What drivers can expect when the Kennedy ramp switcheroo starts Monday
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Looking east toward the Chicago skyline at the Kennedy Expressway and Montrose Avenue. Four ramps are scheduled to close on Monday. Brian Hill | Staff Photographer, August 2023
Four inbound Kennedy Expressway ramps will close Monday morning as Illinois Department of Transportation crews push forward on a supersized repair job.
The three-year, $150 million project stretches between the Edens Expressway and Ohio Street.
The ramp closures taking effect at 6 a.m. Monday are:
• Pulaski Avenue to the inbound Kennedy; reopening is expected in two weeks.
• Montrose Avenue to the inbound Kennedy; reopening is set for late October.
• Kedzie Avenue to the inbound Kennedy; reopening is anticipated in late October.
• The inbound Kennedy to Fullerton Avenue; reopening is projected in late October.
Some good news for drivers: The Diversey Avenue, Kimball Avenue and Irving Park Road ramps to the inbound Kennedy are scheduled to reopen next week.
In late October, construction should finish on the inbound Kennedy ramp to North Avenue and the Armitage Avenue ramp to the inbound Kennedy.
The agency expects to wrap up 2023 construction in late fall.
IDOT kicked off the project in March and is fixing the inbound lanes this year. A total of 36 bridges will be rehabbed between the Edens Expressway and Ohio Street, along with pavement patching as needed.
In addition, the gates that open and close the reversible lanes will be updated, and Hubbard's Cave will get a fresh coat of paint and new LEDs.
In 2024, IDOT will close the reversible lanes to repair the bridge decks and the Reversible Lane Access Control system. Work will continue on Hubbard's Cave. In 2025, construction will shift to the outbound Kennedy.
