The Kennedy Expressway's multi-year overhaul is entering its final stage next week, with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) announcing the imminent commencement of construction on I-90/94's outbound lanes. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the construction is scheduled to start on March 18, weather permitting, and is expected to last until approximately Thanksgiving. During this time, two main outbound lanes will be closed, and the reversible lanes will transition to being permanently outbound.
With the focus on repairing 19 bridges and enhancing pavement conditions, this final phase is set to bring significant changes to the flow of traffic. From March 18 onwards, drivers will not have access to the express lanes' mid-gate entrance and exit until mid-July, meaning access to O'Hare from these lanes will be blocked, per CBS News Chicago. IDOT has recommended seeking alternative travel options, such as the CTA Blue Line, Metra Union Pacific Northwest line, or Pace Bus, in anticipation of the expected delays.
Local drivers are bracing for the impact. Ed Wallace, who commutes regularly on the expressway, told CBS News Chicago, "Yeah, that's kind of hard to take." Meanwhile, I.J. Singh, a car service operator affected by the construction, shared his distress over the extended congestion: "It's going to be worse than last two years, because there's only two lanes going toward west, and it's gonna be bad. It's worse than last two years."
Construction in previous years has gone over budget and faced delays. The project, originally budgeted at $150 million, has grown to $169 million. Last year's phase lagged several weeks behind schedule, a development that left IDOT with a credibility gap to fill. Jon Schumacher, IDOT's bureau chief of construction, acknowledged communication deficiencies: "You could always communicate more, and I think you're going to see that this year, and that's how we're going to go about trying to rebuild the trust," he said in a statement obtained by CBS News Chicago.
Despite past setbacks, IDOT is expressing confidence in the timely completion of this last phase. The agency cites the finished improvements to the reversible lanes and the more routine nature of the upcoming bridge repairs and pavement patching as reasons for their optimism. Extensive planning has been undertaken to ensure that the project's final year doesn't hit the same snags as the prior ones, focusing on keeping at least two outbound lanes open throughout the duration of the construction.
