Arlington Hts. says hospital can open one exit to Kirchhoff
The west exit from Northwest Community Hospital to Kirchhoff Road will be opened for a nine-month study period, the Arlington Heights Village Board decided with a split vote Monday.
Voting in favor of the proposal from the village staff were Village President Arlene Mulder and Trustees Thomas Hayes, Mike Sidor, Carol Blackwood, Norman Breyer and John Scaletta. Opposed were Thomas Glasgow, Bert Rosenberg and Joseph Farwell, who led the fight against the opening and who lives on the 400 block of South Ridge, one of the streets where residents are concerned about extra traffic.
The hospital, which requested the reopening of both exits to Kirchhoff Road that have been closed for more than a decade, can live with the plan, said Nicholas S. Peppers, a Rosemont attorney who represents the hospital. However, hospital executives will probably continue to try to propose ways to open the east exit that would overcome objections of village officials, he said.
Currently vehicles can enter the hospital campus at two spots from Kirchhoff, but are supposed to exit only onto Central Road.
Traffic is congested at the Central exits, especially during shift changes; it is confusing when people cannot exit where they enter; and it is inconvenient when staff, patients and visitors are required to drive south before they can go north, according to comments at an earlier meeting.
Trustees expressed concern about the potential of more traffic through neighborhoods north of the hospital and the safety of children at three schools and a major park in that area.
On the other hand, most trustees seemed to agree with Peppers that three stop signs on West Drive between Central and Kirchhoff roads make it unattractive for traffic to cut through the campus.
The Illinois Department of Transportation still needs to rule whether a state permit is needed for the change, said Robin Ward, assistant village attorney.
Of course there will be more accidents, said Jeffrey Martin after the meeting.
“It's rather curious that the traffic was enough of a problem to warrant closing the exits before the expansion of the hospital,” said Martin, who lives on Salem Avenue just north of Kirchhoff and is a leader of the opposition. “It's only going to get worse. It's not just the numbers of vehicles, it's their competing movements.”
About 80 people packed the board chambers, but Mulder made it clear that the board would not take comments at this meeting.