Lombard safety project bringing crosswalk countdowns, new traffic signals

Crossing the street at 24 intersections in Lombard soon will be a little safer for pedestrians.

The village plans to improve traffic signals over the next four years to include timed pedestrian walk signs for easier crossings and LED lights for better visibility at busy intersections throughout the village.

The work, part of a $722,000 project that began last year, is set to continue this spring at intersections along Main Street and St. Charles Road, focusing on spots near downtown, Glenbard East High School and Glenn Westlake Middle School where people cross on foot most frequently, village officials said.

Several intersections among the 24 were fitted last year with 15-watt LED lights that will last 12 years, instead of 135-watt incandescent bulbs that had to be replaced every three, said Carl Goldsmith, public works director. These sites include St. Charles Road at Crescent Boulevard, Park Avenue and Main Street, and Main Street at Parkside Avenue, Maple Street and Hickory Street.

This year, these intersections are in store for new push-button systems to activate countdown-style crosswalk signs and a new battery backup system to help prevent the signals from flashing red when the power goes out, Goldsmith said.

Three more intersections - where Main meets Madison Street, Wilson Road and 16th Street - are set to receive all of the work on lights, crosswalks and battery backups this year. The project then will move on to other sites until it's set to conclude in 2020.

The crossing improvement work is part of the bicycle and pedestrian plan the village approved last spring - Lombard's first planning document of its kind. The plan includes recommendations for more bike lanes and path upgrades, along with crossing improvements such as the new crosswalk signs and a flashing light system installed at Main Street and the Illinois Prairie Path so trail users can alert drivers to their presence.