Motorists sick of languishing in construction-induced traffic on the Kennedy can expect an early holiday gift.
After nine long months, the entire Kennedy expressway will fully reopen on Thursday, according to a news release from the Illinois Department of Transportation.
The reopening comes as the first year of a three-year $150 million rehab of 7.5 miles of the expressway nears completion. The first phase of the project, which began in March on the heels of the 10-year Jane Byrne Interchange Project, focused on the inbound Kennedy. Work entailed roadway patching, bridge rehabbing and new lighting, signs and paint between Ohio Street and the junction where the Kennedy meets the Edens Expressway near Montrose Avenue.
The removal of the work zone will take place in phases over the next few days, with overnight lane and ramp closures, IDOT said.
Weather permitting, by 5 a.m. Friday the inbound Kennedy will reopen from Kimball Avenue heading south. The next phased opening will be at 8 a.m. Saturday when lanes and ramps will fully reopen from Keeler Avenue heading south. By Tuesday morning, all inbound lanes will be clear just in time for the morning commute, and reversible express lanes will be back to normal.
Drivers will have to bear with some occasional lane closures as the work zone is cleared.
The inbound Kennedy will be reduced to one lane Thursday at 8 p.m. between Kimball and Milwaukee avenue, Friday at 8 p.m. between Keeler and Kimball and Monday at 8 p.m. from north of the Edens junction to Keeler Avenue.
Drivers should expect ramp closures in those areas. At midnight Thursday, reversible express lanes will be closed but will reopen Friday. Monday night, reversible express lane entrances at Montrose Avenue will be closed. Drivers can access express lanes at Diversey Avenue.
IDOT will reschedule work if it is delayed due to weather, which could affect lanes reopening.
Construction on the next phase of the project will resume in the spring, focusing on reversible express lanes, IDOT said. The project will be focused on outbound Kennedy in 2025.
Lanes and ramps on the inbound Kennedy Expressway from the Edens Expressway to Ohio Street were closed in March for bridge restoration and ramp repairs. The project is meant to rehabilitate 36 bridges, 22 bridges of which were rehabilitated during the first phase, according to Maria Castaneda, spokesperson for IDOT.
The project is also intended to rehabilitate the Reversible Lane Access Control system, replace overhead signs, install LED lights, patch pavement and add painting.
The project aims to improve safety, traffic flow and reliability for the more than 275,000 motorists who use the expressway every day, IDOT said. The Kennedy Expressway opened in November 1960, with the last major rehabilitation completed in 1994.