1

-COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Vol. 1 No. 1

JUNE, 1953

Des 2000

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook County ( 111) Department of Highways

130 North Wells Street, Chicago 6. FRanklin 2 7544 Ext. 211
WILLIAM J. MORTIMER

WILLIA.M N. ERICKSON
P, .. ldent Cook County Boord

Vol. 1

ActinG Sup.rlntendent o f Hlgh.oya

Jun., 1953

No.1

By Way of Introduction

With this Dews bulletin, the Department of Highways eodeavors to increase its service to
the people of Cook County.
Whether they live in Chicago or che suburbs, the people find with each passing year that
good highways are more important both for business and pleasure. In order to use chern [0 best advantage, che people need informadon. They need to know in advance of detours a nd other temporary
arrangements, and they have a lively interest in new highway plans and the progress of construction .
It is not enough, however, that the highway s be used with economy and convenience. Safety
must also be a major objective. Along with savi ng time we must save lives or our whole program of
improved highways will co me to tragic failure.
Tbe purpose of this bulletin the n is to provide the people of Cook Cou nty with information
that will belp them to make better use of their highways - io terms of both life saving and time
sav iog.
It is intended to reach the public through 'he daily and weekly newspapers. The editors
are invited to help themselves freely aod it is hoped they will do so.

It will also So directl y to the officials of Cook- Councy suburbs and towns hips. These
gentlemen have cooperated fully in the program of the Cook County Traffic Safety Commissioo, which
is sponsored by the Cou nt y Board and associated with tbe Department of Highways, and it is hoped
they will continue to playa leading part in all movements beneficial to the motoring public.

The Front Coyer Newly lighted Edens Expressway looking north toward the Lake AYe. oyerpass.

HIGHWAYS ARE EVERYBODY'S BUSINESS

By
William N. Erickson
President Cook Co unty Board of Commissioners

Being che most popul ous county in the

Uni ced States, Cook County has highway problems
chat are bolh large and complex. I believe there is
no question that because of rapidly advancing
ideas in highway design and under the press ure
c reated by more and more vehicles in use each
year, che providing of adequate roads of all the
various types required by our citizens is becoming
the major responsibility of che Board of County
Commissioners .

WILLIAM N. ERICKSON

The imricacc patte rn of highways chat serves our four and a half million people Chica goans as well as suburba nites - is unde rgoing constant change, both in respect to use and physical
condid on. Some four lane roads that formerly moved a good volume of traffic at reaso nable speed,
have acquired industrial and commercial bui ldings along their margins so that their efficienc y is
ma rkedly reduced. New outlets must be found for through travel thac once used these routes.

During the last 16 months, our citizens have e nj oyed the use of our first twO expressways.
I believe they are eager'co have the rest of the countywide expressway system completed as soon as
can be. So rapidly do ideas cha nge that it is probable the next expressways to be opened will be
improvements over tbe present Edens a nd Calumet unit s . In fact, Edens has been altered in several
respects s ince it wa s opened in December, 1951. Illuminadon over the whole route has been found
desirable and additional signs are going in. I mention the se revi sions here because it was the motoring publi c that caused them to be made. In some i nstances the need was evident from observation
of driver behavior, in others, the new signs for example, motorists themselves asked for the changes.
I am pleased to report that every member of the county board is well aware of the urgent
need to keep abreast of the ci tizens' needs and to meet them adequately. Naturally, the people who
use the highways look to the county board for leadership in these problems. However, I feel strongly
that the people also shoul d keep informed and interested in these matters. We have a highway depa rtment that is not only tbe largest maintained by any county in the counuy, but it is also as capable
as any to be found anywhere. Our engineers can desig n and construct any kind of highway the people
demand.
The main objec ti ve of this new highway news bulletin is, therefore, to cultivate such interest among the citize.ns of Cook County. It is intended to supply them with informacion abou t thei r
roads, so that they may use them eficientiy and safely and at the same time be able to cooperate
with their officials in planning the highways of tomorrow

COOK COUNTY'S 1953 HIGHWAY PROGRAM

By William

J.

Mo rti me r,

Acting Superintendent, Cook County Depa rtment of Highways

Work scheduled for this season includes const ruction on the Co ngre ss St ., Lake Sho re Dr.
a nd Calumet Expressways, finishin g couche s on Eden's Expressway, 33.1 miles of paving a nd 64.1
miles of resurfacing, including suburban and City of Chi cago projects, and maintenance and improvement of the county's 641 miles of secondary roads.
The county has practically completed the consrrucdon of Co ngress Sr. between Canal and
Desplaines S[5 . Late this year, the county plans to place in service the 2~ miles of Congress St.
be tween 1st Ave., Maywood , and Mannheim Rd. Paving is proceeding under the followin g contracts :
1st Ave . to 12th Ave.
12th Ave. to 21st Ave.
21st Ave . to Suffolk Ave.

$ 1,036,048.75
$ 8'14,846.79

Robt. R. Anderson Co.,

Peter J. Crowley Co. ,
Arcole Mi dwest Corp.

S 1, 327,402.40

Contracts for the last half mile , Suffolk Ave. to Manoheim Rd., will be let in July. Bids
will also be ta ken for illuminating the portion to be opened.
It is also planned to have all StruCtures between 1st Ave., Maywood, and Ra il road Ave. ,
Hillside, completed thi s yea r. In the Ci t y of Chi cago, the Count y has the foll owing Congress St.
s tructures under construction:
Homan Ave. - Substructure,
Superstruc ture,
Cen tral Pk. Ave. - Substructure,
Supers tructu re,

Thomas Mc Queen Co .,
Allied Structural Steel Cos.,
Michael J. Mc Dermott Co.,
Allied Suuctura l Steel Cos .,

S 285,818.67
$ 103,095.20
$ 235,678. 15
S 103,2 19.95

Bids have been taken by t he county 00 the s tructures at Independe nce Blvd., Kedzie Ave. ,
Pulaski Rd ., Kostner, Cicero and Larami e Aves ., and construct ion i s expected to start t hi s s ummer.
It is planned to let contracts late in the s ummer for th e underpass of the Belt Railroad just eas t of
Cicero Ave. Bids on the Keeler Ave. s ubstructure have been rejected twice as too high, and are soon
to be taken aga in. Low bidder on the Keeler Ave . superslructure wa s Allied Strucrural Steel Compa nies , S 101,605.9S.
Work on the county ' s s ha re of the Congress St. trunk sewer
tracts as follow s:
Central to Cicero
Cicero to Pulaski
Pula s ki to Homan
Homan to Sacramento

