Looking to improve traffic flow and 911 response times, Des Plaines pursuing new railroad underpass

After investigating how best to relieve traffic congestion caused by passing trains, Des Plaines officials will pursue constructing a railroad underpass on Algonquin Road near the suburb’s geographic center.

Allowing cars heading east or west on Algonquin to drive under the Union Pacific Railroad tracks near the Des Plaines Park District’s Mountain View Adventure Center means they no longer would have to stop — and wait — whenever the train gates are down.

The city council on Monday directed consultants with GFT Infrastructure to create initial engineering plans, a process that could take between six and 12 months. A second engineering phase would follow, and then construction.

The entire project could cost about $47 million and not be completed until 2030.

“It seems like a long ways off, but it’s almost 2026,” David Block, a senior planner with GFT Infrastructure, told the council Monday night.

Block’s company was hired years ago to find a solution for Des Plaines’ train-related traffic problems. Four railroads run through the city, resulting in 31 ground-level railroad crossings.

The company compared the pros and cons of a bridge or underpass on Algonquin Road, Thacker Street and Oakton Street. Factors included emergency response times and how it would affect nearby residential and commercial properties.

The Algonquin Road crossing ranked highest among the three possible locations, according to a memo from Timothy Watkins, Des Plaines’ director of public works and engineering.

Creating an overpass or underpass on Algonquin Road would improve emergency response times more than a feature on Oakton Street, Watkins wrote. It also wouldn’t negatively affect homes and would cost “significantly less” than choosing Thacker or Oakton, he wrote.

An underpass will cost more than an overpass would, Block said, but fewer land purchases will be needed.

Constructing an underpass also won’t interfere with operations at the park district facility, Block said.

Algonquin Road would be widened to two lanes in each direction and get a central turn lane, Block said. The road would be shut down and detour routes created during a big chunk of the construction, he said.

The railroad’s elevation will not change.

Des Plaines Fire Chief Matt Matzl said an Algonquin Road underpass will improve 911 response times from all three of the city’s stations. Police Chief David Anderson said an underpass in the center of town is the best option “by far” to help officers get across Des Plaines during emergencies.

Block anticipates federal, state and regional grants totaling nearly $35 million will help pay for the work, and most of that sum already is promised, he said.

Any remaining balance will be covered by the city’s revenue from Rivers Casino, City Manager Dorothy Wisniewski said.

Mayor Andrew Goczkowski called the project “a worthwhile investment.” Without an underpass, he said, a train could block multiple crossings during a mass-casualty event and prevent emergency vehicles from Des Plaines and other suburbs from quickly responding.

“It’s clear what has to happen and what it should look like,” he said.

The Algonquin Road crossing is in the 3rd Ward, and Alderman Sean Oskerka said an underpass will be good for pedestrians there. They’ll no longer have to fear getting clipped by a train while crossing the tracks, he said.

In addition to directing consultants to move to the first engineering phase, the council on Monday approved an agreement with the Illinois Department of Transportation that will direct the state agency to reimburse Des Plaines about $497,000 for half the cost of that work.