Lanes, ramps on Jane Byrne Interchange reopening this weekend

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Big changes are coming up on the Jane Byrne Interchange this weekend and should alleviate traffic for motorists.

IDOT announced that three reconstructed ramps will reopen on Saturday. By 8 a.m., the inbound ramp from the inbound Dan Ryan Expressway to the inbound Ida B. Wells Drive and a second lane on the inbound Dan Ryan "flyover" ramp to the outbound Eisenhower will reopen, allowing for the reopening of the Morgan Street exit ramp.

"With the second lane and shoulders open we expect drivers will see immediate improvement, temporary overnight closures and detours will be necessary as we make this stage change," said Paul Gregoire, the Bureau Chief for Construction with IDOT's District 1 office.

In order to facilitate the changes, overnight closures will be required. The flyover ramp will close to all traffic from midnight to 8 a.m. Saturday. A detour will direct motorists to the Augusta Boulevard interchange to access the outbound Eisenhower via the inbound Kennedy.

The outbound Ida B. Wells Drive will close from 11 p.m. Monday to 5 a.m. Tuesday for striping to allow an additional lane to open between Halsted and Racine streets on the outbound Eisenhower. The inbound Kennedy to outbound Eisenhower ramp will be closed during the same time period.

"Today's progress on the Jane Byrne Interchange marks an important achievement for this complex project," said Acting Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman. "Opening these ramps to full capacity will greatly improve safety, enhance connectivity to local neighborhoods and enable better traffic flow through the interchange. While construction remains ongoing, Gov. Pritzker has made it clear completing this project without further delay is a priority and the department looks forward to unveiling a fully reconstructed Jane Byrne Interchange as quickly as possible."

Additional closures will be put into effect next spring to reconstruct the ramps connecting the Kennedy, Dan Ryan and Eisenhower expressways as well as Ida B. Wells Drive.

The project started in September 2013 and The other major ramps are set to be completed by December 2020. The entire project is slated to be finished by the late fall of 2022. IDOT has created a website, www.janebyrneinterchange.org, for the project that includes timelines and a livestream.