Kennedy Expressway
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- This article is about a road in Illinois. For the expressway in New York City, serving JFK Airport, see JFK Expressway.
| Image:I-90.svg Image:I-94.svg Image:I-190.svg | |
| Kennedy Expressway | |
| Length: | 16 miles (26 km) |
|---|---|
| Formed: | 1963 |
| Direction: | East-west |
| From: | O'Hare International Airport in far northwest Chicago, Illinois |
| To: | Image:I-90.svgImage:I-94.svgImage:I-290.svg Interstates 90/94/290 west of the Chicago Loop |
| Major cities: | Chicago, Illinois |
| System: | Interstate highway system |
Traveling eastbound from O'Hare, the Kennedy interchanges with the eastern terminus of the Northwest Tollway (Interstate 90) and with the Tri-State Tollway (Interstate 294) at a complex junction just west of Illinois Route 171 (Cumberland Avenue). The Kennedy later merges with the southern end of the Edens Expressway (Interstate 94) at Montrose Avenue; the Kennedy (at this point both I-90 and I-94) then turns south to its junction with the Dan Ryan and Eisenhower Expressways and Congress Parkway at the Circle Interchange in downtown Chicago.
On an average day, over 300,000 vehicles use some part of the Kennedy (2003 data). <ref>Illinois Department of Transportation 2003 traffic data: http://www.dot.il.gov/trafficmaps/table.htm</ref> The Kennedy and its South Side extension, the Dan Ryan, are the busiest roads in Illinois.
Contents |
[edit] History
The Kennedy was originally constructed in the late 1950s and completed on November 5, 1960. Originally named the Northwest Expressway for its general direction of travel, the Chicago City Council voted unanimously on November 29, 1963 to rename the expressway after the late John F. Kennedy.
The express was last reconstructed from 1992 through 1994.<ref>Hilkevitch, John. Buckle up, it looks like a long ride. Chicago Tribune. Published March 26, 2006. Retrieved March 26, 2006.</ref> The existing express lanes, which previously were reversed by hand, were modernized. In addition, all aspects of the express lanes system were computerized, so that the process could be controlled at both ends from a central location. At least once a day, however, IDOT crews still examine the express lanes for debris while the lanes are still closed.
[edit] Features
The most distinct feature of the Kennedy Expressway is the Chicago Transit Authority's Blue Line that lies in the median for about ten miles (16 km) north of Illinois Route 19 (Irving Park Road). In 1984, the city of Chicago decided that to best serve the needs of the people regarding public transportation, a rapid transit line should be constructed in the median to O'Hare Airport instead of a fourth lane in both directions. This had been done previously in the early 1950's within the medians of the Eisenhower Expressway and the Dan Ryan Expressway in 1969. The decision proved to be wise, as the rail line is heavily traveled by commuters and travelers during the rush hour.The second distinct feature of the Kennedy Expressway are its reversible express lanes when Interstate 94 merges into Interstate 90. The reversible lanes lie in the median of the highway from the Kennedy Expwy/Edens Expwy junction until just north of the Loop, a distance of about 8 miles (13 km). These reversible lanes allow 2 lanes of traffic to flow towards or away from the city depending on the time of the day. The lanes are controlled by computers and verified by humans at a separate control center. Steel mesh barriers and breakaway gates prevent traffic from entering oncoming lanes. See below for further information related to the timings of the reversible lanes.
The final distinct feature are the last two miles — there are 9 exits in 2 miles along mileposts 50 and 51, and the southbound exit to Interstate 290 and Congress Parkway is marked as exits 51H and I. While the density of interchanges is quite dangerous, the hazard is partially offset by the fact that exits are 500 feet (152 meters) apart and on the right hand side, while entrances to the highway are also 500 feet apart, but on the left side. In spite of the separated nature of the interchanges, there is little to no acceleration zone on the entrance ramps, and traffic on the ramps cannot see mainline traffic until the last fifty feet (15 meters) of the ramp. Because of these factors, the speed limit is still 45 mph (70 km/h) in this area. In December of 2005, as part of replacing the Washington Street bridge, the city of Chicago closed its entrance ramps to the Kennedy as a safety measure while still allowing access to the expressway from the West Loop.
