![]() The steel truss design also has greater roof height (nearly 30 feet or 9.1 metres) than the old buildings, which increases visibility for the oases. Where in the previous buildings the views of the highways were blocked by the vendor restaurants, in the new buildings large expanses of glass are used to create a sense of openness, and to give patrons better views of the highway. įrom 2003 to 2005, an extensive renovation program of the oases was completed, which involved demolishing the old structures down to the bridge deck and replacing them with new buildings. In 1984, individual fast food restaurants took over from Howard Johnson, with the oases on I-90 and I-88 being run by McDonald's and the oases on I-294 alternating between Wendy's and Burger King. One of the oases made an appearance on the silver screen when Carrie Fisher attacks The Blues Brothers at the Des Plaines Oasis in the 1980 film. In the mid-1970s, Howard Johnson's took over the restaurants. The DeKalb Oasis opened in 1975 and was different from the prior six in that it was the only one of seven oases to not be constructed over the tollway. The Lincoln Oasis was added in 1968 and was different from the previous five oases in that it was an all-steel building designed by architect David Haid, a one-time student and employee of architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. ![]() ![]() During this initial operating period the state received 2.51 cents for each gallon of gas sold as well as 10% of the restaurant profits. The title of the oases reverted to the ISTHC after the original 25-year operating contract ended. Because the Illinois State Toll Highway Commission (ISTHC) did not have the money to build the oases, they were built and paid for by the American Oil Company, which operated the Amoco/Standard Oil service stations and also sub-leased the restaurant areas to the Fred Harvey restaurant chain. They featured Standard Oil (Amoco) gas stations and Fred Harvey restaurants, and were something of a novelty in the region-becoming destinations in and of themselves for driving customers. The five original oases were built in conjunction with the original tollway construction in 1959. The Tollway announced plans to widen the Tri-State Tollway, which resulted in the full closure of the O'Hare Oasis in 2018 and the pavilion of the Hinsdale Oasis in 2021. As such, the Des Plaines Oasis was closed on Mathis allowed vendor contents to be removed and demolition to proceed. The oasis there will be demolished for the new road. The Illinois Department of Transportation has proposed a route for a new limited access highway on the west side of O'Hare Airport which would connect with the Jane Addams Tollway at the site of the Des Plaines Oasis. ISTHA has established a special task force to study the oases' future. As of 2009, the oases were 45 percent to 65 percent vacant. The oases have a total of 110,000 square feet (10,000 m 2) of retail space. All oases, except for the Hinsdale and DeKalb oases, have Tollway Customer Service Centers, where I-Pass toll transponders are sold and serviced. The oases have a drive-thru lane for the McDonald's. All the oases provide free WiFi access for visitors. The oasis in DeKalb is the only exception, with the facility located along the southern (eastbound) side of Interstate 88, and a vehicle overpass allows westbound traffic to access a segregated parking lot and gas station along one side of the facility. ![]() Four of the oases are built as a bridge-restaurant, directly over the Interstate Highway they service. Oases also have automatic teller machines. These facilities in Illinois have gas stations ( Mobil) with 24-hour automated car washes, fast food restaurants ( McDonald's, Panda Express, Subway, etc.) and other various shops (such as Krispy Kreme, Starbucks, Coleman Distributors, and TravelMart). In 2011, over 11.8 million people visited the seven oases. The four oases are administered by a court-appointed manager following default of Wilton Partners.Īs is typical for rest stops on toll highways, these areas are full service, or "commercialized", as a result of concessions awarded by the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority (ISTHA). The redevelopment of the oases has been the focal point of alleged political corruption. Although the oases date back to the original tollway construction in 1958, they were redeveloped in 2003–2005 by Wilton Partners, a private developer. The four (formerly seven) oases offer food and gasoline vendors and are found in the Chicago Metropolitan Area, DeKalb, and Belvidere. Existing oases in blue closed/demolished oases in gray The Belvidere Oasis The former O'Hare Oasis The former Hinsdale Oasis buildingĪn Illinois Tollway oasis is a type of commercialized rest area sited over Interstate Highways that are part of the Illinois Tollway system in northern Illinois, United States.
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