Massive Kennedy Expressway project going quicker than expected

BY TINA SFONDELES and LEEANN SHELTON Staff Reporters June 14, 2014 1:42PM

Aerial view of the demolition of the Ontario St. bridge. | Lee Hogan/For Sun-Times Media

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Updated: June 15, 2014 2:28AM

With demolition of the Ontario Street bridge over the Kennedy Expressway going faster than expected Saturday, highway officials said the massive road project will take just two weekends to finish, rather than the three that were planned.

The expressway was near-empty near the Loop Saturday, as a eared Carmaggedon appeared to have been averted.

Drivers were warned for weeks that the work would cause massive traffic backups. So they largely steered clear.

The removal of the Ontario Street bridge is proceeding so smoothly that we, in coordination with the city of Chicago, are taking advantage of the opportunity to condense this project into just two weekends, Illinois Department of Transportation Secretary Ann L. Schneider said.

Traffic volume on the inbound Kennedy was about a third less than on a typical June weekend.

This weekends work affects Kennedy drivers heading into the city from the north.

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Massive Kennedy Expressway project going quicker than expected