After nine years of construction, construction on the Jane Byrne Interchange is almost finished. The interchange connects three Chicago expressways.
It links the Dan Ryan Expressway (I-90/94) to the south. It also links the Kennedy Expressway (I-90/94) to the north. Further, it links the Eisenhower Expressway (I-290) to the west, and Ida B. Wells Drive to the east and is said to be used by more than 400,000 drivers each day.
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In order to repair and restore bridges, retaining walls, ramps, and other structures, work started in 2013 and was scheduled to be finished in 2018. However, a soaring budget and other issues caused passengers to face gridlock, congestion, and a protracted delay.
The initiative, which consisted of 35 projects, was initially projected to cost $535 million, according to information from the Chicago Sun-Times. However, the project is almost finished after eight years and a total of $793 million.
State officials held a formal ribbon cutting Wednesday morning to celebrate.
Overview of the new Jane Byrne Interchange in Chicago
The interchange currently has four open lanes, according to officials. The Kennedy and Dan Ryan Expressways now have two broader ramps from eastbound I-290 onto the Kennedy and Dan Ryan Expressways, as well as two new northbound Kennedy entrance ramps from Adams to Jackson Streets. There are only two unfinished construction projects left.
“Over the course of a day, we estimate a 50% decrease in delays for all cars. There are five million fewer hours saved by vehicles stuck in traffic. Annual savings of $185 million in lost production due to travel delays. Reduced idle time led to yearly gasoline savings of 1.6 million gallons and a lowering of greenhouse gas emissions by a third. 25 percent fewer car accidents for drivers and thousands of jobs were also created,” said Governor JB Pritzker.
