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.

The Kennedy Expressway is a 16 mile (26 km) long highway that travels northwest from the Chicago loop to O'Hare Airport. The Interstate 90 portion of the Kennedy is a part of the much longer I-90 (which runs 3111.52 miles from Boston, Massachusetts to Seattle, Washington). The Kennedy's official endpoints are the Circle Interchange with Interstate 290 (Eisenhower Expressway / Congress Parkway) and the Dan Ryan Expressway (also I-90/94) at the east end, and the O'Hare Airport terminals at the west end. The Interstate 190 portion of the Kennedy is 3 miles long (5 km) and is meant to serve airport traffic.

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 State 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.

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.

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 State 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. Image:P6010060.JPG

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 until just north of the loop, a distance of about 13 miles (21 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. The lanes flip at approximately 1:00 PM to travel outbound, and 1 AM to travel inbound (although these times vary and under unusual circumstances controllers will override the usual pattern).

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.

References

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