Geneva wants Route 31 cut to three lanes
Geneva officials want to change traffic on a stretch of Batavia Avenue/Route 31, making it easier for pedestrians to cross the roadway and for bicyclists to use it.
They are willing to use $208,000 of city money to make it happen.
When the state resurfaces Batavia Avenue from Elizabeth Place south to Main Street in Batavia, it should change the Geneva portion from four lanes to three lanes, aldermen are recommending. They want one through lane in each direction, a center left-turn lane, and bicycle lanes on both sides.
The council committee of the whole Monday decided to pledge $208,000 of city money to get it done. The money was designated for building a parking garage on Fourth Street.
IDOT has a $1.439 million resurfacing planned for the road next spring. It will patch and resurface the road, replace sidewalks, repair curbs and gutters and remove some trees, according to Guy Tridgell, IDOT's spokesman.
No particular expense has been identified for the $208,000, because the state hasn't yet agreed to the idea, according to Kevin Stahr, Geneva's communications coordinator. And even if the state does agree, the city council would have public hearings on the matter before deciding to go ahead with it, Stahr said.
The idea of rejiggering a four-lane road in to three lanes is known nationally as a "road diet," and has gained popularity in the last decade. Traffic safety experts say it reduces collisions, as people no longer have to change lanes to avoid being stuck behind a left-turning vehicle. Pedestrians also have improved visibility for crossing, as they only have to check three lanes, not four.
Geneva officials made reconfiguring this portion a goal when doing strategic planning last fall.
Batavia had asked IDOT for permission to do the same thing to its stretch of Route 31, but was denied, Batavia City Engineer Noel Basquin said, pointing out IDOT said the average daily traffic volume was too high to do so.
According to an IDOT map, average daily traffic on Route 31 between Wilson Street and Fabyan Parkway is 15,100 vehicles, and between Fabyan and Elizabeth Place it is 8,750.