Journal & Topics Media Group

More Talks Ahead On Downtown Crossing


Village officials are determining what type of crossing would be safest for motorists and pedestrians at Busse Avenue and Main Street since new development plans are in the works for the downtown area.
Over one year ago, the village hired Gewalt Hamilton Associates, Inc. (GHA) to study and conduct a review of potential improvements at the intersection. Four options include building a pedestrian bridge over Main Street (Elmhurst Road) from the village parking garage to behind Brick City Tavern, a “north leg” crossing, a “mid-block” crossing, and a “south leg” crossing.
The north leg proposes eliminating the existing southbound left turn lane from Main onto eastbound Busse and constructing a raised, landscaped island for pedestrians crossing Main. A northbound to westbound left turn lane would be provided for the public alley.
The mid-block proposal calls for a landscaped pedestrian refuge island. Due to the location, a staggered crossing, which forces pedestrians to turn and face oncoming traffic during their crossing, is proposed in an attempt to improve visibility and attentiveness.
Additionally, the existing median between the public alley and Busse Avenue would be restriped to provide back-to-back left turn lanes for both left turn maneuvers. Currently, no left turn lane exists for the alley.
Similar to the north leg alternate, the south leg option proposes a crossing on Main south of Busse. A landscaped pedestrian refuge island is proposed and the northbound left turn lane to west Busse would be eliminated.
Like the mid-block proposal, back-to-back left turn lanes for southbound Busse and northbound turns to the alley are proposed.
Implementing the north and south leg options would result in the elimination of left turn movements to eastbound and westbound Busse Avenue from Main Street respectively.
The three options on the ground, which do not include a bridge, have estimated costs ranging from $50,000-$70,000.
If the village were construct a bridge, which would include installation of elevators on each side of Main, the project is estimated to cost between $2.5 million-$3 million and would be a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district-eligible expense.
Incremental funding generated from a new luxury apartment building could generate new property tax money that would help support this project.
According to GHA, the preferred option would be a mid-block crossing between Busse Avenue and Central Road just north of the existing public alley.
Any improvement requires IDOT input. GHA suggests a preliminary submittal to IDOT for its initial evaluation and feedback.
Village Manager Michael Cassady said he expects a discussion on the matter with the village board in the coming weeks, especially since the new luxury apartment building at Busse and Wille is expected to begin construction this spring. He would like to see something in place by the time the apartment building is completed in late spring or early summer 2019.

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