Elmhurst Taking Action On Crash-Prone Intersection

ELMHURST, IL – Elmhurst aldermen on Monday decided to take action on an intersection that police say has seen 43 traffic crashes in the last five years.

The intersection is North and Maple avenues.

In a unanimous vote, the council voted to install right-turn-only signs at the north and south legs of Maple at the intersection with the four-lane North.

Meanwhile, the city is working with the state Department of Transportation to post signs prohibiting left turns onto Maple from westbound North, a state highway.

Of the 43 crashes, about half involved left-turning drivers struck by cross traffic, some turning left from Maple and others turning left from North, police said.

Another 10 were rear-end crashes on North, mostly westbound, and may be indirectly related to cars waiting to take left turns.

"We wanted to do something now and not wait and do something holistically because we do think this will improve some of the safety," said Alderman Mike Brennan, who headed the committee that recommended the changes.

In December, Alderwoman Jennifer Veremis and then-Alderwoman Marti Deuter, both representing the neighborhood in question, asked the city to consider safety measures at the intersection.

At Monday's meeting, Alderman Brian Belanger, who replaced Deuter, said he appreciated how quickly the city acted on the request.

He also said he was glad the city was sensitive to the impacts of the changes on nearby streets.