Kennedy, Edens lane closures planned for Montrose bridge removal

Lane and ramp closures are planned through the weekend on parts of the Kennedy and Edens expressways for the removal of the Montrose Avenue bridge on the Northwest Side.

The express lanes of I-90/94 were shut down at 7 p.m. Thursday and will remain closed until 3 p.m. Friday, according to a statement from the Illinois Department of Transportation.

The closures are part of a project to reconstruct the bridge carrying Montrose over the expressway and will allow crews to start removing the existing bridge, IDOT said.

The ramps to the inbound expressway from Montrose and Wilson avenues will be closed at noon on Friday, followed by the ramps from Lawrence and Cicero avenues at 7 p.m., IDOT said.

Starting at 7 p.m. Friday, inbound traffic on the Kennedy and Edens expressways will be reduced to a single lane approaching Montrose, IDOT said. Traffic will continue in the express lanes, but will be unable to exit until Armitage Avenue.

Additionally, pedestrians entering the CTA Blue Line station at Montrose should expect intermittent 15-minute sidewalk closures between 12:01 a.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. Sunday.

All lanes and ramps are due to reopen by 5 a.m. Monday, according to IDOT.

This weekend’s work will allow for the removal of the first of three sections of the bridge, which crosses over the inbound lanes, IDOT said. The next segment of the bridge is scheduled be removed on the weekend of May 1, with the final portion scheduled for later this spring.