Kennedy Expressway work ramps up for the 2023 home stretch
Before the mega Kennedy Expressway repair job wraps up for the year, more ramps are coming down.
This week marked the closure of the Addison Avenue ramp to the inbound Kennedy and the inbound expressway ramp to Kimball Avenue. Both are anticipated to reopen in two weeks.
The three-year, $150 million project started in March with Illinois Department of Transportation crews focusing on the inbound lanes.
A total of 36 bridges will be fixed 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 rehabbed, and Hubbard's Cave will get a fresh coat of paint and new LEDs. Here's what to expect this month:
• The closed Pulaski Avenue ramp to the inbound Kennedy is expected to reopen this week.
• Ramps from the inbound Kennedy to North and Fullerton avenues are scheduled to reopen in late October.
• Ramps from Armitage, Montrose and Kedzie avenues to the inbound Kennedy are anticipated to reopen in late October.
The agency expects to wrap up 2023 construction in late fall. Looking ahead, IDOT will shut down the reversible lanes in 2024 to rehabilitate the bridge decks and the Reversible Lane Access Control system. Work will continue on Hubbard's Cave.
In 2025, construction will switch to the outbound Kennedy.
IDOT officials said driver can "continue to expect lane shifts, overnight lane closures and significant delays and to allow extra time for trips through this area."