Lincolnwood is considering applying for grants to help improve two of the town’s most heavily-trafficked intersections – the corners of Touhy and Lincoln and Touhy and Cicero avenues.
Village of Lincolnwood trustees met with public works officials earlier this week during a committee of the whole meeting for an informal discussion where trustees were asked to weigh in on three potential roadway improvement projects that could be eligible for the federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement grant program.
The meeting was held to gauge interest in whether the village should pursue applications for the grants.
Known as CMAQ funding, the village has received four such grants in recent years. The money is helping to pay for two bike trails that were constructed this year and a pedestrian overpass bridge planned for construction across Touhy Avenue in 2017, according Andrew Letson, assistant to the public works director.
The grant program funds 80 percent of eligible projects. In 2017, the federal government is making $2.36 billion in CMAQ funds available, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration.
Village officials supported the two least-expensive projects of the three options Letson presented: $3.25 million in improvements at the Lincoln and Touhy intersection and another project for the same cost to widen the Touhy Avenue Edens expressway ramp for traffic exiting northbound to allow for an additional stacking lane to reduce traffic from backing up onto the highway.
A second part of that project would widen Cicero Avenue between the northbound Edens exit ramp and Touhy Avenue to allow for a dedicated right turn lane for traffic heading east on Touhy Avenue. A modernized traffic control system and new light poles would also be installed, according to concept plans provided by the public works department.
At Lincoln and Touhy, an intersection Lincolnwood Mayor Jerry Turry described as “dangerous,” plans call for a second left turn lane to be installed on northbound Lincoln Avenue for traffic to turn west onto Touhy Avenue and dedicates the current shared turn/straight lane for northbound traffic only.
In addition, those improvements would include the installation of a left turn lane on westbound Touhy Avenue for traffic to turn south onto Lincoln Avenue.
If this scenario were to move forward, the Kostner and Touhy intersection would be closed. The closure would eliminate the wait time for vehicles turning southbound onto Lincoln Avenue.
Describing the plans as “extremely conceptual,” Letson said the project could help improve traffic flow at the Touhy, Kostner, Lincoln three-way intersection, which is the only place in the village that has a red light camera and commonly backs up during peak traffic times.
“Traffic (heading east on Touhy) stacks up when that light turns red,” Village Manager Tim Wiberg said. “Cars are typically going about 30 to 40 miles per hour and have to slam on their brakes.”
A third project, to install an underpass or an overpass that would connect the Union Pacific bike path across Lincoln Avenue for an estimated $5.2 million, was turned down by trustees who said it was too expensive.
The village can apply for funding for both intersection improvement projects, but would have to foot the bill for engineering design costs before any applications are submitted. In order to be eligible for funding, CMAQ requires projects to have the preliminary engineering phases completed.
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Trustees Barry Bass, Ron Cope and Larry Elster said they favored the option to upgrade Cicero and Touhy, while Trustee Craig Klatzco said he didn’t support any of the options.
“I don’t like using our money to fix what should be IDOT’s problem,” Klatzco said.
The village plans to approach the Illinois Department of Transportation to discuss a potential cost-share option, Wiberg said.
With the 20 percent local cost share outlined in the CMAQ grant program, the village would pay $600,000 for each of the projects plus $250,000 in engineering planning costs, while the grant would cover $2.4 million, according to village officials.
It could be several years before any construction begins. Letson said the village would wait two years to apply for the grants so that the engineering costs could be worked into future budgets. Construction would take another five to six years, he said.
Natalie Hayes is a freelancer.