Kennedy Expressway drivers heading toward downtown Chicago will get a reprieve from construction delays, as lanes begin reopening after nearly nine months of work.
The reopening marks the end of the first year of a three-year, $150 million rehab of the highway from the I-94 split south to downtown. But it will only be a temporary respite for the estimated 275,000 drivers who use the expressway daily. Work is expected to pick back up again in the spring on the next phase of the project, in the reversible express lanes in the center of the highway.
Lanes are expected to begin reopening Friday morning, but it will take overnight lane and ramp closures over several days to remove the construction zone. And the work schedule could change depending on the weather, officials with the Illinois Department of Transportation said.
If weather allows, by 5 a.m. Friday the inbound, or southbound, Kennedy is set to fully reopen from Kimball Avenue south. By 8 a.m. Saturday the expressway will fully reopen from Keeler Avenue south. And by 5 a.m. Tuesday the entire expressway will fully reopen, and the express lanes in the center of the highway will resume their typical reversible schedule.
Overnight Friday, beginning at 8 p.m., the inbound Kennedy will be reduced to one lane between Kimball and Milwaukee avenues, and entrance and exit ramps in that area will close intermittently. The express lanes will close at midnight, and reopen in the southbound direction only the following morning.
Overnight Friday similar lane closures will take place between Keeler and Kimball avenues, though the express lanes will stay open. Overnight Monday closures are set to take place from north of the I-94 split to Keeler Avenue, including access to the express lanes at the split.
Other, temporary lane closures are still likely in the coming weeks to complete last pieces of work, IDOT officials said.
The project is rehabbing 7.5 miles of the 10-lane expressway, from the split at I-94 south to Ohio Street, and at the massive underpass near Hubbard Street downtown. It includes rehabbing 36 bridges and the highway’s reversible express lane access system, replacing overhead signs, upgrading lighting, paving and painting. It is also set to include painting and installing new lighting at the Hubbard underpass between Ohio and Lake streets.
Work is scheduled to take place during warm-weather seasons through late fall 2025. It began this year with the inbound lanes, with two closed at a time since March and the express lanes in the center of the highway open only heading toward downtown.
In spring, work is planned to move to the reversible express lanes, which will close. Other closures in the regular lanes could take place while work continues at the Hubbard underpass.
Work is set to move to the outbound, or northbound, lanes in spring 2025. Two lanes will close at a time, and the express lanes will remain open in only the outbound direction.
sfreishtat@chicagotribune.com
