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Kennedy Expressway traffic stalled after steel poles fall off semi, blocking roadway

By FOX 32 Digital Staff
Published  February 26, 2025 6:39am CST
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FOX 32 Chicago

Steel pipes fall off semi onto Kennedy Expressway, leaving 2 injured

Two motorists were injured after steel pipes fell off a semi and onto the Kennedy Expressway on Tuesday night.

The Brief

    • Steel poles fell onto the outbound Kennedy Expressway late Tuesday after a semi-truck struck the Lake Street Bridge, police said.
    • Two cars hit the debris, sending two people to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
    • Crews cleared the roadway overnight, but some lanes remained blocked into Wednesday morning, causing delays.

CHICAGO - Two motorists were injured after steel pipes fell off a semi and onto the Kennedy Expressway on Tuesday night.

Poles block Kennedy Expressway

The backstory:

The semi carrying the steel poles made contact with the Lake Street Bridge around 11 p.m., causing some of the poles to fall onto the roadway, according to Illinois State Police. 

Two cars then struck the poles on the road, sending two people to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

The outbound lanes of the Kennedy were closed until the poles could be moved to the shoulder of the expressway. The road reopened around 11:35 p.m. Tuesday but two lanes remained blocked as crews worked to remove the poles.

All lanes of the Kennedy Expressway reopened by 7:10 a.m. Residual delays are expected throughout the morning.

Delays also built up on the inbound Dan Ryan Expressway on Wednesday morning, starting near Garfield Boulevard in the local and express lanes.

The Source: The information in this story came from Illinois State Police and FOX 32 reporter Gabriella Premus.

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