In June 2025, outbound drivers traveling from downtown toward O’Hare averaged 74 minutes between 2 and 3 p.m. on weekdays, the longest such monthly average in the data. Inbound traffic was also exceptionally slow: this June, the average weekday trip from O’Hare to the Jane Byrne Interchange took 75 minutes between 5 and 6 p.m., a record for that hour in the analysis.

The main Illinois Department of Transportation rehabilitation began in March 2023 and covered 7.5 miles between downtown and the Edens Expressway junction. The work cost more than $170 million and included repairs to both directions of the roadway, reversible express lanes, 24 ramps and numerous bridges. The Kennedy carries about 275,000 commuters daily.

Four major projects affecting the expressway overlapped at times. Along with the main rehabilitation, the state worked on the Addison Street bridge, the Ontario and Ohio streets spans over the Chicago River, and the Foster Avenue bridge. Together, the projects cost taxpayers about $225 million, records show. All four were active during the summer of 2025, when outbound congestion reached its worst levels.

IDOT said the projects were necessary and overdue, but did not add lanes or other capacity. The agency anticipated delays as available roadway capacity fell by about 33%. It also pointed to continued changes in travel behavior after the coronavirus pandemic, with more people choosing to drive rather than take public transit.

The data analysis covered about 3.7 million estimated weekday travel times, recorded at five-minute intervals from October 2004 through August 2026. Before construction, the typical weekday peak was about 39 minutes outbound at 4 p.m. and 46 minutes inbound at 8 a.m. In June 2025, outbound weekday trips averaged more than 50 minutes in every hour from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The ongoing Foster Avenue bridge reconstruction, which began in 2024, has suffered repeated delays. IDOT records show the contractor, Elgin-based IHC Construction Companies, sought more time in July 2025, moving the deadline from late May to Oct. 9. Work continued beyond that date, and the contractor has indicated it plans to request another extension. IDOT says the bridge is still expected to open by the end of this year, though electrical, sewer and landscaping work could carry into spring 2027.

The bridge replacement’s original budget was $25.2 million; the estimated final cost now exceeds $28.6 million. IDOT cited coordination in a tight urban area, including with the CTA and a nearby railroad, as well as unforeseen issues. The agency said it generally informs the public about delays after a revised schedule is agreed upon with contractors.

The construction has affected neighborhood streets as drivers look for ways around backups. Residents near the Foster site have complained of increased traffic on narrow residential roads, while the agency has not supplied a firm final date for the work.

For some Chicagoans, prolonged delays have changed how they get around. Irving Park resident Taylor Sticha said her drive to work grew from about 25 minutes to as long as an hour and 20 minutes. She now rides an e-bike to her job in Pilsen, taking a longer route along the lakefront that takes about an hour.

The added time has accumulated across the years of construction. Based on average travel-time increases at typical commute hours, a person driving between the airport area and downtown at those times each weekday would have spent roughly 290 additional hours in traffic between the project’s start in 2023 and August 2026 — about 12 days.

Transportation professor Joseph Schwieterman of DePaul University said the congestion extends beyond traditional rush hour and can affect the city’s appeal to residents and visitors. The difficulty of traveling between O’Hare and downtown, he said, is compounded by the lack of a faster rail connection.

IDOT said its observations and general feedback indicate that expressway traffic overall has improved since the main project ended, while acknowledging temporary disruptions, including Foster bridge work and major city events, may have increased travel times during parts of the summer.