Kennedy Expressway

More inbound Kennedy ramp closures planned ahead of Chicago Thanksgiving traffic

Masses of vehicles move slowly on the Montrose Ave overpass at the 1-90 Kennedy Expressway and the I-94 Edens Split the day before Thanksgiving on November 22, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois.  (Photo by Patrick Gorski/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

More inbound ramp closures are coming as part of the massive Kennedy Expressway construction project, according to an updated release from the Illinois Department of Transportation.

The closures come as Chicago drives brace for the busy Thanksgiving travel season, a time that Chicago highways typically see more traffic and congestion.

According to IDOT, the following ramp closures are set to begin at 6 a.m. Nov. 13. Both ramp closures are "anticipated to reopen in two weeks," IDOT said:

  • Inbound Kennedy to Division Street.
  • North Avenue (Illinois 64) to inbound Kennedy

The following ramp closures are already in effect, IDOT said:

  • Inbound Kennedy to Armitage Avenue, anticipated to reopen the week of Nov. 13
  • Inbound Kennedy to North Avenue, anticipated to reopen the week of Nov. 20
  • Armitage Avenue to inbound Kennedy, anticipated to reopen the week of Nov. 20

According to IDOT officials, the inbound Kennedy project is anticipated be complete in late fall of 2023, "with all lanes and ramps reopening and the express lanes resuming normal operations."

Express lanes are expected to undergo work in 2024, officials said, and outbound Kennedy construction is expected to begin in 2025.

Drivers can expect lane shifts, overnight lane closures and "significant delays" as part of the ongoing construction, IDOT said.

More information on the Kennedy construction timeline can be found here.

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