From the Daily Herald, With the interminable Jane Byrne Interchange reconstruction terminating this year, the Illinois Department of Transportation is shifting gears to several projects of high interest to suburban drivers.

This includes major repairs to bridges and pavement on the Kennedy Expressway between the Edens Expressway and Ohio Street in Chicago.

And, routes 56 (Butterfield Road) and 64 (North Avenue), a pair of underwhelming but heavily used roads, will be transformed into “smart corridors.”

The improvements include: traffic signal upgrades to modernize the corridors, synchronizing signals, dynamic message signs in strategic spots, and accommodations for pedestrians, officials said.

The Route 64 revamp stretches between Smith/Kautz Road and Route 50 (Cicero Avenue); the Route 56 redo runs from Route 59 to York Street.

For walkers and transit users, upgrades to sidewalks, crosswalks and pedestrian signals are coming, plus new, strategically located bus stops that expedite traffic flow.

More at the Daily Herald.