Community Corner
Lanes Shifting on LaGrange Road at 143rd Street Friday
Village asks for patience with likely traffic delays while the intersection is widened.
Impatient drivers may not be thanking anyone for Friday this week if they attempt to drive through 143rd Street and LaGrange Road. But those who take a deep breath, stay focused on the road and maybe find a different route to travel through northern Orland Park on Friday should fare better.
Construction to widen the intersection will be going into full swing, but before that begins, traffic lanes will be shifted on both streets. Last Friday, April 15, lanes going west on 143rd were shifted south into part of the east lanes and the median. On Friday, April 22, lanes on LaGrange Road will shift west so crews can remove existing curbs and excavate on the east section of LaGrange Road at and near the intersection, before storm sewers can be removed and replaced. Similar work will also begin on the north side of 143rd Street and the east side of LaGrange.
Orland Park Public Works Director Ed Wilmes encouraged drivers to be aware that work will be happening and traffic will likely slow down as a result.
Find out what's happening in Orland Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“The single most important thing for drivers is to be alert and not talk on cell phones while going through the construction areas,” Wilmes said. “We’ve had an abundance of rear endings because of drivers not paying attention. With some time and patience the changes will settle in.”
Drivers headed west on 143rd Street through the intersection should especially expect slowed traffic.
Find out what's happening in Orland Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“Where before you had a left turn lane, two through lanes and a right turn lane (at 143rd and LaGrange), there will now be one lane for through traffic and right turns and one left turn lane,” Wilmes said. “It will reduce capacity, but hopefully people familiar with the area will try other routes.”
Orland Park’s responsibilities for rebuilding the intersection are scheduled to continue until November 2011. The Illinois Department of Transportation is also expected to perform work on the roadways, but a definite timeline for their end isn’t set.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.