How many will be affected by the I290 contruction project this year (and next and next)?

I also see I355 is undergoing major work also.

Will it affect the hobbying downtown or west & northwest suburbs?

Congress Pkwy is being "beautified" and the bridge is being completely rebuilt over the next 3 years. Does "beautified" mean more black iron fences? You bet your booty. Looks like all the work is in the area of Congress Pkwy which should screw up the Ryan, the Eisenhower and the Stevenson in one fell swoop.

This will gridlock the entire metro Chicago area...

Oh no not again! Tomorrow won't be fun
in that mess. And the dirty it gets on my
vehicle too!

In the last 10 years we survived The Stevenson, The Ryan, The Edens, The Tri-state, The Gipper, The Hillside Strangler, I-290, I-57, Wacker, and many others I've forgotten already.  Eventually we'll get around to the Kennedy too.

Besides, for some of us this is our livelihood, without it, we can't have any hobbies.

At 1:30 on my way to a class and it was a virtual parking lot.  I did take the "local traffic" bypass and missed part of the lineup of cars.  It was just as bad Westbound.

I can't imagine what it will be like once the "beautification" starts.

Gridlock can be a good thing! Besides the inhalation of CO2, which I understand is a fantastic appetite suppressant, you can pick up new and interesting hobbies whilst not moving for two hours. Crochet, needlepoint....hell, bring the stack of Sunday papers you've been collecting to read "when you have time" because now you have the time! God knows you aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

I myself learned how to play the violin on the Eisenhower between Mannheim and Harlem, because unless it is 3am on a Tuesday, again, you won't be going anywhere anytime soon. You do have to move the seat back a ways so the bow doesn't strike the windshield.

Positive thinking, people! Positive thinking!

Put in in park or neutral, talk, put down the phone, move a few feet, repeat... How many calls per mile do you get?

From Thorndale all the way to downtown. Remember the last time they did it 20 years ago? I do, I sat on the 290 every day and cursed while I inhaled those lovely asphalt fumes. Nothing like hot tar at 6AM to get the sinuses open.