The third and final year of the Kennedy Expressway overhaul is set to begin next week, as outbound lanes are reduced and the reversible lanes become permanently outbound until the fall.
Drivers should expect “significant delays” when the work on I-90/94 begins the morning of Tuesday, March 18, weather permitting, the Illinois Department of Transportation said in a news release.
Construction is expected to be completed “around Thanksgiving,” the Transportation Department said.
Starting Tuesday, the reversible lanes will remain open in the outbound direction while two main outbound lanes will be closed. The reversible lanes’ mid-gate entrance and exit will remain closed through mid-July, so drivers headed to O’Hare will not be able to use the express lanes.
The work is the final phase of the three-year project. Improvements to the reversible lanes were completed last year. The inbound Kennedy was revamped in 2023.
Closures begin this week to set up the work zone. Drivers should expect overnight ramp and lane closures from Ohio Street and Montrose Avenue between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m.
The department recommended using alternative routes or public transportation such as the CTA Blue Line, Metra Union Pacific Northwest line or Pace Bus.
The overall $169 million Kennedy project includes rehabilitating 36 bridge structures and the reversible lane system.