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Red Line Construction: Overnight Dan Ryan Lane Closures Planned

By Casey Cora | May 19, 2013 8:20am
 Motorists using the Dan Ryan Expressway could face backups during nightly lane closures during the Red Line reconstruction project.
Motorists using the Dan Ryan Expressway could face backups during nightly lane closures during the Red Line reconstruction project.
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Flickr/Kim Scarborough

CHICAGO — Traffic on the Dan Ryan Expressway is likely to get worse this week after a Red Line South reconstruction project gets under way.

The Illinois Department of Transportation has released a schedule of nightly lane closures from 95th to 31st Streets to accommodate the reconstruction of 10 miles of CTA Red Line tracks. The project is expected to last five months, and the lane closures are expected to last for the duration.

An estimated 80,000 riders use the Red Line south branch each weekday.

Kris Habermehl, a veteran traffic reporter who flies high above the city’s expressways in Chopper 2 for WBBM-AM (780) and CBS2, said the project "has the potential for putting those 80,000 people into other parts of our transportation infrastructure."

Habermehl said gawker delays on the Dan Ryan, heavy traffic on arterial streets and congestion around CTA shuttle terminals are all possible after the $425 million project kicks off early Sunday.

Traffic flow is "going to be a mixed bag," he said. "The Dan Ryan Red Line is 40 years old. We haven’t done this in 40 years and our base volume of traffic is exponentially higher than it was way back when."

Here’s a look at the planned lane closures:

Inbound from 95th to 69th Streets
Sun-Thurs: One lane closed from 8 p.m.-5 a.m.; two lanes from 10 p.m.-5 a.m.
Friday: One lane closed from 8 p.m.-9 a.m.; two lanes from 11 p.m.-7 a.m.
Saturday: One lane closed from 8 p.m.-noon.; two lanes from 11 p.m.-10 a.m.

Outbound from 95th to 69th Streets
Sun-Thurs: One lane closed from 9 p.m.-6 a.m.; two lanes from 11 p.m.-6 a.m.
Friday: One lane closed from 9 p.m.-10 a.m.; two lanes from midnight to 8 a.m.
Saturday: One lane closed from 9 p.m.-noon; two lanes from midnight-11 a.m.

Inbound from 69th to 31st Streets
Sun-Thurs: One lane closed from 8 p.m.-5 a.m., two lanes from 10 p.m.-5 a.m.
Friday: One lane closed from 8 p.m.-8 a.m., two lanes from 11 p.m.-6 a.m.
Saturday: One lane closed from 9 p.m.-10 a.m., two lanes from 11 p.m.-9 a.m.

Outbound from 69th to 31st Streets
Sun-Thurs: One lane closed from 9 p.m.-6 a.m., two lanes from 11 p.m.-6 a.m.
Friday: One lane closed from 9 p.m-9 a.m., two lanes from midnight-7 a.m.
Saturday: One lane closed from 9 p.m.-noon, two lanes from midnight-9 a.m.