AECOM led the design to reconstruct a complex interchange within downtown Chicago between Interstate 55 and Chicago’s famous Lake Shore Drive for the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT). Carrying over 130,000 vehicles per day and tucked against the largest convention center in North America, Chicago’s McCormick Place, and the lakefront, this interchange is vital to the movement of people and economic prosperity of Chicago.
AECOM was responsible for all aspects of the Phase II design including the development of the structural design and contract plans, traffic control plans and all necessary coordination to advance the contract to letting. The primary focus of the project included the removal and replacement of the four curved ramp interchange bridges and two mainline I-55 bridges over Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and the CN/Metra railroad tracks.
The completed interchange improvement addressed the structural deficiencies and deterioration of the existing interchange structures which were rapidly becoming a major issue requiring frequent maintenance efforts by the Department. The improvement also addressed safety and operational/capacity concerns with the reconfiguration of the interchange to accommodate additional lanes on the ramp from Northbound Lake Shore Drive to Southbound I-55 (Ramp NW) and on the ramp from Northbound I-55 to Southbound Lake Shore Drive (Ramp ES). The total project length including the six bridge structures was approximately 11,500 feet (2.2 miles). The total cost of construction executed over two contracts (60L70 & 60X07) was $137,420,000.
Awards:
- 2018 America’s Transportation Awards Grand Prize
- 2018 Mentor-Protégé Award, Hispanic American Construction Industry Association (HACIA)
- 2018 Best Project, Structural Engineers Association of Illinois (SEAOI)
- 2018 America’s Transportation Awards, Mid-America Region: Best Use of Technology & Innovation