Life Amplified

175th Street Improvements

The Village is finalizing coordination with the Cook County Department of Transportation to reconstruct 175th Street from Oak Park Avenue to approximately 600 feet east of Ridgeland Avenue, Ridgeland Avenue from approximately 600 feet south of 175th Street to Oak Forest Avenue, and the intersection of Ridgeland and Oak Forest avenues to 1,100 feet east of the intersection.

The proposed improvements entail the total reconstruction and widening of the roadways, traffic signals at 175th Street and Oak Park Avenue, new curb and gutter, sidewalk, ADA ramps, underground utilities, street lighting and on-pavement bike paths on 175th Street, along with a multi-use path along the east side of Ridgeland Avenue. The Village is entering into an IGA with CCDOTH to take ownership of these improved roadways.

The project is expected to go out to bid in August 2023, with construction to start in the spring of 2024.
Related Documents



Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the goal for the project?
The primary goal of the project is to reconstruct 175th Street from Oak Park Avenue to 600 feet east of Ridgeland Avenue; Ridgeland Avenue from 600 feet south of 175th Street to Oak Forest Avenue; and Oak Forest Avenue from the intersection at Ridgeland Avenue to 1000 feet east of the intersection. This project will improve traffic flow, enhance traffic safety, enhance drainage along the roadway, and add left turns for side streets/driveways and protected left turns at intersections. Improved pedestrian facilities including new sidewalks, on-street bike lanes and off-street multi-use paths will be constructed.

2. How will my property be affected by the improvement?
Additional right of way (a.k.a. land acquisition) is anticipated from eight property owners within the project area. This will be triangular corner clips at the intersection of 175th Street at Oak Park Avenue, 175th Street at 66th Avenue, 175th Street at Ridgeland Avenue and Ridgeland Avenue at Oak Forest Avenue. This land acquisition is required for intersection widening, permanent traffic signal installation, sidewalk construction and multi-use path construction.
Temporary easement will also be required from 39 additional property owners along 175th Street and Ridgeland Avenue. In general, this will be a 4’- to 15’-wide strip of land adjacent to the existing right of way. These easements will be required for driveway replacement due to the lowered profile of 175th Street, commercial/intersection widening, grading and the replacement of deteriorated sidewalk outside the existing right of way.
All existing access driveways along 175th Street and Ridgeland Avenue will be maintained in their current locations.

3. How do I know if my property will require permanent right of way or temporary easement acquisition for construction?
The Village has provided aerial exhibits which highlight all necessary permanent right of way and temporary easement required for the project. Please don't hesitate to ask one of the Village or County representatives for assistance in reviewing these exhibits. If a portion of your property is required for construction, Cook County will contact you again in the future during the final design phase and prior to construction to coordinate and finalize any necessary property acquisition.

4. How will my property be affected during construction?
To facilitate the reconstruction of 175th Street and Ridgeland Avenue, the improvements will be completed using stage construction to keep one lane of traffic open. 175th Street will be maintained eastbound, while Ridgeland Avenue will be maintained northbound during construction. Driveway access will always be maintained to the numerous residences and commercial properties during construction.

5. How are the improvements funded?
The total project cost is estimated at $10.3 million. The Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways will fund $7.5 million, and Tinley Park will fund the remaining $2.8 million. Cook County Construction Funds have not yet been secured/obligated for this project.

6. When will the construction start?
The start of construction is primarily dependent upon the final approval by the Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways, right of way acquisition and funding availability. At this time, construction is anticipated during 2021/2022, pending funding availability.

7. If construction doesn’t start until 2021/2022 what can be done in the interim to improve existing pavement conditions?
The Village is working with the County to see if a maintenance overlay of the existing pavement can be completed in 2019 or 2020 to improve existing pavement conditions until such time that the roadway can be reconstructed.

8. How is safety being improved by this project?
The temporary traffic signal at 175th Street and Oak Park Avenue will be replaced with a permanent installation, which will increase visibility of the signal. Widening the existing two-lane roadway to provide a center two-way left-turn lane provides safety benefits by reducing the frequency of head-on, rear-end and turning related crashes. Roadway lighting will provide increased visibility for night driving. Separate dedicated on-street bike lanes on 175th Street west of Ridgeland Avenue and off-street multi-use path along Ridgeland Avenue north of 175th Street will provide safer roadway conditions for cyclists so they don't have to share a drive lane with vehicles.

9. Why are on-street bike lanes proposed along 175th instead of a separate shared use path?
Due to existing right of way constraints along 175th Street, it would be difficult to fit an off-street path along 175th Street without permanent right of way acquisition from all property owners along one side of the street. In addition, it's safer to provide on-street bike lanes in residential areas with closely spaced driveways so that drivers don't have to look for cyclists on a separate shared-use path while backing out of driveways.

10. What are this project’s next steps?
The project is nearing design approval for the Preliminary Engineering and Environmental Studies Phase. The Village will prepare detailed final plans and construction documents in preparation for bidding this project. The Village and County will prepare the necessary plats and legal documents to secure the required permanent right of way and temporary easement required to construct this project. The County has to secure and program funding for their share of the construction costs. Once all of the above steps have been completed, the County will publicly let the project to secure a contractor, and the roadway construction can begin.

11. How is drainage being improved by this project?
Flat roadside ditches and sidewalk ponding is being eliminated by the improvements. A new storm sewer system is being constructed along 175th Street, which has been designed for the widened roadway, and additional tributary area from the south. Storm sewer stubs are being provided at various locations to allow for future connection from areas from the south.
This project does not propose any new storm sewer in rear yards to eliminate any existing ponding. However, the proposed roadway storm sewer along 175th Street and Ridgeland Avenue has been designed to accommodate additional tributary area from the south so there is an outlet for potential future drainage improvement projects by the Village.

12. Who do I contact for further information or questions?
Contact Village Engineer Colby C. Zemaitis at (708) 444-5500 or czemaitis@tinleypark.org.