IDOT proposes moving left-lane ramps on Eisenhower Expressway

Left-lane access to the Eisenhower Expressway at Austin Boulevard and Harlem Avenue could shift to the right under a plan the Illinois Department of Transportation plans to present to Oak Park residents Monday night.

The goal is to increase safety, though the plan is being developed as part of larger improvement project for Interstate 290. IDOT officials said a timeline and budget for that have not been established.

Statistics show the stretch of I-290 between Mannheim Road and Cicero Avenue has the highest crash rate of any in the Chicago expressway system, said Pete Harmet, of IDOT. Left-hand ramps also have a 49 percent higher crash rate than right-hand ramps, he said.

"In that 8-mile stretch, we have about 2,000 crashes a year," Harmet said. "And Harlem and Austin are hot spots, with a higher number of problems based on data we've collected."

State transportation officials developed the plan and presented it to Oak Park village staff members in early May, Assistant Village Manager Rob Cole said. They recommended IDOT get feedback from the community and local elected officials, he said.

Cole said he's not sure left-lane exits and entrances are as bad as statistics might lead people to believe.

"We're not sold that the left-hand ramps are inherently more dangerous, but we're not closed-minded either," he said. "We want to find out the impacts on the community before a decision is made."

Other changes proposed as part of major reconstruction of I-290 include extending the CTA Blue Line and creating a toll car pool lane. Planning for the expressway project is expected to last until spring 2014, Harmet said.

The Harlem and Austin interchanges were built when the expressway system was in its "infancy," Harmet said.

"There were no design standards at that time; they were all being developed," he said. "Through the years, IDOT has collected data and developed standards and knows more about performance regarding safety."

Shanna Philipson, 43, of Oak Park, said the left-hand ramps are part of what makes Oak Park unique.

"I love them. I always tell people, 'We're so liberal in Oak Park, we even exit on the left,'" Philipson said. "It's a distinct community, and we enjoy it. I'd be sad to see them change."

IDOT is scheduled to present the plan at 7 p.m. Monday at Oak Park Village Hall, 123 Madison St.