Kenny Co ns truc d on Co.,

Mi c ha el Pontarelli Inc . ,
Kenn y Construction Co.,
Kenny Construction Co.,

IS

proceedi ng under four con-

798,657.30
S 517,668.60
S 636,144.00
S 497,570.40

The sewer, which is semi -ellipti cal in cross sec ti on, expands from 4 fee t in height at
Central Ave . to 8 feet at Sacramento whe re it joins with the secdon cons tructed by the state.
The Lake Shore Dr. extension, which is scheduled to be co mpleted from Foster Ave . to
Holl ywood Ave. next year , will be ope ned between Foster a nd Bryn Mawr Aves. late this s ummer by

means of a temporary by-pass. The county highway

department, which has the paving to do over this
portion of the state-clty-county project, suggested
the by-pass to break the Foster Ave. bottleneck
without waiting a year lor completion to Hollywood
Ave.
The temporary roadway will branch from
the permanent paving just south of the uncompleted
Bryn Mawr overpass and rurn west into Bryn Mawr.
The county will also build a pedestrian subway
under the Lake Shore Dr. extension at Berwyn Ave.
Contract for this is to be let in June.

On Calumet Expressway construction

proceeding on tbree structures as follows:

1S

WILLIAM J. MORTIMER

130th St. - Substructure

Superstructure

Superior Concrete Construction Co., S 198,841. 74

Allied Structural Steel Cos.,
S 1)9,998.9)

Over Tri-Scate Expressway Subst ructure

Superstructure

Standard Paving Co.,

Arcole Midwest,

S 1)9,219.80
S 128,173.69

Grand Trunk Western RR Substructure

Superstructure

Standard Paving Co .,
Robert R. Anderson Co.,

S )6),677.86
S 134,434.70

Bids have been taken for the structures at Glenwood-Lansing, Glenwood-Dwyer and Joe
Orr Roads and will be taken this fall for those at the Lincoln Highway and E J &: ERR. Bids will be
taken this s ummer for the trunk sewer sections between the Thornton-Lansing Road and North Creek
and between North Creek and the Lincoln Highway, and bids on four sections of paving will be taken
belore the end of the year.
Edens Expressway, which was opened in December, 1951, has attracted an increasi ng volume of traffic. Experience thus lar has dictated the addition of some feature s which were not regarded
as imperative when the expressway was designed. Principal of these was illumination over tbe whole
length. First of four lighting sections was turned on in March. This extends from Golf Rd. {a Pine
St. , Winnetka. The contracts there and also for the section from Pine St. to the Cook-Lake line were
awarded to the Monroe Electric Co. On the two sections south ol Golf Rd . the work is being done by
the Contracting and Material Co. All ol the installation is due to be completed in July. Total cost
will be slightly more than S 1,000,000.
Fencing the Edens right-of-way, mainly for the safety of children living alongside, was another extra. This work is well along, as is installation of a guard cable in the median strip, which
was found necessary to discourage the dangerous practice of making U [urns.
Three contractors are busy landscaping Edens, bringing to realization the conception of a
modern expressway as a sightly feature of the countryside as well as a means of exped iting travel .
( concluded ~n page 9)
)

HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT MARKS

FORTIETH YEAR

Cook County's Ikpaument of Highways

was established by [he Illinois legislature at its
19 13 session. The following year, Maj . George A.
Quinlan was installed as the first superintendent.
He continued in that post until December, 1952,
wh en he resigned.
In 19 14 there was less than one mile oC
concrete pavement 10 s uburban Cook County, in
fact, there was le ss than 100 miles in all the
United States.
Since then Coole Count y has built 1,300
MAJ. GEORGE A. QUINLAN
miles of roads of a ll types, from the gravel and
black top s urfac es s uitabl e for lightl y traveled areas to the modern high speed expressway with its
builtin safet y features. Much of the total mileage has been resurfaced or rebuilt fro m time to time,
and some of it several ti me s .
When concrete hi ghways first began to s pread over the land, the standard s lab wa s 16 fee t
in width, 8 feet to each lane . Maj. Quinlan was first to advocate and cons truct 18 foot pavements.
On the new e xpressways, the lanes are 12 feet wide.
The design providing flared out e xtra lanes at the intersection of two highways was on glnated by Maj. Quinlan. This safety feat ure ha s been widely copied throughout the country and is
known among highway engineers as the "Cook Co un ty intersection."
When Cook County started its modern highway program in 1914 there were no s tandard specificae; on!;: for construction. Maj. Quinlan and hi s s mall s taff, therefore, wrote thei r own and did so
well that many of their specificati ons have been adopt ed by co un ty and state hi ghwa y departments.
Ma j. Quinlan instit ut ed the concrete beam tesc , now standard, to assure the stren gth of road
s urfaces, and he a lso set up tbe materials testing program still in force in the county's materials
yards. Another firs t was an origin-desti nation traffic s urvey which was carried out s uccessfully eve n
though leading a uthorities in the field had declared that s uch a project was impossible.
Over the years, the department has not only made records in technical leade rs hip but has
also practiced the policy of serving the public in other areas re lated to road building . For example,
when express ways were first proposed, some res ident s al ong the rights-of-way were apprehensive
that the new type of road would be an unsi ghtly gash across the counrryside. Lnstead, graded lu,'Os,
crees and shrubbery will make the expressways places of beauty. Although landscaping is a purely
aesthetic feature, there has been unanimou s approval of the department's opinion that without it
the highway itself would be incomplete.
The department which started with Maj. Quinlan and a secretary now has about 2,000 employees. Most of them are in the main oHices at 130 North La Salle Sc.. Chicago. The co unty also
has year around operations in five districts. The se are served by four warehouses, with a filth soon
to be built.

CIVIL DEFENSE IN COOK COUNTY

8y Joseph A. Downey
Cook County Civil Defense Director

Despite recent emanations from Moscow of what may be interpreted as feelers for world
peace, the American people must continue to regard Civil Defe nse as vitally important.
Nowhere is the need of vigilance greater than in Cook County, heart of "(he arsenal of
democracy." To relax now would be to risk {he lives of nearly five million persons and our grear
volume of production as well .

