Kennedy construction nightmare returns Tuesday — 'It will be very similar to last year,' transit official says

Commuters could face a potential traffic nightmare Tuesday morning as construction crews close the Kennedy Expressway’s reversible lanes for repairs until late fall.

The work is the second phase of the $150 million project taking place over three years. Inbound lanes were repaired last year. This year’s work, starting early due to warmer weather, focuses on the express lanes. Construction hits the outbound Kennedy in 2025.

The work kicks off at 9 p.m. Monday with four nights of nearly total lane closures. Monday night, inbound lanes will narrow to one between the Edens junction and Irving Park Road. Inbound ramps will temporarily close at Wilson, Montrose and Irving Park. Lanes open up at 5 a.m. Tuesday, but express lanes will remain permanently closed for the season.

Like last year, inbound and outbound lanes will be reduced to four lanes of traffic each — down from six.

“It will be very similar to last year. It’s just now we’re in the reversibles,” said Jon Schumacher, District 1 bureau chief of construction for the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Schumacher is frank that the construction will slow commuters. He recommends people travel by public transit, or if possible, change the time of day they travel.

But the delays will be worth it, he said, because the new road will be smoother.

“Those bridge decks kind of look like the surface of the moon, with all the potholes,” Schumacher said. The resurfacing work entails grinding down the road surface an inch and applying fresh concrete, he said.

“In the long run, you should see less maintenance on your car. ... It’s just a smoother commute, so nobody’s spilling their coffee.”

Kennedy construction this year includes four separate projects: repaving the express lanes, replacing overhead signs and lights, and painting Hubbard’s Cave.

Engineers expect construction to go more smoothly this year after some “hiccups” last year, he said. Construction was delayed last year after they learned they needed sliding conduit they didn’t realize was connecting the barrier walls.

“We had to order them, and there was a very long delay,” Schumacher said.

The upgraded express lanes will feature new entrance gates. The current ones, built in 1990, have become unreliable and sometimes have to be manually cranked open and shut, causing delays, Schumacher said.

Between 90 and 120 workers will be working on the project per day — like last year, Schumacher said.

To make travel quicker, he recommends drivers stay in their lane. Late last year, he noticed traffic became worse as the drivers became more frustrated with construction and made more unnecessary lane changes.

“Yeah, that one person might get a little bit ahead, but it makes a ripple effect all the way through, and it just slows down the entire corridor,” Schumacher said.

Other lane and ramp closures:

• 9 p.m. Tuesday. Outbound Kennedy reduces to two lanes between North and Fullerton avenues. Outbound ramps also close in this section.
• 9 p.m. Wednesday. Inbound Kennedy reduces to one lane from Milwaukee Avenue to Lake Street. Outbound Kennedy also reduces to one lane between Madison Street and Milwaukee.
• 9 p.m. Thursday. Outbound Kennedy reduces to one lane between North and Fullerton. Outbound ramps also closed in this section.