Eisenhower to Kennedy ramp closing for 4 months starting in June

A major ramp connecting the inbound Eisenhower to the outbound Kennedy Expressway will close for four months starting June 1 as part of the ongoing Jane Byrne Interchange project.

The ramp, which typically serves 25,000 vehicles per day, will be expanded from one to two lanes with larger shoulders, “substantially improving safety and congestion,” according to a statement from the Illinois Department of Transportation.

The construction is expected to end in October.

While the ramp is closed, a detour will send drivers south on the Dan Ryan Expressway in a dedicated lane to Taylor Street, where a “Texas U-turn” detour will turn drivers back north to the Kennedy, IDOT said.

As part of the detour, the inbound Eisenhower lane configuration will be altered. The two left lanes will connect to Ida B. Wells Drive and the two right lanes to the outbound Dan Ryan, the department said. The far right lane will serve as the outbound Kennedy detour.

Taylor Street will close for the duration of the ramp construction, starting May 20, between Union Avenue and Ruble Street, IDOT said. The south sidewalk of Taylor Street will stay open for pedestrians and bicyclists.

Another closure includes the inbound Dan Ryan ramp from Roosevelt Road, IDOT said. A detour will direct drivers down Halsted Street to Adams Street.

“The Jane Byrne is among our top priorities,” acting Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman said in the statement. “Although traffic volumes are down, please plan ahead and be patient driving through the work zone.”

The ramp’s construction is already 48% complete, according to the Jane Byrne Interchange project’s website. The project has already replaced six bridges near the interchange. Two more are under construction.

In March, construction shut down the Jackson Boulevard bridge over the Kennedy Expressway for at least two years. The entire project is expected to be finished by the end of 2022.