Drivers hoping that the reversible express lanes on the Kennedy Expressway would reopen this week were disappointing to learn of a delay in that process.
Officials with the Illinois Department of Transportation revealed Tuesday that the lanes aren’t expected to reopen until mid-January, a delay of nearly a month as work continues on the extensive three-year project.
Here’s what you need to know.
Why was the project delayed?
According to IDOT, delays in reopening of the reversible express lanes on the Kennedy Expressway have occurred due to the “highly technical” nature of the Reversible Lane Access Control (REVLAC) system.
That system controls access to the reversible express lanes, which can open in either direction depending on the flow of rush hour traffic on the expressway. The REVLAC system includes signage, more than 120 gates, camera equipment and fiber-optic cables along a stretch of highway that spans 7.5 miles, according to IDOT.
Finishing work on that system will continue into the new year, according to officials.
Local
In addition to work on the REVLAC system, construction crews also rehabilitated bridges and sections of pavement on the express lanes, according to officials.
When will the lanes reopen?
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly> Chicago Catch-Up newsletter.
The lanes had been set to reopen this month, but testing will not begin on the REVLAC system until at least Jan. 2, according to officials.
That testing could take up to two weeks, meaning that the express lanes are currently slated to reopen the week of Jan. 13, weather permitting.
Fortunately for crews, it appears that temperatures will be well above average toward the end of December, likely giving them conditions required to finish the work and to conduct testing.
I don’t see crews working. Are there delays?
According to IDOT, some of the REVLAC work occurs behind the scenes, given the technical nature of fiber optic cables and other components of the system.
While officials acknowledge that driving past roads where it appears there are no workers can be “frustrating,” they emphasized that crews are working “behind the scenes” on the system, and that the project remains on track despite the delays in reopening lanes.
What is the next phase of the project?
The third and final phase of the project will require work on the outbound lanes of the Kennedy Expressway, with a tentative start date slated for the spring.
The phase will include the installation of new signage, replacing bridge decks, patching pavement, and upgrading LED lighting along the highway.
Lane and ramp closures will take place in different phases, according to officials.
There are 19 bridge structures along the 7.5-mile stretch of the Kennedy impacted by the work, which stretches from Lawrence Avenue to Ohio Street in Chicago.
Officials say that each of the rehab projects on the bridges take six weeks to complete on average, including demolition, replacement of bridge joints, installation of concrete and allowing the new concrete to set.
A full list of practices can be found on IDOT’s project website.
Work on the inbound side of the Kennedy was completed in the fall of 2023.
