First phase of Kennedy Expressway work wraps up

IDOT has announced the completion of the first phase of the rehabilitation of the Kennedy Expressway, spanning from the Edens Expressway junction all the way down to W. Ohio St. This past year of construction focused on improvements to the inbound lanes and bridge rehabilitation work.

Carved through the northwest neighborhoods of Chicago, the Kennedy Expressway opened back in 1960, with its latest major rehab dating back to 1994. IDOT claims the project will improve safety, traffic flow, and reliability for the more than 275,000 drivers who use the expressway every day. 

In 2024, IDOT will close the reversible express lanes to modernize the system that controls the gates to the express lanes. Work on the bridge structures will be performed and pavement patching also be done. Mainline lane closures should also be expected for the installation of new LED lighting in both directions of Hubbard’s Cave. If crews can stick to the schedule, this second construction phase will wrap up by fall 2024. 

The third construction season, planned for 2025, will focus on the outbound lanes. Two lanes will be closed at a time, with additional overnight and ramp closures needed to complete the work. To mitigate traffic during this season, the express lanes will be set for outbound traffic. Work on the LED lighting in Hubbard’s Cave will continue on the outbound lanes in this season as well. Like the first two years, crews are expected to finish this work by the fall of 2025.

Projected to cost $150 million, the project will rehabilitate 36 bridge structures along the stretch, replace overhead signage, install new signs and LED lights, patch pavement, and perform structural painting. Additionally, the project will modernize the 52-year-old system that controls the gates to the express lanes and update Hubbard’s Cave with new paint and LED lighting.