As part of the ongoing construction project on the Kennedy Expressway, motorists can expect occasional complete stoppages of traffic on the roadway overnight in the coming days.
According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, full traffic stoppages lasting about 15 minutes can be expected on the highway starting Tuesday night and continuing for at least 12 days, weather permitting.
Other regularly scheduled ramp and lane closures will also continue as the project moves into the second of three years of work.
Overnight stops will be used to replace signs along Kennedy and install new overhead signage on both sides of the highway.
The main closures will occur on the inbound side of Kennedy starting Tuesday, when a section of the roadway between Western Avenue and Logan Boulevard will be closed at 15-minute intervals, and continuing to Milwaukee Avenue, officials said.
On the outbound side of Kennedy Street, closures are planned Thursday approaching Fullerton and Sunday in the same section, with the Ontario Street ramp to Dan Ryan Street also closed that night, officials said.
This year marks the second phase of a three-year rehabilitation project on the Kennedy Expressway. This year, the focus is on the highway’s reversible lanes, with pavement repairs, LED lighting upgrades, structural painting and replacement of signal structures and bridge structures.
Improvements to the reversible lanes are expected to continue until fall 2024.
By the end of the project, 36 bridges will have been rehabilitated and improvements will be made to the reversible lane access control system, as well as to the Hubbard Cave between Grand Avenue and Wayman Street.
Next year, the outgoing side of the Kennedy will be rehabilitated to complete the project, according to IDOT.
NBC Chicago
