Outbound Kennedy Expressway construction zone shifts overnight Monday
Construction on the outbound Kennedy Expressway is entering a new phase Monday night, when lanes approaching the Edens Expressway will be reduced from six to four lanes, separated in the middle by a barrier wall.
Starting at 10 p.m. Monday, the outbound Kennedy will be gradually reduce to one lane from Kostner Avenue to the Edens junction with intermittent ramp closures, weather permitting, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.
At midnight, the express lanes will close. By 5 a.m. Tuesday, the temporarily closed lanes will reopen.
The Keeler Avenue ramp to the outbound Kennedy closed at the start of the summer also will reopen by 5 a.m. Tuesday, a month ahead of schedule, according to IDOT.
In the new configuration, the four outbound lanes will split into two lanes each separated by a barrier wall between Kostner Avenue and the Edens junction. The two left lanes will continue on to the outbound Kennedy, while the two right lanes will shift slightly to the right and continue to the Edens.
The new configuration will allow outbound center lanes to be repaired between Kostner Avenue and the Edens junction and remain in place for about two weeks, according to IDOT.
The construction, part of the third and final year of the Kennedy overhaul project, is expected to be completed by Thanksgiving.