What Kennedy drivers need to know about Monday's protest

Drivers headed to O'Hare International Airport on Labor Day via the Kennedy Expressway should check traffic reports in advance with a citizens group aiming to shut down I-90 to protest violence in Chicago, officials advise.

The protesters are expected to start at the Cumberland Avenue ramp to westbound O'Hare and proceed toward the airport at 11:30 a.m. Monday.

"At this time we expect travel to remain uninterrupted," Illinois State Police Sgt. Ryan Cape said.

The demonstration is not expected to affect drivers accessing I-190 into O'Hare by the Tri-State Tollway or driving west on the Jane Addams Tollway (I-90), but that could change depending on where the marchers go.

Alternate routes into the airport are from Mannheim Road in Chicago and River Road in Rosemont, officials said.

Park Ridge Police Chief Frank Kaminski said travelers should be prepared for potential delays on the Kennedy. Park Ridge police will be out near the Cumberland ramp to assist.

"We are trying to prepare for all contingencies," Kaminski said. "We want make sure everybody is safe and secure and traffic is able to flow through the area."

Protesters led by the Rev. Gregory Livingston are seeking to shut down O'Hare to gain attention for the fight to end gun violence and racism in the region.

Shutting down the nation's second busiest airport "as an act of civil disobedience is not our end objective but rather a means to an end," Livingston posted on Facebook. "Our demands are focused on the equitable distribution of resources and opportunities for all Chicago and the lack of - which has created our 'Tale of Two Cities.'"

The march is the third of recent actions related to violence in Chicago; other events have included protests on Lake Shore Drive and the Dan Ryan Expressway this summer.