A nature and recreation area is being planned across the street from Glenbrook South High School, but there’s no crossing for students to safely cross busy Pfingsten Road. To remedy the situation, Village of Glenview officials are hoping a state grant will help pay for pedestrian crossing improvements.
Trustees last month voted to apply for an Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program grant that, if approved by the state, would allow for the construction of a pedestrian underpass beneath Pfingsten Road. Drawings show the underpass proposed little more than halfway between West Lake Avenue and Hospital Drive.
The underpass would connect the Glenbrook South campus and the former Signode property, a 56-acre swath of land to the east that was purchased by the village for $23.4 million in February. Recreational uses, like playgrounds, athletic fields, sports facilities, trails and natural areas have been suggested by village officials as future additions to the site, and pedestrian traffic is anticipated to increase in the area.
The proposed underpass would help pedestrians avoid walking across Pfingsten Road in an area where no traffic signals currently exist. Traffic signals are currently located at Pfingsten and West Lake Avenue and at Pfingsten and Hospital Drive.
Village Spokesman David Just said an underpass option was preferred by village officials over an elevated structure built over the road because the underpass requires a smaller footprint with accessibility for users with disabilities.
ITEP grants, which are funded by state and federal dollars and administered by the Illinois Department of Transportation, are “the state’s largest funding source for walking, biking and trail improvements,” according to the Active Transportation Alliance.
If approved, the grant will fund 80% of the proposed underpass project, with the village paying the remaining 20%.
“We are still in the very early stages of the conceptual design, but we anticipate it will be an approximately $5 million project, with 80% of that funded by the grant,” said Adriana Webb, director of capital projects, engineering and facilities for the village of Glenview.
That would require Glenview to fund approximately $1 million.
Glenview Trustee Adam Sidoti said the underpass would address the “safety factor” of people having to cross Pfingsten.
Village President Michael Jenny appeared to agree.
“It does seem a lot safer than people walking across Pfingsten at grade,” he said.
Trustee Mary Cooper called the addition “fantastic” for addressing safety in the area.
“Even if Signode wasn’t being built out, [the underpass] would be helpful, I think,” she said. “It’s terrific that we’re looking at some solid grant money to go with it.”
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Since the village took over ownership of the former Signode site, demolition work, largely involving one-story buildings, has been occurring, with removal of three-story buildings to take place over the coming weeks, Just said.
“The entire demolition process is anticipated to be completed by the end of the year,” he added.
While underground tanks had been removed from the property, no additional environmental remediation was needed, Just said.
Earlier this year, the village hired the consulting firm Teska Associates to aid in developing a master plan for the Signode property. Meetings with representatives from Glenview School District 34, Glenbrook High School District 225, the Glenview Park District and Oakton College have been occurring as part of this planning process, Just said.
Opportunities for the public to review and suggest ideas for the future use of the land could occur this fall and winter, according to Just.
The Village Board last month also agreed to apply for a separate ITEP grant to help fund the creation of a path for both pedestrians and bicyclists along Glenview Road, from Shermer Road east to Old Glenview Road. The project, estimated at $8 million and broken into two phases, would replace the existing 5-foot sidewalk with a wider path, officials said.
The village has received a $200,000 Invest in Cook grant from Cook County to perform a study examining the feasibility of the proposed improvements, a memo to the Village Board said.
The village would need to fund 20% of the pedestrian and bike path project if the ITEP grant is approved.