April 29, 2024
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Will County will develop plan for safe roads

Fatalities on county roads have been rising

By Bob Okon
Black Road remains closed as cleanup and investigations continue at the Tri-County Stockyard. The farm supply store burnt down early Tuesday, July 19th. Tuesday, July 26, 2022 in Shorewood.

Will County announced it will start a study aimed at reducing fatalities on county roads. (Gary Middendorf - gmiddendorf@shawnedia.com/Gary Middendorf)

Will County will develop a plan to reduce fatalities on county roads.

The county this week announced the plan, noting that fatalities on county roads have been rising.

The project was described in a news release as the county’s “first-ever comprehensive action plan for roadway safety” aimed at reducing fatalities on county roads.

Fatalities have increased every year since 2016, according to reports from the Illinois Department of Transportation’s Division of Traffic Safety, the county said in the release. About 87% of the fatalities from 2010 to 2021 were during clear weather conditions.

“This action plan will help both the county and municipalities in addressing safety issues and identifying future funding sources to address them,” Will County Transportation Director Jeff Ronaldson said in the release.

This plan will be funded by the federal “Safe Streets and Roads for All” grant program pursued in collaboration with the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, the Illinois Department of Transportation and the six counties in northeastern Illinois, according to the release.

After the action plan is developed, Will County and CMAP will work with municipalities to apply for additional funding to implement safety recommendations.

“I appreciate the leadership of CMAP on pursuing this grant from the federal government,” Will County Executive Director Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant said in the release. “This grant will empower a regional approach to traffic safety for both highways and local roads.”

The county said more information, including historical data and traffic crash reports, can be found on the IDOT Roadway Crash Data page at https://idot.illinois.gov/transportation-system/safety/Illinois-Roadway-Crash-Data.