Chicago Drivers Daily Road & Traffic Alert — Thursday, October 8, 2026
Afzaal Zeb ·
Thursday brings downtown marathon setup and scheduled overnight ramp closures. I-294 and I-90 restrictions will affect evening and overnight travel, while IDOT has postponed the I-290/Sacramento bridge project to October 13.
DOWNTOWN / LOOP
• Grant Park and Columbus Drive: At 4 a.m., closures begin on Balbo Drive from Michigan Avenue to DuSable Lake Shore Drive; Jackson Drive from Michigan Avenue to DuSable Lake Shore Drive; Columbus Drive from Monroe Street to Roosevelt Road; Congress Plaza Drive; and Ida B. Wells Drive between Michigan and Columbus. Several segments remain closed through Sunday evening or Monday afternoon. Use Michigan Avenue, Randolph Street and Roosevelt Road around the perimeter and avoid cutting through Grant Park.
• CTA bus reroutes: From 4 a.m. Thursday through 6 a.m. Monday, routes #2, #6, #10, #J14, #26 and #28 operate in both directions via Michigan and Roosevelt between Balbo/Michigan and Roosevelt/Columbus. This confirms a transit detour related to marathon setup, not a full closure of every street on the reroute.
CHICAGO EXPRESSWAYS
• I-290 at Sacramento Boulevard: IDOT postponed the bridge replacement project to Tuesday, October 13, weather permitting. The first phase will use shoulder closures and intermittent overnight lane closures; Sacramento Boulevard’s full closure between Congress Parkway and Van Buren Street is now expected in early November. No restrictions from this project are scheduled for Thursday.
• Bishop Ford (I-94): The new outbound traffic pattern should be in place by 6 a.m. Thursday. At least two outbound lanes will remain available, but congestion and additional overnight closures are expected through December. At 159th Street, one lane remains open each way between Woodland Avenue and Van Dam Road.
O’HARE / NORTHWEST SUBURBS
• Balmoral Avenue to southbound I-294: The entrance ramp closes at 6 p.m. Thursday and is scheduled to reopen by 6 a.m. Friday. The posted detour sends traffic to the I-190 interchange. Turn lanes on Balmoral also close, and I-294 may be reduced to one lane overnight near the railroad and Lawrence Avenue. Delays are expected.
• Westbound I-90 to Roselle Road, Schaumburg: The exit ramp closes from 9 p.m. Thursday to 5 a.m. Friday. Detour at Barrington Road, then use Higgins Road east to Roselle Road. Ramp traffic is already reduced to one lane at the toll plaza.
OFFICIAL SOURCES
Chicago Marathon closures: https://www.chicagomarathon.com/event-info/participant-information/course/street-closures/ (opens in a new tab)
CTA weekday changes: https://www.transitchicago.com/weekday/ (opens in a new tab)
IDOT I-290 notice: https://illinois-department-of-transportation.prezly.com/sacramento-boulevard-over-i-290-bridge-replacement-begins-oct-8 (opens in a new tab)
Illinois Tollway releases: https://agency.illinoistollway.com/media-center/news-releases (opens in a new tab)
