Area High School Students Get Hands-on Learning at Illinois Tollway
Area high school students interested in careers in the transportation, engineering, construction, and automotive industries visited Illinois Tollway maintenance facilities and construction projects to learn more about jobs at the Tollway.
About 50 students from Argo High School in Summit, Rich Township High School in Richton Park and Elk Grove High School participated in the visits September 30 and October 1.
“Giving students behind-the-scenes access to construction projects is one of the best ways to foster excitement and curiosity about careers in transportation,” said Illinois Tollway Executive Director Cassaundra Rouse. “By opening the doors to our facilities and project sites, we are encouraging connections between our engineers and planners and the generation of transportation professionals.”
The visits highlight the many different types of skilled professionals needed to maintain and manage one of the busiest and largest transportation systems in the state of Illinois, while sparking interest in the next generation of engineers, construction managers and technicians.
Students visited maintenance facilities in Alsip and Hoffman Estates, where they learned about the many different types of jobs the Tollway offers, such as road maintenance, landscaping and emergency roadside assistance.
They also learned from the employees who manage the system to clear the roads of snow and ice. In this case, the Tollway has developed its own process to create brine, a mixture of salt and water that sustainably clears the roads of snow and ice.
In addition, the students visited two major construction projects that are currently underway, the reconstruction and widening of the Central Tri-State Tollway (I-294) near Hinsdale and the construction of the new I-490 Tollway. There, they met with engineering and construction managers who described the employment opportunities available for the major construction projects.