Dan Ryan Expressway
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  |
|
| Dan Ryan Expressway |
|
| Length: | 9 miles (14 km) |
|---|---|
| Formed: | 1962 |
| Direction: | Signed east-west, oriented north-south |
| From: |    Interstates 90/94/290 (Eisenhower Expy) west of the Chicago Loop |
| Major junctions: |
 I-55 (Stevenson Expy) at 2500 South I-90 (Chicago Skyway) at 6500 South |
| To: |  Interstates 57/94 (Bishop Ford Fwy) in south-central Chicago |
| Major cities: | Chicago |
| System: | Interstate Highway system |
The Dan Ryan Expressway runs from the Circle Interchange with I-290 near downtown Chicago through the south side of the city. It is signposted as both Interstate 90 and Interstate 94 north of 66th Street and only Interstate 94 from 66th Street to 99th Street. It connects with the Chicago Skyway near 66th Street. This is a distance of about 9 miles (14 km).[1]
The Dan Ryan Expressway will be undergoing major reconstruction from April 2006 through the end of 2007. The Illinois Department of Transportation advises drivers of passenger cars to take alternate routes or mass transit and trucks to stay on the expressway. For the latest information about the project, see http://www.avoidtheryan.com/.
On an average day, over 300,000 vehicles use part of the Dan Ryan (2003 data).[2] The Dan Ryan and its North Side extension, the Kennedy Expressway, are the busiest roads in Illinois. Utilizing an express-local system, the Dan Ryan has fourteen lanes of traffic, seven in each direction, with four of those express lanes and the other three providing access to exits. Despite its width, the Dan Ryan is prone to traffic jams. The Dan Ryan's express-local system is similar to that of Toronto's Highway 401.
As with the Kennedy Expressway, the posted directions on the Dan Ryan are different than the actual compass direction of the expressway, which causes confusion to many travelers. The Dan Ryan for its entire 12 mile length runs north and south. However the Dan Ryan is just a very small part of Interstates 90 and 94, which are signed as an east-west route. Therefore, one who is traveling 'west' on I-90/94 is actually driving north on the Dan Ryan; similarly, 'east' is really south.
The Dan Ryan was opened in 1962 and named for Dan Ryan, Jr., the President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners. During planning stages it was also known as the South Route Expressway. [1]
In the median of the Dan Ryan runs the Red Line of the Chicago Transit Authority. That section opened on August 24, 1969.
In 1988-1989, the northern three miles of the Dan Ryan, known as the Elevated Bridge, were completely reconstructed.[3]
In 2006, it was announced that construction would commence on the Dan Ryan, reducing the traffic flow by 50%. This two-year construction project is the most massive expressway construction plan in Chicago history. ABC-Dan Ryan Roadwork
Over two-and-a-half miles of continuous high-rise housing projects (Stateway Gardens and the Robert Taylor Homes) used to line the east side of the freeway from 35th Street south to Garfield (55th Street). However, nearly all of these buildings have been vacated and demolished as part of the CHA's transformation plan.
[edit] Exit list
For exits north of the Chicago Skyway interchange, see Interstate 90 in Illinois. For exits south of that point, see Interstate 94 in Illinois.
[edit] External resources
[edit] References
- ^ Rand McNally. "The Road Atlas '04: United States, Canada and Mexico". Skokie: Rand McNally and Company. 2004.
- ^ Illinois Department of Transportation traffic data
- ^ Hilkevitch, John. Buckle up, it looks like a long ride. Chicago Tribune. Published March 26, 2006. Retrieved March 26, 2006.
![[1]](http://70.121.38.224/Chicago%20Division/jpegs/030.jpg){kind=link}