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April 12, 2023 -- At the Monday, April 10 meeting of the Committee of the Whole, City Council discussed the Green Bay Road Reconstruction Project. Following a presentation from City staff and the engineering consultant working on the project and informed by substantial community feedback, Councilmembers discussed the scope, timeline, and neighbor impacts of the project, along with concerns regarding the possible inclusion of bike lanes.
Key takeaways from the meeting include:
- The majority of Councilmembers supported the option to explore a bike lane along Green Bay Road between Broadview Avenue and Oakwood Avenue, with connectivity to Clavey Road south via Broadview and to Central Avenue north via Oakwood. Another public information meeting will be coordinated with letters mailed to residents along Broadview and Oakwood Avenue. Only signage is anticipated to be placed along these roadways. The public will be informed when the public information meeting will be held.
- Construction on the Green Bay Road Reconstruction Project is not anticipated to begin earlier than 2025.
- The City will use all of the communications modalities at its disposal to share information about this project, including a standalone website, a dedicated project email list, the City eNews, direct communication via postal mail to impacted neighbors within a designated radius, and social media. Learn more about the City's communications modalities related to Capital Improvement Projects.
- The City will work to minimize impacts to businesses during construction by informing the public of alternate routes to access Downtown Highland Park.
The City will continue to proceed with planning for the overall reconstruction of Green Bay Road. While the possibility of bike lanes along Green Bay Road remains a policy consideration before the Council, the reconstruction of Green Bay Road is a necessary public infrastructure project due to aging infrastructure, poor pavement conditions, and utility and drainage upgrades.
March 2, 2023 Public Information Meeting
One of the City’s priorities is investment in infrastructure. Road resurfacing and replacement are critical components of infrastructure investment. Within our annual road assessment process, Green Bay Road between Clavey Road and Central Avenue was identified as due for replacement and reconstruction. The planning for this project began in 2015. Portions of this project have been discussed at public meetings including City Council, Transportation Advisory Group, Bike Walk Advisory Committee, and other public meetings since that time. The City is currently in the public engagement phase of the Green Bay Road Reconstruction Project. The City has prepared a comprehensive Q&A to provide an overview of the project, including questions and answers from recent public inquiries. Click through to learn more about this project and to read the Q&A.
The City hosted a second public information meeting regarding the Green Bay Road Reconstruction Project on Thursday, March 2. City staff and the engineering consultant team presented highlights of the road reconstruction project and timeline, obtained public feedback, and responded to questions. The presentation is available. Read the meeting minutes. Key takeaways from the meeting include:
- Based on feedback from the City Council and the public, the City has decided to retain the existing dimensions of Green Bay Road. If a bike lane is pursued, it will only be considered within the current width of Green Bay Road. The City has eliminated the bollard option.
- The City will continue to explore the potential for painted bike lanes in the areas of Green Bay Road that can accommodate them without widening the roadway.
- The City is tentatively planning to bring the project to the Committee of the Whole meeting on April 10 for policy discussion among City Councilmembers. The Committee of the Whole meeting will be livestreamed on the City's Facebook pages. Individuals who are interested in attending in person are requested to register by emailing cityhp@cityhpil.com so the City can plan for capacity needs.
The formal comment period, which is typical for projects funded through IDOT, will end on March 31, 2023. Community members may complete a downloadable form (instructions included in the form) or email City Engineer Emmanuel Gomez at egomez@cityhpil.com with feedback.
January 25, 2023 Public Information Meeting
Additionally, on Wednesday, January 25, 2023, the City hosted a public information meeting for which more than 600 property owners in the immediate vicinity of the project received written notification as they will be directly impacted by construction. Notification of the public open house was also shared via the City's eNews. Meeting minutes are available. Based on public feedback and follow-up individual discussion with elected officials, the option for bike lanes protected by curb barriers was removed from consideration. Items presented at the meeting include:
Community feedback will be documented and analyzed to inform a report and recommendation to the City Council.
The City will provide updates throughout the planning process via eNews and the CIP website page.
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