Officials: Work on Cicero to resume after cable mixup
Road work on Cicero Avenue that was supposed to be completed in October remains ongoing. The major thoroughfare is down to one lane in each direction, and will remain so for the foreseeable future, and Oak Forest Mayor Henry Kuspa is blaming the cable company.
The restriction of traffic on Cicero Avenue was part of a larger project to improve its intersection with 159th Street. During much of the summer and fall, traffic flow on both streets was narrowed, and there were times when 159th Street was totally closed at the intersection.
Work on 159th Street was finished in November, but Cicero remains under construction, and Kuspa let it be known Tuesday he’s upset with the provider of piped-in television service.
City Administrator Troy Ishler said construction on Cicero had to be postponed because of cables that were found underground.
After much investigation, it turned out that the cables were part of the system Comcast uses to provide signals to Oak Forest and four surrounding suburban communities.
But Ishler said for the longest time, Comcast denied that they had anything to do with the cables. In fact, Ishler said, officials later determined Comcast did not fully understand exactly where their cables in the area were located.
“They thought their cables were across the street from where they actually were,” Ishler said.
That drew Kuspa’s ire. He said the situation has made a mess of traffic passing through Oak Forest’s major traffic intersection – one that’s also situated right by the city’s Metra commuter railroad station.
“We finally have a culprit,” Kuspa said. “I can’t believe this has been allowed to interfere with traffic on Cicero Avenue the way it has.”
Ishler said Comcast officials finally conceded their responsibility at the beginning of January, and the cable was scheduled to be moved this week, which would then allow construction work along Cicero Avenue to resume.
The Illinois Department of Transportation project meant to improve drainage near the intersection and reduce incidents of flooding in that area was supposed to be complete by October.
IDOT officials have said they want to work through the winter months to reduce the amount of inconvenience to area residents.
Comcast officials were not available to comment on the situation. But Kuspa said he will not quickly forget what has happened in recent months.
“One day, they will come to the city asking for something, and I will be waiting for them,” he said, adding he thinks Oak Forest has suffered economically due to the traffic mess at the intersection.
“I’ve heard from people who say they no longer drive along Cicero because of this,” Kuspa said. “That’s where all our major businesses are located. That definitely hurts us.”