Bishop Ford Freeway overhaul begins; expect major delays through 2027

Drivers hitting the Bishop Ford Freeway this year may be invoking divine intervention as the Illinois Department of Transportation embarks on a major rehabilitation.

Named after the inspirational preacher and Chicago religious leader Henry Louis Ford in 1996, the busy corridor opened in 1950 as the Calumet Expressway. Its last rebuild was 11 years ago.

“The Bishop Ford Freeway is critical to the movement of goods and people throughout the region, but in need of reinvestment and repair,” Transportation Secretary Gia Biagi said.

Motorists can expect lane closures and delays throughout the two-year, 9.5-mile project that will stretch from Chicago to South Holland.

More than 167,000 cars and trucks travel on the freeway daily.

​“These improvements the next two years will result in a safer, more reliable road for you and your families,” Biagi said in a statement. “Please slow down when approaching and traveling through the work zone, put down devices and stay patient.”

Workers will focus on the outbound side now through December, then start on the inbound half in spring 2027. This week, crews began reducing the outbound lanes from three to two between 130th Street and Route 6/159th Street.

Major bridge repairs over the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad, Dolton and Greenwood avenues, and the Little Calumet River are scheduled this year.

IDOT also will be patching and resurfacing pavement from Martin Luther King Drive to 159th Street as well as replacing signs and installing new LED lights.

Other project details include:

• The outbound Bishop Ford ramp to eastbound Dolton Avenue and the westbound 159th Street ramp to the outbound freeway are closing until December.

• The Michigan City Road bridge over the Bishop Ford is being replaced and will be closed until the end of the year.

• The inbound Bishop Ford ramp to eastbound Sibley Boulevard is closed with detours posted.

IDOT noted that additional overnight and weekend ramp and lane closures are expected and will be announced later.

To learn more, visit https://idot.click/Bishop-Ford.