Lake County Gazette

At the Feb. 10 Committee of the Whole and Board of Trustees meetings, the Village Board reviewed a proposed plan for installing pedestrian gates at the Union Pacific Railroad (UP) crossings on Hough Street, Main Street, and Hillside Avenue.

Responsibility: Union Pacific (UP) is responsible for the gate installation, with approval from the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) required for the design.

Village Engagement: Initial discussions with IDOT and UP suggested closing Cook Street to accommodate new gates. The Village expedited the filing process and prioritized safety while considering community needs, including impacts on access and circulation within the Village center, by being actively engaged in plan development.

Next Steps: The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) petition is currently being finalized for filing by the state. This petition will include all three gate installations, and the gates at Main Street and Hough Street will be integrated with traffic signals at that intersection. Following this filing, UP will review this project and provide their comments.

Impact on Access: Due to track angles and space constraints, access to Cook and Main Streets will be affected. The Village has worked to preserve as much existing access as possible.

Over past months, updates have been provided on the state-mandated ICC approval process required to install pedestrian gates. A key step in this process is defining a detailed project scope before any work can begin.

To expedite proceedings, an engineering consultant was engaged under ICC guidance to compile necessary requirements for defining project scope for Hough Street, Main Street, and Hillside Avenue crossings. All three crossings will navigate ICC approval together. Additionally, Main Street and Hough Street crossings will be linked to signals at their intersection.

Strict federal and state regulations govern placement of pedestrian and vehicular gates regarding their distance from roadways, sidewalks, and railroad tracks. Union Pacific design standards also dictate foundation size along with gate height depth dimensions etcetera which present significant challenges due to layout angles intersecting roads like Cook St adjacent driveways meeting these regulations after initial review IDOT ICC seemed likely Cook St needed complete closure allow installation however spearheading project scope engineering consultant identified options realigning access points maintain some connection before sharing draft plan changes reviewed state own recently finalized exhibit attached included attachment petition currently coordinated submittal IDOT working ensure moves quickly dedicated significant effort designing coordinating prioritizes safety maintaining circulation center aimed preserving existing however limited space even realignment options eliminated eastbound vehicles longer turn left north westbound south traveling north only right south direct conducted traffic study assess current patterns evaluate alternate routes acknowledge time adjust indicates nearby cross accommodate rerouted suggested extending westbound left-hand lane incorporated plans short-term impacts community cause inconvenience daily commutes appreciate patience understanding improve continued support Engineering Exhibit Pedestrian determined feasible without preliminary detailed developed conjunction review updates ongoing visit update page