City Still Working to Change Dangerous, 6-Way Intersection

North Side officials are steadily chipping away at a to-do list that will allow them to revamp a local intersection that ranks among the most dangerous in all of Chicago. 

The area where North Damen, North Elston and West Fullerton avenues cross, just along Bucktown's northern border, and near the southern end of North Center, ranked first and second in the city for its number of crashes between 2004 and 2007. It has continued to rank in the top 10 through 2011, according to 32nd Ward Ald. Scott Waguespack's office.

Between 82,000 and 90,000 vehicles pass through the intersection every day, Chicago Department of Transportation data indicates, and traffic often backs up there. 

The plan calls for rerouting Elston so that it meets Fullerton east of Damen and then continues to rejoin the existing Elston right of way north of Fullerton. It's estimated to cost around $44.2 million.

The current timeline calls for construction to start in the second or third quarter of 2014 and be complete by the end of 2015.

"The wild card right now is just that they're trying to do the property acquisition that's required," Paul Sajovec, Waguespack's chief of staff, said of the city's effort. "They never know until they get into that whether the different owners are going to try to object and try to fight them in court … or if they'll be able to work something out."

Because of such factors, the timing of the project is a bit up in the air, he said.  

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Funding will partially come from tax increment financing, or TIFs—public financing used for subsidizing redevelopment and community improvement projects.

Other money may come from earmarked dollars at the federal and state level, Sajovec noted, adding that the breakdown hasn't been set in stone.

"That is something they'll try to nail down when they're a little closer to the physical construction phase," he said. 

Various options for the intersection, including the construction of an underpass, weren't possible because of the utilities housed beneath Fullerton Avenue, Sajovec added.  

"It wouldn't work from a cost standpoint because of all the major utilities they would have to relocate to make it possible," he said.

Changing the existing intersection has remained the best option, according to the city.

"The whole idea is that if you bypass Elston around the intersection of Damen and Fullerton and avoid having that six-way intersection, you'll significantly improve traffic flow," Sajovec said.  

For a detailed explanation and rendition of the project, check out CDOT's plans.

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