Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and several federal, state, and local officials marked the beginning of a major transportation project on Touhy Avenue with a groundbreaking ceremony. The $99.1 million project is the largest undertaken by the Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways (DoTH) to date. It covers areas in Elk Grove Village, Des Plaines, Elk Grove Township, and Chicago.
The initiative will fully reconstruct Touhy Avenue between Elmhurst Road and Mount Prospect Road, aiming to ease congestion for the more than 32,000 vehicles that use this stretch daily. The project includes building a new bridge over the Union Pacific Railroad and the planned I-490 Tollway. Additionally, Old Higgins Road will be realigned east of Elmhurst Road to form a new intersection at Touhy Avenue, while Mount Prospect Road will also be realigned to meet Touhy Avenue.
There are plans for improved safety features and expanded access for cyclists and pedestrians through the construction of a shared-use path and updates to lighting and drainage systems.
“This project was truly a team effort, combining the resources of local, state and federal governments to ensure its success,” said President Preckwinkle. “Motorists will be able to travel safely and more efficiently through the Touhy Avenue corridor and local businesses will benefit from new access to the Tollway’s new I-490 corridor, bringing important economic activity to areas across the County.”
Touhy Avenue is considered an important part of the regional transportation network as it serves as a key route for trucks accessing one of Chicago’s largest industrial districts near O’Hare International Airport. The reconstruction aims to improve connections not only for freight but also for airport amenities such as cargo facilities, parking lots, and car rental locations.
Illinois Tollway Executive Director Cassaundra Rouse said: “The Illinois Tollway and Cook County have a successful track record for advancing joint initiatives that enhance mobility for drivers and deliver meaningful benefits for communities. Working together again, this Touhy Avenue Project is integral to construction of the new I-490 Tollway and the completion of our $4.3 billion Elgin O’Hare Western Access Project that will improve north-south traffic around the western border of O’Hare International Airport and create long-awaited western access into the airport.”
Liisa Lawson Stark, Vice President – Public Affairs at Union Pacific Railroad added: “Union Pacific would like to say, ‘thank you’ to our partners – Cook County, Illinois Tollway, the Illinois Department of Transportation and all the local communities involved – for making this long-desired project a reality. Safety is the heart of everything we do, and this project puts it at the forefront by removing risks associated with at-grade crossings, while improving the efficiency of our rail network.”
The undertaking results from collaboration among several agencies including Cook County Government; Illinois Tollway; Illinois Department of Transportation; City of Chicago; Chicago Department of Aviation; Elk Grove Township; Elk Grove Village; and City of Des Plaines.
Cook County has secured $41.5 million in Congestion Mitigation Air Quality federal competitive funding along with $5 million from IDOT’s 2024 Local Project Funding program—these sources cover nearly half of total costs. Motorists are advised to expect delays during construction which is projected to conclude by late 2027.
A map showing current highway construction projects can be found on the official Cook County website.
