Construction has started on a major renovation of the Kennedy Expressway between W Ohio Street in the south and W Lawrence Avenue in the north. Built in 1960 the 18-mile-long highway runs from the city center all the way to O’Hare International Airport and on average of 327,000 vehicles use it daily, making it the busiest roadway in the Midwest. Due to this heavy usage, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) is embarking on the phased multi-year reconstruction project for one of its busiest portions.
Construction plan of the Kennedy via IDOT
The roughly seven-mile stretch that will be worked on runs between the aforementioned roads and cuts through a majority of Chicago’s northwest side, with the CTA Blue Line running in the middle of it all adding a level of complexity to the work. Spanning from 2023 to at least 2025, the three-phase schedule is as follows:
Phase One
Starting last week the inbound lanes began construction with the closure of two lanes, while over time which two are closed will change as work progresses, at least two will remain closed for the rest of the spring and summer season. To help counterbalance the lost capacity, the two express lanes in the center will run in the inbound direction permanently but with no added exits. The work will also include new LED lighting, signage, and multiple on-off ramps of which many will see temporary closures until construction wraps up in the fall.
Phase Two
Expected to begin in the spring of 2024, the second phase will focus on the express lanes themselves. They will be closed through to fall in order to rehabilitate REVersible Lane And Control (REVLAC) System which is made up of 115 swing gates, six arresting barriers, and four nodal buildings, last rebuilt in 1998. Painting, signage, lighting, and repaving will round out the construction work.
Phase Three
Mirrored to phase one, this final stage will run in the spring of 2025 to the fall and be executed similarly. Two outbound lanes will be closed at a time while the renovated express lanes will run in the outbound direction only during this period, prior to returning to reversible once all is wrapped up. This phase will also see the reconstruction of many on-off ramps while adding signage, lighting, and repaving as well.
Current view of the Kennedy via IDOT
The overall project timeline is pending as the goal is to work only during the warmer months, thus the final extent of dates will be dependent on the weather. It is worth noting that Metra will run additional trains along the freeway as well as the CTA will beef up Blue Line capacity, however it is worth noting that currently the increased Blue Line schedule will come at the cost of the other lines. Overall $150 million will be spent on the project which is expected to cause significant delays across the city on transit and roadways for the next three years.
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So is there a brief of the resulting changes? Or is this almost primarily a re-doing/extend life of the roadway?
Any new lanes or exits?
Hi Ken, this link should provide more details. It appears there will not be any new lanes or exits, but it’s more focused on improving existing infrastructure such as upgraded lighting, rehabbing, repairs, new LEDs, repainting, etc.
I hope IDOT takes this time to improve bike/ped access in around the highway. It’s not often that bridges and ramps are redone. This could be a major opportunity, should CDOT effectively coordinate improvements.
Agreed, getting east/west in the city sucks on bike because of the Interstate areas…they’re particularly unsafe and miserable to be outside of a car (walking included).
I can’t think of anything that would do more to reconnect the city than to vastly improve the experience of walking/biking under/over this highway.
Agreed, although I am a skeptic that they actually will.
Agree with the need to improve the bike/ped interaction.
Curious when IDOT will resurface the small section of outbound 90/94 between Madison and Ohio? They just finished the circle work and this section got torn up, but they never did a much needed resurfacing. They did it for the same stretch on the inbound side.