Not so magically delicious: Kennedy Expressway fix returns on St. Pat’s Day, outbound lanes the focus

It’s not leprechaun shenanigans, Kennedy Expressway commuters.

Monday, March 17 — St. Patrick’s Day — will mark the resumption of construction on a stretch of the busy highway between the Edens Expressway and Ohio Street, Illinois Department of Transportation engineers said Tuesday.

In the final leg of the three-year project, IDOT crews will repair bridges and pavement on the outbound lanes.

“There’s going to be 19 bridge structure rehabilitations and then pavement patching throughout the 7.5-mile corridor,” IDOT District 1 Bureau Chief of Construction Jon Schumacher said at a briefing.

“We’re also going to be replacing overhead sign structures, installing new signs and upgrading the LED lights throughout the corridor.”

IDOT will maintain two outbound lanes on the Kennedy and the reversible lanes also will be dedicated to outbound traffic.

Schumacher noted construction will now cost $169 million instead of original estimates of $150 million due to extra pavement patching and bridge repairs.

Work should last through the end of 2025. In the first phase from March through late June, the two left outbound lanes will be closed from Division Street to Kostner Avenue.

During this period, outbound reversible lane drivers must exit onto the Edens Expressway, Schumacher noted.

“So once motorists are in the reversible lanes, they’re going to have to exit onto the Edens with the first exit being Foster Avenue,” he said.

Outbound O’Hare traffic must stay on the mainline lanes, Schumacher warned.

Ramp closures also are planned throughout the project.

Preparations for the final segment start this week. “The public should expect various overnight ramp and lane closures on the outbound Kennedy and the reversible lanes, between Ohio Street and Montrose Avenue, from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.,” officials said.

Crews upgraded the Kennedy’s inbound lanes in 2023.

In 2024, crews focused on replacing the reversible lane access control system (REVLAC) as well as fixing pavement. Installing cameras plus new software and electrical features proved so complicated, completion was delayed into January.

On average, the corridor accommodates about 275,000 vehicles a day.