Vernon Hills eyes refuge islands, flashing beacons near schools and a $250,000 grant

Vernon Hills engineering staff presented July 22 a multi-location study recommending pedestrian refuge islands, tightened corner radiuses and, at select locations, rapid flashing beacons to improve school-area crossings.

The study examined intersections including Aspen Drive at Hawthorne Elementary, Fairway at Cougar, Fairway at Nike and Fairway at Lakeview Parkway. The consultant and engineering staff found no data supporting new traffic signals but identified treatments that would calm traffic and shorten crossing distances.

“Based on the traffic volumes here...we don't recommend doing any rapid flashing beacons at this location” at Aspen/Hawthorne, the presenter said, noting that a physical refuge island provides traffic-calming and two-stage crossings. The study estimated the Aspen/Hawthorne concept at about $160,000, Fairway & Cougar at about $190,000 and Fairway & Nike at about $280,000.

For Fairway Drive locations the consultant recommended narrowing lanes, extending medians to create refuge islands and adding push-button activated rapid flashing beacons where speeds and volumes justify them. Staff suggested packaging the projects and applying for the Safe Routes to School grant, a program that awards up to $250,000 for school-area safety projects every two years. The village has a placeholder in the CIP for related work and staff said timing with an upcoming Fairway resurfacing could yield efficiencies.

Trustees and staff discussed grant timing, whether to bundle intersections into a single application and how resurfacing and CIP scheduling could reduce costs. Engineering staff said the improvements are not an emergency based on five-year crash data but would reduce risk for children and assist crossing guards and event traffic control.