The village is making plans to remove an island median in the middle of Roosevelt Road, directly west of the Hannah Avenue intersection.

The island, which is about as wide as a traffic lane, has trees planted in the middle, and a rounded edge on the westbound side of the road, allowing more room for left turns, but a straight line on the inbound side. Village officials said that the current structure creates a visual obstruction for the drivers, and cars keep on bumping into it as they try to turn. 

During its December meeting, the village council approved an engineering study to prepare the construction plans and permits, with the goal of removing the island later this year.

The landscaped median island is one of the improvements that was put in during a major renovation of the section of Roosevelt Road between Harlem and Des Plaines avenues. The renovation, which kicked off in 2017, included pedestrian bump-outs at all intersections; additional streetscape features at the bump-out locations, including landscaped planters, benches, trash receptacles and stamped/colored pedestrian crosswalks; several landscaped median islands; and replacement of all street lighting with decorative street lighting.

Michelle Melin-Rogovin, commissioner of streets and public improvement, said she heard many constituents complaining about the median island. 

“Just yesterday, a resident mentioned to me in a conversation that this particular island causes visual disruption to dividers pulling in and out onto Roosevelt Road,” she said.

Melin-Rogovin said that she believed that the island’s removal was “going to impact and improve safety, and reduce accidents for Forest Park drivers.”

The village is planning to spend $90,000 and cover the costs entirely from the Roosevelt/Hannah Tax Increment Financing district, which, as the name suggests, includes the intersection and most retailers on the south side of Roosevelt Road as far as Des Plaines Avenue. The village is paying $5.120 for the construction study. 

Commissioner Ryan Nero wondered whether the village would be able to use that study to do the plans for removal of other pedestrian islands. Jim Amelio, of Burke Engineering, which is doing the engineering study, said that much of what they do involves obtaining permits, and that can’t be duplicated, so the village would have to spend money even if the project is completely identical.

“We’d need to restart permitting process, so we’ll need to start all over again,” he said.