New I-294/I-57 Interchange fueling regional opportunities to the Chicago Southland

With the final segment of the new I-294/I-57 Interchange poised to open this weekend, the economic benefits of this vital regional interchange has already helped steer millions of square feet of new commercial development to the Chicago Southland communities around it, which in turn have generated thousands of new jobs in the region.

New warehouses, logistics centers and manufacturing firms—an estimated 15 million square feet of new commercial space--began popping up following the 2014 opening of the first phase of the interchange project and in anticipation of the planned September opening of the second phase, which will provide the final connections linking the Tri-State Tollway (I-294) with I-57.

Completing this project is another example of the success that comes with investing in infrastructure, which assists local communities and the region by improving mobility, linking economies and creating jobs—three pillars of the Illinois Tollway’s 15-year, $14-billion Move Illinois program.

 And that’s just the beginning. 

With the new, full interchange allowing easy access in all directions for passenger and commercial vehicles, economic development officials expect more businesses will build or relocate to facilities in the area, creating still more jobs in the Chicago Southland.

“There’s new development occurring all through the region because of the rail and road assets, which have been enhanced by construction of this interchange. We expect this trend will continue into the future because transportation assets are so important to businesses now,” said Reggie Greenwood, executive director of the CHICAGO SOUTHLAND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION , which works with businesses and local governments to foster economic growth.

For decades, I-294 and I-57 crossed each other in the Chicago Southland but did not connect, limiting access to some communities, stalling job creation and economic development by making it more difficult and time-consuming for commercial vehicles to use the regional road network to transport materials and products.

That changed in 2014 when the Illinois Tollway completed Phase 1 of the $719 million I-294/I-57 Project, opening a partial interchange that connected access from northbound I-57 to northbound I-294 and southbound I-294 to southbound I-57, including new ramps connecting I-294 to 147th Street.

Read more about the regional economic development as a result of this collaborative interchange project at Inside the Tollway.

Learn about the new ramp openings here. Read the news release here.