Kennedy Expressway

Highway in Chicago, Illinois, US

For the expressway in New York City, see JFK Expressway. For the freeway in Colorado, see Interstate 25 in Colorado. For the freeway in Nebraska, see U.S. Route 75 in Nebraska.

Kennedy Expressway

John F. Kennedy Expressway

Route information
Maintained by IDOT
Length| 17.80 mi[1] (28.65 km)
Existed| 1960–present
Component
highways|

* I-190 in O'Hare
* I-90 from O'Hare to Chicago Circle
* I-94 from Irving Park to Chicago Circle

Major junctions
West end|  O'Hare International Airport in Chicago
Major intersections|  US 12 / US 45 in Chicago

I-294 Toll in Rosemont

I-90 Toll / I-190 in Chicago
IL 171 in Chicago
IL 43 in Chicago
I-94 in Chicago
IL 19 in Chicago
IL 64 in Chicago
East end|
I-90 / I-94 / I-290 / IL 110 (CKC) in Chicago
Location
Country| United States
State| Illinois
Highway system

* Interstate Highway System

* Main
* Auxiliary
* Suffixed
* Business
* Future

* Illinois State Highway System

* Interstate
* US
* State
* Tollways
* Scenic

The John F. Kennedy Expressway is a nearly 18-mile-long (29 km) freeway in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Portions of the freeway carry I-190, I-90 and I-94. The freeway runs in a southeast–northwest direction between the central city neighborhood of the West Loop and O'Hare International Airport. The highway was named in commemoration of 35th US President John F. Kennedy. It conforms to the Chicago-area term of using the word expressway for an Interstate Highway without tolls. The Kennedy's official endpoints are the Jane Byrne Interchange with Interstate 290 (Eisenhower Expressway/Ida B. Wells Drive) and the Dan Ryan Expressway (also I-90/94) at the east end, and the O'Hare Airport terminals at the west end. I-190 runs from the western terminus at O'Hare Airport for 3.07 miles (4.94 km), where it meets I-90 and runs a further 6.29 miles (10.12 km), before joining with I-94 for the final 8.44 miles (13.58 km).[1]

Traveling eastbound from O'Hare, the Kennedy interchanges with the eastern terminus of the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) and with the Tri-State Tollway (I-294) at a complex junction just west of Illinois Route 171 (IL 171, Cumberland Avenue). The Kennedy later merges with the southern end of the Edens Expressway (I-94) at Montrose Avenue; the Kennedy (at this point both I-90 and I-94) then turns south to its junction with the Dan Ryan and Eisenhower Expressways and Ida B. Wells Drive at the Jane Byrne Interchange in downtown Chicago.

With up to 327,000 vehicles traveling on the Kennedy daily, the Kennedy and its South Side extension, the Dan Ryan, are the busiest roads in the Midwest.[1]

## History

[edit]

An eastbound view of the Kennedy Expressway heading toward downtown Chicago Traffic on the Kennedy Expressway in 1961 (looking south)

The Kennedy was originally constructed along the route of Avondale Avenue, an existing diagonal street, and the C&NW Northwest Line corridor, in the late 1950s and completed on November 5, 1960.

On January 21st 1961, a new reversible roadway was completed.[2]

Originally named the Northwest Expressway for its general direction of travel, the Chicago City Council voted unanimously on November 29, 1963—one week after the assassination of President Kennedy—to rename the highway the John F. Kennedy Expressway.[3]

Throughout 1971, the old roadway was removed and replaced by new roadway.[2]

Until 1978, the Kennedy Expressway was marked as I-94 and Illinois Route 194 (IL 194), I-90 and I-190 replaced IL 194 and thus the Eisenhower Expressway was renamed from I-90 to I-290.

The express portion of the freeway was reconstructed from 1992 through 1994,[4] when the existing express lanes, which previously were reversed by hand, were modernized. In addition, all aspects of the express lanes system were computerized, so that the process could be controlled at both ends from a central location. At least once a day, however, IDOT crews still examine the express lanes for debris while the lanes are closed.

