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Kennedy Express Lanes Resume Normal Operations, With Construction on Pace to Finish Before Thanksgiving: IDOT

The reversible express lanes on the Kennedy Expressway resumed normal operations Monday morning, offering some relief to inbound morning rush hour commuters after months of the express lanes remaining in the outbound direction during construction work.

The return of normal express lanes operations comes as all Kennedy outbound local lanes open, the Illinois Department of Transportation announced Sunday.

Construction is on pace to finish before Thanksgiving, according to IDOT.

Work continues on several outbound ramps through late October, with the Wilson Avenue exit ramp from the expressway scheduled to close Monday night for an estimated two weeks. Additionally, the westbound Ontario Street feeder ramp to access the northbound Kennedy, both express and local lanes, is scheduled to close Oct. 13 for about two weeks, according to IDOT.

The currently-closed outbound Kennedy ramp to Division Street is expected to reopen mid-October.

This year is expected to mark the end of an overall three-year project to rehab the I-90/I-94 Kennedy Expressway from the Edens junction to Ohio Street. Construction started on the inbound Kennedy lanes in 2023. Last year, work focused on the reversible express lanes. This year, crews are finishing work on the outbound lanes.

Work will continue through next summer on the feeder ramps for Ohio and Ontario streets as part of an unrelated project. Two lanes are open in each direction between Orleans Street and the Kennedy, according to IDOT.

Contact Eunice Alpasan: [email protected]

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