CHICAGO (CBS) — A billboard along the Kennedy Expressway is using the holidays to seemingly troll the Illinois construction project that has yet to be completed.
Are no secret that motorists are frustrated that the reversible lanes on the Kennedy Expressway are still closed. The Illinois Department of Transportation predicted the project would be completed by late fall, but winter will start specifically on Saturday and the closures will last until almost mid-January.
In response to the delay, an Old National Bank billboard now reads: “How does Santa deliver presents on time? He’s avoiding the Kennedy!” The billboard then turns the display around and reads, “Come on, express lanes – open!”
During a media conference Tuesday morning, IDOT announced that the reversible lanes will reopen the week of January 13.
In September, the state transportation department tweeted a photo of the signs with the caption, “The finish line is in sight,” and again touted a timeline for project completion that would fall in the fall.
The Kennedy Expressway project consists of three phases, with the final chapter – work on the outbound lanes – beginning in spring 2025. IDOT officials said the work should take about as long as the current section because the turnarounds will need to last twice. lanes, and the exits have four.
For more information about the Kennedy Expressway construction project, visit IDOT.Illinois.gov.