In suburban Cook County, which is organized for Civil De-fense separate from (he City of
Chi cago, the situation is encou raging. Everyone of the 102 suburbs has had a local C. D. director
and other key personnel si nce the movement was launc hed nationally four years ago. All but seven
suburbs have filed loyaley oaths, and these a re expected soon . Seventeen suburbs have also filed
definite , detailed working plans which they are prepared to put into effect at the first a larm of ap-proaching e nemy bombers.

___

Such practical plans, in addition to the loyalty oaths , are required for partiCipation in the
federal matching funds program under which municipalities may buy fire engines and ocher equipment
esse ntial to Civil Defense at half cost, the government meeting the other hall. Unci I recently some
subw-ban au thorities appeared to be confused, thinking chat only the loyalty oaths were requ ired.
This misconcept ion has now been cleared up and it is anticipated chat all suburbs will soon have
working plans on file.
On two occasions in the past year, subur ban Civil Defense ably demonstrated its readiness
to cooperate in countywide fashion. Last September, si rens and whistles were sounded [ 0 discover
whether any part of the area was in a " bli nd spot." The test was co nduc ted as if an actual alert was
sounded, a nd it was hailed as successful by high level C. D. officials who observed it. On April 24,
this year, suburban key personnel participated in the statewide test designated "operation wake up."
While the ac ti vity was largely paper work, the extent of participation was close to 100 per cent and
was, therefore, highly satisfactory.
Besides the prompt and hearty response on the part of mayors, fi re chiefs, police chiefs
and ot her department heads, several thousand subur ban resident s have a lso taken part in Civil De
fense in the co un ty chus far. About 1.300 have enrolled as C. D. reservists. The others have evi
de need interest by attending meetings at which members of the COUnty s taff lectured and showed
motion pictures. In all, this office has conducted 481 such meetings.
Any group of 50 or more Cook Count y residents may arrange a Ci viI Defense meeting by
writing or telephoning this office 130 North Wells St . , Chicago 6; FRankl in 2 7544, Ext. 22 1.

SAFETY PROGRAMS APPEAL TO SCHOOL AGES

By Leo G. Wilkie, Executive Secretary,
Cook County Trafie Survey and Safety Commission

Fifteen children between 8 and 14 were killed when riding their bicycles in the Cook County
suburban a rea last year. In other bicycle accidents in the same area, 2,017 persons, by far the most
of them school children, we re injured.
In the hoj>(' of stopping this tragic toll, a practical program of bicycle safety has been designed by the Cook County Traffi c Survey and Safety Commission .
Most such prog rams consist of passing out safety literature

[0

the children, who, of course ,

may misinterpret it or may nOt even find time to read ie . The Cook COUnty program includes the follow ing significant features:

1.
2.
3.
4.

Examinalion of each s uburb' s bicycle ordinances.

An illustrated lecture on how to use a bicycle safely.
A written examination on the bicycle safety rules.
A bicycle sa fet y lane test.

It is the hope of its sponsors to make the bicycle cou rse effective not only in reducing the
toli of life and limb among the youngsters , but also as a means of relating bicycle s afety to automobile safety. A handy slogan appended to the program goes:
"The boy behind the handle bars today will be the man behind the wheel tomorrow. I t
With the strong endorsement of County School Superintendent Noble J. PuHer, the bicycle
program has been presented to 21,311 chi ldren in 46 grade sc hool s . In addition, five adult groups
have heard the safety lecture which is presented by George Glaser, safety engineer on the s taff of
(he commission. Other schools and parent groups are invited to arrange meeti ngs.
High school students, who are about to try their hand s as automobile drivers , are approac hed
by the commission with another type of safety program. This is an appeal to sponsmanship and it is
conducted by Fred Lind strom, former major league baseball s tar.
The principle of his program is that the same sportsmanlike adherence to the rules of the
game that is admired on the football field Of baseball diamond will pay even bigger dividends on the
highways. He presents the idea at high sc hool assemblies, speaking fOf 10 minutes and then show.
lng a motion picture on safety.

,h,

Both the bicycle and spof{smanship lectures may be arranged for by writing or telephoning
commission office at 130 North Wells Street , Chicago 6, Room 1303, FRanklin 2 7544 Ext , 211.

Cont ractors are Midwest Landscape Associates, Otto Damgaard and the A. A. Cinder Company. Cost
of this beautification program is S 310,435,45.
Paving and resurfacing programs for the year are as follows:

PAVING OUHIDE CITY DF CHICAGO

Miles

Project

From

To

Forest Way
Tower Rd.
Walters Ave.
East Lake Ave.
Howard St.
Lehigh Ave.

North and Northwest

Tower Rd.
Greenwood Ave.
Sanders Rd.
Waukegan Rd.
Crawford Ave.
Old Wil10w Rd.

Dundee Rd .
Vernon Ave.
Pfingsten Rd.
Edens Expwy.
Mc Cormick Blvd.
New Willow Rd.

1.7
0.1
1.6
2.2
0.9
0.5

Fullerton Ave.
25th Ave.

West
Mannheim Rd.
North Ave.
South and Southwest

25th Ave.
Grand Ave.

1.0
1.5

East Ave .
Mc Carthy Rd.
State Rd.
State St.
Woods ide Desplaines
115th St.
55th S!.
147th S!.
Michigan City Rd.
Park Ave.
Torrence Ave .

Joliet Rd .
96th Ave.
87th Ave.
Lincoln Hghwy.
Lo ngcommon Dr.
Cicero Ave.
Cook Du Page Rd .
Cicero Ave .
Cottage Grove Ave.
158th 51.
Home Lansing Rd.

47th St.
80th Ave
Cicero Ave.
Joe Orr Rd.
26th 51 .
Crawford Ave.
La Grange Rd.
Weste rn Ave.
Sibley Blvd.
15 5,h 51.
Tri Slate Expwy.

1.6
2.0
2.7
1.0
l.0
1.0
2.5
3.2
l.0
0.4
0.7

Total

26.6

PAVING INSIDE CITY OF CHICAGO

Project

From

To

Miles

California Ave.
Cottage Grove Ave.
Stony Island Ave .
87,h 51.
Western Ave.

26th S!.
87,h S!.
95,h S,.
Pu laski Rd.
54th St.

Roosevelt Rd.
83rd St.
87th St.
Kedzie Ave.
34th 51.

4 lane C&G
6 lane C&G
Widen ins . Pkwy .
4 lane C&G
Widen north bound lanes
Total

C &: G - Curb and Gutter

1.5
0.5
1.0
1.0
2. 5

- 6.5

RESURFACI NG OUTSIDE CITY OF CHICAGO

To

Project

From

Dempster

St .
Pulaski Rd.

eNS & M RR

Crawford Ave .

