Woodland Hills to get signal

Q. I'm very concerned about the traffic on Route 59 near Wayne and Bartlett, particularly between Army Trail and Stearns roads.

There are 850 living units in the Woodland Hills subdivision on the west side of Route 59, and the only full exit from the neighborhood to both northbound and southbound Route 59 is via Schick Road. Route 59 is dangerously curved and awkward at that spot.

I keep hearing about the installation of a traffic signal on Route 59 at the right-turn-in/ right-turn-out-only entrance and exit at Woodland Hills Parkway, but I don't see anything happening. Can you provide any information?

--M. H., Bartlett

A. "The latest data we have doesn't indicate any high accident locations on Route 59 between Army Trail Road and Stearns Road," said Roger Valente, area programmer for DuPage County with the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Regarding changing the intersection of Route 59 at Woodland Hills Parkway to an intersection with traffic signals, that project is in the final stages of approval.

"The village of Bartlett hired a consultant to engineer the project, and those designs have met our approval," Valente said. "We just mailed to the village the final permit and bond forms they need to fill out and get back to us, and as soon as we receive them, the project can move forward."

Pavia-Marting and Company of Roselle is doing the project for the village, and the funding is already in place. The department of transportation will pay two-thirds of the cost, up to a maximum of $215,000, and the village will pay the rest.

Besides installing traffic signals and synchronizing them with other signals in the area, the northbound Route 59 left-turn lane to westbound Woodland Hills Parkway will be lengthened.

There also will be a dedicated right-turn lane installed from southbound Route 59 to westbound Woodland Hills Parkway.

Pete Stresino, an engineer with Pavia-Marting, said the project should be completed in June or July of 2008.