The Illinois Department of Transportation is moving forward on two long-delayed infrastructure repairs to the I-290 Eisenhower Expressway, one of the busiest corridors in the Chicago area, carrying more than 200,000 vehicles daily.
The agency selected Jacobs to lead the design and oversight work on replacing a railroad bridge and a deep stormwater tunnel, two constraints that have blocked capacity improvements while it awaits a larger, as-yet-unfunded $3.2 billion reconstruction.
The appointment, announced April 10, focuses on replacing the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad bridge and overseeing the construction of a deep tunnel-based stormwater system under the highway. Jacobs will provide design and project management services under a professional services contract for the bridge, as well as construction inspection and quality assurance for the drainage work.
The Indiana Harbor Belt is a short-line commuter railroad that connects all Class I carriers operating in Chicago, including BNSF, Union Pacific, CN, CSX, and Norfolk Southern, making it one of the most operationally significant freight links in North America.
Jacobs said it will rely on an accelerated construction phase to keep rail operations moving along the active corridor while providing a wider structure capable of accommodating a future expanded cross-section of the highway. The state DOT did not respond to ENR’s request for comment by press time.
Limiting the bridge is critical to the agency’s long-term plans. A 2017 federal record of decision selected the $3.2 billion alternative, which would add managed lanes and expand traffic capacity along the corridor.
These improvements include improvements tied to the Chicago Transit Authority’s Blue Line, which has operated in the freeway median since the corridor opened. The Illinois DOT has described I-290 as the first freeway in the US to incorporate a rapid transit line within the same corridor.
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The project has not moved forward as it competes for limited state and federal funding. The bridge and drainage parcels represent the agency’s short-term focus as it awaits full reconstruction.
The drainage allocation targets one of the corridor’s most persistent problems: flooding. Jacobs will oversee construction inspection and quality assurance for the installation of an additional storm sewer designed to augment aging drainage infrastructure that dates to the 1950s.
Project materials describe a system that extends approximately 3.3 miles, with pipe diameters ranging from 42 inches to 90 inches and depths reaching 65 feet. Work is expected to rely on tunneling methods due to restricted right-of-way, dense utilities and the need to maintain traffic throughout construction.
The state DOT has estimated construction costs for the drainage improvements at $250 million to $300 million and is pursuing a construction manager/general contractor delivery model to manage subsurface risk, staging and construction capacity in the closed corridor.
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The involvement of industry underlines the complexity of the project. A December 2024 DOT state industry forum for drainage work was attended by major contractors and tunneling specialists, including Walsh Construction, Granite Construction, FH Paschen and K-Five Construction, and engineering firms such as HNTB, Arcadis and WSP, reflecting a competitive field for the eventual construction manager/general contractor award.
Together, the bridge and drainage packages illustrate the Illinois DOT’s incremental approach to modernizing I-290, one of the oldest highways in the Chicago area. Built between the 1950s and 1960s, the corridor carries heavy passenger and freight traffic, averages about 2,000 crashes annually, and includes aging pavements and structures in need of replacement.
The agency’s current six-year, $29.65 billion Illinois Highway Reconstruction Program allocates approximately 75 percent of funding to the preservation and rehabilitation of existing roads and bridges. Jacobs separately identified uncertainty about federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding streams and executive orders affecting federal spending as a risk factor for its broader project portfolio.
Jacobs executive vice president Tom Meinhart said the work “will provide comprehensive infrastructure solutions that relieve congestion, improve safety for commuters and freight operators, while strengthening stormwater management to reduce flood risks.”
