Work Expected On La Grange's 'Very Dangerous' Intersection

LA GRANGE, IL – Long-awaited improvements to the intersection of 47th Street and East Avenue in La Grange may be around the corner.

The upgrades include a traffic light. Officials consider the intersection dangerous.

On Monday, the Village Board is set to vote on an agreement with the state on the project. La Grange would pay for streetscape improvements in the area of the intersection.

The project is expected to include a traffic signal, reconfiguration of the railroad crossings, improved street lighting, sidewalks, a storm sewer and other utility upgrades, according to a village memo.

To pay for the streetscape, La Grange has $200,000 from the state Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and $175,000 from Masonic Pointe, a housing development built a few years ago near the intersection.

The area in question is complicated by the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad, which cuts across just south and west of 47th and East.

Years ago, the state suggested having the road go over or under the tracks. But at a public meeting in 2013, residents strongly opposed that idea.

As a result, the alternative was dismissed because of the impacts on businesses and houses, the high cost of construction and the lack of public support, according to the state.

At a Village Board meeting in 2022, Village President Mark Kuchler opposed a traffic light at the intersection. He feared unintended consequences.

A police official called the intersection "very dangerous."