Kennedy construction fuels new traffic patterns and habits in Chicago

Chicagoans are switching to side streets, trains and bikes to avoid Kennedy Expressway and DuSable Lake Shore Drive construction.

Driving the news: The Chicago Transit Authority has released new data showing a bounce in weekday morning ridership on the Blue Line by about 7,000 rides per week since Kennedy construction began in March.

• CTA ridership from O'Hare is also up by about 1,450 rides a week, suggesting that some are skipping cabs and rideshares.
• That's probably wise. Our editor's recent Lyft ride from O'Hare to Lincoln Park took so long that the app reached out to her asking if everything was OK.

Between the lines: "Though the construction work is not the sole reason behind the ridership increase, there are strong indications there is a corollary to increased CTA ridership," CTA spokesperson Maddie Kilgannon tells Axios.

What's more: This week brings yet another lane closing on the Kennedy near the Diversey exit.

What they're saying: Readers told us about some new strategies to avoid the construction traffic.

• Reader Maggie B. has "started taking Pulaski, Cicero, or Sacramento straight north to stay moving," while Audrey W. "[sucks] up the smell and [enjoys] the Blue Line."
• "It took one attempt at driving to Streeterville from my house in Edgebrook for me to say, 'never again,'" Dan H. wrote to us in an email. "Now I enjoy a peaceful Metra train ride and a beautiful walk along the river from Union Station. In fact, I’m relaxing on the train as I write this."

Yes, but: Many say new efficient routes are too good to share.

• "I probably wouldn't share a really great route with friends or family," Christian L. said. "Why would I give everyone a chance to ruin something that works?"