Oswego moving forward with plans for downtown traffic signals

Village of Oswego officials are moving forward with plans to install traffic signals at the busy intersections of Washington Street (Route 34) at Harrison Street and Main Street in the village’s downtown.

When they gather for their next meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 17, the village board is expected to approve a resolution authorizing a contract to hire the firm of Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Ltd. of Rosemont at a cost not to exceed $139,835 for construction engineering services for the signals.

The village previously retained Burke Engineering in 2020 to prepare long-term safety improvement plans for Route 34 through the village’s downtown.

In a memo to the board, Jennifer Hughes, the village’s public works director and engineer, noted Burke Engineering’s 2020 plans call for connecting the signals to be installed at Harrison Street and Main Streets with the railroad crossing signals on Washington Street at Adams Street.

The connections are necessary “to ensure that there is adequate time to clear vehicles off the railroad tracks as trains approach,” Hughes noted.

In addition, Hughes said in her memo the new signals will be interconnected with existing signals along Route 34 between Route 25 east of the Fox River and Route 31 on the river’s west bank.

The construction services agreement with Burke calls for the firm to provide pre-construction and construction observation services for the project, along with coordinating work with the Illinois Department of Transportation, which owns and maintains the highway.

Installation of the signals comprises the second phase of a village and IDOT project to improve pedestrian safety along Route 34 through the village’s downtown.

Pedestrian safety has been a continuing concern of village officials dating back to the mid-1990s when IDOT the widened the highway to four lanes to accommodate an increasing traffic volume.

The highway has been the scene of frequent traffic accidents, including a fatal crash involving a pedestrian in 2018.

Last year, IDOT and the village completed an initial phase of safety measures that included installation of new signs and pavement markings on Route 34 between Jefferson Street (at Route 25) to Route 31.

In addition, traffic signals along Route 34 were adjusted so that eastbound and westbound traffic gets green lights at the same time to improve traffic flow.