90/94 ramp closures

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...l=chi-news-hed Washington's ramps onto Kennedy to close Workers to rebuild boulevard viaduct over expressway By Jon Hilkevitch Tribune transportation reporter Published September 2, 2005 The tricky left-side entrance ramps to the Kennedy Expressway at Washington Boulevard will be permanently closed next week in an effort to reduce rear-end and side-swipe collisions involving vehicles merging onto one of the busiest highways in the nation, officials said Thursday. Elimination of the Washington entrance ramps on both sides of the Kennedy (Interstate Highway 90/94) is also expected to improve traffic flow for the 260,000 drivers who use the downtown stretch of the expressway each weekday. There are a total of 23 entrance and exit ramps in an eight-block downtown section of the Kennedy. The Washington entrance ramp closure is the first since the expressway, originally named the Northwest Expressway, was completed in 1960 to provide a direct route from the Congress Expressway (later renamed the Eisenhower Expressway) to O'Hare International Airport. The sequence of center ramps spaced about every block results in a nerve-wracking rush-hour commute. Drivers often merge dangerously from the entrance ramps into expressway traffic or they must hit the brakes suddenly or swerve to avoid being struck by a merging vehicle. "It's a disaster out there. I recommend doing away with all the left-side entrance ramps," said Steve Helpern of Glencoe, a regular Kennedy commuter who said he always drives one lane over on the right to avoid vehicles entering from the center ramps. "Drivers are forced to merge as soon as they come down the hill. Why those ramps weren't removed years ago is beyond me," added Helpern, 65. The work, which starts Tuesday, also will involve rebuilding the Washington Boulevard viaduct over the Kennedy, according to the Chicago Department of Transportation. The viaduct will close to traffic Tuesday and reopen in late December or early January, officials said. The change means that drivers who normally enter the Kennedy at Washington will instead need to go north to the Randolph Street ramp or south to the Madison Street ramp, both of which are also center-of-expressway entrance ramps. The Washington exit ramps, located on the right side of the expressway lanes, will remain open. Removal of the Washington entrance ramps will be followed early next year by the elimination of the entrance ramps at Monroe Street, a move expected to further reduce weaving and sudden stops, officials said. "Having ramps in such close proximity oftentimes doesn't allow ample space for vehicles to complete their merge. Creating additional spacing for merging traffic will provide a benefit in terms of traffic flow and safety," said Brian Steele, a spokesman for the city Transportation Department. About 450 accidents occur annually on the Kennedy within a quarter mile of the Washington entrance ramps, said Mike Claffey, spokesman for the Illinois Department of Transportation. Seven people died in two fatal crashes in 2000, he said. Sixty-six people were injured in 425 accidents near the Washington entrance ramps in 2003, the latest year for which data are available. Officials said there are no plans to remove the center entrance ramps at Randolph, Madison or Adams Streets or Jackson Boulevard, but the Washington project will provide a longer merge area on the nearby entrance ramps. City and state transportation officials had been studying whether to close some of the Kennedy's center entrance ramps since the 1980s because hundreds of accidents each year are linked to the 1950s roadway design built to handle much less traffic. The state conducted an experimental closure of six Kennedy entrance and exit ramps between Washington and Adams in the late 1990s. The plan was dropped after criticism from residents and merchants that the closings made it more difficult for drivers to reach certain neighborhoods, including Greektown, and caused an increase in traffic congestion on major cross-streets that intersect the Kennedy. The reconstructed Washington Boulevard viaduct will look similar to the recently rebuilt bridge at Madison Street. In addition to a new bridge deck, it will feature decorative red railings, new sidewalks and brighter lighting, officials said. During construction, the recommended detour is south on Halsted Street, east on Madison, south on Desplaines Street, east on Monroe, north on Jefferson Street back to Washington, city transportation officials said. No CTA bus routes will be affected, although one bus stop will change. The No. 20 Madison stop will move from the northeast corner of Halsted and Madison to the southeast corner. ---------- jhilkevitch@tribune.com im sure ill be the only one angered by this i always thought the numerous ramps and bridges on the Kennedy just south of Hubbard's Cave was impressive, and its always fun taking the on ramps going south, and being told that not only do you have 500 ft to merge, but that the right lane you would merge into also closes in another 1,000 ft. Traffic moves at a crawl, and it really gives you a 'big city' feel driving that stretch. It always amazes out of towners en route from O'Hare. I know... its for saftey reasons. But i still say the hell with that. Keep the ramps. Put up signs that say "Idiots Use the -safe- ramp at Roosevelt Rd" for Hick McMoron and his John Deere that can't merge for shit. [/Rant] >