NILES (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- An intersection in Niles described by the mayor as “vicious” is getting a makeover.
The intersection of Touhy Avenue and Gross Point Road and Harts Road is often congested. Now, a project has been approved that will add left turn lanes on eastbound and westbound Touhy Avenue.
According to Public Works Director Fred Braun, the Illinois Department of Transportation also plans to widening Toughy to "improve safety at the intersection." He said although there is a left turn arrow for eastbound and westbound traffic on Touhy, there is not a designated turn lane onto Gross Point/Harts Road, resulting in cars piling up in the left turn lane, as well as cars sitting in the middle of the intersection waiting for oncoming traffic to pass.
"If you have ever driven through Toughy at Gross Point, sometimes cars plowed into the oncoming lanes to wait, so this is going to add a turn lane there to improve the safety there; plus we are widening the whole width of the right-of-way to include multi-use paths for pedestrians and bicycles," he said.
During a May 25 Niles Village Board meeting, Niles Mayor George Alpogianis described the intersection as “vicious.”
"And Fred, that has just been a vicious corner, correct?" said Mayor George Alpogianis.
"Yes, there's lots, I don't want to call them fender benders - but mostly property damage. I am not sure of too many recent fatalities, but if you drive through there, you can see..." said Public Works Director Fred Braun.
"I know there are a lot of blind spots caused by the big semis that are using that area," Mayor Alpogianis said.
While this will come as welcome news to those who use the intersection, right now the project is in its design phase and construction isn’t scheduled to start for a year.
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