Major construction projects set to tie up several main arteries in towns across region
Some major road construction projects are getting ready to start or resume in the Southland, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation, meaning traffic headaches are right around the corner.
In Crestwood and Alsip, work on the intersection of Cal Sag Road and 127th Street will initially require daily intermittent lane closures. In mid-April, traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction and left turns at the intersection will not be allowed. A detour will direct motorists to Cicero Avenue. The $7.1 million project, which involves widening the existing intersection to allow for dedicated right turns lanes on Cal Sag Road, constructing new ADA-compliant sidewalk ramps and replacing the existing box culvert, is anticipated to be completed by the end of the year.
A project to improve drainage on Southwest Highway from 131st Street in Palos Park to 135th Street in Orland Park is scheduled to begin Monday. Motorists can expect shoulder closures with occasional brief lane closures. Access to residences and businesses within the work zone will be maintained throughout construction, which is anticipated to be completed in June.
In Glenwood, the bridge carrying Glenwood Lansing Road over Illinois 394 will require a full closure at the bridge, which was scheduled to begin Friday. Motorists are being detoured to Stony Island Avenue, Joe Orr Road and Cottage Grove Avenue. Motorists should also expect occasional overnight lane closures on Illinois 394 at the bridge during that time. The project, which consists of repairs to the bridge deck and structural steel, joint replacement and a new deck overlay and approaches, is anticipated to be completed in early September.
Patching and resurfacing of 95th Street from the Chicago Skyway to the Dan Ryan Expressway in Chicago, will require daytime lane closures beginning Monday. The $3.6 million project, which also includes resurfacing U.S. 41 between 95th Street and the Chicago Skyway and constructing new ADA-compliant sidewalk ramps, is expected to be completed in early November.
A resurfacing of Harlem Avenue from 62nd Street in Chicago and Summit to 111th Street in Worth, passing through Bedford Park, Bridgeview, Burbank, Chicago Ridge and Palos Hills, resumes Monday. To complete the work daytime and occasional overnight lane closures will take
place. The $5 million project, which consists of resurfacing the 6-mile stretch of Harlem Avenue, constructing new ADA-compliant sidewalk ramps and replacing deteriorated curbs, is expected to be completed in early October.
Patching and resurfacing of Lincoln Highway from Lowe Avenue in Chicago Heights to just east of Illinois 394 in Ford Heights will require daytime, intermittent lane closures beginning Monday. The $2.3 million project, which consists of resurfacing the 2.8-mile stretch of Lincoln Highway and constructing new ADA-compliant sidewalk ramps, is expected to be completed in early September.
And repairs to the bridge carrying Interstate 57 over the Canadian National Railroad in Matteson and Richton Park have been delayed and will now star April 11. To accommodate the work, I-57 will be reduced to one lane in each direction over the bridge. The $2.1 million project, which consists of a new bridge deck overlay with joint replacement and structural steel repairs, is expected to be completed in September.
In each case, motorists can expect delays, IDOT said.
Providence Catholic hires new principal
Providence Catholic High School in New Lenox has hired Paul Houston, a former teacher and administrator at the school, as principal.
Houston began his career at Providence Catholic in 1989 as a teacher and director of Student Activities. In 1997, he continued his career at Lyons Township High School as assistant principal and most recently was their Global Studies Division chairman, supervising and evaluating teachers and developing curricula.
“I know what a special place Providence truly is, and I am humbled to return to the place where I began my career,” Houston said in a news release.
Houston holds a master’s degree in Educational
Administration from Governors State University and a bachelor’s degree in History from the College of St. Francis.
Trinity Services’ Living Room marks anniversary
In 2021, Trinity Services launched The Living Room as a contemporary resource for some people experiencing mental health concerns. The Living Room is a comfortable, nonclinical space offering an alternative to hospital emergency rooms for adults experiencing emotional distress, but who are not in need of psychiatric hospitalization. The goal of the program is to provide a calm and safe environment in which guests can receive free support without more intensive intervention.
“Although the average person has been taught to go the emergency room when they don’t feel well, it may not be the best place for people who are experiencing a mental health crisis,” said Patty Johnstone, Living Room director for Trinity Services. “The challenge is, hospitals are not well equipped to effectively manage psychiatric emergencies. Most of the time the emergency room staff have been trained to address medical conditions and not those related to mental health concerns.”
When a guest arrives at the Living Room, a risk assessment is completed by a clinician to determine whether the Living Room is an appropriate level of care. After this, the guest speaks with a recovery support specialist who has experience with mental illness.
Johnstone is getting ready to launch the next phase, Peer Recovery Counseling, peer-to-peer assistance for anyone needing help with recovery support and goals.
Sessions last for approximately one hour and scheduled either weekly or biweekly, depending upon the need.
This service is offered free of charge.
The Living Room is open
from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day at 14315 108th Ave. More information is at 708-981-3370 or www.trinityservices.org/livingroom.
Oak Lawn Park District receives $1,000 grant
The Oak Lawn Park District received $1,000 through the Illinois Association of Park District.
The program is funded through the sale and renewal of Illinois Park District Youth License Plates and the Friends of Illinois Parks.
The money received will go directly toward enhancing the Fun and Leisure After School Hours program, which provides children in kindergarten through eighth grade with fun, structured, age-appropriate activities, arts & crafts, free play, an opportunity to do homework before and after school. Oak Lawn Park District staff provides the supervision, lead activities, and assist with homework.
Carjacking seminar set for Thursday
Tinley Park Mayor Michael Glotz and Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart will present a Carjacking seminar at 5 p.m. Thursday at the Tinley Park Convention Center, 18451 Convention Center Drive. The event also will be livestreamed at www.Facebook. com/VillageofTinleyPark.
The session will present information about how law enforcement is addressing carjackings, the importance of vehicle tracking, carjacking trends and how to avoid becoming a victim.
The seminar also will include a presentation by Roe Conn, director of the Cook County Sheriff ’s Special Projects Team, a crime analytics team that specializes in vehicular hijacking and roadway shootings.
More information is at www.TinleyPark.org/ CarjackingSeminar.