La Grange Park’s latest efforts to improve traffic and pedestrian safety on La Grange Road were the subject of a forum Aug. 19 that drew about 60 people.
But it wasn’t a one-way flow of information.
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“We are still in the process of gathering community feedback,” deputy village manager Maggie Jarr said as the open house got underway. Jarr indicated that the village had already gathered some resident suggestions from the first open house in 2025.
The project development began last year with preliminary engineering studies. The next phase is planned for 2027-2028, and the final project construction is scheduled to take place throughout 2030 and 2031.
The village has already taken steps to improve safety along La Grange Road, a main thoroughfare in La Grange Park that also is the route of U.S. 45.
In July 2024 the village formally requested that the Illinois Department of Transportation reduce the speed limit on La Grange Road from 30 MPH to 25 MPH as part of the village’s “Take 5” initiative.
Being the owner of the road, IDOT had to approve the request and the reduction was implemented in November. So remaining efforts to implement safety features will also need IDOT’s approval, with Jarr saying “they’re always going to be in the game, right. Because it’s their jurisdiction.”
The initiative is partially funded by a $175,000 Invest in Cook grant from Cook County.
As in the April 2025 open house, village officials and consultants from Kimley-Horn listened to residents who offered feedback on what was needed to provide a safer, more walkable corridor along the Village Market Shopping corridor.
The village website, lagrangepark.org, also has a section called La Grange Road Traffic Safety Improvements that has a full description of the project.
The intersection of La Grange and Homestead roads and the area along La Grange Road from Richmond Avenue to Homestead are particular areas of interest in the project.
One proposal is to construct a pedestrian refuge island in the middle of the La Grange Road/Homestead intersection and include these islands from Woodlawn to Richmond avenues.
Other proposals are for pedestrian activated crossing signals at the Woodlawn Avenue intersection, and a pedestrian overpass.
One proposal that drew support from residents was a possible traffic signal at the Oak Avenue intersection.
An online community survey about the project is posted on the village website until Sept. 2 for residents that weren’t able to attend the open house.
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Village Senior Planner Derek Rockwell was happy with the forum’s turnout.
“It feels like a decent amount of people coming through so far,” he said at the beginning of the event.
Rockwell said that tentative plans were for the village to have a proposal for IDOT by Thanksgiving, but IDOT’s response would likely depend on their workload.
Daniel Graves, from consulting firm Kimley-Horn, expressed optimism about the chances for timely approval from IDOT, particularly the pedestrian activated crossing signal.
“We’ve had conversations with IDOT and they’re on board with all the improvements,” he said. “This was one of the solutions they said they would support.”
Hank Beckman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.