Traffic closures in effect for final phase of Kennedy Expressway construction

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The final phase of Kennedy Expressway construction is now underway after getting started Monday night.

The Kennedy express lanes are now officially closed heading inbound into the city until Thanksgiving.

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That means you'll want to budget for more traffic and extra time on your morning commute.

Crews were setting up for the final phase of the reconstruction project overnight, creating work zones, which include overnight ramp and lane closures.

The outbound Kennedy is losing two mainline lanes and the reversible express lanes will remain outbound-only.

"It's going to be very similar to what we had in year one where you had two lanes on the inbound at that time, so we are always going to keep two lanes on the locals and the two lanes on the reversible to maintain the four lanes outbound that we have," Jon Schumacher, bureau chief of construction, said.

If you're heading to O'Hare, IDOT warns you won't be able to exit the express lanes until Foster, so downtown drivers should stick to the mainline on the Kennedy to get go the airport.

The $169 million rehabilitation project started in 2023, repairing 36 bridge structures, replacing signs, LED light upgrades, pavement patching, and steel structural repairs.

The set up for this next process will take several days, so expect the full closures to be in effect by the end of the week.