Long waits at 111th Street and Roberts Road are now a thing of the past. The city celebrated the long-planned intersection upgrades Tuesday, Oct. 29, after years of delays.
“Projects like this take time and patience,” Mayor Gerald Bennett said at the ribbon cutting attended by city officials, community leaders, and residents. “For those who remember how bad the backups were here, the results speak for themselves.”
The project, discussed for more than a decade, began as a city proposal in 2013 to relieve congestion near Amos Alonzo Stagg High School and improve safety for drivers and pedestrians.
“Those of us who’ve been around a long time know how backed up it used to get,” Bennett said, recalling traffic that once stretched “from Holloway to Valley Drive” during school drop-offs.
The $3.5 million project added a southbound right-turn lane, upgraded signals and lighting, improved pedestrian crossings, and redesigned corners with new landscaping. Funding came from the Illinois Department of Transportation and Cook County, with the state covering 80 percent of the cost and the county covering 20 percent. The city did not use local tax dollars.
Bennett said the work required coordination between the city, Cook County, IDOT, and the Southwest Conference of Mayors, which helps distribute federal transportation funds. The work began last year and finished early last month.
Part of the delay came from right-of-way issues with a nearby townhouse property that took more than two years to resolve. “It almost took two and a half years to identify its current owner and have the release of that right-of-way to allow us, especially for the right-hand turn, to take place,” Bennett said.
He credited Burke Engineering, C.S. Construction, Thornton’s, and the city’s Public Works Department, which built the decorative corner monuments, for bringing the project to completion.
“This intersection represents a major improvement for Palos Hills,” Bennett said. “It’s not just the traffic flow but the look of it — it’s a gateway to the city.”
The intersection carries daily traffic to Stagg High School and Moraine Valley Community College, which together draw nearly 18,000 students and staff. Bennett said the changes have already eased congestion and made crossings safer.
He thanked Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church, New Beginnings Church, and District 230 for their cooperation during construction, noting that “these kinds of projects take cooperation and patience.”
Bennett said projects of this scale depend on coordination among multiple agencies and community support. “For us to make a major improvement to this community with fully funded monies helps us keep our costs down and operate government responsibly,” he said.
“I want to thank the citizens of Palos Hills for allowing me to be around to see these kinds of dreams come true,” Bennett said.
