Kennedy, Edens lane and ramp closures to take place over three weekends
information provided by the Illinois Department of Transportation
CHICAGO, Ill. (April 20, 2020) – The Illinois Department of Transportation has announced that as part of the efforts to rebuild Montrose Avenue over the Kennedy Expressway (Interstate 90/94), weekend lane and ramp closures will be scheduled beginning with the weekend of April 24. The closures are necessary to safely remove the existing Montrose Avenue bridge over the expressway.
The bridge, a cast-in-place, three-unit concrete structure, will be removed one unit at a time. To avoid closing the expressway entirely and to minimize the impact to traffic, the bridge will be removed over three weekends. The first segment to be removed crosses over the inbound Kennedy.
Starting at 9 p.m. Friday, April 24, weather permitting, the inbound Kennedy and Edens expressways approaching Montrose Avenue gradually will be reduced to a single lane and all traffic directed into the inbound express lanes. Inbound traffic will continue in the express lanes and will not be able to exit until Armitage Avenue.
Additionally, the ramps from Cicero (Illinois 50), Lawrence, Wilson and Montrose avenues to the inbound expressway will be closed.
All lanes and ramps will reopen, with the express lanes resuming their normal operations, by 5 a.m. Monday, April 27.
Pedestrians accessing the Chicago Transit Authority’s Blue Line station at Montrose Avenue can expect intermittent 15-minute sidewalk closures between 12:01 a.m., Saturday, April 25, and 8 a.m. Sunday, April 26.
The second unit of the existing Montrose bridge, the portion of the structure that crosses over the Kennedy’s outbound lanes, is scheduled for removal, weather permitting, the weekend of May 1. Removal of the third segment, over the Blue Line station and the express lanes, will be scheduled later this spring.
The overall Montrose Avenue improvements include removing and replacing the existing bridge and approach pavement, upgrading existing lighting and installing lighting under the bridge and over the CTA station. The project is expected to be completed in December.
While the bridge is being replaced, Montrose Avenue traffic is detoured to Cicero Avenue, Irving Park Road (Illinois 19) and Pulaski Road.
Motorists can expect delays and should allow extra time for trips through this area. Drivers are urged to pay close attention to flaggers and signs in the work zones, obey the posted speed limits and remain alert for workers and equipment.
