According to NBC Chicago, the Illinois Department of Transportation (“IDOT”) will complete phase 2 of the Kennedy Expressway construction by late fall of this year. They did not provide an exact date.
Phase 2 of the Kennedy construction has included updating all of the Reversible Lane Access Controls (“REVLAC”) in the express lanes. IDOT provided the following statement on the construction so far: “The REVLAC system controls the gates and changes the direction of traffic in the reversible lanes. The work includes installing 120 gates, controls (local and remote), cameras, electrical components, fiber optic cables and terminal blocks along the 7.5 miles. Additionally, new overhead sign structures and signs were installed. While the pavement in the express lanes is drivable their use is extremely limited. The REVLAC work is ongoing, and the system currently is not functional.”
This is welcome new for those in the Chicagland area. Commutes from O’Hare airport in the city can take up to an hour depending on the time of day you are traveling. The Kennedy construction not only ties up the expressway but makes traffic throughout the northside of the city much worse and drivers look for alternate routes. Opening up the express lanes again will hopefully ease up traffic and shorten commute times. Hopefully the better technology and improvements made to the express lanes will make commutes on the Kenndey much safer. The completion of this project cannot come soon enough.
If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a Chicago traffic accident or Chicago truck accident, then please contact the Chicago injury lawyers at The Bryant Law Group for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076 or click on the firm’s website at www.blgchicago.com.