Lane closings to set stage for Ryan work
Ryan could have parade revelers seeing red
Warmer weather this weekend could allow state road crews to go ahead with several overnight lane closings on the Dan Ryan Expy. that would pave the way for the expressway's inbound local lanes to be shut down until fall.
The local lanes in both directions were supposed to close March 1 for reconstruction, but spotty weather over the last week threw a monkey wrench into that plan.
Now, the Illinois Department of Transportation is saying the inbound local lanes from 67th to 31st streets will probably be closed by Monday morning, while the outbound local lanes will likely stay open until the middle of the week.
(Jeffrey D. Nicholls/STNG)
From 9 p.m. Saturday until 5 a.m. Sunday, the outbound Dan Ryan bridge from Roosevelt Road to 26th Street will be reduced to two lanes for overhead sign installation. Then by midnight Saturday, traffic on the inbound bridge will be down to one lane from 31st Street to Roosevelt. The entrance ramp from 31st Street will also be closed.
By Sunday morning, the inbound Dan Ryan bridge should be in its final configuration, with three lanes available until summer.
Farther south on the Ryan, the inbound express lanes from 67th Street to 31st Street will close temporarily Sunday night until Monday morning. Inbound traffic on the local lanes from 67th to Roosevelt will also be reduced to one lane during that time period.
Then beginning Monday, inbound traffic will be shifted to the Ryan's express lanes for the remainder of the project.
As usual, IDOT advises people to avoid congestion on the Ryan by taking alternate routes, which is good advice for Sunday anyway, with the South Side Irish parade expected to draw big crowds.