Times Staff Report

The Illinois Department of Transportation has announced there will be a series of ramp closures in May and June along the Dan Ryan Expressway to install fiber optic cables to transmit travel time and other data.

Additional scheduled ramp closures will be announced in the coming weeks, and the project will affect a majority of the ramps along the expressway.

The project also represents some of the final work that involved a total reconstruction of the expressway. Other work this construction season includes landscaping and construction of a "knee-wall" along the Dan Ryan frontage roads.

IDOT urges drivers to be on the lookout for construction workers and equipment and to pay close attention to signs.

The scheduled ramp closures include:

Monday to Wednesday -- Southbound 39th Street entrance ramp

Tuesday to Thursday -- Northbound 43rd Street entrance ramp

Wednesday to Friday -- Southbound 43rd Street entrance ramp

Thursday to May 17 -- Northbound 47th Street entrance ramp

May 19 to 20 -- Southbound 59th Street entrance ramp

May 20 to 21 -- Northbound 63rd Street entrance ramp

May 21 to 22 -- Southbound 71st Street entrance ramp

May 22 to 23 -- Northbound 75th Street entrance ramp