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Board approves guardrail near 524 Madison Street after resident safety appeals
Summary
After residents described multiple crashes at a sharp curve on Madison Street, the Board of Public Works approved installing a guardrail at or near 524 Madison Street with funding authorization and instructions to reallocate CIP funds if needed.
Residents and aldermen pressed the Board of Public Works on safety at a hazardous curve on Madison Street and the board voted to install a guardrail at or near 524 Madison Street.
Frank Palm, a nearby resident, told the board he had seen two crashes on the hill and urged officials “to put a guardrail in front of the residence at 524 Madison Street,” saying chevron signs had not prevented vehicles from running off the road. Lisa Salb, of the Tower Hill Neighborhood Association, said planters and heavy foot traffic make the stretch particularly dangerous and argued pedestrians need protection: “if they’re coming up the hill and hit a 200 pound concrete [planter] … wouldn’t it be better for them to bounce off of a guardrail,” she said.
Brandon, a city engineering staff member, described the department’s recommendation against installing a guardrail at this location as written in the cover sheet. He said guardrails are typically used where a fixed hazard beyond the guardrail is a greater risk than a vehicle striking the guardrail itself, and warned that adding a guardrail in the right-of-way introduces another fixed object that can increase crash severity: “the concern with guardrail installations within the right of way is that gives another fixed object for vehicles to impact,” he said, adding that crash-tested end treatments could not be fitted at the site.
Alderman Eric Payne, who requested the referral to the Board of Public Works, challenged that assessment and emphasized pedestrian risk, saying the people outside a vehicle are not protected: “The people outside of that vehicle are not protected at all.” He additionally reported multiple calls for service to the location and cited several documented crashes in recent years. Other residents urged the board not to “do nothing” and offered concrete bollards as a lower-cost alternative.
After discussion, a motion was made and seconded to approve installation of a guardrail at or near 524 Madison Street with an authorization for the work (up to $7,000) and a plan to cover the cost from available CIP funds or by referral to finance for reallocation if needed. The chair announced the motion passed.
What happens next: staff will coordinate the installation and, if necessary, seek a reallocation of funds through the finance process to cover the work. The board’s action does not change the city’s engineering guidance noted in the cover sheet; engineering also flagged alternatives (additional chevrons, concrete bollards) for consideration during future road reconstruction or resurfacing work.
