Crete: Open House Set on Exchange/Burville Redesign Option

By Karen Haave

A public meeting set for April 30 will offer a look the preferred option for a redesign of the Exchange Street at Burville Road intersection in Crete.

The intersection has been under review since mid-2022. Officials say improvements are needed because statistics show that 63 vehicular crashes occurred at the intersections between 2017 and 2022.

Rear-end collisions account for 65 percent of the accidents, which caused one fatality and 14 injury crashes during that time.

The current alignment of Burville Road masks the horizontal curve approaching the intersection, officials have noted. There is no left-turn lane and limited visibility, and the situation only worsens at night.

At a previous open house, the Will County Division of Transportation and the Crete Township Road District proposed three options: a four-leg roundabout, a “dog-bone roundabout” and signalization at the intersection.

County officials said signalization wasn’t feasible, according to the county, because the improvement wouldn’t be enough to warrant federal funding.

“The upcoming Exchange at Burville Public Information Meeting is to present the culmination of the studies completed since the Will County DOT came to the Public in April 2023,” said Christina Kupkowski, WCDT Phase I Project Manager.

“The options have been narrowed down, and this meeting will present the public with the preferred intersection improvement. There is only one option (now) – the preferred intersection improvement – which is an elongated roundabout.

“The focus of this meeting is to present the preferred intersection improvement to the public and get their feedback. There will definitely be (display) boards at the meeting, but I am not sure about the video. There will be staff from both the county and our consultant in attendance at the meeting to answer any questions.”

The Public Meeting exhibits, including the plans that will be available at the meeting, will be up on the website, burvilleatexchangestudy.com, April 30 or May 1.

“The schedule has been revised slightly due to comments received from IDOT,” Kupkowski added. “I believe we were showing a tentative construction start of 2026 at our meeting in 2023, we are now looking at a tentative construction start of 2027.”

She said previously whatever improvements eventually are made, the overall project is expected to cost between $4 million and $5 million.

The April 30 meeting will be open from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Crete Fire Protection District Station 1, 26730 S. Stoney Island Ave.

Karen Haave is a freelance reporter.