Fresh off winning community support for a $10 million road bond referendum in the recent election, La Grange Park officials were back to seeking roadway input from residents at a public forum centered on the village’s 31st Street Corridor Transportation Plan.
The two-hour forum at Fire Station 2, 1010 E. 31st St., involved consultants Kimley-Horne and presented the first concrete proposals for the project that began last summer with a $180,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Transportation.
Although the successful referendum is not tied to the 31st Street corridor, village President James Discipio credited the successful referendum, which passed with close to 80% of the vote, to a community that cares about good infrastructure.
“We are so blessed to have the residents in our community to support the bond referendum like they did the first two times, even more this time,” he said. “Remarkable. What it tells me is that the staff, we’re all doing the right thing. We’re being transparent, we’re giving the options and they’re agreeing with what we want to do, which is the biggest kudos they can give us is to support what we’re doing.”
As for the 31st Street project, Discipio stressed that safety was the main goal.
“It’s all to improve safety and pedestrian walkways,” he said.
Preliminary proposals in the plan include new crosswalks for the intersection of 31st Street and La Grange Road, in addition to a covered bus stop bench and a pedestrian gate for the railroad crossing on 31st Street near Barnsdale Road.
There are also decorative elements in the proposal, such as landscaping and posts to protect pedestrians on parkways along 31st Street, along with additional tree and shrub plantings.
The changes to the parkways would create a sense of the road being narrow, Discipio said, which along with barriers like planters, would help slow traffic down.
Plus, changes to parkways are not subject to approval by the Illinois Department of Transportation, which controls 31st Street.
But changes on the actual street will have to be approved by IDOT, including painted crosswalks and the proposed railroad crossing pedestrian gate.
Trustee Jamie Zaura said the elements of the plan also would require cooperation from business owners.
“We’re trying to make this more pedestrian-friendly, so these are good options,” she said. “But there’s going to have to be a compromise between some of the businesses and the residents to make this actually happen.”
As new businesses and restaurants open in the area, Zaura said it’s a good time to “just make it safer, so people will feel more comfortable and people will walk here.”
Judy Evans, a 50-year resident of La Grange Park, was at the open house examining the suggestions. She crosses 31st Street several times a day and doesn’t feel safe.
“I’m for anything that is an improvement to our village,” she said.
Village officials are accepting input at lagrangepark.org about the proposals until April 3. Staff will then develop a draft plan for the project, which the Village Board will take up for consideration this summer.
In the meantime, Discipio said legislation pending in Springfield could help village efforts to increase safety in the 31st Street corridor.
“There’s a bill in the General Assembly, SB 3374, I believe it is, where municipalities will be in control of the speed limits in their towns,” he said.
He asked if IDOT was in favor of it and was told “IDOT was the one that brought it forward,” Discipio said. .. “We’d be able to change this (31st Street) to 25.”
Hank Beckman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
