Chicago Construction News staff writer
The Illinois Department of Transportation recently announced plans to rehabilitate 36 bridge structures on the Kennedy Expressway between the Edens and Ohio Street. It also plans to patch the expressway pavement, paint the Hubbard’s Cave, replace overhead sign structures and replace the access system to the express lanes.
The $150 million project started in late March and will take place over three consecutive construction seasons, broken down into the following stages:
- Stage 1 – Inbound Kennedy: Click here for stage 1 fact sheet.
- Stage 2 – Reversible Express Lanes: Click here for stage 2 fact sheet.
- Stage 3 – Outbound Kennedy: Click here for stage 3 fact sheet.
The Kennedy Expressway opened in November 1960, with the last major rehabilitation completed in 1994. The project will improve safety, traffic flow and reliability for the more than 275,000 motorists who use the expressway each day.
The I-90/Kennedy Expressway feeds directly into O’Hare International Airport and is a core local expressway moving traffic in and around the city. Its bridge structures provide support to 275,000 vehicles per day, including personal vehicles and freight trucks.
Structures are more than 50 years old and were last repaired in 2012. Since then, the decks have begun to show signs of deterioration and the 2012 repairs have reached the end of their intended lifespan. IDOT is now planning to make long-term improvements to improve the condition of the mainline Kennedy Expressway structures to help ease maintenance and ensure their continual service.
