By Stephanie Irvine

The Village of Manhattan is seeking community input to identify and understand safety needs along Route 52.

To gather community feedback, a Manhattan Corridor Safety Plan workshop will be held at Manhattan Junior High School, 15414 Smith Road, on Thursday, July 16, from 5 to 7:30 p.m.

The open-house style event “aims to identify opportunities to enhance safety for all users — drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists along one of the community’s most important transportation corridors.”

Route 52 runs right through the Village of Manhattan and its downtown, serving as a major thoroughfare for vehicle and freight traffic, as well as pedestrian and bicycle traffic.

The workshop is part of a larger initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Program, which selected Manhattan to receive a $100,000 Planning and Demonstration Grant, announced in September 2024.

This grant is just the beginning. Addressing truck traffic and safety concerns on Rt 52 has been a priority for the Village Board,” said Mayor Mike Adrieansen.

“Once the plan is developed, we will work closely with IDOT to implement these improvements and make a lasting impact on our downtown.”

The village formally launched the comprehensive study to the public this past April, and it has been working with the Farnsworth Group to assist with planning. Together, they developed a 12-person volunteer group, called a “steering committee,” made up of community members to help guide the Manhattan Corridor Safety Plan.

The group includes Village of Manhattan Trustee Justin Young, Village Development Director Marc Nelson, Manhattan Police Chief Ryan Gulli, Village Public Works Superintendent John Tyk, Manhattan resident Liz Leamer, Manhattan Park District Commissioner and Secretary Ed Ludwig, Manhattan Fire Chief Steve Malone, Manhattan Public Library Director Ashley Hopper, Manhattan School Board Trustee Barbara Steffen, Chamber Board Member / U.S. Route 52 Business Owner: Dana Skwirut, Manhattan Township Supervisor James Walsh, and St. Joseph’s School teacher Beth Sullivan.

The study examined crash data in detail to identify high-risk areas and develop strategies to enhance safety.

Members of the steering committee will be present during the open house, and the village encourages the community to attend and provide their input on potential safety improvements.

The Y-intersection at North Street has already proven to be problematic, and after a fatal accident involving a 13-year-old Manhattan boy, Chase Hunnicutt, the village worked with IDOT to install stop signs at the intersection.

Still, the village is considering additional measures to improve safety not just at that intersection but along Route 52, affecting local businesses and residents.

At the north end of town, the park district’s iconic Round Barn Farm sits just south of Baker Road on Route 52, a curvy intersection that has also had its share of accidents, including several fatalities.

Notably, three young men, Giosan Garay, Juan J. Bernal and Jesus Martinez, all from Plainfield, all lost their lives in a two-vehicle accident in 2022.

Much of the future of Manhattan’s downtown redevelopment calls for new developments on the east and west sides of Route 52. As it stands, current traffic, including significant semi-truck traffic as it is part of a truck route, makes crossing the street precarious.

Holiday and special events nearly always require police crossing guards to ensure pedestrian safety, but they aren’t there on a daily basis, leaving the town trying to figure out how to make Route 52 safer, especially in light of future development plans and recent crash history.

Key stakeholder feedback from the downtown redevelopment meetings included “calm[ing] traffic along Highway 52, increas[ing] downtown residential population, beautify[ing] Route 52, and eliminating a street West of Route 52.”

The street west of Route 52 has been blocked off, and beautification efforts are ongoing. The village recently announced plans to install a mural on the building that houses the historical society near the Fourth of July holiday, and it approved architectural guidelines for the downtown area last fall.

“Community input is one of the most important parts of this planning process. The people who travel on Route 52 every day have firsthand knowledge of the challenges and opportunities along the corridor,” stated Village Trustee Justin Young, Chair, Manhattan Corridor Safety Plan Steering Committee.

“We encourage residents, business owners, and corridor users to attend the workshop and help shape a safer future for Manhattan.”

Stephanie Irvine is a freelance reporter.