Oswego OKs maintenance pact with state for downtown traffic signals at Main, Harrison streets; installation expected next year

The Oswego Village Board has approved an intergovernmental agreement with the Illinois Department of Transportation for the maintenance of traffic signals that will be installed next year on Washington Street (Route 34) at the intersections of Harrison and Main streets in the village’s downtown.

The village board approved the agreement in a unanimous vote as part of their consent agenda during a meeting Tuesday evening, Sept. 6.

The IDOT agreement states that the village will pay 100% of the construction costs for the traffic signals, emergency vehicle preemption system, and interconnect system for the signals at the railroad crossing on Washington Street at Adams Street.

Upon completion, the village will split the maintenance and electrical cost for the traffic signals with IDOT on a 50-50 basis.

Pedestrian safety along Washington Street has been a continuing concern of village officials dating to the mid-1990s when IDOT, which owns and maintains the highway, widened it from two to four lanes to accommodate increasing traffic volume.

Over the years, the highway has been the scene of frequent traffic accidents, near-misses and a fatal crash involving a pedestrian in 2018. At a May 15 meeting, the board unanimously approved separate resolutions for the engineering services and construction of the signals.

Christopher B. Burke Engineering Ltd. of Rosemont was contracted at $139,835 for construction engineering services, and H & H Electric Company of Franklin Park was contracted at $1,155,629 for the construction of the signals.

The contract states that the H & H Electric Company has until the end of July 2023 to complete the installation of the signals, and village officials expect construction to start early next year.

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, which first began in June 2019.

The project also includes the removal and replacement of ADA sidewalk ramps, and connecting the traffic signals with the railroad signals to ensure that there is adequate time to clear vehicles off the railroad tracks as trains approach and avoid buildup of traffic while they pass.

The new signals also will be the first traffic signals in the village run by cameras rather than sensors in the pavement.