CHICAGO (CBS) — Construction has started on the Kennedy Expressway as crews began demolishing the 55-year-old Ontario Street Bridge.
The work began Friday night at 10 p.m. and will continue until early Monday morning. Several lanes are closed as a result of the construction, causing major traffic delays.
This is the first of two weekends for construction on the Kennedy. IDOT was originally planning on three weekends for construction, but the pace of the workers has enabled them to condense it into two.
The Kennedy is reduced to two lanes, beginning a mile before the Ohio Street feeder ramp, so crews can remove a bridge that’s older than the expressway itself. The reversible express lanes will be closed near the Ohio ramp as well.
In an effort to accommodate people who normally take the Kennedy on weekends, the CTA was adding extra bus and train service each weekend of the project. Metra also will have extra cars on some of its trains on the weekends of the demolition project.
If public transportation is not an option, drivers should avoid the Kennedy by taking alternate routes to downtown, such as Lake Shore Drive, the Eisenhower Expressway, or the Stevenson Expressway. For drivers who want to avoid the downtown area altogether, they can take the Tri-State Tollway or I-355 for a north-south route.
Motorists who need to get closer to areas serviced by the Kennedy should try Grand, Milwaukee, and Clybourn avenues as alternate routes, CBS 2 traffic reporter Derrick Young says.
The traffic tie ups on the Kennedy, are causing headaches, especially for Jillian Chrischilles, who was moving Saturday.
“It’s been a fun one, trust me. It took about two hours longer than it should have,” said Chrischilles.
River North resident Jeff Weiss says he doesn’t think it has been that bad.
“I think they gave us plenty of notice and I think it’s good for the city. We have to keep our infrastructure up and it’s part of living in the city,” said Weiss.
At Taste of Randolph, some weren’t letting the Kennedy construction stop a good time. Morgan Diamond took the bus to get to the event.
“I think it will be fine. I’m looking forward to still taking advantage of the summer, it might take a little while longer but I still will come out to the festivals,” said Morgan Diamond.
But the construction has an impact, in other ways. Jessica Green of the Grange Hall Burger Bar says getting food deliveries has been impacted.
“So there are lots of vendors that I count on being there earlier in the morning and so it’s backing us up, two to three hours sometimes,” said Green.
“I don’t think it’s taken any major tolls on attendance. The weather’s been fantastic. It’s patio season, people are ready for cocktails. Just doing what we do.”
One thing some people say they will make sure they do is avoid the Kennedy for the next two weekends as well.
The first phase of the demolition should be completed by 5 a.m. Monday, so officials do not expect the morning rush to be affected. If contractors do not complete the work by then, they would face a fine for every 15 minutes they are behind schedule.
The second phase of the bridge demolition begins next Friday and the outbound Kennedy will be reduced to two lanes, starting at Congress Parkway. The westbound Ontario ramp to the reversible expressways also will be closed.
