Several Kennedy Expressway ramps slated to close amid construction

Several ramps on the Kennedy Expressway will be closing over the next two weeks, the Illinois Department of Transportation announced Monday.

The outbound Kennedy ramp to North Avenue will close for two weeks starting Thursday, IDOT said. The ramp from the outbound Kennedy to Fullerton Avenue and the ramp from Division Street onto the outbound Kennedy will close for two weeks beginning June 11.

The ramp from Ogden Avenue to the outbound Kennedy, now closed, is expected to reopen late Tuesday, and the outbound Ohio Street off-ramp and the on-ramp from Armitage Avenue to the outbound Kennedy are expected to reopen later this week.

IDOT recommended using public transportation — such as the Blue Line, Pace and Metra’s Union Pacific Northwest Line — to avoid congestion, and said more ramp closures are coming.

“The public should expect significant delays and allow extra time for trips through this area,” the department said in a statement. “Additional ramp closures for varying durations will be required to complete the project, which remains on pace for an overall completion by Thanksgiving. … Throughout construction, traveling during non-peak hours, taking alternative routes and utilizing public transportation are recommended.”

The announcement comes the same day the agency announced the outbound express lanes to O’Hare would be reopening. Only drivers coming from downtown will have access to the reversible lanes, which will remain permanently outbound during the third and final year of the Kennedy overhaul project; work is expected finish around Thanksgiving.

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