Devon Ave.
Lincoln Ave.

Miles

North and Northwest

Me Daniel Ave..
Lincoln Ave.
Ridge Rd.

2.3
0.4
4. 2

West

Buck - Harrison St ,

Roosevelt Rd.
26th St .

Cenual Ave.
Ridgeland Ave.
Thatcher Ave.

Roosevelt Rd.
Chicago Ave.

Maple St.
Rooseve lt Rd.
Augusta Bt yd.
North Ave .

1. 5
1. 5
2.1
1.0

South and Southwest

183,d St.
Rd.
102nd St.

Dizie Hghwy.
Kedzie Ave.
Kedzie Ave.

Sibley Bl yd.
Sibley Blvd.
63rd Se.
127th St.

Wif(~[on

135th St.
lI 5en St .

Di~ie Hghwy.

87th St.
Chicago Rd.

Chicago Rd.

Wireton Vermont

6. 5

Archer Ave.

Burnham Ave.
Harlem Ave..

BOth /lve.
127t h St .

Rt . 83
Division St.
Total

3.6
3. 5
3.5
0.7
3. 5
1.8
36.1

RESURFACING INSIDE CITY OF CHICAGO

P roiect
Addison St.
Canal Sc.
Central Ave.
Jeffery lOOth St .
Van Vlissi ngen Dr.
Kedzie Ave.
Kedzie Ave.
Narragansett Ave.
Pul aski Rd.
Pu laski Rd.
South Park Ave.
Torrence Ave.
47th St .
63rd St .
87th St.
103rd St.

To

From

Cumberland
18th St.

Harlem
Lake St.
Madison St .

Roosevelt Rd.

Avenue L.
102nd St.

95 th St.
11 5th St.

87th St.

67th St.

North Ave.
Bryn Mawr Ave.
Belmont Ave.
115th St .
ll2th St .
Cicero Ave.
Harlem Ave .
Stony Island Ave.
Crawford Ave .

Grand Ave.
Devon Ave.
Irving Park Ave.
Penn. RR.
lOOLh St.
Kedzie Ave.
Cemral Ave .
Yates Ave.
Cal ifornia Ave.
Total

Abandoned Track s of CTA.

10

Miles
1. 5
2.0
1.0
2.6
1.6
2.5
0.9
1.0
1.0
6.0
1. 5
2.0
2.0
1.0
1. 5
28.1

Vol. 1
~

- ... ..

...

JULY, 1953

No. 2

_.

.. ......

_.

,
,

--

...

St,eet from Top of Moln Post Offin Worle in the- fOflt9 found,
Desplai nes Street is Cook County Highway Deport me nt job

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook Cou nty (Ill) Department of Higbways
Under auspices of the Board of Count y Commissioners
James F ..... h.nd."
Fronk Babry, .. k.

WILLIAM H. ERICKSON, Pt.. lde".

John Mackl.'r J..

G.or"e A. Ml I.t

EII :u 'Mth A.

George F. HI.on
Oonl.1 A. Rylln
Clayton F. Smith

Atthur X. Elrod
Chri., A. J.n .. "

Edward M. Sne.d
John J. Tauh,.

William Bu . . .

Con".,
John J. Duffy
WILLIAM J . MORTIMER
Ac:tl"9 Sup.r lnt.ndent of Hlghwoy.

Published at 130 North Wells St reet, Chicago 6. FRanklin 2 - 7544 Extension 211

ARE TOLL ROADS DESIRABLE FOR COOK COUNTY?

By William N. Erickson
President, Cook Cou nty Board of Commissioners

One s ubject in the highway field that is increasingly gcuing anemia!] throughout the
United Stales is [hat of toll roads, and (or the people of Cook Coumy the lime ha s come, I believe,
to give thought to whether or not this is the best mean s of paying for the modern, and costly, expressways projected (or the Cou nty.
There is no question t hat the people approve this new type o( highway. They have had
18 months to tryout Edens and the comp leted sect ions of Ca lumet and Tri -State, a nd I am sure they
are eager (or completion o( the comprehensive expressway system.
The questio n of how to meet the cost is, howeve r, still open (0 co ns ideration. I have re(rained from Corming an opinion of my own. I have felt that my colleagues on the County Board and I
shoul d remain open minded during a period of i nquiry and study, and avoid reaching conclusions
umil the needed information is collected.
Up unt il now the couney's pa rti cipa tion i n the expressway program in which the Ci t y of
Chicago and State of Illinoi s a lso share - ha s been financed with S 70 ,000 ,000 bonds serviced by
motor fuel lues. It may be that similiar bo nds will appear best suited to rai si ng [he approximately
S 250,000,000 needed for completing the county ' s share of the 270 miles o( projected expressways.
It may be thac studies now under way will indicate tolls to be best , and there may be some who will
advocate real estate tnes , pointing out that a rather slight increase on the ave rage taxpayer's bill
would yield the needed s um.
The whole matter is now in the hands of a committee named by me. They are:
Alfred O'Gara, investment broker; Frank J. Durham, insurance broker; A. C. Buehler, President, Victor Adding Machine Company; Earl Kribben, Assistant to th e President of Marshall Field
& Co.; Howard R. Olson, General Manager, Chicago Regional PLanning Association; Donald D.
Kennedy, equipment distributor; Eugene A. Rummier, Chairma n Public Improveme nts Committee,
Chicago Association of Commerce and Industry; Daniel A. Ryan, Chairman Finance Committee,
Cook Councy Board of Commissioner s; William J. Monimer, Acting Superintendent, Cook County
Department of Highways , and myself.
This committee has s ta rted its st udi es. When its final report is in , I am sure the County
Board, and the people of the County, will be well equipped to make decisions in thi s important
matter.
2

INCREASING USE OF EDENS CALLS FOR SAFER DRIVING

By Wi lli am
Acting Superimendent Cook

J.

Morlimer
High,,'a), Deparl rnem

COUnty

Trave l over Ede ns Expressway has increased markedly s ince it was opened on a blustery ,
snowbound December 21, 1951. The co unt that day was a dozen snow plows and a hundred or so
cars carrying the hardy oHicial s and well-wishers who partic i pated in the ribbon cutti ng. On a recent
Sunday, 53,1 54 vehicles were tallied.
Several points of interest are suggested by the record on Ede ns in its first 18 months a nd
by s peculation as (0 what (he count may be at the height of t he s ummer holiday travel. First,a q uick
breakdown DC [he high day's total will be enlightening.

