Traffic Light Issue Lingers In Clarendon Hills

CLARENDON HILLS — A Hinsdale-based developer that proposed a Dunkin' Donuts drive-thru in Clarendon Hills says a traffic light would have eliminated most of the problems brought up by residents and village officials.

On Monday, the Village Board voted down a proposal by KrohVan to add the drive-thru on the southwest corner of 55th Street and Western Avenue.

That was after the deputy fire chief brought up issues with the fire department’s access to the proposed development. Residents, meanwhile, raised concerns about safety and increased traffic.

Mike Kaspar of KrohVan told Patch he was confused on why the village refused to consider installing a traffic signal at the intersection.

“Given safety is such an important concern, the Village refused to consider us signalizing the intersection.” Kaspar said in an email to Patch.

He said installing a traffic light would improve wait times for vehicles and provide a safe method for pedestrians to cross 55th Street.

Village Manager Kevin Barr confirmed in an email to Patch that a traffic light was not considered with the drive-thru proposal.

“Though various people brought up the subject from time to time, it was never seriously considered,” Barr said in an email to Patch.

Patch asked Barr why the village did not consider a traffic light, but did not get a response.

Discussions of a traffic signal at that intersection were brought up during the Village Board meeting. Former Trustee Taps Gallagher noted a Feb. 4 traffic study done by KrohVan concluded a traffic signal was necessary for safe and efficient access at the intersection.

However, Gallagher brought up, with a bit of concern, the amount of time it would take for the village to pay off the traffic signal, claiming it would take 45 years for the village to break even with the cost.

The village’s community development director, Jonathan Mendel, was asked if there was a scenario in which DuPage County would mandate a traffic signal at the intersection. Mendel said he was sure the county had regulations that trigger the county to intervene. He said he presumed that was done to install the traffic light at Clarendon Hills Road and 55th Street a few years ago.

In 2021, Clarendon Hills budgeted $35,000 to study adding a traffic signal to the intersection of 55th Street and Western Avenue, according to the Chicago Tribune.