Kennedy Express Lanes Will Stay Closed Until Next Year

CHICAGO — The express lanes on the Kennedy Expressway will not reopen until next year, according to authorities.

The Illinois Department of Transportation announced Tuesday that testing of the new reversible gate system on the Interstate 90/94 express lanes is set to start Jan. 2, with the lanes expected to reopen the week of Jan. 13.

The reversible express lanes have been closed nine months and were previously anticipated to reopen around Thanksgiving, according to NBC Chicago.

“As we approach the finish line on the most complex piece of the Kennedy project, we appreciate your continued patience,” Transportation Secretary Omer Osman said in a news release. “The improvements are highly technical and require time and effort behind the scenes, but they will result in a much safer and reliable system for the millions of people who rely on the Kennedy.”

The $150 million project is funded by Gov. JB Pritzker’s Rebuild Illinois capital program.

Work has involved improving the bridges and pavement in the two express lanes in the center of the Kennedy, as well as technical aspects not always visible to the public, namely the rehabilitation and replacement of the Reversible Lane Access Control system, according to the department.

The system controls the gates and whether traffic flows inbound or outbound. Work has included installing 120 gates, integrating local and remote controls, replacing cameras, and modernizing electrical components as well as fiber-optic cables and terminal blocks along the 7.5 miles.

New overhead structures and signs were also installed, and Hubbard’s Cave was painted and given new LED lights.

The overall Kennedy rehabilitation project, from the Edens Expressway junction to Ohio Street, is taking place over three construction seasons. The inbound Kennedy was completed in 2023, and the outbound lanes are set to start in the spring and take a full construction season.