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Overnight Closures Announced Ahead of Reversible Lanes on Kennedy Expressway Reopening Next Week

The reversible express lanes on the Kennedy Expressway are expected to reopen next week, the Illinois Department of Transportation recently announced.

A sequenced removal of the construction work zone is scheduled to begin Thursday night.

The reopening of the express lanes comes after more than 10 months of construction work on the Kennedy that began in March and that was initially supposed to wrap up in the fall. IDOT officials said additional time was needed to test the reversible lane access control system.

The construction is part of an overall three-phase project to rehab the I-90/I-94 Kennedy Expressway.

Starting Thursday, three overnight lane closures will be required on the inbound and outbound Kennedy and Edens Expressway to remove barricades and apply new pavement markings, according to IDOT in a Wednesday news release. At least one lane in each direction will remain open, according to IDOT.

Below is a schedule of the overnight lane closures, weather permitting. Motorists can expect delays and should allow extra time for trips through this area.

Thursday, Jan. 9

• Starting at 10 p.m., the two left lanes on the inbound Kennedy will be closed from Lawrence Avenue to the Edens junction.
• At the same time, the two left lanes on the inbound Edens will be closed from Foster Avenue to the junction.
• The ramps will not be impacted.
• By 5 a.m. on Friday the lanes that were closed overnight will reopen. The express lanes will remain closed. ​

Friday, Jan. 10

• Starting at 10 p.m., the two left lanes on the outbound Kennedy will be closed between Randolph and Ohio streets.
• At the same time, the Ontario Street feeder ramp will be closed between Orleans Street and the Kennedy.
• By 6 a.m. on Saturday the ramp and lanes that were closed overnight will reopen. The express lanes will remain closed. ​

Saturday, Jan. 11

• Starting at 10 p.m., the two left lanes on the inbound Kennedy will be closed between Kimball and Sacramento avenues.
• At the same time, the two left lanes on the outbound Kennedy will be closed between Diversey and Fullerton avenues.
• By 6 a.m. on Sunday, the lanes that were closed overnight will reopen. The express lanes will remain closed as finishing items are completed, according to IDOT.

The current phase of construction wrapping up, focused on the express lanes, involved installing 120 gates, replacing cameras and modernizing fiber optic cables and terminal blocks, according to IDOT. New overhead sign structures and signs also were installed.

Road construction began in 2023 with work on the inbound Kennedy lanes. The overall project involves rehabbing the Kennedy from the Edens junction to Ohio Street.

The final stage of construction, focused on the outbound lanes, is expected to start in the spring.

Contact Eunice Alpasan: @eunicealpasan | 773-509-5362 | [email protected]

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