Itasca eyes pedestrian safety projects

Taking advantage of federal and local grants, Itasca is planning almost $800,000 in improvements to make several village intersections safer for pedestrians.

One project, at Arlington Heights Road and North Street, is designed to make it safer for children walking to school; another earmarks pedestrian safety improvements at four locations along Irving Park Road.

Although the changes won't be complete until at least 2011 and possibly later, Itasca officials say these projects might have been shelved indefinitely without the grant money.

"These are projects that can actually get done during a tough economy," said Community Development Director Nicole Aranas. "Without these funds, I don't know that we could necessarily prioritize these above things like potholes."

One federal grant is about $250,000 and was sought by a team of workers from the police department, local schools, public works and community development departments.

The group surveyed Itasca parents about safety issues their children face while walking to and from school.

"One thing that came to light is the intersection at Arlington Heights Road and North Street currently is a barrier for kids," said Aranas. "It's an entry way to the town and there is a transition from a more commercial use in the north to a more residential area south. Parents were concerned with traffic volumes and speed."

Workers will create a raised pedestrian island with improved signals that will make children and cyclists more visible and separated from the street. The island will also split the crossing into two parts, so children don't have to dash a long distance across Arlington Heights Road, officials said.

The grant will completely pay for the design, which is scheduled to happen next year, as well as implementation of the project in 2011.

Itasca also collected $400,000 through the DuPage Mayors and Managers Council, which will cover about 75 percent of the cost of safety improvements at four locations along Irving Park Road: at the pedestrian bridge that crosses I-290, and at Catalpa Avenue, Walnut Avenue and Maple Street. The village would pay the remaining $133,000 or so.

The goal at the I-290 bridge is to create a protected walkway for pedestrians, Community Development Staff Planner Grant Davis said.

"It's not technically a path and we want to connect two existing sidewalks there," he said.

At Catalpa, which is near the Itasca Public Library, Waterpark and Municipal Complex, workers will upgrade signals to include a countdown feature for crossing pedestrians. "The thing you see there the most is children, families, and kids on bikes trying to cross," Aranas said.

Maple will get a new, striped crossing and a pedestrian island to make crossing Irving Park a two-part process, since officials say there are not many gaps in traffic. Walnut already has an island, but Davis said it needs improvements and traffic signals here also need countdown timers and more visible pedestrian buttons for the walk signals.

"I think the improvements along Irving Park Road - whether you're a kid in school or a senior citizen - are going to go a long way to make that a lot safer," Davis said.