Pedestrian Bridge Decision Awaits

HINSDALE, IL — The Hinsdale Village Board has taken no vote on where it believes the new pedestrian bridge over Interstate 294 should go. But Mayor Tom Cauley said Friday the board has informally determined it should be moved to 47th Street.

A recent survey showed 53 percent of Hinsdale residents want the bridge at 47th as opposed to the current site — a result the mayor said the board wants to respect. The current bridge, which links Hinsdale to Western Springs, must go down to make way for the expansion of I-94.

"We are resistant to imposing something our residents say they don't want," Cauley said in an interview. "The tollway is going to pay for it, and we'll have to vote on it."

In Western Springs, 58 percent of residents want to keep the bridge where it is.

Western Springs officials talked about the bridge issue at its meeting Monday, with officials taking different sides. They said they would consider making a recommendation at the board's Dec. 16 meeting.

The Hinsdale village clerk's office indicated Friday the pedestrian bridge won't be on the board's agenda Tuesday.

In a brief interview Friday, Hinsdale board member Gerald Hughes said he did not know the timeline for a recommendation and that he had yet to make up his mind on the issue. Other members could not be reached for comment.

Western Springs officials said this week that the decision on the bridge location rests with the Illinois Tollway. However, tollway spokesman Dan Rozek said it would be a "local decision that will be determined by Hinsdale and Western Springs" and that the agency would build the bridge wherever it is directed.

But he did not say what would happen if the two villages failed to reach a consensus.

In Western Springs, both the police department and park district favor the 47th Street location. The existing bridge links Maple Street in Western Springs to Minneola Street in Hinsdale to the west. The 47th alternative is about a half mile south, connecting Hinsdale Veeck and Spring Rock parks.

At this week's Western Springs board meeting, member Al Fink said the bridge has become a hot-button issue in recent months, more so than even the debate over whether to allow recreational marijuana sales.

The tollway would like a decision soon.

"The tollway ideally would prefer Hinsdale and Western Springs agree on a location for the pedestrian bridge by the end of the year, although a decision in early 2020 would be acceptable because there is some flexibility in our planning process," spokesman Rozek said.