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Consultants: Finkston Road corridor is not unsafe but has turning conflicts; village urged to press IDOT for future fixes
Summary
A consultant's corridor study found Finkston (Pinkston) Road falls in the Illinois Department of Transportation's lowest safety tier and shows no urgent safety problem, but it identified turning-movement conflicts, spot congestion and modest speed concerns and recommended nonurgent measures (bike lanes, medians, signage) that would require IDOT approval.
Dan Brinkman, senior transportation engineer for Gil Hamilton Associates, told the Glenview Board of Trustees that a corridor safety study of Finkston (also referenced in materials as Pinkston) Road found no immediate safety crisis, though it did identify localized conflicts that could be addressed over time.
Brinkman said the team reviewed five years of Illinois Department of Transportation crash data, pedestrian operations, roadway geometry, congestion and speeds, and solicited public input at two in-person meetings that drew about 100 residents and more than 100 comments. "We don't have a safety problem," he said, summarizing the analysis. "There's nothing jumping off the page at us that says we have to act on this right now." (Dan Brinkman, senior transportation engineer.)
The study reported average speeds slightly above the 35 mph posted limit (northbound about 36 mph; southbound about 37 mph) and noted that more than 90% of vehicles were within 10 mph of the limit. Crash history was concentrated at signalized termini; most side streets recorded only one or two crashes per year. The consultant highlighted turning-movement conflicts caused by offset side streets and wide pavement sections, including a 16-foot painted median that trustees said gives the corridor a "runway" feel.
Brinkman outlined possible long-term tools: formal bike lanes (striping), medians with landscaping, and other measures to visually narrow the roadway and increase side friction. He cautioned that Finkston Road is under IDOT jurisdiction, so most physical changes would require state permitting and coordination. "It's not something we're going to be able to change or fix today," he said.
Trustees asked questions about data and timing. Trustee Sodotti asked whether the two-week speed study (mid-to-late July) coincided with traffic counts; Brinkman said some vehicle counts were from previous studies and some were supplemented with short-term counts. Trustee Doran and others noted that the corridor's wide pavement and long sight lines invite speeding and urged the village to press for traffic calming when the state programs improvements. The village manager said state cooperation is the most practical route and that the village should prepare to request changes when IDOT next programs improvements.
The study will inform future planning and was presented as informational to the board; no ordinance or funding commitment was made at the meeting. The consultant recommended monitoring, targeted striping or bike-lane pilot projects, and pursuing median or landscape elements only after IDOT engagement or during a state-led improvement cycle.
