Relocating Large Diameter PCCP in a Congested Right-of-Way to Make Way for an Interstate Widening

The Illinois Tollway will complete roadway rebuilding and widening of the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) by the end of 2016, building a 21st century, state-of-the-art corridor linking Rockford, IL, to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. The tollway was originally constructed in the late 1950s as a four-lane divided highway. Since then, residential and commercial growth have strained parts of I-90 beyond its capacity. I-90 has been repeatedly resurfaced and repaired and the pavement was at the end of its useful life. A full reconstruction and widening was proposed. In 1984, the Illinois Tollway signed an intergovernmental agreement with the Northwest Suburban Municipal Joint Action Water Agency (NSMJAWA) to permit the installation of the pipeline on the Tollway’s right-of-way (ROW). The line consists of prestressed concrete cylinder pipe (PCCP) in diameters ranging from 24 in. (600 mm) to 90 in. (2290 mm). The NSMJAWA line was in conflict with the widening plans. The Tollway ROW abuts fully-developed properties that would not allow for the relocation of the pipeline out of the Tollway ROW. This presentation will discuss the detailed investigations and coordination that occurred among the engineers, the pipe manufacturer and the owners to achieve the goals of an expedited relocation and minimal interruptions to service.