Errant driver causes 1-week delay in Kennedy ramp re-opening

CHICAGO (WGN) — A driver who mistakenly followed a concrete truck into a closed section of a Kennedy Expressway ramp will cause a one-week delay in the reopening of the ramp, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.

The driver damaged concrete that had not fully cured on the outbound Kennedy Expressway ramp to Ohio Street. The section of pavement will have to be removed and repoured.  

“A flagger was directing a concrete truck into the work zone [when] a passenger vehicle followed the truck,” IDOT spokesperson Maria Castaneda told WGN. “The flagger and other on-site construction workers tried to stop the individual in the passenger car who ignored their direction and continued into the work zone, driving into the recently poured concrete and then proceeded to drive away.”

Illinois State Police were not called, and it’s unclear if the driver intentionally entered the closed construction zone or was aware of the mistake and drove away.

IDOT has been working to better communicate the status of the three-year Kennedy construction project with the public following a series of WGN Investigates reports that exposed months of delays during last year’s renovation of the highway’s reversible express lanes. 

IDOT continued to tell drivers that the phase of the project was on time, even as the contractor warned agency officials of significant delays . 

This year’s third and final phase of work on the outbound lanes, ramps, and bridges is expected to be completed late in 2025.