Illinois DOT targets freight bottlenecks and flooding with staged rail bridge rebuild and deep-bore sewer, as freeway expansion remains on hold
The Illinois Dept. of Transportation is advancing two long-delayed infrastructure fixes on the I-290 Eisenhower Expressway, one of the Chicago area’s most heavily traveled corridors, carrying more than 200,000 vehicles daily.
The agency selected Jacobs to lead design and oversight work on a railroad bridge replacement and a deep stormwater tunnel—two constraints that have blocked capacity upgrades while a larger, still-unfunded $3.2-billion reconstruction waits.
The appointment, announced April 10, centers on replacement of the Indiana Harbor Belt railroad bridge and construction oversight for a deep, tunnel-based stormwater system beneath the expressway. 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.
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I-290 Expansion Plan
Selected Alternative and Cost
The Indiana Harbor Belt is a short-line switching railroad that connects every Class I carrier operating through 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 accelerated construction staging to keep rail operations moving through the active corridor while delivering a wider structure capable of accommodating a future expanded roadway cross-section. The state DOT did not respond to ENR’s request for comment before press time.
The bridge constraint is central to the agency’s long-range plans. A 2017 federal Record of Decision selected the $3.2-billion alternative, which would add managed lanes and expand transit capacity along the corridor.
Those improvements include upgrades tied to the Chicago Transit Authority Blue Line, which has operated in the expressway’s median since the corridor opened. Illinois DOT has described I-290 as the first U.S. expressway to incorporate a rapid transit line within the same corridor.
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The project has not advanced as it competes for limited state and federal funding. The bridge and drainage packages represent the agency’s near-term focus while the full rebuild awaits.
The drainage assignment targets one of the corridor’s most persistent problems: flooding. Jacobs will oversee construction inspection and quality assurance for installation of a supplemental storm sewer designed to augment aging drainage infrastructure dating to the 1950s.
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I-290 Drainage Tunnel Project Overview and CMGC Delivery
Project materials describe a system extending roughly 3.3 miles, with pipe diameters ranging from 42 in. to 90 in. and depths reaching up to 65 ft. The work is expected to rely on tunneling methods due to constrained 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 constructability in the tight corridor.
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Industry engagement underscores the project complexity. A December 2024 state DOT industry forum for the drainage work drew participation from major contractors and tunneling specialists, including Walsh Construction, Granite Construction, F.H. 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 Illinois DOT’s incremental approach to modernizing I-290, one of the oldest expressways in the Chicago area. Built between the 1950s and 1960s, the corridor carries heavy commuter and freight traffic, averages about 2,000 crashes annually and includes aging pavement and structures in need of replacement.
The agency’s current six-year, $29.65 billion Rebuild Illinois highway program directs roughly 75% of funding toward preservation and rehabilitation of existing roads and bridges. Jacobs separately identified uncertainty around federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding streams and executive orders affecting federal spending as a risk factor for its broader project pipeline.
Jacobs Executive Vice President Tom Meinhart said the work would «deliver comprehensive infrastructure solutions that ease congestion, enhance safety for commuters and freight operators, while strengthening stormwater management to reduce flooding risks.»
