The first year of a three-year project to rehabilitate the Kennedy Expressway in Chicago has ended with inbound lanes reopening.
The $150 million project will pick back up in the spring for phase two, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.
Last March, work began on the inbound I-90/I-94 expressway in Cook County. The overall project involves rehabilitating 36 bridges and the Reversible Lane Access Control system, replacing overhead sign structures, installing new signs and modernized LED lights, pavement patching, and structural painting. Additionally, Hubbard’s Cave, from Grand Avenue to Wayman Street, will be painted and new LED lighting installed.
The project is the first major rehab of the 63-year-old expressway since 1994. The freeway sees 275,000 vehicles a day. The rehab work is expected to improve safety, traffic flow and reliability, according to IDOT.
The rehab work is being conducted between Edens Expressway (I-94) and Ohio Street. Work on the second phase is scheduled to start in spring, with a focus on rehabilitating the freeway’s Reversible Lane Access Control lanes. The lanes help reduce traffic by opening in the direction of heavy traffic flow as needed. It will also involve pavement patching and replacing signs and lighting.
The third and final phase will begin in Spring 2025, focusing on repairing bridge decks, as well as pavement patching, signs and lighting. The project is scheduled to be completed in Fall 2025.