Southeastward view of the Kennedy Expressway from the Montrose Blue Line Station, with the reversible express lanes to the right of the tracks

In 2005, the Washington Street bridge over the expressway was reconstructed, and the entrance ramps to both directions of the Kennedy were partially removed. The same was done in 2006 for the Monroe Street bridge. This left a disconnected portion of each ramp remaining on the expressway, to be removed and the existing "suicide ramps" lengths extended when funding became available. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provided the necessary funding for the construction between Hubbard Street and the Circle Interchange, commencing in summer 2009. The westbound (facing north) ramps at Adams Street and Madison Street, along with the eastbound (facing south) ramps at Randolph Street and Madison Street, were lengthened by removing what remained of abandoned ramps and lengthening the entrance ramps significantly.[5] The only remaining short, limited-sight, left-side suicide ramp entrance is from Lake Street to the eastbound expressway (heading south). As part of the project, eastbound (heading south) traffic patterns were adjusted. The two right-most lanes were made "exit only" for Chicago Loop, Ida B. Wells Drive, and Eisenhower Expressway exits, the Adams Street and Jackson Boulevard exits were combined, certain center median walls reconstructed, lanes restriped to remove the merging of the leftmost lanes, and appropriate signage changes. For example, the changes increased the taper for the Randolph Street entrance headed eastbound from 160 to 583 feet (49 to 178 m),[6] an increase of over 3.6 time. In the westbound direction (headed north), the exit ramp to Monroe Street was permanently removed.

In 2015, the American Highway Users Alliance named the 12 miles (19 km) of the Kennedy between the Circle Interchange and Edens junction the worst traffic bottleneck in the country.[7]

## Features

[edit]

The Blue Line operates in the median of the Kennedy Expressway for about 10 miles (16 km) from O'Hare International Airport to just south of Addison Street. The first section, an extension from Logan Square to Jefferson Park, opened in 1970. The second section opened between Jefferson Park and River Road (now Rosemont) in February 1983. The third and final section between River Road and O'Hare was opened in September 1984.[8]

Sign over the Kennedy Expressway, at the north entrance to Hubbard's Cave, encouraging commuters to use Metra trains, such as the one seen here passing over the highway, to avoid the common congestion

The second distinct features of the Kennedy Expressway are its reversible express lanes where I-94 merges into I-90. The reversible lanes lie in the median of the highway from the Kennedy Expressway/Edens Expressway junction until just north of the Loop (at Ohio Street), a distance of about eight miles (13 km). These reversible lanes, situated between the inbound lanes and the Blue Line tracks, allow two lanes of traffic to flow towards or away from the city, depending on the time of the day. The lanes are controlled by computers and verified by humans at a separate control center. Steel mesh barriers and breakaway gates prevent traffic from entering oncoming lanes. On January 25, 2014, a drunk driver broke through the safety gates and drove in the express lanes in the wrong direction, but was stopped by a snow plow; no injuries were reported.[9] This was the first wrong-way accident involving the express lanes.[citation needed]

A third distinct feature is Hubbard's Cave, also called the Hubbard Street Tunnel, which passes under several streets and the Metra's Union Pacific West, North Central Service, Milwaukee District North, and Milwaukee District West lines (former Chicago & Northwestern and Milwaukee Road commuter lines respectively). It is named for Hubbard Street, one of the streets it passes underneath. Hubbard's Cave is a landmark frequently heard in traffic reports on radio and TV.

Magikist Lips sign formerly located on the Kennedy Expressway at Montrose Avenue in Chicago, torn down in 2004

The final distinct features are the nine exits in two miles (3.2 km) between mile markers 50 and 51, and the southbound exit to I-290 and Ida B. Wells Drive is marked as exits 51H and 51I. While the density of interchanges is quite dangerous, the hazard is partially offset by the fact that exits are 500 feet (150 m) apart on the right hand side, while entrances to the highway were 500 feet (150 m) apart, but on the left side. Known as the "suicide ramps", the entrance ramps on the left had little to no acceleration zone, and traffic on the ramps could not see mainline traffic until the last 500 feet (150 m) of the ramp. The 2009–10 reconstruction between Hubbard Street and the Circle Interchange improved safety by increasing the lengths of most entrance ramps and reduced bottlenecks by better utilizing the existing space.[citation needed]

The Kennedy Expressway was the location of a large Magikist lips flashing sign which was a Chicago pop culture icon for many years. Located at the southeast corner where Montrose Avenue abutted the expressway, the sign was torn down in 2004.

