Traffic light sought along Butterfield Road

A scheduled widening of Butterfield Road through Wheaton and Warrenville is expected to have all the bells and whistles that come with a $60 million project.

It's the absence of a traffic light from the plan that's causing concern among neighbors and officials.

Wheaton Park District long has wanted a traffic signal at the entrance to Arrowhead Golf Course. However, Illinois Department of Transportation officials say traffic counts on Butterfield have never justified adding the device.

IDOT's position disappoints Milton Township Highway Commissioner Gary Muehlfelt, who says he asked state officials to reconsider after a fatal accident at the entrance to the golf course in July.

"I told them they need to reanalyze their numbers," Muehlfelt said. "Why IDOT won't do that is beyond me. I don't know what it takes to get a light there."

Starting in the spring, the state is planning to widen the roughly six-mile stretch of Butterfield to four lanes with a center median. Right now, that stretch from Naperville Road in Wheaton to Route 59 in Warrenville is two lanes.

Neighbors say motorists have difficulty pulling on to Butterfield from both the golf course driveway and Arrowhead Drive directly across the road.

When the deadly crash happened on the night of July 11, 81-year-old Thomas Tinnes of West Chicago tried to turn his Mercury Grand Marquis out of the golf course to travel west. His car was hit by a 2004 Dodge Dakota heading east on Butterfield approaching Arrowhead Drive. Tinnes later died at the hospital.

IDOT spokesman Guy Tridgell said department officials are aware of the crash. Still, he said, the intersection doesn't meet the state's criteria for a traffic signal.

Tridgell said IDOT has reviewed the possibility of adding a traffic light several times since 2001.

"At no time did any of the traffic volumes recorded indicate there would be a need for a signal there," Tridgell said. "The numbers were insufficient."

As part of the widening project, left-turn lanes will be added along Butterfield to serve the golf course and Arrowhead Drive.

"The addition of the extra lane there and the addition of the turn lanes is going to more than handle any sort of traffic that's going in and out of that golf course," Tridgell said.

But resident Angela LaFratta, who lives in the Arrowhead subdivision, said left-turn lanes won't slow the traffic on Butterfield. As a result, she said motorists pulling on to Butterfield will still have trouble.

The park district has taken steps to improve Arrowhead's entrance by adding reflective posts to improve nighttime visibility and a right-turn lane out of the course.

"We are limited in what we can do to improve safety by IDOT regulations," said Mike Benard, executive director of the park district. "Previously we considered adding a streetlight to the intersection, but we were told it was not permitted."

Benard said the park district remains "very interested" in getting the traffic light. He said the park district is hoping to meet with IDOT and have meaningful dialogue about the request before the widening project starts.