Funding for a traffic light at what residents say is a dangerous intersection could be coming soon, an Illinois state legislator said Sunday at a community meeting in Glen Ellyn.
The event, organized by DuPage United, was held at First Congregational Church of Glen Ellyn and brought elected officials and community leaders together to discuss policy and infrastructure issues.
Federal, state and local elected officials, including State Sen. Seth Lewis (R-Bartlett) and U.S Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Chicago), as well as leaders of local churches and community groups, attended the event, with about 230 people in attendance.
Advocates have been meeting with elected officials for the past three years, advocating for a traffic light at an intersection on Roosevelt Road in Wheaton, according to leaders at the event.
The intersection, located at Roosevelt Road, east of County Farm Road, has been the site of nine pedestrian crashes between 2009 and 2023 and 83 nonfatal traffic collisions between 2017 and 2023.
Lewis said he recently introduced Senate Bill-2807, which, if signed into law, would provide $750,000 in funding for the traffic light in addition to $250,000 the legislator previously directed to the project.
“I’ve committed to Rev. (Stacy) Walker that I would look any and everywhere, IDOT, General Assembly, city of Wheaton, county, to try and get this done,” Lewis said. “So that is my public commitment to all of you.”
Walker is an organizer with DuPage United.
Lewis said the most recent setback to installation of the traffic light is a change in parking lot permissions from the Target store. As a result, funding that St. Francis High School previously allocated for the project will no longer be available.
The project timeline also must align with the existing IDOT schedule to widen Roosevelt Road.
The intersection on Roosevelt Road isn’t the only location where leaders are advocating for pedestrian safety.
Melissa Sabio, who works with Outreach Community Ministries at Villagebrook Apartments in Carol Stream, said the complex, which houses just under 500 residents, faces a similar issue.
Many of the residents have to navigate St. Charles Road, which runs in front of the complex.
“Every day you’ll see residents, teenagers, mothers and kids, adults with disabilities, individuals pulling a shopping cart, walking on the street in all kinds of weather just to reach grocery stores, their jobs, and to access social amenities,” Sabio said. “Many of the residents don’t have cars, so their only option is to walk on this road.”
Residents have to walk one mile in either direction to reach the nearest bus stop, Sabio said.
“What we need now is to see a prioritization of the community’s needs,” Sabio said. “What we need now is to come together and build together an infrastructure and community that looks to meet the needs of others.”
In addition to traffic safety, speakers asked elected officials for increased affordable housing options.
Erin Douglass is a single mother of two children, one who has special needs. Douglass said that for two years she worked two jobs for more than 50 hours a week to afford living costs.
After her rent increased, Douglass prioritized staying in the school district, where resources have allowed her autistic son to thrive, she said.
“I quickly learned that even with the $300 rent increase, I was still living in the most affordable housing that was available to me,” Douglass said. “I no longer have health insurance because I prioritized keeping my home and chose not to be homeless.”
Ramirez spoke about funding she secured for affordable housing across Illinois’ 3rd Congressional District, which she represents.
Specifically, she secured funding for an affordable housing project on the site of a former hotel at 640 Taft Ave, in Glen Ellyn through the Neighborhood Homes Improvement Act.
“I’m working on $5.1 million more in federal funding to build more affordable units across Illinois-3,” Ramirez said. “Including $2 million into DuPage’s housing authority.”