This interchange is worth the tolls just to drive through it. :-)
The I-88/355 interchange is one of the more strung out of the interchanges on the I-system. I-88 goes east-west, I-355 north-south. US 34 passes east-west a little bit south of the tollways. IL 53 is north-south at the west edge of this map and IL 56 is east-west across the top.
I-88 (previously 'IL 5') was opened during the mid 1950s, and I-355 was opened during the mid 1980s. I-355 opened as a 4 lane tollway, and was quickly widened to 6 lanes. I-88 was widened from 4 to 6 lanes in the 1970s. This interchange features the two routes paralleling each other for over 1500 meters. This is due to the presence of the Morton Arboretum along the north side of the right of way, and a desire by the locals to minimize the highway's impacts on it. Of the five ramps at the northeast end of the interchange, all but the WB I-88 to SB I-355 are *very* impressive fly-over ramps, using the 'joined segmental' design. The bridging at the southwest end is more conventional in design. There is a Tollway maintenance yard under the ramps at the northeast end.
Note the surface streets running east-west between US 34 and I-88 (Warrenville Rd) and snaking through the northeast end of the interchange (Finley Rd), both offer excellent views of this interesting interchange. BTW, the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority itself is headquartered at the northeast corner of I-355 and US 34.
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This page © Michael G. Koerner |
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