The Village of Oswego is seeking resident input on pedestrian safety improvements proposed along Washington Street (U.S. Route 34) in downtown Oswego.
A Downtown Oswego Pedestrian Open House will be held from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18, at Oswego Village Hall, 100 Parkers Mill. Residents will have the opportunity to discuss concerns about traffic and pedestrians in the downtown and provide suggestions for improvements.
Washington Street (U.S. Route 34) is controlled by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT).
The major route passes through downtown Oswego and has been the site of multiple vehicle-pedestrian crashes, including a fatal crash that killed a pedestrian in 2018. Since 1997, the Village has negotiated with IDOT for improvements, including installing flashing beacons, adding pedestrian flags, and lowering the posted speed limit to 20 miles per hour. In the past, pedestrian counts have not been high enough to warrant a traffic signal at either Washington and Main Streets or Washington and Harrison Streets, however, following recent crashes, IDOT has agreed to reconsider traffic signals and other safety improvements along Washington Street in downtown provided the community generally supports them.
Residents who cannot attend the open house, but would like to provide the comments may send their thoughts to info@oswegoil.org.
The September 18 meeting is the first of two public meetings that are planned to discuss Washington Street improvements. After collecting information from this meeting, engineers will draft possible solutions and solicit feedback on them in a second meeting.
The Downtown Oswego Pedestrian Open House open everyone and is free to attend.
—Village of Oswego