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Village leaders say rail-safety measures are imminent after months of incidents; work delayed by weather and railroad approvals
Summary
Village officials described years-long negotiations with Canadian National and the Illinois Commerce Commission and said delineators, signage and short-term measures are scheduled for March pending weather; long‑term gates and fencing require additional approvals.
Village of Lemont officials said March 8 that short-term rail-safety improvements are scheduled to be installed in March after years of negotiation with the railroad and state regulators, but that the work remains weather-dependent and requires cooperation from Canadian National Railway.
Village Administrator George told the board the village has averaged about one vehicle-on-rails incident per month in recent months and that the board has been pursuing a phased set of safety improvements. He said a project to install delineators and improved signage was approved in December (staff referenced that approval) but required Canadian National’s acceptance and favorable weather for work to proceed. The village has scheduled six days of work in March; the administrator said some dates could be lost to cold weather and that the village secured four additional days with the contractor.
Chief Kevin and other public-safety staff urged ongoing caution and repeated the administrative challenge of negotiating with a private railroad. Chief Kevin said the railroad historically resists permanent slowdowns, and that the village has long fought to secure safety measures.
Other discussion: A trustee raised a possible interim fix: the village could contact online map providers after noticing that turn-by-turn directions may be prompting drivers to turn “now” near the tracks rather than at the safer crossing, which could be contributing to driver confusion. Officials said they would investigate whether route-language could be updated as an interim mitigation while physical improvements proceed.
Why it matters: Officials said there have been crashes and at least one fatality in the past year related to vehicles on the tracks. The village described the planned work as “level 1” improvements — delineators, cones and signage — with fencing, gates and additional hardware to follow after further approvals from the railroad and the Illinois Commerce Commission.
Timing and dependencies: Village staff said the short‑term improvements are expected to go in during March, subject to temperatures above 40 degrees and railroad scheduling; longer-term gates or fencing will require additional coordination with Canadian National and the Illinois Commerce Commission.
Ending: Officials urged residents to keep children close near tracks during public events and said the village will continue to press the railroad and state regulators for further safety steps.
