Drivers taking the outbound Kennedy express lanes from Chicago will now only have one option to exit — and it will mean many can’t take the express lanes at all.
Drivers taking the outbound Kennedy express lanes from Chicago will now only have one option to exit -- and it will mean many can't take the express lanes at all.
The changes come as the final stage of a months-long construction project begins on the roadway, closing two main lanes of the Kennedy while the express lanes shift to become outbound only.
But while the express lanes will stay open for outbound drivers throughout the construction, the only place to exit will be at the Edens Expressway and Foster Avenue.
As part of the new traffic pattern, the outbound express lanes' mid-gate entrances and exits will be closed, IDOT said. That means commuters needing to go to O'Hare Airport or to the northwest suburbs via Interstate 90 will be unable to use the express lanes during construction.
"Drivers going to O’Hare International Airport from downtown Chicago must stay on the mainline Kennedy and not the express lanes," IDOT stressed during a press conference last week.
It marks a big shift for many drivers at a time when traffic is expected to be increasingly heightened. It also comes as many prepare for spring break travel.
NBC Chicago Traffic Reporter Kye Martin said drivers can remember where to go by using the phrase "Going to O'Hare? Act like a local," meaning they should take the local lanes of the expressway.
The latest phase of construction is expected to snarl traffic in and out of the city for at least nine months, with impacts to both inbound and outbound commutes.
"It’s just a 7-mile stretch, but so crucial a corridor," NBC 5 Traffic Reporter Kye Martin said.
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Those driving the outbound Kennedy Tuesday will see the express lane changes in place immediately, but the full scope of the main lane closures won't be rolled out until the end of the week.
Meanwhile, the closures are also impacting inbound Kennedy commuters, who are now limited with no express lanes available, as well as those on other area expressways.
"It's a domino effect," Martin said. "We took away the express lanes from the inbound side and that hurt the commute into the Loop even though the work is on the outbound side."
She noted that drivers should "expect growing pains with this new work zone for the next couple of weeks until drivers settle in."
The project, originally billed at $150 million, is currently $19 million over budget, IDOT said last week, during a press conference. IDOT officials attributed the extra costs to additional patching and inner concrete wiring challenges.
The closures come after the first phase of the project in 2023 closed inbound lanes on the busy expressway. In 2024, the second phase left the reversible express lanes closed in both directions, leading to heavy congestion and traffic headaches.
According IDOT, the work is meant to increase safety, reduce maintenance costs and improve traffic flow. The work is expected to last through the end of 2025, until at least Thanksgiving, officials said.
