Dan Ryan Expressway

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Image:Interstate 90.svg Image:Interstate 94.svg

Image:Dan Ryan Expressway-1970.jpegThe Dan Ryan Expressway runs from the Circle Interchange with I-290 near downtown Chicago, Illinois through the south side of the city. It is signposted as both Interstate 90 and Interstate 94 north of 66th Street and only Interstate 94 from 66th Street to 99th Street. It connects with the Chicago Skyway near 66th Street.

The Dan Ryan Expressway will be undergoing major reconstruction from April 2006 through the end of 2007. The Illinois Department of Transportation advises drivers of passenger cars to take alternate routes and trucks to stay on the expressway. For the latest information about the project, see http://www.avoidtheryan.com/.

On an average day, over 300,000 vehicles use part of the Dan Ryan (2003 data)<ref>Illinois Department of Transportation traffic data</ref>. The Dan Ryan and its North Side extension, the Kennedy Expressway, are the busiest roads in Illinois. Utilizing an express-local system, the Dan Ryan has fourteen lanes of traffic, seven in each direction, with four of those express lanes and the other three providing access to exits. Despite its width, the Dan Ryan is prone to traffic jams. The Dan Ryan's express-local system is similar to that of Toronto's Highway 401.

As with the Kennedy Expressway, the posted directions on the Dan Ryan are different than the actual compass direction of the expressway, which causes confusion to many travelers. The Dan Ryan for its entire 12 mile length runs north and south. However the Dan Ryan is just a very small part of Interstates 90 and 94, which are signed as an east-west route. Therefore if you are traveling 'west' on I-90/94, you are really driving north on the Dan Ryan, and 'east' is really south.

The Dan Ryan was opened in 1962 and named for the President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners. During planning stages it was also known as the South Route Expressway. [1]

In the median of the Dan Ryan runs the Red Line of the Chicago Transit Authority. That section opened in 1969.

In 1988-1989, the northern three miles of the Dan Ryan, known as the Elevated Bridge, were completely reconstructed.<ref>Hilkevitch, John. Buckle up, it looks like a long ride. Chicago Tribune. Published March 26, 2006. Retrieved March 26, 2006.</ref>

In 2006, it was announced that construction would commence on the Dan Ryan, reducing the traffic flow by 50%. This two-year construction project is the most massive expressway construction plan in Chicago history. ABC-Dan Ryan Roadwork

High-rise housing projects, the Robert Taylor Homes, line the sides of a portion of the freeway, but nearly all of the buildings are vacant and have been demolished.

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