Kennedy Expressway begins week-long overnight closures Friday for bridge construction

The Kennedy Expressway will begin intermittent overnight lane closures for a week starting Friday for construction at the Montrose Avenue bridge.

Full expressway closures will take place next Wednesday and Thursday, Aug. 26 and 27, starting 1 a.m. with full traffic stops no longer than 15 minutes of the outbound lanes at Montrose, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Otherwise, the week of construction consists of mainly lane and ramp closures starting 10 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. the next morning, when the outbound Kennedy will be reduced to three lanes, while the inbound expressway will be reduced to two lanes. Those closures, which include all express lanes, repeat until Monday morning.

On Monday and Tuesday night, Aug. 24 and 25, the inbound Kennedy and Edens expressways approaching Montrose Avenue gradually will be reduced to a single lane and all traffic directed into the inbound express lanes, transportation officials said. Inbound traffic will continue in the express lanes and will not be able to exit until Armitage Avenue.

Also, the ramp from Lawrence Avenue to the inbound Kennedy will be closed each night from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m., while the ramp from Wilson Avenue to the inbound Edens will be closed from 7 p.m. Monday to 5 a.m. Wednesday. All lanes reopen, with the express lanes resuming their normal operations, by 5 a.m. each morning.

The Montrose Bridge protect, which includes removing and replacing the existing bridge and approach pavement, upgrading existing lighting and installing lighting under the bridge and over the CTA station, is expected to be completed in December.