[edit] Reversible Lanes
The reversible lanes are generally operated on a fixed weekly schedule based on historical traffic data, but changes in schedule may be made based on incidents or observed traffic conditions. The regular schedule, provided by an email from the Illinois Department of Transportation in June of 2006, provides for changes as follows:
| Conversion | Day | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Inbound to Outbound | Monday through Friday | Between 11:30 am & 1:00 pm |
| Outbound to Inbound | Sunday through Friday | Between 11:30 pm & 1:00 am |
| Inbound to Outbound | Saturday | Between 1:00 pm & 3:00 pm |
| Outbound to Inbound | Saturday | Between 3:00 pm & 5:00 pm |
| Inbound to Outbound | Saturday | Between 8:30 pm & 9:30 pm |
| Outbound to Inbound | Sunday | Between 12:01 am & 1:00 am |
| Inbound to Outbound | Sunday & Holidays | Between 2:30 pm & 4:30 pm |
Incidents or observed traffic conditions may cause a deviation from the fixed schedule, so the best thing to do is to monitor radio traffic reports and check with IDOT's Gary-Chicago-Milwaukee Corridor web site for current traffic conditions and travel times. The web site also features an increasing number of camera views along the expressway system There also exists a Highway Advisory Radio along parts of the expressway, at AM 530 and AM 1610 as indicated on signs near the transmitting locations.
[edit] Interchanges
Shields next to exit numbers represent which Interstate the exit number represents. On the multiplexed I-90/94 combination, exit numbers are related to I-94 mile markers.
| County | Location | Mile | # | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cook | Chicago | 2.5 | None | Bessie Coleman Drive | Designated exit to International Terminal 5. Kennedy Expressway terminates further west at O'Hare International Airport terminals. |
| 1.75 | Image:I-190.svg 2A-B | Image:US 12.svgImage:US 45.svg U.S. 12/45 Mannheim Road — Schiller Park, Rosemont | Formerly full cloverleaf interchange; branches to SB Mannheim Road from I-190 west were split off onto Bessie Coleman Drive in the early 1990s for safety purposes. | ||
| 1.00 | 1C-D | Image:I-294.svg Interstate 294 — Indiana | Eastbound access to I-294 SB only; eastbound access to I-294 NB is via I-90. | ||
| 0.8 | 1A-B | River Road — Rosemont | Full cloverleaf interchange | ||
| 0.0 | None | Image:I-90.svg Interstate 90 East — Chicago Loop | Eastbound onramp, westbound offramp. Kennedy Expressway continues east on Image:I-90.svg Interstate 90. | ||
| Image:I-90.svg 78 | Image:I-190.svg Interstate 190 West / To Image:I-294.svg Interstate 294 South — O'Hare International Airport, Indiana | Control city for Image:I-90.svg Interstate 90 (Northwest Tollway) westbound is Madison, Wisconsin. I-90 west is also marked as "To Image:I-294.svg Interstate 294 North — Milwaukee, Wisconsin". Kennedy Expressway continues west on I-190. | |||
| 79A-B | Image:Illinois 171.svg Illinois Route 171 — Cumberland Avenue | Full cloverleaf interchange. Westbound exit to northbound Cumberland Avenue actually runs to Image:Illinois 72.svg Illinois Route 72 - Higgins Road. | |||
| 80 | Canfield Avenue | Westbound exit, eastbound entrance. Exit runs to Image:Illinois 72.svg Illinois Route 72 - Higgins Road. | |||
| 81A | Image:Illinois 43.svg Illinois Route 43 - Harlem Avenue | Eastbound exit runs to Image:Illinois 72.svg Illinois Route 72 - Higgins Road. Westbound exit runs to Bryn Mawr Avenue. | |||
