Dan Ryan Expressway Reconstruction
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The Dan Ryan Expressway is one of the world's widest freeway systems with 14 to 16 lanes of traffic and carries more than 330,000 vehicles per day. It serves as a vital transportation link servicing downtown Chicago and connecting to a number of Interstate freeway systems, including I-57, I-90, I-55 and I-290. With the heavy traffic demand and closely spaced interchange ramps, the existing facility produced a congested environment and at times resulted in vehicle conflicts and crashes.
The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) retained BB&A in 2002 to produce design plans for the reconstruction of a 2.0 mile Dan Ryan structure from north of 15th Street to 28th Street, and design plans for the reconstruction of more than 2 miles of freeway from 31st Street to 47th Street.
The design for the reconstruction of the Dan Ryan has enhanced safety and improved traffic operation due to the removal of weaving sections (entrance ramp followed by exit ramp), improved ramp geometry for ramps merging into freeway and ramps exiting freeway, and the addition of auxiliary lanes to accommodate increased demand between interchanges.
The Illinois Section of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois (ACEC-IL) has selected the Dan Ryan Expressway Reconstruction Project as the recipient of an Honor Award in the Transportation category. The Project was also recognized as Project of The Year in the category of Transportation: Greater than $100 Million by the Chicago Chapter of the American Public Works Association (APWA), and Midwest Construction Magazine honored the project with an Award of Merit in the Transportation category in their Best of 2008 issue.