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Streator council asks IDOT to study safety at Illinois Route 18 and Cane Lake Road after resident plea
Summary
A resident described multiple crashes and near misses at the intersection of Illinois Route 18 and Cane Lake Road; the Streator City Council unanimously adopted a resolution asking the Illinois Department of Transportation to take action.
STREATOR — A Streator resident told the City Council she has seen “a lot of very near misses” and urged officials to press state authorities to improve safety at the intersection of Illinois Route 18 and Cane Lake Road, and the council voted to ask the Illinois Department of Transportation to act.
Jordan Russo, who identified herself during the council’s public-comment period, said she installed a memorial at the intersection after her partner died there last year and described repeated dangerous driving at the site. "People speed through that intersection," Russo said. "They blow through stop signs. They try to do burnouts through the stop signs."
The council then considered Resolution 2025-27, described in the meeting packet as a formal request that the Illinois Department of Transportation take action to improve traffic-control measures at the intersection in LaSalle County. Council member Reid moved the resolution; Council member Shire seconded, and the motion was approved by roll call.
Why it matters: Russo cited a traffic-history review in a petition she submitted to the city, saying there were 23 crashes in the last nine years, 30 injuries and one on-scene fatality. She also said 2024 totals had not yet been entered into the database and that 2025 already included a serious rollover collision. The council’s resolution is intended to add municipal weight to calls for changes from county and state highway authorities.
Council discussion and vote: Council member Reid told the council he had seen Russo’s social-media posts and that a city resolution could “put some weight behind” her request. The clerk called the roll; the transcript records affirmative votes from Jayco, Geary, Reid and Shire. The resolution language directs staff to transmit the council’s request to IDOT; the transcript does not specify a deadline for IDOT action or a timeline for follow-up.
Background and next steps: Russo said she had contacted IDOT and LaSalle County prior to the meeting and believes a formal request from Streator will increase urgency. The resolution itself asks IDOT to review and consider safety changes at the intersection; it does not specify the precise engineering remedy. The council did not set a follow-up date in the meeting record.
