Pedestrians crossing Lake Street in River Forest would have safer passage under a proposed project expected to be considered by the village board at its June 22 meeting.
The project consists of pedestrian improvements at the intersections of Lake with Edgewood Place, Franklin Avenue, Jackson Avenue and William Street.
Village officials said the motivation for the upgrades is improving pedestrian safety, citing resident input at community meetings, including the village board and at the Casual Conversations series with village officials.
Jack Bielak, director of public works and engineering, said the project includes curb extensions, also called bump outs; a Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB); and median refuge islands. The project also includes drainage improvements, sidewalks, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ramps, pavement markings and final restoration.
Almost half of the $360,000 project cost will be covered by an Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) Safe Routes to School grant of $179,828.
Village Administrator Matt Walsh said the grant funds are specifically for the bump out at Edgewood and the RRFB at Franklin. Refuge islands will be at William and at Jackson.
“These upgrades are a great start, but staff is exploring additional ways to supplement these upgrades to make the crossings even safer for residents,” he said.
Several officials expressed concern that IDOT would not be receptive to the village’s plans and even suggested that the village assume jurisdiction of Lake. However, Bielak said in February that initial indications were that IDOT would allow the village to do the improvements without taking over jurisdiction.
“Staff worked closely with IDOT to secure permit approval for the proposed improvements,” Walsh said. “Emphasizing these concerns helped secure approval from IDOT.”
The project has been in the works for more than a year.
In a memo to Walsh in June, Bielak and Seth Jansen, management analyst, wrote that Lake Street is under IDOT Jurisdiction from Harlem Avenue going west through the Village of Bloomingdale where it turns into US 20. Lake Street east of Harlem Avenue is owned by Oak Park and the City of Chicago for their respective segments.
Lake Street has a functional classification of Minor Arterial and in 2023 had an annual average daily traffic figure of 9,700 vehicles. Lake Street has existing curb extensions that were built in 2010 at Keystone, Forest, Park, Franklin and Ashland avenues.
They wrote in the memo that Jackson and William are both situated along the commercial corridor of Lake.
The intersection at Jackson experiences high pedestrian traffic due to the nearby Jewel-Osco grocery store and a Pace bus stop. Several pedestrian-related accidents have been documented at this location over the past five years.
The William intersection serves West Suburban Hospital’s River Forest campus which is currently largely closed. It is adjacent to a large residential complex and multi-family housing on the north side of Lake and the eastern corner of William. This intersection has also seen a notable number of recorded accidents.