Heavy rains on Tuesday night delayed the start of construction on the Edens Spur between the Tri-State and the Edens Expressway. Resurfacing work is now set to begin Wednesday evening.
The work will be done despite a strike by construction workers.
The Illinois Tollway has a "no-strike" agreement, so the spur project will not be affected by the ongoing construction workers strike.
The $15.5 million resurfacing work on the five-mile portion of Interstate 94 closes one lane of traffic in each direction. It should be completed by the end of the year.
About 47,000 vehicles use the Edens Spur daily between the Edens Expressway and the Tri-State Tollway north of Chicago.
The strike by the Operating Engineers Local 150 and the Laborers District Council of Chicago has halted roughly 300 projects in a 10-county area, including work on the Eisenhower Expressway, the Congress Parkway Bridge, the Congress Parkway Streetscape, Wacker Drive, Naperville Central High School and the Presidential Towers in Chicago.
The engineers and laborers had been working without a contract for a month and are upset with the rising cost of health care. They're asking for a 15 percent increase spread out over the next three years to cover benefits. Contractors have only offered 3 percent.
The strike began last Wednesday and a meeting between unions and contractors is scheduled for June 7.
