Several lane closures that could create a traffic mess around the Jane Byrne Interchange in Chicago will begin this week.
The closures, which are scheduled to occur for four weekends, are “necessary for the installation of steel beams that will support the deck of the new flyover bridge linking the inbound Dan Ryan Expressway to the outbound Eisenhower Expressway,” according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.
Construction for the project started in 2014, with some lane closures put into effect in March.
The flyover bridge, part of the larger Jane Byrne Interchange overhaul, will consist of six steel beams stretching across 12 piers. During the weekend closures, the beams will be put into place for the portion of the bridge that arches over the Dan Ryan, Kennedy and the Eisenhower expressways, officials said.
The first round of work will close the inbound Kennedy Expressway ramp to inbound Congress Parkway the evening of Aug. 19 through the morning of Aug. 31. A detour route will have drivers using the Roosevelt Road exit, Jefferson Street, Harrison Street and Wells Street to connect with Congress Parkway.
Other closures included in the construction are:
Aug. 21-23 and Aug. 28-30
- Inbound Congress Parkway at the Byrne Interchange will close at 10 p.m. both Fridays. Traffic can still access the I-90/94 exit ramps. A detour will direct traffic to the outbound Dan Ryan’s Roosevelt Road exit, Jefferson Street, Harrison Street and Wells Street to connect with Congress Parkway.
- Outbound Eisenhower (I-290) at the Byrne Interchange will close by 5 a.m. both Saturdays. Traffic can still access the I-90/94 exit ramps. A detour will direct traffic to Wells Street, Harrison Street, Jefferson Street, Van Buren Street and Ashland Avenue to connect with the Eisenhower. Lower Wacker Drive also will follow this same detour.
- Both directions of the Kennedy and Dan Ryan (I-90/94) between Ohio Street and 18th Street will be reduced to one lane at 8 p.m. Saturday, with all lanes closed for 15-minute intervals between 10 p.m. Saturday and 7 a.m. Sunday. All lanes will be reopened by 10 a.m. Sunday. A recommended detour will direct traffic in both directions to the outbound Eisenhower’s Ashland Avenue exit and entrance ramps to access the Kennedy and Dan Ryan again from the inbound Eisenhower.
All lanes on Congress Parkway will reopen by 5 a.m. Monday.
Sept. 25-27 and Oct. 16-18
- Outbound Eisenhower at the Byrne Interchange will close at 10 p.m. both Fridays. Traffic can still access the I-90/94 exit ramps. A detour will direct traffic to Wells Street, Harrison Street, Jefferson Street, Van Buren Street and Ashland Avenue to connect with the Eisenhower.
- Inbound Kennedy between Ohio Street and the Eisenhower will be reduced to one lane at 8 p.m. both Saturdays, with all lanes closed for 15-minute intervals between 10 p.m. Saturday and 7 a.m. Sunday. A recommended detour will direct traffic to the outbound Eisenhower’s Ashland Avenue exit and entrance ramps to access the Dan Ryan from the inbound Eisenhower. All inbound lanes will be reopened by 8 a.m. both Sundays.
All lanes on Congress Parkway will reopen by 5 a.m. Monday.
Local
Drivers traveling through the area looking to avoid the work zone are advised to use Interstate 80, Interstate 39, Interstate 294, Interstate 355 and Lake Shore Drive.
Officials noted that all of the scheduled closures are weather dependent and will be rescheduled for other weekends if conditions delay the work.
When it is complete next summer, the flyover is expected to "improve efficiency, traffic flow and safety for the approximately 400,000 motorists that drive through the Jane Byrne Interchange each day," officials said.
The overall project will relieve congestion at one of the country’s worst bottlenecks. The interchange where the Dan Ryan, Eisenhower and Kennedy expressways and Congress Parkway meet was built in the 1950s and 1960s.
For more information visit circleinterchange.org.
