183rd Street Improvements

183rd Street Improvements: LaGrange Rd. (IL Route 45) to 80th Avenue

Questions/Concerns from the June 4, 2003, Informational Meeting

1. What are the plans for 183rd Street? And the official project name?

Answer: At this time the Village is in the preliminary engineering (Phase I) process for improvements to 183rd Street that will include the construction of a contiguous roadway from LaGrange Road (US Route 45) to 80th Avenue, including a crossing at the Metra railroad tracks. The existing road will be improved to support the volumes of traffic and provide safe travel along 183rd Street. It is anticipated that the road will need to be widened to two lanes in each direction to support projected future traffic. The official project name is 183rd Street Improvement, US Route 45 to 80th Avenue. The roadway is currently under the jurisdiction of the Cook County Highway Department (84th Avenue to 94th Avenue) and will remain their's upon completion of any improvements. Following improvements, the Cook County Highway Department has indicted support to take jurisdiction/maintenance of the entire improved route.

2. What is the actual cost of each phase?

Answer: The actual cost of the project cannot be determined at this time. The cost of construction (Phase III) for the improvements cannot be truly estimated until the details of the design (Phase II) are determined (i.e. number of lanes, median width, etc.). This project is still in Phase I, the early planning stage where studies and impact analyses are performed which will become the basis for the design. A range of $8-10 million has been used for planning purposes.

3. How would this project be funded?

Answer: Three entities have preliminarily agreed to allocate funds for this project. The State will be responsible for 50% of the cost, the Federal government 25% and Cook County 25%. The Village is contributing 30% of the engineering costs for the Phase I and II portions. The remaining 70% of engineering costs is being funded by the State.

4. In regards to the proposed railroad crossing, has this been approved by Metra? The State of Illinois? The Federal Railroad Authority?

Answer: The proposed railroad crossing has not been approved. Coordination between these agencies has been established and the approval process has begun.

5. When will the planning terminate? When will construction begin? When is the scheduled completion date?

Answer: The planning stage or Phase I portion of the project is scheduled to be complete by the end of 2003. The design stage will take about a year to complete, with the construction scheduled to begin by the summer of 2005. These dates are only estimates at this time. The approval process of the documents created in the planning and design stages by the Illinois Department of Transportation may cause the schedule to change.

6. What traffic controls are included in this plan? (Speed Limit, Stop Lights, Stop Signs, etc.).

Answer: Due to the fact that the road will be under the jurisdiction of Cook County, they will have control over the speed limit and all posted signage. The speed limit is not proposed to be raised. Lowering the speed limit must be supported by an engineering study. The addition of stop lights and stop signs at intersections along 183rd Street will be studied and only be added if established criteria for such are met.

7. Is there going to be a housing impact study included?

Answer: A housing impact study will not be included as part of the planning for improvements to 183rd Street. However, the Village has created a neighborhood committee to receive input on the planning process. The committee's input will be implemented the extent allowable.

8. Is there going to be an environmental impact study? Will it include pollution and noise?

Answer: Environmental studies, which includes an analysis of air and noise pollution, is a part of the Phase I report. These studies must be reviewed and approved by the Illinois Department of Transportation before the design phase begins.

9. Are your studies going to include the impact upon students that have bus stops on 183rd Street?

Answer: Studies of the existing bus routes along 183rd Street will be performed and coordination between the Village and the School Districts will determine safe locations for the bus stops based on the improvements to 183rd Street. Relocating the bus stops within the subdivisions is one option that will be studies to provide safe travel for students.

10. Sidewalks, curbs and storm sewers: are they included in the proposal?

Answer: Curbs and storm sewers will be included in the proposal. A study will be performed to analyze the benefits of constructing sidewalks as part of the improvements to 183rd Street. There will be pedestrian traffic permitted to cross the Metra railroad tracks along 183rd Street.

11. How will 183rd Street be policed?

Answer: The Village of Tinley Park Police Department will police 183rd Street.

12. What will be the weight limit?

Answer: Legal loads as allowed by State Statutes will be permitted. Travel on 183rd; just as is the case now.

13. Will it become a truck route? If not how will they keep it from becoming a truck route and avoiding the scales?

Answer: 183rd Street will not be a designated truck route. The Tinley Park Police Department is currently policing the truck traffic and will continue to monitor truck activities with the improvements to 183rd Street. The police department has portable weights and has the authority to weigh any trucks thought to be over the legal limit and institute fines it found to exceed that limit.

14. Does the proposed plan include any changes in the current grading?

Answer: The grading of 183rd Street will be determined in coordination with the study and design of the improved drainage system.

15. Who owns the land between LaGrange Road and 94th Avenue between 183rd Street and 179th Street? If the Village owns it, when purchased? How much?

Answer: The land is owned privately and not by the Village.

16. What is the Village going to do to mitigate the loss of open spaces that this project will consume?

Answer: The improvements to183rd Street will be constructed within the existing 100' right-of-way that was established to allow adequate space for improvements to the roadway without the need for acquiring additional right-of-way from private landowners.

17. Has the Army Corps of Engineers done an impact study? If not when will it be done? If so, where can it be reviewed?

Answer: The Army Corps of Engineers is not required to perform an impact study for this project.

18. Why did the Village allow 183rd Street to become all residential, if they knew they wanted to put in a four-lane highway?

Answer: The Comprehensive Plan for the Village of Tinley Park, developed in the late 1960's, designated 183rd Street as a future primary roadway arterial. The Village has preserved a 100' right-of-way for 183rd Street in keeping with the plan. This was in anticipation of a need for improvements along this stretch of roadway as the Village continued to grow. The residential subdivisions adjacent to 183rd Street were developed according to this plan. The subdivisions, with the exception of Tinley Gardens, back up to the roadway, having residents exit their home onto a residential street, which will connect to a collector of arterial street. This allows for safe and less congested travel throughout the community. It is not unusual for residential areas to be bisected by an arterial roadway. 171st Street and 80th Avenue are examples of similar Cook County roadways.