Oak Park residents who drive, walk or bike along Chicago Avenue will get their first chance to weigh in on a planned safety overhaul of the corridor at a public meeting Tuesday, Nov. 17.
The Village of Oak Park is planning traffic safety improvements and streetscape enhancements along Chicago Avenue that will also honor the legacy of Dr. Percy Julian, the pioneering chemist who was among the first African American residents to live in Oak Park. The project page on the village's Engage Oak Park site describes a two-phase effort stretching through 2028.
The Nov. 17 meeting starts at 7 p.m. at Beye Elementary School, 230 N. Cuyler Ave. Representatives from the Oak Park Public Works Department and firms working on the project will present engineering plans for the corridor, according to the village.
One issue stands out: the proposed 2027 safety improvements will affect parking on Chicago Avenue, and the village is specifically asking for public input on how to address those impacts. A parking utilization study has been completed to assess the changes.
Anyone unable to attend can watch a recording of the presentation and submit feedback through the project webpage after the meeting.
Two phases, two years
Phase 1 covers Chicago Avenue between Marion Street and Ridgeland Avenue. Safety improvements in that stretch are expected to be completed in 2027.
Phase 2 extends safety work from Ridgeland Avenue to Austin Boulevard and adds streetscape enhancements, educational displays about Dr. Julian and public art from East Avenue to Austin Boulevard. That phase is tentatively scheduled for 2028.
The village board approved two professional services contracts for the project at its April 21 meeting. According to the board agenda, Terra Engineering Ltd. received an agreement not to exceed $1,228,357 for Phase 1 and Phase 2 engineering services. Planning Resources Inc. received a separate agreement not to exceed $225,500 for landscape architecture and design services. The board selected Planning Resources to maintain consistency with a streetscape design concept it approved in September 2025.
High Injury Network corridor
Chicago Avenue's designation drove the project. The village's Vision Zero Action Plan, adopted by the board in February 2025, identified most of Chicago Avenue within Oak Park as part of the High Injury Network, the stretches of road with the highest concentrations of severe crashes causing fatalities and serious injuries.
The plan recommended treatments for the most common crash types along Chicago Avenue and called for further study. A safety study followed, analyzing crash history at each intersection, traffic and speed counts and on-site observations, according to the village. That study confirmed the safety issues found in the High Injury Network analysis.
Honoring Dr. Percy Julian
The streetscape component draws on discussions held in 2025 and 2026 about honoring Dr. Julian. According to the village's project page for the Julian streetscape, Dr. Julian was a chemist, entrepreneur and philanthropist whose work had far-reaching impacts in medicine and civil rights advocacy. He and his family were among the first African American residents to call Oak Park home.
Around 1950, Julian moved his family to Oak Park. Before they moved in, their home was firebombed on Thanksgiving Day 1950, according to a Wikipedia entry on Julian. The house was attacked with dynamite on June 12, 1951. The attacks galvanized the community, and a group formed to support the Julians.
The proposed streetscape will span Chicago Avenue from Dr. Julian's former home on East Avenue to Austin Boulevard. It is expected to include signage and public art telling the story of his life, according to the village.
Safety and parking studies, exhibits showing the proposed improvements and the streetscape design report will be available on the project webpage before the Nov. 17 meeting.
