CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The new Kennedy Expressway project affirms the saying that the Chicago area only has two seasons - winter and construction.
The next phase of the three-year-long $150 million project starts on Monday at 9 p.m. with lane closures and expected not to reopen until the end of the fall.
Last year, crews rehabbed bridge decks and steel beams over the inbound lanes. This year, they focus on and above the express lanes.
IDOT's district one bureau chief of construction Jon Schumacher said the warm weather is allowing them to start more than a week earlier than last year and they've learned lessons about supplies they'll need such as new conduit in the barrier walls.
"This year, the weather is much nicer. It's going to allow us to to get an extra start on it, which should help us on the back end of the project."
While the express lanes are closed, crews will also replace the REVLAC system that controls the gates that make them reversible.
Schmacher acknowledges the frustrations 275,000 drivers who use the expressway every day will face, but he said doing the work now will be faster and cheaper than if it was put off and required a complete replacement.
He also said the ramp closures will be more consistent than last year.
"Once traffic get into its alternate configuration at the end of next week, it's going to be predominantly just like that for the whole year," he said.
The project is scheduled to remain in place during busy events such as the Democratic National Convention and NASCAR, eventually wrapping up in the late fall.
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