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What’s broken
Bartlett resident Ron Bollinger said it’s nearly impossible to leave his neighborhood and turn onto Stearns Road from Cuyahoga Drive during peak traffic times.
A resident of the Apple Orchard subdivision for more than 30 years, Bollinger has watched the area develop from farmlands into a booming business and residential area. He said the buildup has resulted in the intersection becoming increasingly dangerous and troublesome for residents in the area.
“It’s been a continuing problem as they keep building,” he said. “It can take sometimes up to 20 minutes to get out. You have to go around the block at least a mile out of your way to not get hit.”
Bollinger said it is most difficult to turn in either direction during the early morning and between 3:30 and 6:30 p.m., but a stop sign or traffic light might abate the problem.
The history
With major developments such as Home Depot, Dominick’s, Sonic Drive-In and several shopping centers at the intersection of Stearns Road and Route 59, the road acts as a thoroughfare east and west of Route 59.
According to Public Works Director Paul Kuester, Stearns Road falls under DuPage County’s jurisdiction. For a traffic control device to be installed at Cuyahoga and Stearns, Kuester said a series of studies would have to be performed, including an evaluation of traffic, car counts and the number of accidents at the intersection.
“There is a series of different equations to see if there are warrants for a traffic device,” he said. “The bigger issue would be if it’s warranted. Sometimes there are lights in some areas to control breaks in traffic, and that is something that has to be studied if there is an interest.”
Because there’s already a light at Stearns and Sycamore Lane about a quarter-mile east of Cuyahoga, Kuester said it is unlikely another device would be installed. He suggests drivers use alternative routes — either down Bryn Mawr Avenue to the light at Sycamore, or by taking Bryn Mawr to Apple Valley Drive to get to Route 59.
“There can be a safe movement that can be made, but you have to go a little further,” Kuester said.
What the neighbors say
Jim Zurawski, who lives at the corner of Cuyahoga and Bryn Mawr, said he worries traffic will only increase once the Stearns Road Bridge Corridor project is completed. The $58 million project uses Stearns Road to link Elgin O’Hare Expressway and Dunham Road.
What’s broken
Bartlett resident Ron Bollinger said it’s nearly impossible to leave his neighborhood and turn onto Stearns Road from Cuyahoga Drive during peak traffic times.
A resident of the Apple Orchard subdivision for more than 30 years, Bollinger has watched the area develop from farmlands into a booming business and residential area. He said the buildup has resulted in the intersection becoming increasingly dangerous and troublesome for residents in the area.
“It’s been a continuing problem as they keep building,” he said. “It can take sometimes up to 20 minutes to get out. You have to go around the block at least a mile out of your way to not get hit.”
Bollinger said it is most difficult to turn in either direction during the early morning and between 3:30 and 6:30 p.m., but a stop sign or traffic light might abate the problem.
The history
With major developments such as Home Depot, Dominick’s, Sonic Drive-In and several shopping centers at the intersection of Stearns Road and Route 59, the road acts as a thoroughfare east and west of Route 59.
According to Public Works Director Paul Kuester, Stearns Road falls under DuPage County’s jurisdiction. For a traffic control device to be installed at Cuyahoga and Stearns, Kuester said a series of studies would have to be performed, including an evaluation of traffic, car counts and the number of accidents at the intersection.
“There is a series of different equations to see if there are warrants for a traffic device,” he said. “The bigger issue would be if it’s warranted. Sometimes there are lights in some areas to control breaks in traffic, and that is something that has to be studied if there is an interest.”
Because there’s already a light at Stearns and Sycamore Lane about a quarter-mile east of Cuyahoga, Kuester said it is unlikely another device would be installed. He suggests drivers use alternative routes — either down Bryn Mawr Avenue to the light at Sycamore, or by taking Bryn Mawr to Apple Valley Drive to get to Route 59.
“There can be a safe movement that can be made, but you have to go a little further,” Kuester said.
What the neighbors say
Jim Zurawski, who lives at the corner of Cuyahoga and Bryn Mawr, said he worries traffic will only increase once the Stearns Road Bridge Corridor project is completed. The $58 million project uses Stearns Road to link Elgin O’Hare Expressway and Dunham Road.
“There’s more traffic on this street than a normal thoroughfare,” Zurawski said.
While Kuester said he has not yet received any complaints about the Stearns-Cuyahoga intersection, Bollinger is preparing a petition to bring before the Village Board at its meeting Tuesday 7/20. He has about 30 signatures on the petition and hopes to get more before the meeting.
“It’s ridiculous,” Bollinger said of the lack of a traffic signal in the area. “You have to have someone hurt before they can do something about it.”
Who is looking into it DuPage County Division of Transportation Director John Kos, (630) 407-6900
Is something happening in your neighborhood? We want tips from residents about issues that need to be solved in the Bartlett community. If you know of a problem, call reporter Marissa Bruno at (630) 930-4334 or e-mail her at mbruno@mysuburbanlife.com.
