Construction teams working on the Kennedy Expressway’s ambitious $150 million reconstruction are on target to finish Stage One this autumn. The Kennedy Motorway Bridge Rehabilitation Project from the Edens Motorway (I-94) junction to Ohio Street is anticipated to take three construction seasons. It will include 36 bridge renovations as well as countless additional modifications and repairs to signs, lighting, and other buildings.
The Kennedy Motorway was first inaugurated in November 1960, with the most recent significant reconstruction performed in 1994. The I-90/Kennedy Motorway provides direct access to O’Hare International Airport. Additionally, it serves as a primary local motorway for transporting traffic inside and around the city. Its bridges handle 275,000 vehicles each day, including personal automobiles and goods trucks.
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History on the Kennedy Expressway
The buildings were constructed about 50 years ago and were last refurbished in 2012. The first stage of the project focuses on incoming lane improvements. These include bridge deck repairs, pavement patching, overhead sign-structure replacements, new signage installation, and LED lighting upgrades. Additionaly, structural painting, and rehabilitation of the Reversible Lane Access Control (REVLAC) system. During peak hours, the REVLAC System, also known as reversible, provides vehicles with access to two additional lanes for inbound and outgoing traffic. The method reduces traffic congestion and travel times. Created in the 1970s, it operated using analogue techniques.
According to IDOT spokesperson Maria Castanedo, the present initiative will modernise the system’s hardware and software, cut the cost of operation and maintenance, and bring the REVLAC system into the twenty-first century. The reversible lanes will open in the incoming direction during Stage One.
