UPDATE: To safely complete the work additional ramp closures are needed

Express lane access to O’Hare opens a month ahead of schedule

CHICAGO – The Illinois Department of Transportation announced today that as part of the ongoing rehabilitation of the Kennedy Expressway (Interstate 90/94) from the Edens Expressway (I-94) junction to Ohio Street, a stage change is scheduled to take place beginning, weather permitting, Saturday, May 31.

Under the new configuration, traffic leaving downtown Chicago will be able to use both the express and local lanes to continue to I-90 and O’Hare International Airport. Since the final year of the Kennedy project started in March, drivers leaving downtown had to stay in the local lanes to access the airport.

To facilitate the stage change, starting at 11 p.m. Saturday, May 31, the reversible express lanes will close. At midnight the outbound Kennedy will be reduced to one outbound lane from Addison Street to Montrose Avenue and intermittent ramp closures also will take place between Addison Street and Montrose Avenue.

The lanes and the Addison Street and Montrose Avenue ramps that were closed overnight will reopen by 10 a.m. Sunday, June 1, when the new traffic pattern will be in place. To safely complete the work, the ramp from Keeler Avenue to the outbound Kennedy and the outbound Kennedy ramp to Kostner Avenue will remain closed until later this summer.

In the new configuration, the outbound lanes will shift slightly to the left on to the new pavement between Addison Street and Montrose Avenue, allowing work to begin on the right lanes of the outbound expressway. The reversible express lanes will remain open in the outbound direction, with two mainline outbound lanes closed at a time. The reversible mid-gate entrance and exits will remain closed and are estimated to reopen in July.

The change to the work zone is occurring roughly a month ahead of schedule, part of an effort to stage the project and ramp closures to help accelerate construction. Additional ramp closures for varying durations will be required to complete the project, which remains on pace for an overall completion by Thanksgiving. Details, schedules and impacts to traffic will be shared in advance, closer to the individual closure dates. ​

As a reminder, to accommodate ongoing bridge rehabilitation and ramp repairs, the following ramps are scheduled to close, weather permitting:

Thursday, June 5

Monday, June 9

Current ramp closures:

Motorists should follow the posted detours.

All scheduled work is subject to change due to multiple factors, including inclement weather. In that event, schedules will be updated and shared with the public.

The public should expect significant delays and allow extra time for trips through this area. Drivers are urged to pay close attention to flaggers and signs in the work zones, obey the posted speed limits and be on the alert for workers and equipment.

Throughout construction, traveling during non-peak hours, taking alternative routes and utilizing public transportation, including the Chicago Transit Authority’s Blue Line and Metra’s Union Pacific Northwest Line, as well as Pace, are recommended.

For more information, visit https://idot.illinois.gov/projects/Interstate-90-Kennedy-Bridge-Study. The website features project details, maps, photos and fact sheets. The public can email questions to DOT.KennedyRehab@illinois.gov. For systemwide traffic and road conditions, visit www.gettingaroundillinois.com. You also can follow IDOT on Facebook and X.

Click below to view a short video.

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