Drivers, 'bear with us': state

State transportation officials say they're hopeful today's commute won't be as bad as Tuesday's, when early-morning lane closings on the Dan Ryan Expy. mucked up traffic on the Kennedy, Eisenhower and Edens expressways, too.

Tuesday's backup was the result of traffic building overnight as road crews put in a new lane configuration on an elevated portion of the outbound Ryan between Roosevelt and 31st Street.

When the lanes reopened around 5 a.m. Tuesday, congestion was already so bad, "we were never able to clear it out in time for the morning rush hour," said Mike Claffey, a spokesman for the Illinois Department of Transportation.

At one point, travel times on the Kennedy from O'Hare to downtown were nearly two hours, WBBM traffic reporter Bart Shore said.

"We want drivers to bear with us," Claffey said, until the local lanes are completely shut down and people get used to the new traffic configuration.

mjthomas@suntimes.com