The count was starred at 7 n. m. Su nday and conti nued for 24 ho urs . or the l ota l 53.154
vehicles, 25. 449 were north bound and 27,705 south bound . Peak hours sho ....'n on the co unte r were:
North bound morning
North bound afternoo n Sou t h bound morning
South bound ahernoo n -

11 to noon

3 [0 4

1,488 vet. icles

1,064 vehicles

11 to noon

1,064 vehicles
2, 273 veh icle s

8 to 9

Borh direclions, peak for the day - 4 to S p. m. 3,903 vehicles.

The record day's fi gures highlight potential savi ngs in terms of time , gas, lires a nd acc idents. Ede ns can be traveled it s full length in 14 minutes, as compared with 30 mi nutes on old
Skokie, which the expressway has rep laced as a through route. T hus when 53,154 vehicles use th e
new facility, the time saved amo unts to more than 14,000 hours , which ca n be expressed in a respectable sum of money. Because there are no StOPS on Edens, an obvious sav in g in tires a nd gas
is a lso effected.
Most heartening of all, (he safety featu res engi neered into (he exp re ssway - princ i pa ll y
directional separation of traffic and el imination of grade c rossi ngs and marginal interference - are
preve nting accide nt s. Accidents do happen on Edens, it i s true, but whe n traffi c volume is co nsidered, they amount to about one- tenth of those that occurred on o ld Skokie .
However, the cred i t for a ccident reduction thus far must largely go to the e ngi neers who
desig ned the expressway. The trarric co un t shows the publi c to be increasi ngly a pprec iat ive of t he
facility, but the facc that any accidents at all still occ ur is evide nce that some drive rs have not
realized that safety engineering is useless without safe driving .
When Edens ..... as fin ished.it reflected the most adva nced e ngineer ing knowledge and technique. The Cou nty is at present spe ndin g a million dollars to il1uminate the e ndre le ngt h of the
expressway as a further safety factor. With the safeguards now set up, it is e nti re ly possible to
elimi nat e all accidents in which driver behavior is the factor. The one req uisi te i s for every drive r
to assume responsibility.

'-'"

Edens was plan ned for the convenience of 100,000 or more dr ive rs a day. When a few
misuse it for speed trials, it is the large number of other dri ve rs who s uHe r, not the Cook Co unt y
Department of l1 ighways. Th e i nte rest of thi s depa rtment is ce ntered on the promotion of safety ,
even though it also fi nds gratification in a tra (fj c vo lume that soo n, in terms of sav in gs , will retu rn
to the people the money invested in their expressways.

RECENT CONTRACT AWARDS

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT PROJECTS OUTSIDE CITY OF CHICAGO

Park Ave.
Tower Rd.
Crawford Ave.
Dixie Hwy.
Kcdzic Ave.
Sibley Blvd.

Paving 155th St.-1 59th St. 0.5 mile, Robert A. Black Inc.,
S 171,749.78
Paving Greenwood Ave. Vernon Ave. 0.1 mile, Milburn Bros. Inc.
32,066. 76
Resurfacing Lincoln Ave.Rid~e Rd.4.2 mile s, Arcole Midwest Corp. 198,881.25
Resurfacing 135[h & . , 183rd St. 6. S miles, Crowley. Sheppard Asphalt Co.268,486. 75
Resurfacing Wircton Rd . - 87th St. 5.1 miles, Rode Road Co ns tr. Co.,
203,488.40
Resurfacing DiIie Hwy. - Burnham Ave. 7 miles, Gallagher Asphalt Co. 280,094.65

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT PROJECTS INSIDE CITY OF CHICAGO

Congress St.

La ke Shore Dr.
Ca lifornia Ave.

Cottage Gr. Ave.

Central Ave.
Kedzie Ave.
Souch Park Ave.

Keeler Ave. s ubstructure, W. J. Shepphard & Co. ,

Pedestrian underpas s at Bryn Mawr Ave., States Improvement Co.,
Paving 26th St. - Roosevelt Rd. 1. 5 miles, Calumet Coal Co. &
Municipal Paving Co .,
Paving 83rd St. - 87th St. 0. 5 miles, Ready Coal & Constr. Co.,
Resurfacing 26th St. - Madison St. 2. :5 miles, Hartong & Co. ,
Resurfacing 67th St. - 87th St. 2. 5 miles, J . M. Corbett Co. ,
Resurfaci ng PENN RR -ll :5th St. 6 mil es, Union Contrac ting &
Engineering Co.,

S 219,342. 15
89,838.60
4)4,7)0.08
166,360.2)
106,866.)0
117,)12. )0
274 ,21 ).48

Following projects covered in one contract awarded to Municipal Paving Co.,

47th St.
Re surfaci ng Kedzi e Ave. - Cice ro Ave. 2 miles .
63rd St.
Resurfacing Archer Ave . Centml Ave. 0.7 mile.

S 198,870.70

Following project s covered in one contract awarded to American Asphalt Co.,

Jeffery Ave. - lOOth St. - Van Vlissingen Dr. - Resurfacing 9:5 tb St. - Avenue L 2.6 miles
Torrence Ave.
Resurfacing l ooth St . - 112th St. 1. :5 miles.
87th Sc.
Resurfaciog Stony Is land Ave. - Yates Ave. 1 mile.

S 2:55,585 . 54

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT PROJECTS IN GROUPS INCLUDING WORK

80TH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE CITY OF CHICAGO

Following projects covered in one contrac t awarded to Hartong & Co.,

"ireton- Vermont Resurfacing 127(h St. - Division St. 1.8 miles.
103rd Sc.
Resurfacing California Ave. Crawford Ave. 1. 5 miles.

S 10),)77.00

Following: projects
Dempster St .
Pulaski Rd.
Crawford Ave.

covered in one contract awarded to Arcole Midwest Corp.,

Resurfacing McDaniel Ave. - CNS&M RR 2. 3 miles.
Resurfacing Bryn Mawr Ave. - Devon Ave. 1 mile.
Res urfacing Devon Ave. - Lincoln Ave. 0.4 mile.

S 176,987.2)

Following projects
Pulaski Rd.
Addison Sc .
Thatcher Ave.
Buck Harrison

covered in one contract awarded to Scandard Paving Co.,

Resurfacing Belmont Ave. - Irving Park Rd. 1 mile.
Resurfacing Cumberland Ave. - Harlem Ave. 1.5 miles.
Resurfacing Chicago Ave. - North Ave. 1 mile.
Resurfacing Roosevelt Rd. - Maple St. 1. :5 miles.

