Inbound Kennedy ramp to Congress closed for Jane Byrne construction

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Drivers who use the Jane Byrne Interchange should plan ahead to avoid traffic headaches as major closures take effect this week.

The ramp from the inbound Kennedy Expressway to Congress Parkway is closed. Drivers should leave extra early for work and plan alternate routes or take public transportation.

Crews are setting up equipment on the ramp to install large steel beams that will support the new flyover bridge that will carry traffic from the inbound Dan Ryan Expressway to the outbound Eisenhower Expressway.

The inbound Kennedy ramp, which carries about 6,500 vehicles daily, is not scheduled to reopen until 5 a.m. on Aug. 31.

"We're only going to be able to bring in these beams that day. So we have limited space to store these beams and the equipment on the job site because the expressways don't allow for a lot of extra room," said Tony Quigley, a project implementation engineer for the Illinois Department of Transportation.

IDOT's posted detour uses Roosevelt Road, Jefferson and Wells streets. But there are many options to enter downtown from the inbound Kennedy, like Ohio Street or Washington Boulevard.

The actual installation of the bridge beams will be done during the last two weekends in August, one weekend in September and one weekend in October.