Quincy council votes to keep traffic signal at 20th/5th and Broadway after public outcry

The Quincy City Council voted 11–0 to keep the traffic signal at the intersection of 20th/5th and Broadway, reversing a traffic commission recommendation that followed an Illinois Department of Transportation study.

The decision came after several residents and business owners told the council the signal is needed for safety and access. "Most of the business owners on the South Side ... they want that stoplight," said Steve Homan during public comment, citing difficulties pulling out of lots onto Broadway.

Why it matters: council members said the intersection affects nearby businesses, pedestrians and students. Culver's owner-operator Lindsay May told the council that her restaurant has seen a sales decline she attributes to the covered signal and that guests and staff have difficulty exiting the lot. "Guests pulling out of our drive through often rush into uninterrupted Broadway traffic," May said. She provided store sales comparisons she said showed a more than 10% negative impact since the traffic study began.

Several other residents raised safety concerns for pedestrians and schoolchildren. "You gotta have a way for them to get across heading north and south," said Jim Hummert, describing schoolchildren and parishioners who cross at the site.

Council members noted the traffic commission had recommended removal after the IDOT study. Engineering manager Steve Baney told the council IDOT's estimate to keep and upgrade signals is about $400,000, while removal was estimated at about $1,020,000; the city's share of construction would be approximately 10 percent. "So if they put up new signals, we can assume it's gonna cost us about $40,000," Baney said.

Councilmember (unnamed in the transcript) moved to go against the traffic commission recommendation and keep the light; the motion was seconded and the council called a roll-call vote. The tally was 11 ayes, 2 absent and 1 vacancy; the motion carried.

Discussion vs. decision: the record shows public-comment safety and business-access concerns led several aldermen to reject the traffic commission's recommendation. The engineering office provided cost estimates and noted the city's approximately 10 percent share of construction costs; no additional funding allocation or amendment to a capital project ordinance was recorded at the meeting.

The council did not instruct staff to pursue immediate reconstruction or signal upgrades during the meeting; Baney's figures described expected costs tied to whoever performs the Broadway reconstruction. The traffic commission's recommendation, the IDOT study and the council vote will remain part of the public record for any future project or budget consideration.

Next steps: the council's vote preserves the signal. Budgeting and any specific upgrade work will follow standard capital-project and construction procedures and are subject to future council action.