A big decision was scheduled to be made Wednesday, to make way for a project that would allow western highway access to O’Hare International Airport.
The I-490 project has been in the works for two decades, but Wednesday was the vote to allow for highway bridges to be built over railroad tracks.
I-490 would link to the Tri-State Tollway in Franklin Park and the Jane Addams Tollway in Des Plaines, then in the middle connect with 390.
The Tollway Authority believes western highway access is crucial to an expanded O'Hare Airport.
But in order to make that happen, it needs approval from the Canadian Pacific Railroad to build bridges over railroad tracks.
Both sides have been negotiating for months, with the railroad agency disapproving of the construction work that would disrupt freight traffic.
But Wednesday, they were expected to come to an agreement.
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The Tollway Authority said it hopes to finish the I-490 project by 2025, boasting that it would ease congestion and create thousands of jobs.
