The express lanes on the Kennedy expressway will soon close for 8 months as part of a massive rehab project.
While motorists are already having to deal with significant construction on the Kennedy Expressway, additional lane closures will take effect on multiple weekends as the summer travel season arrives.
According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, the additional closures will be required to install new overhead signs on a stretch of the inbound expressway between Grand Avenue and Ohio Street.
These closures will require an additional left lane to be shut down between Milwaukee Avenue and Hubbard’s Cave, according to officials.
Weekend work is expected to begin at approximately 10 p.m. each Friday, with lane closures remaining in effect until 5 a.m. Monday, weather permitting.
It is expected that the work will require four weekends to complete.
These lane closures are in addition to other closures related to the ongoing massive rehabilitation project that is impacting the Kennedy over the course of several years. This year marks Phase 2 of the plan, with IDOT shutting down the reversible express lanes and instituting a series of rolling ramp and bridge closures to continue work.
The work is impacting the Kennedy between Lawrence Avenue and Ohio Street.
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In all, the project will rehabilitate 36 bridges and overpasses, and will improve access to the reversible express lane system. Pavement patching, structural painting and installation of new lights will also be completed during this time, per officials.
It is expected that Phase 2 of the project will be completed in the fall. More information can be found on IDOT’s website.
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