# Kennedy traffic nightmare persists

> Chicago's Kennedy Expressway traffic delays worsen after 3-year construction project.
- Title: Kennedy traffic nightmare persists · Chicago Sun-Times
- Summary: Chicago's Kennedy Expressway traffic delays worsen after 3-year construction project. kennedy expressway, chicago, traffic · reported by Chicago Sun-Times.
- Keywords: kennedy expressway, chicago, traffic, construction, illinois, gov j b pritzker, commute delays, roadwork, news, local, Kennedy, nightmare
- Source: Chicago Sun-Times — https://chicago.suntimes.com/morning-edition/2026/10/23/interstate-90-94-kennedy-expressway-traffic-data-centers-pritzker
- Published: 2026-10-23T13:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 3 min
- Topics: kennedy expressway, chicago, traffic, construction, illinois, gov j b pritzker, commute delays, roadwork, news, local
## Kennedy traffic nightmare
Chicago's Kennedy Expressway traffic delays remain historically bad despite completion of a $170 million construction project that began in March 2023.
## Worst traffic in 22 years
Our analysis of 22 years of drive-time data shows delays on the Kennedy Expressway between downtown and O'Hare Airport were the worst in more than two decades during the Kennedy 'rehabilitation project' that began in…
## 12 extra days in traffic
A typical commuter traveling inbound in the mornings and outbound in the afternoons spent a total of 12 additional days in traffic over the period since the roadwork began in March 2023 over what normally…
## No relief in sight
Despite Gov. JB Pritzker's promise of 'faster commutes' when he declared mission accomplished on the Kennedy project a year ago, the expressway has continued to post historically bad travel times this year.
## Foster Avenue delays
The separate Foster Avenue bridge reconstruction project over the Kennedy has lagged far behind schedule, with repeated delays and no projected end date for the work there.
## Driver stories
A nurse said she'd bite her hand to stay awake at the wheel. A woman in labor writhed in pain for more than two hours in wall-to-wall traffic.
## 3-year traffic nightmare
As our investigation shows, traffic on the Kennedy really has been worse over the last three years.
## Illinois grid strain
Illinois' electric grid is stressed, thanks to the demand from huge data centers rapidly multiplying to power artificial intelligence.
## Data center costs
ComEd expects to spend more than $3 billion to connect data centers to its electric grid in the coming years but has only collected about one-fourth of the costs from data center developers.
## Pritzker's political spending
Since 2025, Gov. JB Pritzker has given at least $40 million to Democrats and allied causes including campaigns for Congress, Senate, attorney general, secretary of state, county judges, and state parties in more than a…
## Bears game result
The Chicago Bears beat the New England Patriots 30-24 in their Thursday night game.
## CTA repairs
The CTA is closing all elevated tracks in the Loop this weekend for repairs.
## Arts in the Dark
The Arts in the Dark parade, now in its 12th year, will return Saturday with 100 groups bringing 5,000 performers.
## Shedd Aquarium
Shedd Aquarium President and CEO Bridget Coughlin insists the institution is not in crisis after taking in 30 beluga whales from a Canadian adventure park.
## Data center impact
Chicago belongs to a multistate power consortium that connects us to a dozen other states across the eastern U.S., allowing states to give or take power from partners.
## Traffic consequences
The Kennedy Expressway traffic nightmare has persisted for three years, with no relief in sight despite the completion of the construction project.
## Key takeaway

Chicago's Kennedy Expressway traffic delays remain historically bad despite completion of a $170 million construction project that began in March 2023.