Palos Heights welcomes cycling studio
Megan Wenstrup began as an indoor cycling instructor a little more than eight years ago.
Now she’s the proud owner of Heights Cycle, an indoor cycling studio in the former Revival Yoga Studio at 7224 W. College Drive in Palos Heights.
Wenstrup has been running Heights Cycle since Feb. 1.
“We took over and rebranded and are building on the foundation started by Revival,” she said. “I’m so happy to be here in Palos Heights. Every day, Palos Heights feels more and more like home.”
She spent the month of May really pushing the studio and held a grand opening and ribbon cutting on May 12.
So far, so good, she said. “We saw a huge uptick in May,” she said.
Wenstrup said indoor cycling is great for cardiovascular fitness.
“We have a height requirement for the cycles,” she said. “So, indoor cycling is good for anybody from 11 or 12 on up.”
Heights Cycle features 18 cycles that can be adjusted for riders from novices to those training for an Ironman competition.
“There are three ways to increase the intensity of the workout,” she said. “You can pedal faster. There’s a knob on the machine that will increase resistance. There’s a shift bar that will require the rider to work harder.”
Heights Cycle has nine instructors, including Wenstrup.
Tinley train station slated for repairs
The 80th Avenue train station will close three main staircases near the south platform starting June 17.
The staircases will be closed for the weekend while a contractor coats the steps with epoxy. Commuters will have access to the south platform via two ramps on either side of the three main staircases.
Four other staircases on the outside of the two ramps will also remain open to commuters.
New Justice Tollway ramps prompting development
Local elected officials and transportation officials announced last week construction would begin soon on the long-awaited 88th/ Cork Avenue Interchange on the Tri-State Tollway in Justice.
The interchange will replace one that was removed in 1992 over safety concerns at a nearby Indian Springs District 109 school that was closed a few years later.
The project was a pet project of Justice Mayor Kris Wasowicz who has been promoting the need for a new interchange for more than a decade. It’s a partnership involving Justice, the Illinois Tollway, IDOT, Cook County and the Southwest Conference of Mayors.
“The project will facilitate investment in and redevelopment of the Village of Justice and several surrounding communities while improving efficiencies for freight related companies for more cost-effective shipping and logistics and will create employment opportunities and mobility for the region,” said Wasowicz at the dedication on June 1.
“Connecting communities and providing improved access to our region’s transportation network is a top priority of the Illinois Department of Transportation under Gov.
J.B. Pritzker,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman. “We are proud of the partnership that has made this project possible, but even more excited for the enhanced safety and mobility it will bring to an important part of the state.”
The $39 million infrastructure investment includes construction of new ramps connecting 88th/ Cork Avenue to the Tri-State Tollway along with other local roadway improvements to both accommodate the larger Central Tri-State construction project as well as to improve local traffic circulation and provide congestion relief.
Reconstruction of the 88th/
Cork Avenue Bridge over I-294 and construction on the new ramps, which is being led by the Tollway, is set to start in June, while construction on the mainline Central Tri-State Tollway surrounding the area is in full swing.
The interchange project is scheduled to be complete by the end of 2024.
“This new interchange is going to be more than access improvements — it’s going to be a game changer for the Chicago Southland in terms of providing congestion relief and economic opportunities,” said Illinois Tollway interim Executive Director Lanyea Griffin.
As part of the project, the Tollway will construct a new ramp connecting northbound I-294 to 88th/Cork Avenue and a new ramp connecting 88th/Cork Avenue to southbound
I-294.
In addition, the Tollway will widen the 88th/Cork Avenue Bridge over I-294 to provide a southbound left turn lane, as well as additional pedestrian and bicycle access, noise walls and drainage and lighting improvements.
According to Wasowicz, other benefits will include creating much improved truck access to a CSX Railroad intermodal yard in Bedford Park, reducing out of direction travel and impact on adjacent communities, reducing congestion, and fostering economic development and job creation in the southwest region.
He said the project has already generated development in Justice, including a new 10,000-square-foot shopping center, a 2,700-squarefoot commercial retail building and four new residential four-unit townhomes under construction and a five-acre development that will include a hotel and two additional commercial buildings, an anticipated $20 million investment currently in the permitting phase.
Salina’s Pizza correction
Original Salina’s Pizza and Catering owners Neal Hummitsch and Don Jaros sold the business in Tinley Park in December 2019 and that new owner opened the second location in Frankfort and subsequently shut down the Tinley Park operation.