## Exit list

[edit]

The entire route is in Cook County.

Location| mi[1]| km| Exit| Destinations| Notes

|
|
|
|
|

Chicago| 0.00| 0.00| —|  O'Hare International Airport| Western terminus of I-190
0.99| 1.59| —| Bessie Coleman Drive – Terminal 5, Rental Car Return|
1.27| 2.04| 2|  US 12 / US 45 (Mannheim Road)| Signed as exits 2A (north) and 2B (south);
eastbound exit 2B shares a ramp with Bessie Coleman Drive
Rosemont| 1.79| 2.88| 1D|

I-294 Toll south (Tri-State Tollway)|
1.81| 2.91| 1C|

I-294 Toll north (Tri-State Tollway) to I-90 Toll west (Jane Addams Memorial Tollway) – Milwaukee, Rockford| Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
2.24| 3.60| 1| River Road| Signed as exits 1A (north) and 1B (south) eastbound
Chicago| 3.07

* * *

78.70| 4.94

* * *

126.66| 0|

I-90 Toll west (Jane Addams Memorial Tollway) to I-294 Toll north (Tri-State Tollway) – Rockford, Milwaukee

I-190 ends| Eastern terminus of I-190; westbound exit and eastbound entrance
79.60| 128.10| 79|  IL 171 (Cumberland Avenue)| Signed as exits 79A (south) and 79B (north)
80.30| 129.23| 80| Canfield Road| Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
81.20| 130.68| 81A|  IL 43 (Harlem Avenue)|
81.20| 130.68| 81B| Sayre Avenue (7000 West)| Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
82.20| 132.29| 82A| Nagle Avenue (6432 West)| No westbound exit
82.40| 132.61| 82B| Bryn Mawr Avenue (5600 North)| Westbound exit only
82.80| 133.25| 82C| Austin Avenue (6000 West)| Eastbound exit only
83.30| 134.06| 83A| Foster Avenue (5200 North)| No eastbound exit
83.50| 134.38| 83B| Central Avenue (5600 West)| Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
84.20| 135.51| 84| Lawrence Avenue (4800 North)| To I-94 west (Edens Expressway)
84.80

* * *

43.32| 136.47

* * *

69.72| 43B|
I-94 west (Edens Expressway) – Milwaukee| "The Junction"; western terminus of concurrency with I-94; westbound exit and eastbound entrance; exit number follows I-94
43.60| 70.17| 43C| Montrose Avenue (4400 North)| Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
43.90| 70.65| 43D| Kostner Avenue (4400 West)| Westbound exit only
44.30| 71.29| 44A|  IL 19 (Irving Park Road (4000 North)) / Keeler Avenue| No westbound exit
44.50| 71.62| 44B|  IL 19 (Irving Park Road (4000 North)) / Pulaski Road (4000 West)| Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
45.10| 72.58| 45A| Addison Street (3600 North)|
45.50| 73.23| 45B| Kimball Avenue (3400 West)|
45.80| 73.71| 45C| Belmont Avenue (3200 North)| Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
46.10| 74.19| —| Sacramento Avenue (3000 West)| Eastbound entrance only
46.30| 74.51| 46A| California Avenue (2800 West)| Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
46.50| 74.83| 46B| Diversey Avenue (2800 North)| Westbound exit only and eastbound entrance
47.05–
47.50| 75.72–
76.44| 47A| Western Avenue (2400 West) / Fullerton Avenue (2400 North)| No eastbound access to Western Avenue
47.60| 76.60| 47B| Damen Avenue (2000 West)| Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
48.15| 77.49| 48A| Armitage Avenue (2000 North)|
48.70| 78.38| 48B|  IL 64 (North Avenue) (1600 North)|
49.40| 79.50| 49A| Division Street (1200 North)|
49.70–
49.80| 79.98–
80.15| 49B| Augusta Boulevard / Milwaukee Avenue (1000 North)| Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
50.10| 80.63| 50A| Ogden Avenue (1200 West)| Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
50.40| 81.11| 50B| Ohio Street east (600 North)| Eastern terminus of express lanes
51.00| 82.08| 51A| Lake Street (200 North)| Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
51.10| 82.24| 51B| Randolph Street west (150 North)|
51.20| 82.40| 51C| Washington Boulevard east (100 North)| No entrance ramps
51.30| 82.56| 51D| Madison Street (0 North/South)|
51.40| 82.72| 51E| Monroe Street (100 South)| Eastbound exit only
51.50| 82.88| 51F| Adams Street west (200 South)| Eastbound exit only; shared ramp with exit 51G
51.60| 83.04| 51G| Jackson Boulevard east (300 South)| Eastbound exit and westbound entrance;
shared exit ramp with exit 51F
51.80| 83.36| 51H|

