Prospect Avenue and Alexander Boulevard – Safety Improvements - Committee Report (03.08.21)

CITY OF ELMHURST
209 NORTH YORK STREET
ELMHURST, ILLINOIS 60126-2759
(630) 530-3000
www.elmhurst.org

STEVEN M. MORLEY
MAYOR

JACKIE HADDAD-TAMER
CITY CLERK

ELAINE LIBOVICZ
CITY TREASURER

JAMES A. GRABOWSKI
CITY MANAGER

March 8, 2021
TO:
RE:

Mayor Morley and Members of the City Council
Prospect Avenue and Alexander Boulevard – Safety Improvements

The Public Affairs and Safety Committee met on Monday, March 8, 2021 to review and discuss
intersection safety improvements at the Prospect Avenue and Alexander Boulevard
intersection. The investigation of these safety improvements was initiated by a City Council
referral dated December 9, 2019. The referral requested that the intersection be evaluated
to determine if new stop signs on Prospect Avenue were warranted and if any other safety
improvements (improved street lighting and/or crosswalk signage/striping) were

recommended.
The City’s Public Works Operations staff investigated the lighting and signage concern shortly
after the referral. Although the signage and striping were found to be adequate, the City
added (in January of 2020) reflective strips to the posts of the pedestrian warning signs to
increase awareness due to the number of pedestrians that frequent this intersection.
Additionally, the City found that the intersection lighting was also adequate. However, in
order to be consistent with the vast majority of intersections throughout the City, the decision
was made to install a different fixture (in June of 2020) that would extend over the
intersection to provide enhanced lighting.
An intersection traffic study, focused on the request to evaluate the intersection for stop sign
warrants was completed in the winter of 2020/2021 by the City’s Engineering Department.
The study focused on accident history due to recent concerns. An investigation of the
accident history going back as far as June of 2017 determined that 7 vehicular accidents (3 of
which were car vs. pedestrian) have occurred over the last roughly 4 years. Of these 7
accidents, 2 were found to be non-correctible as they separately involved a DUI situation and
bad weather conditions. The remaining 5 accidents were found to be correctible; which
means that either driver/pedestrian judgement or traffic control devices could have possibly
reduced the likelihood of the accident.
The City utilizes warrants from the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) and
the Warrants for Traffic Control Devices at Low-Volume Urban Intersection (i.e. the Paul Box
Report) as guidance when reviewing intersection safety. Both of these warrant sources cite
that only correctable accidents should be reviewed for intersection improvement warrants.
The MUTCD suggests that yield or stop signs should be considered when 5 or more accidents
have occurred in 3 years or less, or 3 or more accidents have occurred in 2 years or less. The
Paul Box Report suggests that yield or stop signs should considered when 4 or more accidents
have occurred in 3 years or less, or 2 or more accidents have occurred in 1 year or less. The
accident history was met for both warrant sources in this scenario.

DRAFT

Prospect Avenue and Alexander Boulevard
Safety Improvements

Because both the warrant sources suggest that the installation of a yield or stop sign along
Prospect Avenue is warranted at this time due to the high number of accidents the City then
considered what the most beneficial improvement would be. Because the Alexander
Boulevard approach to the intersection is already “stop” controlled, City staff recommends
new stop signs be installed at both the Prospect Avenue northbound and southbound
approaches to the intersection. Based upon the accident history and the high number of
pedestrians that this intersection experiences due to the proximity to the Elmhurst Library,
Elmhurst university, and Wilder Park City staff feels that an “all-way stop” intersection
provides the greatest safety for both vehicles and pedestrians.
It is, therefore, the recommendation of the Public Affairs and Safety Committee that the City
of Elmhurst approve the installation of new stop signs on Prospect Avenue, at the Alexander
Boulevard intersection, and that the City Attorney be authorized to prepare the necessary
City Council documents.
Respectfully submitted,
Public Affairs and Safety Committee
___________________________________
Dannee Polomsky, Chair
________________________________
Marti Deuter, Vice Chair

DRAFT

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Tina Park