Massive Dan Ryan logjam coming back

Enjoy those wide-open lanes on the Dan Ryan Expy. while you can.

Come March, the next phase of the reconstruction begins with the closure of the expressway's local lanes until at least fall. This will shrink capacity on the Chicago area's busiest expressway to slightly more than half, similar to what drivers suffered when the express lanes were shut down last year.

The Dan Ryan's $975 million makeover is the largest of several major road projects this construction season.

The Illinois Department of Transportation will also begin widening Interstate 55 between Weber Road and Interstate 80 this March, starting with seven bridges on that stretch. Some advance widening work between the bridges could begin this fall, IDOT spokesman Mike Claffey said.

I-55 will have three lanes in each direction when the project is complete. Two lanes of traffic will remain open during construction.

The work on I-55, which is budgeted at $200 million, is one of few new expansion projects IDOT has the funding to move forward with this year because of rising construction costs, Claffey said.

"Without a capital plan [from the state Legislature], we have had to focus on maintaining the existing system," he said.

Cost overruns on the Dan Ryan might have a chilling effect on other road projects statewide. But until IDOT releases its long-term improvement plan, it won't be clear which projects could be put on the back burner.

Some good news: The reconstruction of the Kingery Expy. will wrap up in July with the completion of work on the one-mile stretch between Burnham Avenue and Calumet Avenue, IDOT says.

The project, which involves interchange improvements and adding a fourth lane of traffic in both directions, was supposed to be done last fall.

The Illinois Toll Highway Authority, on the other hand, says it is on schedule to finish the 12.5-mile extension of the North-South Tollway by November of this year.

The tollway add-on will extend Interstate 355 south to I-80.

Other major projects include:

•           •           Reconstruction and widening of the eastbound lanes of the Reagan Memorial Tollway between Washington Street and Finley Road.

•           •           Reconstruction of the Naperville Road Interchange at I-88, closing the eastbound exit and westbound entrance ramps through summer.

•           •           Addition of a fourth lane from Dempster Street to Grand Avenue on the north Tri-State beginning in the fall.

•           •           Widening of Algonquin Road to four lanes from Randall Road to Illinois 47.

•           •           Early work on the Stearns Road Bridge Corridor to build a new Fox River bridge and a road realignment from the Kane and DuPage county lines to Randall Road.

Violating the 45-mph speed limit in construction zones carries a $375 fine.

mjthomas@suntimes.com