Under, overpasses save time, money

As you may be aware, there was a tragic collision in the southern suburb of University Park during the evening of April 16th in which a young woman driving a car was killed by a train after warning lights and gates failed to operate.

In the city of Chicago, roads go under railroad tracks at viaducts or over them on bridges. Arlington Heights may call itself a "village", but in reality it long ago became an urban city within a heavily populated metropolitan area. Viaducts or bridges need to be constructed in Arlington Heights, especially where major streets intersect the railroad.

One might argue that Chicago built such sensible structures a century ago when construction costs were far cheaper. So were wages. In relative terms, the costs in separate eras are comparable. Even if human lives are not to be considered, the costs of fuel and frustratingly wasted time far outweigh the needed construction funding.

Let's admit we're no longer living in some small town. Over time, the traffic snarling near the tracks will only get worse. Let's do the right thing and move Arlington Heights into the 20th century (oh my, we're already well past that!)

Curt Renz

Arlington Heights