In October 2015, I revived the “Now and Then” feature which originally had appeared in TONIT (that other newspaper in town, Aurora) many years ago. My introductory essay was a profile of Middle Avenue and, in particular, its role in tying up traffic in downtown Aurora whenever a freight train delivered its cargo.
Although this location was notorious, it was not the only bugaboo which vexed the good folk of the City. The BNSF (Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy, now the Burlington Northern Santa Fe) tied up traffic in three other locations.
The first location was on North Farnsworth Avenue at Dearborn Street where the old Austin-Western Manufacturing Company once stood. The main trunk of the CB&Q intersected here on its way to Chicago; then as now, train traffic was tremendous, mostly by mile-long freight trains. Farnsworth had become a major north-south thoroughfare for vehicular traffic, but the CB&Q was the dominant actor, and so cars and trucks were backed up half a mile in both directions.
Victims of the tie-ups complained mightily to the City fathers in the same volume they had done over the Middle Avenue Affair. The City’s response was identical; the railroad had to correct the problem or risk having the tracks paved over. The railroad had no choice but to comply; subsequently, it submitted plans for an overpass slightly west of the original street. One can see the remnants of the original street if one looks quickly enough. The south part of Austin Avenue which is west of Farnsworth almost disappeared. Again, you have to look quickly in order to spot it.
The second location was at old Eola Road which originally ran from the now defunct State Route 65, now East New York Street) to Butterfield Road, State Route 56, and passed through the hamlet of Eola. Again, the back-up was humongous and the solution was predictable. There was, however, a major complication; Eola Road was a County road in DuPage County, and Aurora’s role in the matter was minor.
Nevertheless, DuPage County was persuaded to construct an overpass. But, it went one step further by re-routing Eola Road all together to the west of the original road and bypassing the hamlet.
Again, if you look quickly, you can spot the remnants of old Eola Road. The rerouting became the first state of the new Eola Road which now extends to Montgomery Road.
The third location was at South Orchard Road at Prairie Street. The main trunk of the BNSF crossed here on its way west toward Quincy, and beyond. Orchard Road had morphed from a two-lane country road into a major north-south thoroughfare State Route 31 to State Route 71. The State government of Illinois was the major player here; it constructed an underpass at Prairie in order to complete the morphing, and everybody became happy campers.
On the other hand, if you travel along the new Orchard Road, be prepared for long delays. The traffic is murder!
Just a thought.