Cops planning traffic crackdown along Route 59 corridor

To the thousands of drivers who flood the Route 59 corridor every day, consider this fair warning: Take your foot off the gas and put the phone down.

Police departments from communities along the busy thoroughfare from Hoffman Estates to Shorewood are teaming up Monday, May 9, in what they're calling a "directed traffic safety initiative" to crack down on moving violations.

Aurora police say they'll be looking to cut into the number of accidents they see at several intersections on their side of the street that also borders Naperville.

"Several intersections along the Route 59 corridor are where we experience some of the highest number of crashes in the city," police spokesman Dan Ferrelli said Wednesday. "Obviously, when you have the volume of traffic carried on Route 59, there's going to be crashes. However, many of these can be prevented simply by motorists paying attention, slowing down, avoiding aggressive driving and staying off their cellphones."

In Naperville, police say they're going to focus on education and traffic enforcement.

"Traffic and roadway safety is of the utmost importance to our department. Seven of our top 15 intersections for crashes in the second half of 2015 were located on Route 59," Cmdr. Jason Arres said. "This initiative is one way for us to work toward reducing crashes in this area."

Officers from Shorewood, Warrenville, Streamwood and Hoffman Estates also will be participating. Each jurisdiction will implement their own enforcement action based upon the needs of their communities, authorities said.