Streetlights on Golf Road in Rolling Meadows?
Rolling Meadows will modify traffic light timing to improve traffic flow near a burgeoning business complex on Golf Road.
And it's possible in the next few years that development of the complex could lead to the installation of streetlights along Golf between the Jane Addams Tollway and Route 53, city officials said.
The proposed Golf Road upgrades come as crews begin construction this summer on a $576,000 extension and reconstruction of Squibb Avenue from Apollo Drive to Ring Road, within the office complex on the north side of Golf.
The complex is home to the renovated Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. headquarters. And it's where School Health Corp. plans to spend nearly $10 million to demolish an old building and build a new one as part of its relocation from Hanover Park.
The changes to the existing traffic light at Golf and Ring will involve extending green light times to allow more cars to turn onto Golf from the business complex, and lane modifications. The city council this week approved an $11,750 contract for project engineering design. Cost estimates for construction of the upgrades range from $30,000 to $100,000.
The project ultimately requires the approval of the Illinois Department of Transportation, which has jurisdiction over Golf Road.
Alderman Mike Cannon suggested at this week's council meeting that streetlights be installed on Golf due to the increasing amount of traffic in the area.
Fred Vogt, the city's public works director, said that plan had been discussed with the city's engineer in recent years. The estimated $1 million project would be mostly funded by the state but would require a 20 percent local share, for which the city could apply for a grant through the Northwest Council of Mayors.
If the council decides to prioritize that project this year, it could be 2020 before the lights to be installed, Vogt said.