Libertyville Village Board To Vote On Safety Upgrades At Crosswalk

LIBERTYVILLE, IL – Four years ago, a series of "near misses" for those crossing Milwaukee Avenue near St. Joseph Catholic Church in Libertyville lead school and church officials to approach the Libertyville Village Board.

Jonathan Monroe, who represented St. Joseph Catholic Church while working with the village on the issue, said several pedestrians or bikers using the crosswalk across Milwaukee Avenue at Maple Avenue have come far too close to being hit by vehicles in recent years. The crosswalk is used by many students at St. Joseph parochial school and church parishioners.

One particularly frightening near miss was captured on a dash cam video and shows two girls on bicycles crossing the intersection, with a speeding car coming within inches of hitting one of the girls. Monroe said the video, which can be viewed below, drew audible gasps from attendees at a village board meeting where it was shown in September 2021.

Distracted driving and heavy traffic have lead to the near misses, village officials said. During a meeting Tuesday night, the Libertyville Village Board will vote on whether improvements should be made at the crosswalk.

The crosswalk has been around since 1993, and is heavily traveled by many Libertyville residents.

"There are lots of reasons to cross at this crosswalk. Parents who live in the Heritage area may want to walk their kids to school or to play in Sunrise Park. Parishioners often park in the bank parking lot when attending Sunday Mass," Monroe said Monday. "Seventh and 8th graders may want to go to Chipotle or Dunkin Donuts after school. The intense traffic at the crosswalk strike fear in parents' hearts and limit access to parks and businesses."

The village board and village’s public works committee have had several discussions regarding the safety of the intersection and the village hired Civiltech Engineering to complete an engineering study to identify possible safety enhancements for the crosswalk, village board officials noted in village documents.

The study found the most effective safety enhancements include a center refuge median and a rapid-rectangular flashing beacon. During Tuesday’s meeting, village board members will decide whether to award a contract to Alliance Contractors to complete the crosswalk safety enhancements.

Monroe said the improvements will benefit many in Libertyville.

"Although we believe improving the crosswalk is highly important for the safety of our school children and parishioners, we also believe that it is important for the overall quality of life in our town. The quarter mile distance between 176 and Church Street means that cars can be going quite fast when they hit downtown, making any attempt to cross the five lanes a daunting task," Monroe said. "This leads to an unnatural separation of the east and west sides of Milwaukee Avenue"

Monroe said church and school officials are especially happy with the island/refuge median "that will allow children and adults to cross the five lanes in two 'hops.'"

'The increased signage and flashing lights will also add awareness and hopefully slow down traffic to the 25 mph speed limit," Monroe said.

The cost for the upgrades, if approved, will be $186,628, according to village documents.

Residents have requested the upgrades due to growing concerns over the safety of those crossing the crosswalk.

“The safety enhancements will increase driver awareness of the crossing and pedestrians," according to information included in the village of Libertyville’s capital plan.

This week's village board meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday at village hall, 118 W. Cook Avenue. Those interested in viewing the full agenda for the meeting can do so here.