Brace yourselves Kennedy drivers — DNC will funnel thousands more onto gridlocked corridor

We’re halfway through the excruciating, three-year mega rehabilitation of the Kennedy Expressway.

This year’s focus is fixing the express/reversible lanes, and construction is on schedule. But the project “has proven once again that any lane reductions on that critical route spell trouble,” veteran traffic reporter Kris Habermehl said.

Or as veteran Kennedy driver Howard Pettinger of Palatine noted, traffic “is very bad at all times.”

So — what will thousands of delegates, journalists, former presidents, dignitaries and celebrities landing at O’Hare and surging to the Kennedy en masse add to the mix when the DNC kicks off Aug. 19?

“The Kennedy unfortunately faces terrible traffic already, so there are going to be a lot of frustrated delegates and other Democratic National Convention attendees,” DePaul University transportation expert Joseph Schweiterman said.

Asked about exacerbated gridlock, Illinois Department of Transportation spokeswoman Maria Castaneda said, “same as with any other major event, concerts, games, or festivals taking place in the city, motorists should expect heavier traffic during the DNC.

“Currently, there are at least four through lanes open in both directions of the mainline Kennedy Expressway,” she added.

“IDOT always plans and coordinates projects with communities to have the least possible impact when lane closures are required, the DNC in Chicago will be no different. The department is working with the city evaluating needs and will coordinate its construction projects as much as possible.”

Overall, traffic impacts should be more “bark than bite,” Schwieterman thinks. “Our city is so large that the traffic should be widely disbursed.”

Unpredictable elements, such as motorcades and street closures for dignitaries, could “create spontaneous havoc,” he said.

The U.S. Secret Service explained that during the DNC, “the Kennedy Expressway’s express lanes may be used by law enforcement and other public safety vehicles to help offset traffic impacts. Use of the Kennedy express lanes will not delay their reopening to the public,” spokesman Joe Biesk said.

That could mean anything from police using the reversible lanes to respond to emergencies to potentially escorting motorcades, which, if done on the mainline, could create torturous delays.

Drivers are strongly urged to take transit or travel at nonpeak times during the event.

Here are some other DNC transportation tidbits.

• Temporary road closures will start around McCormick Place, where some convention business is scheduled on Aug. 16 and in the neighborhood around the United Center on Aug. 17. Restrictions will be through Aug. 23.

Habermehl commented that the “DNC will certainly impact travel on the West Side. The wild card will be any protest marches or rallies that erupt outside designated areas.”

• The CTA is “planning to make some minor adjustments to service to accommodate the anticipated increase in ridership demand,” officials said. “This includes increased capacity middays on the Blue and Orange lines over the weekend, and on the weekdays of the convention, increased capacity during the evenings along the Green Line.”

You should know

Regarding the Kennedy, the reversible lanes should be completed in late fall.

The $150 million project entails rehabbing 36 Kennedy bridges between the Edens Expressway and Ohio Street. IDOT workers repaired the inbound lanes in 2023.

Travel time information is available online at travelmidwest.com.

How bad is driving on the Kennedy this summer?

“West suburban commuters have taken to I-290 to avoid the Kennedy,” Habermehl said. “That trend was also seen last year.”

Pettinger, a Chicago White Sox fan, concurs. “I find the Ike is better going home from Sox park the last three times,” he said.

Got a comment on your Kennedy commute? Drop an email to mpyke@dailyherald.com