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Board presses for interim fixes as Beecher Fire District outlines deadly Route 1 intersection plan
Summary
After a Beecher Fire District briefing, trustees said a completed roundabout is only phase 1 of a longer safety project; officials pressed IDOT and county partners for temporary measures while land acquisitions and phase 2 proceed toward a projected 2028 completion.
Trustees heard an update from the Beecher Fire District about repeated crashes and fatalities at the Route 1 and County Road intersection and asked state and county partners for short-term safety measures while a longer project moves forward.
"They started a project and they kind of completed phase 1, which is to install a roundabout in that area," Trustee Terry said, reporting on the meeting where state and local officials, including IDOT representatives and state legislators, participated. Terry said phase 2 will require land acquisitions and other work and currently carries a projected completion date of 2028.
Terry and others said the urgency stems from multiple serious crashes, including a recent child fatality that heightened attention. Officials at the Beecher-hosted meeting discussed interim remedies that could be installed sooner — stop signs with flashing lights, rumble strips, temporary signals, or other traffic-calming measures — while larger engineering and right-of-way work continues.
Trustees described jurisdictional complexity at the site: the intersection spans Kankakee County and Will County and involves multiple fire and highway districts, which complicates implementing measures that cross agency boundaries. Trustee Terry said Kankakee County engineers had previously approved rumble strips, but Will County must implement them in its jurisdiction.
Local officials said they asked IDOT and legislative representatives to provide clearer data about crashes and injuries, noting trooper counts may not capture people who were airlifted or taken to out-of-area hospitals. "We're going to try and lock them in into a date of April to see that they'll be able to give us more direction," Trustee Terry said.
The board did not take formal action on the intersection at the meeting. Trustees said they will check back in April for further updates from IDOT and county partners.
