird?) , and environmental agency displays which will let us know how much earth the new highway will destroy. This celebration will draw thousands from surrounding suburbs to come see a once in a lifetime highway opening.

Some interesting facts about the new 355 south extension named the Veteran’s Memorial Tollway in Illinois.  It is 12.5 miles in length, has 3 lanes in each direction and connects 355 to I-80. (which is a major shipping and distribution channel for trucking businesses and all the stuff we buy which is made in china and shipped all over the country by truck) It also gives more people a cance to go buy cheap housing (like plainfield, joliet and aurora have done in recent years) and clog up 55, 355 and 294 driving an hour or more to work in more established areas or Chicago. 

The 355 South Extension tollway will run through 13 Municipalitiesa and Townships in three counties. These  include Bolingbrook, Downers Grove Township, DuPage Township, Homer Glen, Homer Township, Lemont, Lemont Township , Lockport , Lockport Township , New Lenox, New Lenox Township , Romeoville and Woodridge . There are six interchanges (entrances and exits) that have been constructed at I-55, 127 th Street , 143 rd Street – IL 171 ( Archer Avenue ), 159 th Street , US 6, and I-80. (the last one is the big kauna tuna)

The new construction in Will county will most likley get a burst from this new tollway. The construction began in the 1990s with the building of many pylon sypports along I-55 and then left them there with no further info to the public. Then in 2004 the project cme to life again and construction continued until November 2007. For more useful information see their fact sheet.

The grand opening event schedule is as follows:

9:00 am
Roll the Tollway 20-Mile Bike Ride
Hosted by the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation
5000 registrations have been received.
The event is sold out.
It was too early anyway

10:00 am
Community Festivities Veterans events
Construction Education
Local community activities along the roadway

11:30 am
Veterans Memorial Tollway 5K Run/Walk/Roll
Hosted by SALUTE, Inc.
Register at: www.saluteinc.org
Children under 5 are free

12:00 pm
Veterans Musical Tribute
A patriotic musical dedication

1:00 pm
Dedication Ceremony
Celebrate our first new tollroad in 20 years!

Since we are suburbanites and all have a bunch of cars we will drive to the event here is the official parking map for the event: