Dan Ryan Entrance and Exit Ramps at 55th Street Scheduled to Open in August

CHICAGO, July 22 -- The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) announced today that the 55th Street (Garfield Boulevard) entrance and exit ramps on the southbound Dan Ryan Expressway (I-90/94) are scheduled to open next month. After the 55th Street ramps open, most nearby ramps on the southbound Dan Ryan will be permanently closed. The new 55th Street ramps feature enhanced retaining walls and have been lengthened to allow more acceleration or deceleration to safely enter or exit the expressway.

IDOT is announcing the following schedule of openings, closings and lane reductions to take place August 11th (weather permitting):

  --  Traffic on Wells Street will be reduced to one lane from 51st Street
      to 63rd Street, with no parking along the frontage road.
  --  Immediately following the opening of the 55th Street entrance and exit
      ramps, the following ramps will permanently close on the southbound
      Dan Ryan:
      --  51st Street entrance and exit ramps
      --  59th Street exit ramp
  --  Pending the opening of the southbound 55th Street entrance ramp, there
      will be a full closure of the 59th entrance ramp to the southbound Dan
      Ryan.  This closure will remain in effect until late October.

This work is part of the $600 million Dan Ryan Expressway reconstruction project. IDOT is in the midst of a four-year reconstruction project on the Dan Ryan from 31st Street to 95th Street. The improved Dan Ryan will include an additional lane in each direction, a reconfigured Skyway interchange and upgrades to the local access roads that run parallel to the expressway. The project goals include improving safety for motorists, reducing commuting time on the city's busiest expressway and creating jobs.

For the most updated information visit http://www.danryanexpressway.com/ , or call 1-877-411-IDOT.