Area residents had a chance Jan. 29 to get a look at early plans and offer their suggestions for improving Kedzie Avenue from 159th Street in Markham to Vollmer Road in Flossmoor.
The plans so far, which have been in development since 2022, were laid out long maps stretching over several tables in the middle of the Irwin Community Center meeting room at an open house sponsored by the Cook County Department of Transportation (CCDOT).
Residents were invited to examine the maps, talk with project engineers and CCDOT staff and place Post-it notes with questions and suggestions on the maps.
Jarrod Cebulski, business development director with RINA Consulting North America, said the purpose of the event was to get public input on the plan.
“We’ve got some preliminary ideas of what the county would like to do with Kedzie Avenue,” he said. “We want to share it with the public and see what they think.”
He noted that early input from an advisory group and a community survey suggested that the multi-use path and complete sidewalk were high priorities for residents.
“One of the things we heard were the non-motorized accommodations, so that’s why the county feels very strongly about a continuous multi-use path and a continuous sidewalk to really make those connections,” he said.
Tara Orbon, assistant superintendent with CCDOT, said community response was welcome, and the county is taking seriously the need to consider the needs of those who are not motorists.
“We are delighted to see so many people here,” she said. “This is Cook County infrastructure in their community, and we want this to reflect the needs of the community. We want to move more than just cars. We want to move people. We wanna move them safely and efficiently throughout the corridor.”
She said the comment period will remain open for several more weeks, so those residents who were unable to attend the open house can still provide questions and ideas. Email comments to [email protected].
The current goals of the project include improving the roadway surface, improving safety, slowing traffic speed, improving drainage and providing dedicated space for pedestrians and cyclists.
Edward Peck, an architect and planner who lives in Olympia Fields, said he was pleased to see the bike path and sidewalk included in the plan.
“Pedestrian access is very poor in the Southland, so that’s admirable,” he said, adding that his suggestion would be to add more greenery to the plan. “Green medians (help with) safety and beautification.”
He was also glad to see the number of residents at the event.
“It shows people really do care about the streetscape. Hopefully everyone can feel like they’ve taken ownership,” he said.
The project is in Phase 1, which is expected to last the rest of this year. Phase 2, which focuses on creating construction documents and acquiring any necessary property easements, could last about two years. Phase 3, construction, would begin after Phase 2 and would be contingent on available funding.
