Montgomery’s Mayfield Drive now closed to through traffic

Concrete barricades now block traffic on Mayfield Drive in Montgomery, just west of Orchard Road.

The barricades, festooned with bright red “Do Not Enter” signs, have been placed near Mayfield Drive’s northern intersection with Roxbury Lane.

The village board voted unanimously June 14 to approve an ordinance authorizing the temporary closure of the street to through traffic.

Mayfield Drive links Orchard Road with Concord Drive in the Montgomery Crossing subdivision.

The street is now closed to all motor vehicle traffic with the exception of emergency vehicles, school buses, Postal Service vehicles, and garbage and recycling trucks.

The temporary closure will be in effect until “such time as the village board authorizes a permanent closure of (the road) or otherwise determines that such temporary closure is no longer in the best interest of the village and its residents,” the ordinance reads.

The board voted to approve the temporary closure in an effort to see if it will slow motorists and reduce the number of vehicles using the street as a shortcut between Orchard Road and Concord Drive.

The Mayfield Drive traffic situation has been a continuing concern for some subdivision residents and village officials since Montgomery Crossing was developed in the early 2000s. The village’s police department and engineering firm have conducted four separate speed and traffic volume studies on the road dating back to 2008 in response to residents’ complaints.

Village officials have said that many area residents have used Mayfield Drive as a shortcut to reach the Aldi and other retail stores along the west side of Orchard Road. By using Mayfield Drive, motorists were able to stay off busy sections of nearby Galena and Orchard roads.

In May, EEI completed a survey of Montgomery Crossing residents to determine which course of action, if any, the village should take to slow and/or reduce traffic on Mayfield Drive.

Wallers told board members May 24 that the survey, which was mailed to every household in the Montgomery Crossing subdivision and posted for subdivision residents on the village’s website, produced a response rate of about 45%.

Of those homeowners who did respond to the survey, the vast majority favored closing the street to through traffic over other potential options that included the installation of speed bumps and “chokers” (enlarged parkways) at strategic locations along the street. Doing nothing also was among the options in the survey.