Ramp closures begin Wednesday for Jane Byrne Circle Interchange project

If you think it’s been tough commuting around the Jane Byrne Circle Interchange recently, things are about to get a lot dicier on all three expressways.

The ramp from the inbound Kennedy Expressway to inbound Congress Parkway will close at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday and remain closed through Aug. 31, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.

A detour route will be posted directing inbound Kennedy traffic to the Roosevelt Road exit, then via Jefferson, Harrison and Wells to connect with Congress.

The ramp will be used over the next two weekends to stage the equipment and materials needed for the installation of steel beams that will support the deck of the new flyover bridge linking the inbound Dan Ryan Expressway to the outbound Eisenhower Expressway.

Installing of those beams will require four weekends of lane closures on the Ryan beginning Friday, according to IDOT. The other weekends are Aug. 28-30, Sept. 25-27 and Oct. 16-18. The weekends were chosen to minimize the impact to special events and festivals.

During the first two weekends, Congress will be closed in both directions, though traffic will be able to access the I-90/94 ramps. Both the Kennedy and Dan Ryan expressways will be reduced to one lane during overnight hours Saturday into Sunday, with intermittent full stops on all lanes.

Between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. Thursday, the ramp from the inbound Eisenhower to the outbound Dan Ryan will be closed for removal of the beams on the old Halsted Street bridge over the Eisenhower. Traffic will be directed to the outbound Kennedy and the Augusta Boulevard entrance and exit ramps to access the outbound Dan Ryan.

Beginning at 1 a.m. Friday, the inbound Kennedy ramp to the outbound Eisenhower will be closed until 5 a.m. Traffic will be directed to continue on the Dan Ryan and the 18^th Street exit and entrance ramps to access the outbound Eisenhower.

Drivers should expect delays and allow extra time for trips through the affected areas, according to IDOT.