Northbound and southbound sections of the Dan Ryan Expressway work zone are expected to reopen to local and express traffic beginning Monday, officials said.
But as Ryan commuters gain easier access to the expressway lanes and exit and entrance ramps between 31st and 67th Streets, new transportation challenges arise elsewhere.
In northwest Indiana, lanes of Interstate Highway 65 will be restricted through Tuesday for construction on the interchange with Interstate Highway 80/94, authorities said.
In Chicago, a water main project will close the southbound exit ramp from Lake Shore Drive to Belmont Avenue for several weeks starting Monday, the city’s Department of Water Management announced last week.
And the entrance to the Chicago Avenue Brown Line station will be temporarily relocated one block south as the Chicago Transit Authority continues to rebuild the station and extend platforms as part of the Brown Line expansion project, according to the CTA.
By 6 a.m. Monday, all local and express lanes along the outbound Dan Ryan from 31st Street to 67th Street are expected to be open, said officials from the Illinois Department of Transportation.
Crews also will reopen the exit ramp to 43rd Street and the entrance ramps from 43rd, 55th and 67th Streets, IDOT officials said. The entrance ramp from Pershing Road to the outbound Dan Ryan will be closed for two more weeks, officials said.
By 5 a.m. Wednesday, all inbound local and express lanes from 71st Street to 31st Street are scheduled to reopen. Crews are expected to reopen the 71st Street, 55th Street and 43rd Street entrance ramps, along with the 67th Street and 55th Street and 43rd Street exit ramps.
Once all local lanes are open, trucks will no longer be permitted in the express lanes.
The restrictions on I-65 will result from switching traffic to new pavement on the ramp from eastbound I-80/94 to southbound I-65, according to the Indiana Department of Transportation. The new traffic configuration will allow road reconstruction on northbound I-65.
The southbound exit ramp at Lake Shore Drive will be closed as the Chicago Department of Water Management is putting in a new 36-inch water main between Aldine Avenue and Wrightwood Avenue, according to the city. Buses will continue to make the soft left turn to access southbound Lake Shore Drive, but cars will be required to make a hard left turn at Belmont to get to Lake Shore Drive, officials said.
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Starting Monday at 5 a.m., the Chicago Avenue Brown Line station will be relocated to Superior and Franklin Streets, according to the CTA. New stairways to the elevated platforms at the temporary entrance will give CTA riders access to the Purple Line Express and Brown Line trains.
The temporary entrance is scheduled to be in place through spring 2008.
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