Chicago Street in Elgin to be redone likely starting fall 2017

Elgin residents turned down the idea of creating a bike lane along Chicago Street east of downtown, which instead will have a shared lane as part of a long-term improvement project.

The 0.65-mile stretch of Chicago Street from Center Street to Hill Avenue, two blocks west of Route 25, will be repaved and will get a new traffic signal, curbs and sidewalks, said Greg Rokos, director of public services. Water and sewer lines separation work will also get done.

To qualify for $2 million in federal funds the project was required to incorporate bike lanes, but state and federal authorities approved a "design exception"allowing a shared lane, Rokos told the Elgin City Council last week. The total project is estimated at $3 million.

Once the actual design is approved by state and federal authorities, the project will go out to bid, Rokos said. Construction will start no sooner than fall 2017 and be done by fall 2018, he said.

After a public hearing held in June, city officials decided to go with the shared lane, or "sharrow," option - a combination of the words "shared" and "arrow" - based on residents' feedback, Rokos said.

The city had presented three options at the public hearing, Rokos said: Creating dedicated bike lanes by removing street parking; creating bike lanes and keeping parking by widening the street; and doing nothing. People weren't happy with the options, so the city revised its plan, Rokos said.

The "sharrows" make drivers more aware there might be bikes on the road, he said. Councilman Terry Gavin called that "a happy medium" that will allow the city to retain federal funding.

Councilman John Prigge asked about data regarding sharrow safety, and Rokos said he hadn't seen any. "Anytime you bike lane next to a road, there's always the opportunity for things to happen," Rokos said.

Councilman Rich Dunne said he'd like to see the "sharrow" option considered more often, in order to conserve street parking in other parts of town.