More changes are coming to the Jane Byrne Interchange Friday as the final pieces of the project open, but there could still be some interruptions in store for drivers.
According to officials, temporary overnight closures and the following ramps and lanes are now open to traffic:
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WATCH HERE- The fourth Dan Ryan Expressway (I-90/94) lane through the interchange.
- The fourth Kennedy Expressway (I-90/94) lane through the interchange.
- The two middle inbound lanes from the inbound Eisenhower Expressway (I-290) to the outbound Kennedy, restoring mainline access to Washington Boulevard, Madison, Randolph and Lake streets.
- The second lane from the inbound Eisenhower to the outbound Dan Ryan.
- The outbound Ida B. Wells Drive ramp to the outbound Dan Ryan.
- The ramps from Jackson and Adams streets to the outbound Kennedy.
On Thursday, officials had announced the years-long project was nearly complete. But they noted that "motorists should still expect occasional, temporary lane closures in the coming weeks to complete miscellaneous electrical work and other punch list items."
"Today, I’m proud to announce the reconstruction of the Jane Byrne Interchange is finally completed,” said Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker Wednesday at a ribbon cutting ceremony, announcing the update. "For almost a decade, Illinois’ first-rate workforce worked day in and day out to entirely reconstruct this massive project. And in the last few years, IDOT accelerated and streamlined the construction process to get this done."
According to officials, more than 400,000 motorists travel through the Jane Byrne Interchange, which connects three expressways: the Dan Ryan Expressway (I-90/94) to the south, the Kennedy Expressway to the north (I-90/94), the Eisenhower Expressway (I-290) to the west along with Ida B. Wells Drive to the east.
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Construction to improve and rebuild bridges, retaining walls, ramps and more began in 2013 and was expected to be completed in 2018. However, a "variety of factors" along with a ballooning budget and many complications brought the project traffic, congestion and a years-long delay.
According to reporting from the Chicago Sun-Times, the 35-project undertaking was initially slated to cost $535 million. However, nearly 10 years and a final total of $806.4 million later, a release says, construction is just about wrapped up.
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SIGN UP The finished product is expected to result in a 50% reduction in motorist delays, with crashes predicted to decrease by 25%, the release says. It's also predicted to increase driver safety and improve the flow of traffic.
According to officials, new changes include two northbound Kennedy entrance ramps from Adams to Jackson Streets, as well as wider ramps from eastbound I-290 onto the Kennedy and Dan Ryan Expressway, additional lanes in each direction to the mainline Kennedy on the Dan Ryan, walkways and more.
