Volume 03, 2022
Illinois Tollway Elevates Deputy Chief Engineer to Interim Executive Director
Illinois Tollway Board Chair Dorothy Abreu announced the elevation of Lanyea Griffin, Deputy Chief of Program Implementation and 22-year engineering veteran, to Interim Executive Director of Illinois’ primary tolling agency, effective April 1.

Griffin joined the agency in 2013 helping to launch the agency’s 15-year, $14 billion Move Illinois capital program as a lead engineer and program manager. 
New Board Chairwoman Dorothy Abreu Brings Wealth of Experience in Financial Services and Leadership
As Dorothy Abreu prepared to take her seat for her first meeting in March, the Illinois Tollway’s new Board Chairwoman brings with her with more than 20 years of experience in financial services, significant public sector experience and an active track record of community service.

Appointed to the Tollway Board post by Governor JB Pritzker, Abreu, a senior vice president at PNC Bank, is just the second female to lead the board in the Tollway’s nearly 70 years and the agency’s first Latino chairperson.
Reconstruction of the Central Tri-State Tollway Bringing Benefits to Local Drivers
Construction work to prepare for the rebuilding and widening of the Central Tri-State Tollway (I-294) will include some improvements for drivers traveling in and around the Ogden Avenue Interchange this year.

Because Illinois Tollway construction projects frequently include work on and around local roads and bridges, the agency is always pursuing ways to coordinate improvements for the betterment of local roads with the Illinois Department of Transportation, county or communities with jurisdiction in the area. 
Tollway Environmental Staff Share Tips on How to Help Pollinators
Illinois Tollway projects aren’t always about roads and bridges; some Tollway projects are about wetlands, woodlands and recreational trails.

When infrastructure projects intersect with nature, however, transportation agencies are required to mitigate the impact on the local environment and in many cases restore and replace any impacted waters and wetlands affected by a project. 
Public Transit Accommodations Being Explored for the Central Tri-State Tollway
As the Illinois Tollway continues making progress on its $4 billion Central Tri-State Tollway (I-294) Project, the Regional Transportation Authority and Pace Suburban Bus are looking at ways to capitalize on these roadway improvements.

The I-294 Project is reconstructing and widening the roadway between Balmoral Avenue and 95thStreet to provide congestion relief, update old infrastructure to meet current and future transportation demand and address regional needs as part of the Tollway’s 15-year, $14 billion Move Illinois capital program. More than 220,000 vehicles use the Central Tri-State Tollway daily.
Illinois Tollway Highlights Improvements to the Multimodal Transportation Network in Northern Illinois
The Illinois Tollway is doing its part to advance the state’s reputation as the nation’s most important transportation hub.

At the annual Illinois Transportation and Highway Engineering Conference in Urbana-Champaign, Tollway staff highlighted continued investments in strengthening a multimodal transportation network in Northern Illinois and the use of technology and innovation to deliver improvements.
Illinois Tollway Shows National Tolling Industry How It Uses Technology To Make Roads Safe
Imagine being able to move traffic with the push of a button.

That’s essentially what the Illinois Tollway can do by using active traffic management in a 15-mile corridor on the eastern section of the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90), known as the I-90 SmartRoad.

The Tollway’s General Manager of Traffic and Incident Management Steven Mednis and Parsons Project Manager Bini Williams demonstrated the importance of using SmartRoad technologies to keep traffic moving safely and efficiently even after there’s been a roadway incident.
Illinois Tollway Offering Internships to Students Pursuing Engineering and Transportation Careers
Along with its annual summer Professional Services Internship Program, the Illinois Tollway is offering a unique, year-long Engineering Cooperative Education Program to enable college students to gain hands-on experience in the transportation industry. College students’ applications were accepted in March and the selected interns will begin in June.

“We’re offering this intensive, year-long Engineering Cooperative Education Program for engineering students to provide the training and mentoring that will assist them in launching their professional careers,” said Jyoti Rao, pipeline partnership liaison for the Tollway human resources department. “
Tollway Recruitment Efforts Working to Build Diverse Workforce
Why work at the Illinois Tollway?

Several Tollway employees shared their stories as part of the Black Women in Science and Engineering virtual “Be Seen Career Fair,” which coincided with the celebration of Engineers Week.
Takesha McClane, a project manager in Business Systems, talked about how she was able to bring her experiences working in contract compliance and diversity and inclusion to her job at the Tollway.

“I saw an opportunity where my skill set fit a position at the Tollway,” said McClane, who oversees tracking and monitoring of minority participation goals on Business Systems contracts.

Lanyea Griffin, Interim Executive Director, said she was attracted to the Tollway because the agency’s investment of about $1 billion a year in transportation infrastructure improvements through its 15-year, $14 billion Move Illinois capital program provides great opportunities to learn and grow.

“Just the interest of working in a very fast-paced environment, an environment that is changing and evolving with everyone working toward one singular mission of delivering this program, is phenomenal to see from the inside,” said Griffin, who headed up the $4 billion Central Tri-State Tollway (I-294) Project.
The video can be seen here