| 81B | Sayre Avenue | Westbound exit, eastbound entrance. Exit runs to Bryn Mawr Avenue. | |||
| 82A | Nagle Avenue | Eastbound exit, westbound entrance. Exit runs to Gregory Street. | |||
| 82B | Bryn Mawr Avenue | Westbound exit only. | |||
| 82C | Austin Avenue | Also marked as "To Foster Avenue". Eastbound exit only. Exit runs to Avondale Avenue. | |||
| 83A | Foster Avenue | Westbound full access, eastbound exit only. Access to Foster Avenue provided eastbound via Austin Boulevard exit. | |||
| 83B | Central Avenue | Westbound exit, eastbound entrance. Exit to northbound Central Avenue only. | |||
| 84 | Lawrence Avenue | ||||
| Image:I-94.svg 43C | Image:I-90.svg Interstate 90 West — Rockford, Illinois, O'Hare | Left exit. No access to westbound Image:I-94.svg Interstate 94 (Edens Expressway) from eastbound Image:I-90.svg I-90 at this point. I-94 has a control city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Eastbound I-90 joins with I-94 traveling eastbound. | |||
| 43C | Montrose Avenue (4400 North) | Westbound exit, eastbound entrance. | |||
| 43D | Kostner Avenue (4600 West) | Westbound exit only. | |||
| 44A | Image:Illinois 19.svg Illinois Route 19 (Irving Park Road / 4000 North), Keeler Avenue (4200 West) | Eastbound exit, westbound entrance. | |||
| 44B | Image:Illinois 19.svg Illinois Route 19 (Irving Park Road / 4000 North), Pulaski Road (4000 West) | Westbound exit, eastbound entrance. | |||
| 45A | Addison Street (3600 North) | ||||
| 45B | Kimball Avenue (3400 West) | ||||
| 45C | Belmont Avenue (3200 North) | Also marked as "To Kedzie Avenue (3200 West)". | |||
| 46A | California Avenue (2800 West) | Eastbound exit, westbound entrance. Also marked as "To Diversey Avenue (2800 North)". | |||
| Diversey Slip — Inbound and outbound exits and entrances to/from express lanes. | |||||
| 46B | Diversey Avenue (2800 North) | Westbound exit, eastbound entrance. Also marked as "To California Avenue (2800 West)". | |||
| 47A | Fullerton Avenue (2400 North) | Also marked as "To Western Avenue (2400 West)". | |||
| 47B | Damen Avenue (2000 West) | Westbound exit, eastbound entrance. | |||
| 48A | Armitage Avenue (2000 North) | ||||
| 48B | Image:Illinois 64.svg Illinois Route 64 — North Avenue (1600 North) | ||||
| 49A | Division Street (1200 North) | ||||
| 49B | Augusta Boulevard (to Milwaukee Avenue) | Westbound exit, eastbound entrance. | |||
| 50B | Ohio Street | Main exit to Ohio Feeder Ramp. Outbound entrance to express lanes. | |||
| 51A | Lake Street (300 North) | Westbound exit only | |||
| 51B | Randolph Street (200 North) | Right exits, left entrances | |||
| 51C | Washington Boulevard (100 North) | Right exits, no entrances | |||
| 51D | Madison Avenue (0 North/South) | Right exits, left entrances | |||
| 51E | Monroe Street (100 South) | Right exits, no entrances | |||
| 51F | Adams Street (200 South) | Right exits, left entrances | |||
| 51G | Jackson Boulevard (300 South) | Right exits, no entrances | |||
| 51H | Congress Parkway - Chicago Loop | ||||
| 51I | Image:I-290.svg Interstate 290 East (Eisenhower Expressway) — West Suburbs | Eastern terminus of the Kennedy Expressway. Western/northern terminus of the Dan Ryan Expressway. Image:I-90.svgImage:I-94.svg Interstates 90/94 continues east/south onto the Dan Ryan Expressway. | |||