S 226,080. 20

DETOURS IN EFFECT

Work under way by the Cook County Highw ay Department requires the following temporary
arrangements :
INSIDE CITY OF CHICAGO

Addison St.

Cumberland Ave. to Harlem Ave., one side closed during resurfacing.

Central Park Ave.

Closed at Congress St . for overpass co nstruction . Detour Harri son St. - alley Congress St .

Cottag e Grove Ave.

83rd St . to 87th St., one side closed during paving .

Jeffery Ave.
South Park Ave.

95th St.

[0

lOOth Sc" one side closed during resurfacing.

68th St.

[0

115th St ., one s ide closed during resurfacing.

Torrence Ave.

lOOth St . co 112th SL, one s ide closed during resurfacing.

63,d St.

Central Ave. to Harlem Ave., one side closed during resurfacing .

871b St.

Stony Island Ave. to South Chicago Ave., one s ide closed during resurfacing .

lOOth St.

Van Vlissingen Dr. to India na polis Blvd., one side closed during resurfacing.

OUTSIDE CITY OF CHICAGO

'-'

Bateman Rd.

C losed between Algonquin Rd. and Lake-Cook Rd. for resurfacing. Detour
over Sutton Rd.

Crawford Ave.

Lincol n Ave.

Dempster Sc

Me Dani e l Ave. to CNS&M RR, one side closed during resurfacing.

Devon Ave.

Closed between Dee Rd. and River Rd. for underpas s construction. Detour
over Higgins Rd.
135th St. to 183rd St ., one side clo sed du ring re s urfacing.

Dixie Hwy.

[0

Ridge Rd ., one side closed during

~surfacing.

Howard St.

Closed between Caldwe ll Rd . and Waukegan Rd . for bridge const ruction.

Detour over Oa kton St.

Meacham Rd.

Closed between Nerge Rd. a nd Sc haumberg Rd. (or c ulvert construction.

Detour over Plum Grove Rd.
Closed between l59th St. and Halsted St. (Harvey) {or pav ing. Detour
Halsted St . [0 155th St., 155ch St . to Pa rk Ave.

Park Ave.
Ridgeland Ave.

Schoenbeck Rd.

Roosevelt Rd. to Grand Ave., one side closed during resurfac ing.
Closed between Palatine Rd. and Hintz Rd. for resurfacing. Detour over
Elmhurst Rd.

Sibley Blvd.

Dixie Hwy. to Chicago Rd., one s ide closed during resurfacing.

Thatcher Ave.

C hi cago Ave. to North Ave ., one side closed during resurfaci ng.

871b St.
127tb St.

BOth Ave., [0 Rt. 83, one side closed during resurfacing.

State St. to BOth St. and Indiana Ave., one side closed dur ing resurfacing.

'-""

Pennsylvania s till ha s 175 covered wooden bridges on it s highway system, at lea st five of
which are known to be more t han 100 years old.

SUBURBS TAG BAD ACCIDENT INTERSECTIONS

By Leo G. Wilkie
Executive Secretary

Cook County Traffic Survey and Safety Com mi ssion

An accident prevention project aimed at correc ting dangerous conditions at the exact spots
where accidents have occurred is under way with the Cook COUnty Traffic Survey and Safety Commission as sponsor and the suburbs as participants.
Each suburban chief of police is [0 be asked to desig nate the three intersections in his
(own which had the worst accident records in 1952. The commission will then send traffic e ngi neers
(0 the scene [0 study and recommend means of eliminating hazards.
In many instances an inters ection can be improved quickly and at little or no cost. It may
be that shrubbery interferes with driver vision, signs are bad l y placed, painted t raffi c lanes are
confusi ng or some other condition that has escaped attention is contributing to the situation.
Where both. hlghways involved are under co unt y jurisdi ction, correctio ns ca n be made immediately. Where one or both are State hignways, cooperation of stace autho riti es must be sought.
However, the fact that attention is being centered o n locations with bad accident records
and an effort mad~ to correct conditions will have good effect. A natural consequence is that both
police and public will be on guard, and it may not be too much to hope that civic pride will operate
to lowe r the accident toll.
Thus far 19 subur bs in the north of the County and 19 in the west have reported their
danger spots, together with the number of accidents occurring at each in 1952 as follows:
SUBURB

IHTERSECTIOHS

NUMBER OF
ACCIDENTS

NORTH SUBURBS

Arlington Heights

Northwest Hwy. & State Rd .

Northwest Hwy. & Dunton Ave.
Northwest Hwy. & Evergreen Ave.

8
3
2

Barrington

Hough & Station Sts.

Cook &. Station Sts.
Hough &. Russell Srs.

9
6

Des Plaines

Evans to n

Glencoe

Des Plaines & Miner Sts.

Des Plaines & Oakton Sts.
Thacker &. Lee Sts.
Green Bay Rd. & Emerso n St.
Chicago Ave . &. Main St.
Green Bay Rd. &. Lincoln St.
Glencoe Rd. &. Harbor St.
Glencoe Rd. & Park Ave.
Sheridan Rd. & Park Ave.
( continued on next page)

19
15
10

31

10
7

4
3
2

SUB URB

INTE RSECTIONS

HUMBE R OF
ACCIDENTS

Lincolnwood

Touhy &: Lincoln Aves.)

Touhy &: Cicero Aves.
Touhy &: Crawford Aves.

16
16
13

Morton Grove

Dempster St. &: Waukegan Rd.

Dempster St. &: Harlem Ave.
Golf &: Harms Rds.

2)
24

Mt. Prospect

Niles

7
7
10
8
I

Northbrook

Waukegan &: Dundee Rds.

Wauke8an Rd. &: Shermer Ave.
Waukegan Rd. &: Walters Ave.

6
4
2

Northfield

Willow &. Waulcegan Rds.

Willow &: Sunset Ridge Rds.
Willow Rd. &: Orcha rd St .

4
3
2

Palatine

Chicago Ave. &: Northwest Hwy .

Chicago Ave. &: Plum Grove Rd .
Plum Grove Rd. &: Colfax Ave.

14
4

Touhy Ave. &: Northwest Hwy.

Touhy &: Meacham Aves.
Meacham Ave. & Northwest Hwy .

17
16

Park Ridge

Schi ll er Park

Irving Park &: River Rds.

