Bridge demolition finishes early, Kennedy reopens

All lanes on the Kennedy Expressway re-opened as of 7:30 a.m. Sunday.

The bridge demolition work that forced closures on the Kennedy Expressway the last two weekends has come to an end early, officials said Sunday morning, and the roadway is reopening.

Outbound lanes on the Kennedy Expressway were opened to traffic as of about 7:30 a.m. Sunday, according to an e-mail release from Illinois Department of Transportation spokeswoman Jae Miller, and the agency is in the process of opening the full roadway.

Miller said that removal of the last portion of the Ontario Street Bridge was finished overnight, which let crews reopen the expressway sooner than expected for the second straight weekend. All lanes and ramps will be open later in the day Sunday, with cleanup continuing throughout the day.

The agency also warned motorists that they should still expect some delays traveling through the area and that motorists should be aware of flaggers and other construction workers and equipment still in the area.

Warnings of traffic nightmares caused by the construction proved overstated both this weekend and last weekend. On Saturday, there was inconvenience and driver frustration, with many city streets approaching downtown on Saturday, including Grand Avenue, Ontario Street and Halsted Street, fouled up due to expressway closures. But for a large part of the day, westbound traffic that was diverted to two lanes on the Ohio Street feeder ramp for the detour moved as quickly as could be expected.

Some drivers who braced themselves for Kennedy gridlock Saturday found that city traffic was less tolerable than the expressway.

Nicole Calcagno said she got on the Kennedy at Rosemont to go to Pridefest in Lakeview around 1:30 p.m. and it "wasnt bad at all."

"I think everyone else avoided it," Calcagno said in an email.

Traffic control aides helped guide traffic through especially congested intersections downtown on Saturday, like the six-corner junction at Milwaukee Avenue, Halsted Street and Grand Avenue.

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Bridge demolition finishes early, Kennedy reopens