Byrne Interchange Overhaul To Create New Headaches For Drivers
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Motorists who drive along the Jane Byrne Interchange might want to find a new way to get where they're going starting next week, thanks to a project that will increase traffic for more than a year.
Construction begins next Tuesday on the next phase in a $475 million overhaul of one of the nation's worst bottlenecks.
The 16-month project starting on March 7 will include a new half-mile flyover bridge designed to more easily connect the northbound lanes of the Dan Ryan Expressway to the westbound lanes of the Eisenhower Expressway.
The existing ramp from the Ryan to the Eisenhower is only one lane, often creating a huge traffic jam on the Interchange. The new bridge will have two lanes, and begin further south than the existing ramp, to give vehicles more time and room to merge.
"You'll have two lanes of traffic flow, versus the one right now. We'll have the increased capacity, we'll reduce accidents by 25 percent out there, and we anticipate saving 120,000 hours of delays by increasing the capacity of this ramp for the northwest flyover," said Illinois Department of Transportation engineer Tony Quigley.
Before that new bridge is completed in Summer 2016, some extra traffic headaches are in store for the interchange, including lane reductions, and the closure of the ramp connecting the inbound Dan Ryan to the eastbound lanes of Congress Parkway.
Approximately 400,000 drivers use the Byrne Interchange each day, so you can imagine the impact of reducing lanes and completely closing one exit ramp.
"We're advising the public to be prepared for some additional congestion and delays," IDOT engineer Steve Travia said.
The new flyover is part of a four-year overhaul of the Byrne Interchange. The entire project should be completed in 2018.