Last week, I took a fairly deep dive into the recurring traffic crash epidemic near Loyola University. Read the article to get up to speed on the situation. It has included two bus-pedestrian collisions within a week in February, at or near Sheridan Road and Kenmore Avenue, between the main campus and the Kenmore pedestrian mall.
While writing the piece, I contacted several local authorities for updates. (I should have also reached out to the Loyola public affairs office, which I'll do soon.) Here are a few updates.
CTA
I asked for a status update on the two bus drivers, at least one of whom reportedly ran a red – were there any disciplinary measures, and are they still employed by CTA?
The agency has yet not responded to two email requests in the past week.
Chicago Department of Transportation
I asked if there is anything currently planned to reduce crashes on the east-west stretch of Sheridan between Broadway and the lake. I also asked if the agency had anything to say about the safety improvements proposed at the end of my previous article. Does CDOT believe these are practical ideas, or are there issues that would make them impractical or complex, such as geography or jurisdiction?
The City's transportation department has yet not responded to two email requests in the past week.
Illinois Department of Transportation
I asked the State transportation department similar questions as CDOT.
"The location you are inquiring about, the section of Sheridan Road from Broadway going east to the lake, is under the jurisdiction of CDOT," replied spokesperson Maria Castaneda. "You may want to reach out to CDOT regarding any additional information regarding plans for short-term improvements or adjustments to signal timing."
Whoops, I assumed that since that part of Sheridan also serves as a traffic sewer for drivers rushing to and DuSable Lake Shore Drive, it was under IDOT control. However, the IDOT route that includes DLSD, actually heads west from the highway's northern terminus on Hollywood Avenue, and then northwest on Ridge Avenue. My bad.
But Castaneda provided some interesting additional info. "Longer term, you might recall the area is included in the joint IDOT-CDOT Northern Terminus Traffic Study," she said. "The northern terminus (where NDLSD connects or interacts at the north end) is a separate study in parallel of the NDLSD study. The study, which includes Foster Avenue (U.S. 41) on the south, Ashland Avenue/Clark Street on the west and Devon Avenue/Sheridan Road on the north, is assessing options to address existing and future traffic needs and to identify and evaluate potential improvements. It is anticipated to be completed next year."
Good to know. Streetsblog will likely report on this topic in the future.
48th Ward
Ald. Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth's district, basically Edgewater, is south of this east-west stretch of Sheridan, and Ald. Maria Hadden's (49th), essentially Rogers Park, is to the north.
I asked both offices similar questions as the transportation departments. While I didn't get an email response from the 48th Ward by press time, Ald. Manaa-Hoppenworth did respond to our tweet about the post, with a bit of commentary.
49th Ward
We did get a response from Ald. Hadden's office.
"Following the pedestrian crashes at Sheridan and Kenmore, Loyola University contacted our office and Alderwoman Manaa-Hoppenworth's office, as we share this intersection," said 49th Ward Chief of Staff Leslie Perkins. "While we are glad the students didn't sustain major injuries, we are committed to working on solutions to make pedestrian traffic safer in this area. Our office is coordinating a meeting with the CTA, CDOT, IDOT, the 48th Ward, and Loyola University to discuss the issue and explore potential traffic safety improvements."
"This area experiences a significant amount of pedestrian traffic due to Loyola University and the Caroline Hedger senior building, located at the intersection of Sheridan, Broadway, and Devon," Perkins added. "In the past, when exploring improvement options, we have been directed to IDOT as this stretch falls under their jurisdiction. We are hopeful that with the new leadership under Secretary [Gia Biagi, formerly CDOT Commissioner] at IDOT, we can renew safety talks and work towards solutions that consider all users of our streets."
This all sounds fairly promising, so I'll try to keep Streetsblog readers informed about next steps. Stay tuned...
Did you appreciate this post? Streetsblog Chicago is currently fundraising to help cover our 2025-26 budget. If you appreciate our reporting and advocacy on local sustainable transportation issues, please consider making a tax-deductible donation here. Thank you!
