News Release from the Illinois Department of Transportation
The Illinois Department of Transportation is reminding motorists that the fourth and final weekend of lane closures on the expressway system surrounding the Jane Byrne Interchange in Chicagotakes place starting Friday evening, Oct. 16. The public is advised to expect delays and plan accordingly.
The closures are necessary for the installation of steel beams that will support the deck of the new flyover bridge linking the inbound Dan Ryan Expressway (westbound Interstate 90/94) to the outbound Eisenhower Expressway (westbound Interstate 290), part of the larger overhaul of the Jane Byrne Interchange.
The following ramps and lanes will be closed, weather permitting:
- The outbound Eisenhower (I-290) at the Byrne Interchange will close at 10 p.m. Friday. Traffic can still access the I-90/94 exit ramps. A detour will direct traffic to the outbound Dan Ryan and the 18th Street interchange to access the outbound Eisenhower via the inbound Dan Ryan.
- The inbound Kennedy Expressway (I-90/94) between Ohio Street and Harrison Street will be reduced to one lane at 8 p.m. Saturday. Unlike the previous three weekends of closures, no full stops will be required during the overnight hours. All inbound Kennedy lanes will reopen by 10 a.m. Sunday.
All lanes will reopen and the previous traffic configuration restored by 5 a.m. Monday.
Drivers are urged to pay close attention to flaggers and signs in the work zones, obey the posted speed limits and be on the alert for workers and equipment. The IDOT’s Emergency Traffic Patrol (Minutemen) and Illinois State Police (ISP) will have extra patrols in the work zone.
The Regional Transportation Authority reminds residents to visit the RTA Trip Planner, at http://www.rtachicago.org, to find alternate means of travel using the region’s public transportation system.
The new flyover will replace an existing single-lane, winding ramp with a two-lane ramp and bridge that begins just south of Roosevelt Road and arches over Harrison Street, the rest of the Jane Byrne Interchange and Halsted Street before connecting to the outbound Eisenhower near Morgan Street.
The cost of the Byrne reconstruction, which will take until 2019, has climbed to almost $600 million from initial IDOT estimates of $375 million in 2012, before design and engineering were completed, officials acknowledged.
Please visit www.circleinterchange.org for complete project details and closure information, including a streaming high-resolution view of the work zone.
Click here to find details on other construction projects in IDOT’s District 1. Updates on the impacts to traffic are available at www.travelmidwest.com
For IDOT District 1 updates on Twitter, follow us at http://twitter.com/IDOTDistrict1.
Jen DeSalvo 
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