Irving Park Rd. &: Ruby St.
River Rd. &: Cullom Ave.

10

7
2

Lincoln Ave. &: Oakton St.

Niles Center Rd. &: Dempster St.
Lincoln Ave. & Gross Point Rd.

17
13

Wheeling

Dundee Rd. & Milwaukee 'Ave.

Dundee Rd. &: Wolf Rd.

13
3

Wilmette

Lake Ave. &: Skokie Hwy.

Lake Ave. &: Ridge Rd.
Sheridan Rd . &: Michigan Ave.

10
6
4

Skoki e

'-/

Dahon St. &: Milwaukee Ave.

Dahon St. &: Waukegan Rd.
Oakton St. &: Harlem Ave.

Harlem &: Montrose Aves.

Forest Preserve Dr. &: Irving Park Rd.
Forest Preserve Dr. &: Harlem Ave.

Norridge

Northwest Hwy. &: Emerson St.

Northwest Hwy. &: Main St.
Main St. &: Central Rd.

20

(continued on next page)

11

SUBURB

INTERSECTIONS

HUMBER OF
ACCIDENTS

WEST SUBURBS

Bellwood

St. Charles Rd. & 25th Ave.

St. Charles & Mannheim Rds.

17
14

Berwyn

Ogden & Ridgeland Aves.

Ogden & Harlem Aves.
Cermak Rd. &: Ridgela nd Ave.

19
16
13

Brookfield

Ogden & Dubois Aves.

Ogden & Prairie Aves.
Ogden & Maple Aves.

13

Cicero

Ogden Ave . &: Austin Blvd.

Cicero Ave. &: 31st St.
Cermak Rd. &: Austin Blvd.

28
18
14

Elmwood Park

Harlem &: Grand Aves.

Harlem &: North Aves.
Harlem &: Fullerton Aves.

13
9
5

Forest Park

Randolph Sr. . &: Harlem Ave

Roosevelt Rd. & Desplaines Ave.
Randolph St. &: Circle Ave.

19
18
5

Franklin Park

Grand Ave. & Mannheim Rd.

Grand & Rose Aves.
Belmont & Rose Aves.

18
13
9

Hillside

Wolf &: Roosevelt Rds.

Wolf &: Butterfield Rds.

11
7

La Grange

La Grange Rd. &: Ogden Ave .

La Grange Rd . & 47t h St.
Ogden & Ashland Aves.

10
4
3

La Grange Park

Richmond & kensington Aves.

Richmond & Brainard Aves.
Kensington Ave. &: Dale St.

Lyons

Ogden & 1st Aves.

U. S. 66 & 47,h St.
Ogden & Harlem Aves.

10

Maywood

Madison St . & 1st Ave.

St . Charles Rd. ill 5th Ave.
Madison St. &: 5th Ave.

20
11
10

Mc Coole

U. S. 66 & 55,h St.

U. S. 66 & R,. 171

32
17

( continued on

1It:%1

paSt:)

23
10

2
2
2
8
7

SUBURB

INTERSECTIONS

NUMBER OF
ACCIDENTS

'-'

Melrose Park

Mannheim Rd. &: Lake St .

North &: 25th Aves.
Main St . &: 19th Ave.

25
17
3

Oak Park

Washington Blvd. &: Harlem Ave.

Washington Blvd. & Wisconsin Ave.
Ridgeland Ave. &: Madison Se.
Ridgeland Ave. &: Roosevelt Rd.

16
11
10

River Fore st

Harlem Ave. & Lake St,

Harlem &: North Aves.
Lathrop Ave. & Lake St.

32
19
15

River Grove

Thatcher & Grand Aves.

River Rd. &: Grand Ave.
Thatcher &: 1st Aves.

34

11

12
7

Rivers ide

Forest &: 1st Aves.

Burlington &: Harlem Aves .

4
3

Westchester

Roosevelt Rd. & Westchester Blvd .

Roosevelt Rd. & Bristol Ave.
Roosevelt Rd. &: I. C. underpass

5
4

MANY USE HEW HOWARD STREET BRIDGE

II traffic co um at the new Howard St. bridge ove r th e North Shore channel shows 10,000
to 12,000 vehicles a day. The bridge, built by Cook County with motor fuel tax funds, was opened
April 28 with a ribbon cutting by President William N. Erickson of the County Board, Mayor John
Kimbark of Evanston, Mayor George Wilson of Skokie and busi ness leaders of the Howard Street
neighborhood .

BIDS TO BE TAKEN ON CONGRESS STREET

Bids will be taken [his summer for [he Co ngress St . struct ures at Independence Blvd. ,
Kedzie Ave. , Pulaski Rd., Kostner, Cicero and Laramie Aves. It was sta ted inad vert e ntly in the
June issue of Cook Count y Highways chat the bids had then been taken.

"-"'

In Bloomington (Ill.) high school, boys who had rece ived driver training had only half as
many accidents as boys without training and trained girl dri vers had one-fo urth as many as the un~
trained girl s. - ~ - Highway Research Abst ract s .

RO~D UNDER
~ON51R\JCT'ON

lRAVEL Al
'tOUR OWN R\SK
Cook Coun!Jj jlighw3Y Oept

BoardWILLlAu
of Co kCounty Commlssioners
.
p;1N. ERICKSON
ESIDENT

SPEED
II MIT
COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS
Vol . 1

No. 3

AUGUST, 1953

DCS 2000

COUNTY HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT HELPS CHICAGO WITH ITS STREETS

BrLo J. Ryan
Chief Engineer of Constructioo, Cook County Highway Department.