I-290 west (Eisenhower Expressway) / IL 110 (CKC) west – Aurora| Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
51.80| 83.36| 51I| Ida B. Wells Drive east – Chicago Loop (500 South)| Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
51.80| 83.36| —|

I-90 east / I-94 east (Dan Ryan Expressway) – Indiana| I-90 and I-94 continue east
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

* Concurrency terminus
* Incomplete access
* Route transition

## See also

[edit]

* List of memorials to John F. Kennedy

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d Illinois Technology Transfer Center (2006). "T2 GIS Data". Illinois Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on August 10, 2007. Retrieved November 8, 2007.
2. ^ a b "John F Kennedy Expressway (I-90 and I-94)".
3. ^ "Northwest Expressway Is Renamed for Kennedy". Chicago Tribune. November 30, 1963. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved March 11, 2010.
4. ^ Hilkevitch, John (March 26, 2006). "Buckle Up, It Looks like a Long Ride". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 26, 2006.[permanent dead link‍]
5. ^ Hilkevitch, Jon (July 13, 2009). "Kennedy Expressway Left-Lane 'Suicide' Ramps Makeover Begins Monday". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 21, 2013.
6. ^ Hilkevitch, Jon (December 21, 2009). "Getting Around: Kennedy Expressway's New Ramps Get a Test-Drive". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 21, 2013.
7. ^ Anderson, Lon; Gillen, Cathy; Singh, Daisy (2015). "Unclogging America's Arteries: Prescriptions for Healthier Highways" (Press release). American Highway Users Alliance. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
8. ^ "Blue Line: O'Hare Branch". Chicago "L".org. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
9. ^ "IDOT Snowplow Stops Wrong-Way Driver in Kennedy Expressway Express Lanes". Chicago Sun Times. Sun-Times Media Wire. January 25, 2014.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kennedy Expressway.

KML file (edit • help)

Template:Attached KML/Kennedy Expressway

KML is from Wikidata

* John F. Kennedy Expressway (I-90 and I-94) at Steve Anderson's ChicagoRoads.com
* Historic, Current & Average Travel Times For The Kennedy Expressway

* v
* t
* e

John F. Kennedy

* 35th President of the United States (1961–1963)
* U.S. Senator from Massachusetts (1953–1960)
* U.S. Representative for MA–11 (1947–1953)

Presidency
(timeline)|

* Transition
* Inauguration
* Cabinet
* Judicial appointments
* Supreme Court
* Executive Orders
* Presidential Proclamations
* Presidential pardons
* Presidential limousine
* Presidential yacht
* Resolute desk
* Situation Room

| Foreign policy|

* Alliance for Progress
* Arms Control and Disarmament Agency
* Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
* Flexible response
* Kennedy Doctrine
* Peace Corps
* Trade Expansion Act
* Migration and Refugee Assistance Act
* USAID
* Vietnam War
* Cuba: Bay of Pigs Invasion
* Cuban Project
* Cuban Missile Crisis
* ExComm
* Soviet Union: Berlin Crisis
* Moscow–Washington hotline
* Vienna summit

