Indian Head Park trustees hear Wolf Road study update; residents, HOAs back baseline sidewalk alternative

Indian Head Park trustees received a presentation on Feb. 13 from Strand Engineering summarizing the Wolf Road corridor study and public feedback on three design alternatives, and trustees requested more time to review the materials before the village transmits a recommendation to Cook County.

The study, funded in part by a Cook County "Invest in Cook" grant, began as a 2019 feasibility study and expanded in 2020 to consider corridor-wide improvements including pavement, drainage and intersections. Strand Engineering project lead Matt Gaziak told trustees the three alternatives share a consistent roadway cross-section — one northbound lane, one southbound lane and a two-way left turn lane with dedicated intersection turn lanes — and differ primarily in pedestrian and bicycle accommodations.

Gaziak said the options are: a baseline sidewalk alternative with 5-foot sidewalks where gaps exist; a full sidewalk alternative that extends sidewalks on both sides for more continuous pedestrian access; and a shared-use path alternative (8-foot path with 5-foot buffer) that accommodates bicycles and pedestrians. "All of the alternatives reconstruct and update the roadway, structures, intersections, and drainage infrastructure along the corridor," Gaziak said.

Why it matters: the corridor carries traffic connecting 70 Ninth Street to Plainfield Road and passes several residential communities and schools. The study team said the alternatives were evaluated for operations, pedestrian and bicycle connectivity, land acquisition needs and public support. Because the roadway cross-section is the same across alternatives, all three scored similarly for vehicle operations; the shared-use path scored best for bicyclists but requires a larger footprint and more property…