A bridge over the Union Pacific rail yard, a crossing to connect Fullerton Avenue and increased turning radiuses for trucks are a few projects that might come out of a long-range transportation plan for Cook County.
The Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways held an open house at the Franklin Park Police station on Dec. 2 in hopes of soliciting public input on how to improve all aspects of transportation.
The last time Cook County took a long-range look at transportation was in 1940. That plan identified corridors for Chicago area expressways, which were built over the next few decades. Since then, however, the county has looked no more than five years ahead.
This plan, which is scheduled to be completed by September, aims wider.
“There is a strong desire that investment not be limited to roads and streets,” said Maria Choca Urban, deputy chief administrator for the county bureau of administration.
That means working with various transportation entities including CTA, Pace, Metra, freight rail companies, pedestrians and road or highway entities.
“It’s not something that has been done as much as it needs to be,” said Jennifer Killen, assistant superintendent of the Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways. “Each agency has historically minded its own assets. The aim is to mesh the plans put together by individual agencies and put together an structure to achieve the region’s needs.”
“For a long time, Cook County was missing in action,” said Urban. “We were not talking about transportation on a regional level.”
A second challenge is finding the money to pay for improvements. Killen said federal money might be available if large enough coalitions can form.
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“The federal government is much more interested in working with regions or subregions that individual units of government,” said Urban.
One idea that’s come up is to consolidate the permit process online for overweight trucks.
“What a nightmare it is when you have an oversized load and have to have permits from every municipality, township and county,” said Urban. “Some trucking companies don’t get permits, figuring it’s easier to pay the fine that going through the process of getting permits.”
In Franklin Park, potential projects could include connecting Fullerton Avenue, where it’s split by the Indiana Harbor Belt rail tracks, with new crossing infrastructure.
Another is extending Taft Road over the Union Pacific rail yard, which would connect Irving Park Road and Franklin Avenue and allow easier access for trucks heading to southbound Interstate 294. While that project has been proposed as part of the Elgin-O’Hare Bypass, Cook County officials propose teaming with DuPage County to find funding.
Another is expanding the turn radius from Mannheim Road west into an industrial part of Franklin Park.
“This would keep trucks from backing up,” Urban said. “It’s a smaller investment but makes for safer, easier turns.”
For more information or to take part in an online survey, go to www.connectingcookcounty.org.