$67-million CREATE project complete

The intersection improvement project at Irving Park Road (Illinois 19) and York Road, which follows a railroad overpass companion project built on Irving Park Road, is now complete, according to The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT).

IDOT says the combined $67 million in projects, part of the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) Program, will reduce congestion, improve safety and create economic opportunity throughout the region.

Additional project elements include traffic signal modernization, landscaping, lighting and drainage improvements. CREATE says some traffic impacts will continue in the coming weeks as IDOT completes miscellaneous items, such as electrical work and landscaping, and the Illinois Tollway finishes nearby Irving Park Road improvements as part its I-490 project.

“With the proximity to O’Hare International Airport and major rail lines, this project is a prime example of why Illinois is the transportation hub of North America,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Randy Blankenhorn. “We’ll see huge benefits for multiple modes of transportation, paving the way for future economic development, improved freight deliveries, faster commute times and, ultimately, a better quality of life in an important part of our state.”

The new railroad overpass, CREATE project GS16, eliminated a “notorious bottleneck” by lowering Irving Park Road and building a Canadian Pacific Railroad overpass separate from regular vehicle traffic, said CREATE. The program also says the grade separation will eliminate “hours of wasted time for drivers stopped at the crossing” and enabled a daily average of 25 trains to run uninterrupted at all times.