Sidewalks On Wolf Road? Some Against

BURR RIDGE, IL – Burr Ridge officials on Monday plan to consider the alternatives for improving a 2.3-mile section of Wolf Road in Burr Ridge and Indian Head Park.

Some area residents oppose installing sidewalks.

Cook County is seeking feedback from the public. Officials from the two towns agree on a three-lane road, with the middle one for left turns.

Now, they are looking at whether to add sidewalks or shared-use paths. The paths would be for pedestrians, bicyclists and skaters.

Parts of the road have sidewalks now.

Not everyone is for sidewalks. The Acacia Association of Townhomes in Indian Head Park is among the opponents.

Sixty-nine people signed the group's petition. It says the neighborhood has "nurtured our collective sense of community and defended the privacy that enables us to truly call our townhouses our homes."

"Recently, our county has proposed to install sidewalks that would edge right up against the properties within Acacia," the petition said. "This proposition threatens to encroach upon the privacy we have enjoyed for years."

"While sidewalks can enhance safety and accessibility, in our community's case, it compromises the respite our homes offer. This plan disregards our established boundary lines and would ultimately transform our peaceful community into a public thoroughfare," the petition said.

A group called Safe Accessible Routes for All gathered 126 signatures supporting sidewalks and crosswalks.

In January, a Burr Ridge resident went public with his support for improvements on Wolf for pedestrians and bicyclists. In 2022, his wife was killed while bicycling at Wolf Road and 79th Street.

The driver was cited on a charge of improperly overtaking a bicyclist.

According to a Burr Ridge memo, Cook County would require the villages to maintain any sidewalks or shared-use paths that are built, even though Wolf is a county road.

The Village Board meets at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Village Hall.