La Grange Sidewalk Trip Hazards Addressed

LA GRANGE, IL — La Grange has a cheaper way to handle trip hazards on local sidewalks. And it has been using this method to take care of these problems, especially in areas with many pedestrians.

This week, the Village Board approved a saw-cutting contract with Safety Services & Assessments. The company is hired to level out sidewalk slabs to eliminate trip hazards, rather than replacing entire squares.

The cost of saw-cutting a hazard is $54, compared with $170 for replacing a slab. When the village replaces a slab, it shares half the costs with property owners. But even with that arrangement, it pays more than with saw-cutting.

Two years ago, the village saw-cut 100 squares of sidewalk in downtown, said Ryan Gillingham, La Grange's public works director.

Once the village takes care of all the trip-and-fall complaints, it will look at areas with high pedestrian counts such as schools, he said.

"If there are additional funds this year, we'll look at other sidewalks in residential areas where there are trip hazards," Gillingham said.

Trustee Beth Augustine suggested the village look at the sidewalks on 47th Street near parks.

"If homeowners aren't asking to have these done, perhaps we need to take care of it," she said.

Gillingham said while saw-cutting is efficient, it is not advisable to cut more than two inches into the concrete because that affects its integrity.