The Illinois Tollway has pledged that its massive Move Illinois program will be the “cleanest and greenest” in the nation. Over the past few years the Tollway has already implemented numerous projects that are innovative for major highway design and construction, including stormwater management BMPs, reducing noise through design, and use of recycled materials. In 2014, the Tollway began to implement a tailored version of INVEST, the Federal Highway Administration’s program to evaluate and score the sustainability of roadway design and construction projects. Similar in theory to the LEED program for buildings, INVEST provides design teams with guidelines for ensuring sustainable elements and actions are not only embedded in their projects, but also carried through to the construction phase. The projects are subsequently scored, allowing the Tollway to measure its overall impact.
Quercus Consulting is a sub-contractor to AECOM, responsible for implementing INVEST at the Illinois Tollway. Working with the project manager and client representatives, Quercus assists design teams in navigating this new system. As the projects progress, Quercus also will work with construction teams to implement their side of INVEST.
Photo by the Illinois Tollway. Open road tolling lanes at the Irving Park Road Toll Plaza on the Tri-State Tollway (I-294).
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