Major projects destined for Oak Lawn

Oak Lawn residents will soon be made aware of two major projects that will be occurring this year in the village.

Demetrios Skoufis, a senior legislative liaison for Metra, gave a presentation during the Oak Lawn Village Board meeting Tuesday morning regarding a railroad crossing upgrade that will take place near Kilbourn Avenue and Southwest Highway.

Drivers of vehicles — including emergency personnel at nearby Advocate Christ Medical Center — will need to take 95th Street along Cicero Avenue while the project is taking place, Skoufis said.

The project schedule will begin with the lane closure of Kilbourn and Southwest Highway on Friday, May 23, weather permitting. Signs at the crossing will appear two weeks prior to closure. Detour signs will be posted the morning of May 14, according to Skoufis.

Construction is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. that day.

Skoufis pointed out that the upgrade of the railroads tracks is necessary due to the constant travel of vehicles and ambulances going to and from the hospital.

“We are aware that Advocate Christ Hospital is a trauma center,” Skoufis said. “The project should take up to 10 days. The good news, typically, is the project is usually completed in nine days.”

Skoufis added that preliminary repairs were made in 2024 on the tracks but the panels have to be changed because they are “at the end of their useful lives.”

Advocate Christ Medical Center is one of two level 1 trauma centers in the southwest suburbs and the South Side of Chicago.

The project needs to be completed this year because Metra also uses the crossing extensively. Skoufis said that new concrete barriers will be installed along with the new panels for the tracks, much like the completed project near 99th and Central Avenue.

The project will cost an estimated $450,000, Skoufis said. The project is costly but is necessary due to the extensive traffic from emergency vehicles that pass over the tracks consistently, along with the trains.

Rail service will continue while construction takes place. One track will always be open for service, Skoufis said.

Katie Richardson, project manager for TYLin, said that the lead replacement program for nearly 420 homes this year in Oak Lawn will start in August. She also provided a slide presentation explaining that galvanized steel will be used to replace aging lead pipes in older residences.

The village has applied for funding from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. 

The village has contracted with TYLin to serve as the designated engineer and project manager.

The board of trustees will select a contractor from competitively submitted bids. 

Richardson said that the total project will take about five years to complete.

The village completed their lead service line inventory in 2024. The survey identified 2,300 service lines that need to be replaced in Oak Lawn, Richardson said. The new lines will protect the health of the general public, especially children with specific medical conditions, Richardson added.

Richardson said that changing the pipes of a home will take between four to eight hours. That means the homeowners will not have access to water during that time. Water samples will be taken after the project is complete to make sure the work is satisfactory.

“We will be working with contractors to do the work and it will be going on at multiple locations,” Richardson said.

Richardson said that they will work with homeowners who may have gardens and landscaping that could be affected by the project.

Most of the homes that will have their pipes replaced were built before 1986, Richardson said. Pipes will also be replaced in certain schools and medical facilities.

Residents will be notified 45 days before construction takes place, Richardson said.

“It’s a huge investment but it will be worth it,” Richardson said.

Village Manager Tom Phelan did want to point out that not every home that was built before 1986 will need pipes replaced. In total, about 16% of homes out of 16,000 will need to have lead pipes replaced with galvanized steel, Richardson said.

Phelan also mentioned that as the weather begins to warm up, homeowners are asked to make sure their properties are cared for, which includes cutting the grass and overall maintenance.

The village manager said at this time of year that they receive complaints about overgrown grass and property negligence. He said they would advise and assist seniors if necessary.

Included in the consent agenda was the approval for “Quidditch on the Village Green” that is being held through the efforts of staff from the Oak Lawn Library from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 10.

Mayor Terry Vorderer proclaimed that this is “Lyme Disease Awareness Month” in the village. The mayor said lyme disease is due to the black plague tick and that it is underreported in Oak Lawn.

The mayor also reminded the board and residents that 58 years ago on Monday, April 21, is the anniversary of the devastating tornado that ripped through Oak Lawn and other communities.

“We have installed many warning systems since then to warn us,” Vorderer said. “But I just want to remind everyone that 30 citizens in Oak Lawn lost their lives that day.”