Oswego will be putting in traffic signals on Washington Street at its intersections with Main and Harrison streets, a move village officials said “will save lives” as more people are being attracted to the village’s growing downtown.
The Oswego Village Board recently approved $1.3 million in contracts for the installation of the traffic signals.
The village had implemented short-term measures to improve pedestrian safety along Washington Street including flashing crosswalk lights and speed warning signs for motorists as well as pavement markings.
However, the village’s long-term safety improvement plans were to get two new traffic signals along Washington. The road – which is heavily traveled by drivers and crossed by pedestrians in an area that has seen major commercial and residential development – is also state Route 34, which means it is under the jurisdiction of the Illinois Department of Transportation.
The village had to get the department’s approval for traffic signals at Washington and Main streets and Washington and Harrison streets.
“This is something that is about 25 years in the making in downtown Oswego,” Oswego Village Administrator Dan Di Santo said in his report to trustees.
Village trustees unanimously approved a $1,155,629 contract with Franklin Park-based H&H Electric for the construction of the signals. The board also approved a $139,835 contract with Christopher B. Burke Engineering of Rosemont, which will perform construction inspection services for the project, village officials said.
The village does not have in-house personnel qualified to inspect traffic signals or oversee the interconnection between the traffic signals and nearby railroad signals, officials said.
The death of a 79-year-old woman in 2018 while crossing a street downtown prompted village leaders to renew talks with state officials about safety improvements at the two intersections on Washington Street.
The woman was struck and killed Oct. 19, 2018, while attempting to cross Washington Street near Adams Street outside the crosswalk. She was hit by a sport utility vehicle traveling west, police said.
“There are not many times we can vote on something and say this will save lives. I believe this will save lives,” Di Santo said of the new traffic signals. “This is going to be a huge safety improvement.”
Oswego hired Christopher B. Burke Engineering in 2020 to do a comprehensive analysis as part of its ongoing negotiations to get state approval for more traffic signals downtown.
The village hosted a pedestrian safety open house as part of the study of possible improvements as well. Residents at the event were supportive of improvements to make for a more walkable downtown, officials said.
“The study was the basis for engineering contracts and for IDOT to actually give us permission to put the signals in. In the end, we are going to have a traffic signal on Route 34 at Main Street and another one at Harrison Street. It’s going to allow pedestrians to move across our downtown on both sides now that our downtown is growing on two sides,” Di Santo said.
The traffic signals will improve pedestrian safety, benefit businesses and provide improved access to the village’s parking facility, Di Santo said.
The engineering for the proposed traffic signals at Main and Harrison streets is complex due to the proximity to signals at Madison Street, Route 31 and the railroad line that runs through the downtown, village officials said.
Oswego Public Works Director Jennifer Hughes in a report to trustees said the project involves connecting the new traffic signals with the railroad signals to ensure that there is adequate time to clear vehicles off the railroad tracks as trains approach.
The Illinois Department of Transportation was prepared to install new traffic signals at Harrison and Main streets along Washington in Oswego in 1999. However, the village voted against the traffic signals at the time due to the potential impact on street parking.
The state had denied the signals since then on the basis that the intersections along Washington did not have enough traffic to meet the requirements for traffic signals, officials said.
The village ended up having difficulty bidding the construction work for the new traffic signals.
“This was actually the third time it was bid. The first two times were to get the project done in 2022 but due to supply and demand issues, there were no companies that bid on the work,” Di Santo said. “We had to change it to make sure the project was done by a year from now.”
Although the village received only one bid, it was beneficial overall, village officials said.
“The contractor that did bid was below the engineer’s estimate,” Hughes said.
Due to supply chain issues with traffic signal poles and other key materials, the work is expected to be completed by July 2023.
“Our goal is to have this work done in the next year,” Hughes said.
The village’s initial goal was to have the traffic signals installed by the end of the year in time for the downtown Christmas Walk festivities.
“Multiple contractors have told us there’s no way we will get enough materials in to complete this by Christmas Walk. That’s why we had to push it into next year,” Hughes told trustees.
She expects there will be single-lane closures along Washington Street during the work to install the new traffic lights.
“Everything is finally coming together and we are happy to be moving ahead with the contractor to complete the project, which will keep residents and visitors safe when traveling through our downtown,” Oswego Village President Troy Parlier said in a statement.
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