|

New Frontier|

* Communications Satellite Act
* Community Mental Health Act
* Equal Pay Act
* Executive Order 11110
* Federal affirmative action
* Federal housing segregation ban
* Fifty-mile hikes
* Food for Peace
* Pilot Food Stamp Program
* Presidential Medal of Freedom
* Space policy
* Status of Women (Presidential Commission)
* University of Alabama integration
* Voter Education Project
* All-Channel Receiver Act
* Oil Pollution Act of 1961
* Revenue Act of 1962
* Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act of 1961
* Wetlands Loan Act

Presidential
speeches|

* Inaugural address
* American University speech
* "We choose to go to the Moon"
* Report to the American People on Civil Rights
* "Ich bin ein Berliner"
* "A rising tide lifts all boats"
* Remarks at Amherst College on the Arts
* State of the Union Address
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963

Elections|

* U.S. House of Representatives elections: 1946
* 1948
* 1950
* U.S. Senate elections in Massachusetts: 1952
* 1958
* 1960 presidential primaries
* 1960 presidential campaign
* Democratic National Conventions: 1956
* 1960
* U.S. presidential election 1960
* debates

Personal life|

* Birthplace and childhood home
* Kennedy Compound
* Hickory Hill
* La Querida
* Wexford
* Navy service: PT-109
* Biuku Gasa and Eroni Kumana
* Arthur Evans
* PT-59
* Castle Hot Springs
* Hammersmith Farm
* Coretta Scott King phone call
* "Happy Birthday, Mr. President"
* John F. Kennedy document hoax

Books|

* Why England Slept (1940)
* Profiles in Courage (1956)
* A Nation of Immigrants (1958)

Death|

* Assassination
* timeline
* media coverage
* reactions
* in popular culture
* State funeral
* Riderless horse
* attending dignitaries
* Gravesite and Eternal Flame

Legacy|

* Bibliography
* John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
* Profile in Courage Award
* Twenty-fourth Amendment
* Civil Rights Act of 1964
* Apollo 11 Moon landing
* Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
* Kennedy Space Center
* Kennedy Round
* U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
* VISTA
* Cultural depictions
* films
* Kennedy half dollar
* U.S. postage stamps
* U.S. five cent stamp
* Lincoln–Kennedy coincidences
* Operation Sail

Memorials,
namesakes|

* Harvard Kennedy School
* Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
* John F. Kennedy Federal Building (Boston)
* John F. Kennedy International Airport
* Boston statue
* Brooklyn bust
* Dallas memorial
* Hyannis memorial
* London bust
* Nashua bust
* Portland memorial
* Runnymede memorial
* John F. Kennedy Arboretum
* John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge
* John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School
* John F. Kennedy University (defunct)
* John F. Kennedy Stadium
* Kennedy Expressway
* Mount Kennedy
* MV John F. Kennedy
* USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67)
* USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79)
* Yad Kennedy

Family|

* Jacqueline Bouvier (wife)
* Caroline Kennedy (daughter)
* John F. Kennedy Jr. (son)
* Patrick Bouvier Kennedy (son)
* Rose Schlossberg (granddaughter)
* Tatiana Schlossberg (granddaughter)
* Jack Schlossberg (grandson)
* Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. (father)
* Rose Fitzgerald (mother)
* Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. (brother)
* Rosemary Kennedy (sister)
* Kathleen Cavendish, Marchioness of Hartington (sister)
* Eunice Kennedy Shriver (sister)
* Patricia Kennedy Lawford (sister)
* Robert F. Kennedy (brother)
* Jean Kennedy Smith (sister)
* Ted Kennedy (brother)
* P. J. Kennedy (grandfather)
* John F. Fitzgerald (grandfather)
* Pushinka (dog)
* Billie and Debbie (hamsters)
* Sardar (horse)

* ← Dwight D. Eisenhower
* Lyndon B. Johnson →

* Category

*[mi]: Miles
*[km]: Kilometers
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template