CTA’s Your New Blue Signal Upgrade Project work requires overnight lane restrictions on Kennedy Expressway Near O’Hare

May 26, 2020
CTA is replacing a nearly four-decade-old signal system as part of the $207-million project.

Occasional Overnight lane closures on the Kennedy Expressway (I-190) near O’Hare International Airport will be required through late May as the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) begins construction work associated with the Your New Blue (YNB) O’Hare branch Signal Upgrade Project.

CTA Blue Line service will not be affected.

The I-190 expressway lanes leading to and from O’Hare International Airport may be reduced to a single lane at times due to work occurring each night between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m., Sunday nights through Friday mornings. Work is already underway and is expected to be complete by May 28, weather permitting.

As part of this $207-million project, CTA is replacing a nearly four-decade-old signal system, marking the first major upgrade to this section of the Blue Line since it was extended by eight miles from Jefferson Park to O’Hare in the early 1980s. These improvements will allow CTA to add trains to meet increased demand and will help improve the reliability of service.

This track and signal work follows several other projects that are either completed or underway as part of the YNB program, which was announced in 2013. Other projects include the modernization of 14 rail stations, of which nine are complete, as well as track renewal and infrastructure work.