Kennedy construction, closures begin Friday night
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Major construction is set to begin Friday night on the Kennedy Expressway just north of downtown at the Ontario Street Bridge.
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MORE INFORMATION: Complete Kennedy closures, detours, dates
Demolition of the westbound Ontario Street Bridge to eastbound I-90/94 over I-90/94, will begin Friday, June 13, at 10 p.m. according to the Illinois Department of Transportation. The Ontario Bridge feeds traffic onto both sides of the Kennedy Expressway. Built in 1959, it is being replaced with a modern bridge.
The large-scale demolition will occur over the course of three separate weekends. During the first weekend, the eastbound Kennedy will close.
CLOSURES JUNE 13-15TH
The weekend of June 13-15th from 10:00 pm Friday to 5:00 am Monday crews will have the following closures in place:
The inbound Kennedy expressway from Chicago to Grand Ave. and the reversible lanes
One lane on the outbound Kennedy expressway from Grand to Ogden
The WB Ontario feeder ramp to the inbound Kennedy
The Augusta, Division and Jackson entrance ramps to the Kennedy will be closed
DETOURS
Traffic on the inbound Kennedy will narrow from 5 lanes to 2 near Diversey. The 2 lanes will be forced off at Ohio and onto a turn-around to re-enter the inbound Kennedy.
Best to avoid the inbound Kennedy by using the Tri-State or I-355 around the city if you don't need to go directly downtown.
Or use the inbound Eisenhower, Stevenson or southbound Lake Shore Dr. into the city instead of the Kennedy.
If you're going to any of the city festivals, public transportation is HIGHLY recommended!
Officials recommend avoiding the Kennedy if possible during these times, by taking I-294 or I-355 around the city, or by taking Lake Shore Drive into or out of the city. Additional entrances to the Kennedy will be closed during the first two weekends of construction to keep traffic from entering the expressway near the diversions.