Few Chicago residents seem to be aware of the fact that much DC the street improvement
work in the city is done by the Cook County Higbway Department,
Chicago is, of course, part of the county just the same as any suburb, and the board of
county commissioners, as a mauer of fairness to all, apportion the county ' 5 share of motor fuel
lues each year so tbat (hI! city ~oef.i[s as well as the s uburban area. There is no legal require-~n[ that a certain proportion be spent inside the city; it i$i entirely within the discretion of the
board..
The record of work done the last sill: years shows that Chicago has Cared well at the
hands of the county board. When this summer' s jobs are done, the c ity will have benefited to tbe
eItent of more tban 125 miles of new street surfacing provided by the county since 1947.
Last year 54.58 miles of bituminous (black top) surface was laid by the county on 36
Chicago street projects. In numerous instances, tbe new surface covered abandoned street car
tracks and the final result was a brand new look for the whole neighborhood.
The larger jobs last year included 3. 25 miles on tWO sections of 76th St ., 3 miles on
Mor!an st. south of 63rd st., 234 miles on 87th st. between Eggleston and &ony Island aves. ,
2.9 miles on Vincennes ave. between 107rh and 127[h s ts., 294 miles on two sections of I11th st.,
247 miles on Devon ave. between Caldwell rd. and Canfield rd., 3.25 miles on Irvin! Park rd. be-tween Pulaski rd. and Neenah ave., 1.72 miles on Nagle ave. between Forest Preserve dr. and
Northwest hwy., 1.3 miles on Touby ave. between Ridge and Kedzie aves., and 3.07 miles on
26th st. between Cicero and Harlem aves.
In 1951, county jobs inside the city amounted to 32.91 miles. All were black tops eI
cept three concrete pavement projects, each less than one mile in length, on Cenual ave., 47th st.
and Canfield ave. The resurfacing jobs included 2.79 miles 00 California ave. between 55th and
31st sts., 8.03 miles on Fullerton ave. between Halsted st. and Harlem ave.,3.04 miles on Howard
.!!.: between Rogers and Kedzie aves" 6.01 mlles on Lawrence ave. between Broadway and Austin
ave., 5.89 miles on Lincoln ave. between Armitage ave. and Peterson rd. and 5.02 miles on Western
!!!!.. between 79th and 119th sts.
Although .the tocal in 1950 was comparitively small - 8.35 miles altogether, all the work
was done on three sizeable projects. They were 3.42 miles on Qybourn ave. between Division st.
and Western ave., 1.36 miles on Montrose ave. between Milwaukee ave. and Pulaski rd. and 3.57
miles on 111th St, between Halsted and Sacramento ave.
How the amount of county work inside the city has increased is indicated by tOtals for
the years 1947, 1.56 miles in two jobs; 1948, 2.64 miles in four jobs, and 1949, 1 job - 1 mile in
length.
Work under way this year includes 25 miles of resurfacing on Central ave . between 26th
and Madison SlS., 2.5 miles of resurfacing on Kedzie ave. between 67th and 87tb Sts., 6 miles of
resurfacing on South Park ave. between the Pennsylvania railroad and 115th s t., 2.6 miles of reosurfacing on Jeffery ave . loatb st . Van Vli ssingen dr. between 95th st. and Avenue L, 1.5 miles
of four lane, curb and gutter concrete paving on California ave. between 26th st. and Roosevelt rd.,
and 0.5 miles oC si:J: lane, curb and guner concrete paving on Cottage Grove ave. between 83rd and
and 87th sts.

EDENS EXPRESSWAY BRIDGE DESIGNATED "MDST BEAUTIFUL"

By Hugo J. Stark,
Chid Engineer. Planning, Cook County Highway Department

The bridge oyer Edens Ezpressway at Cald-well ave., with tbe large volume of uaffic it carries
over this new, modern thoroughfare, bas been onc of
the most useful of bridges and is DOW selected as the
most beautiful bridge of its class erected in the
United States in 1950.
The honor was conferred by the American
Institute of Steel Construction Inc., which since 1928
has conducted annual bridge competitions in which
aesthetic qualities are conside red as well as engineer
iog efficiency. The award comes to the Cook. County
Department of Highways, which designed and constructed the bridge a's a part of its share of the ScateCity-County expressway pro ject and is the first award
of its kind to be present~ to a highway building
agency in the mia-west area.

Two stainless sleel plaques attached to the bddge rails were unveiled July 21, with a program of uercises in which residents of the adjoining communities of Sauganash and Edgebrook participated. Their pride in the st ructure as a n orname nt to their neighborhoods will be shared, it i s
hoped, by the many million s who will pass under and over it in tbe years to come.
Caldwell avenue overpass, the e ngineer's cerm for tbe structure, is one of 81
bridges designed by the Cook Cou nty Highway Depanment since 1946.

exp~ssway

Caldwell bridge bas eye appeal in thatit has good proportions, graceJul camber and modern
architectural s tyle. It has two spans oC 63 feet and t'Wo oC 51 feet, a tocal length of 228 feet a nd it
cost S 285,000.
10 passing, I might add that in 1948, the first time the county highway department entered
this competidons, we rtteived an honorable mention for tbe 159th street grade separation over
Calumet Ezpressway. We are mighty proud of a11 our grade separations and SHive to design a nd
build struCtures which will nO( only be functional, but will be pleasing in whateve r locality th ey
arc erected.

PRIZE WINNING BRIDGE COMBINES BEAUTY AND FUNCTION

The bonor awarded [he Caldwell ave. bridge over Edens expressway was presented by
L. J. Bodeewes of Chicago, a director of the American Institute of Steel Construction Inc., and was
accepted by Couney Board President lJjlliam N. Erickson. Mi ss Bartella Schulz, representing the
community of Sauga nash, and Miss Marilyn Birkemeier, representing Edgebrook, unveiled the plaques.
The Rev. Loui s Vol bracht , pastor of Edgebrook Evangelical Lutheran church, gave the invocation
and (he Rev. Fr. Francis J. Dolao, pastor of Queen of All Saints c hurch, tbe benediction. William J.
Mortimer, actiog county highway superintendent, introduced the speakers. Following are ez:cerprs
from Mr. Bodeewes' calk .
'Cook county bas for generations been a leader in the industrial, commercial, technical
and aesthetic fields of American endeavor. Therefore, it is very finin g that a Cook county bridge
should receive the top award in one of the categories of the annual competition sponsored by tbe
American Institute of Seee! Const ruction for the most beautiful steel bridges."
" 'A bridge, of course, is primarily a functional thing. Whether the bridge is to carry pedestrians, automobile traffic or railroad trains - whether it is to span rivers, railroad cuts or other
highways - its first and only function is to do its job."
"But designers in all fields of endeavor have long since proved that there is nothing .incompatible between beauty of design and efficiency of function. Actually, in mos t cases, whatever
is well designed from the functional point of view will be attractive aesthetically as well .... "
"As bridge designers learned more about steel and what it could do, they were able to
incorporate quite logically and naturally into their designs the clean lines, the loog slender spans,
the gracefullness which today . signify both good design and dependable performance as well as
long life. "
"To stimulate thinking along these lines and to dramatize to the public what is obvious
to designers and engineers - that beauty and performance in a bridge go hand in hand - the institute
established its annual aesthetic bridge competition in 1928. . . It gives me great pleasure to be
present as you unveil this plaque of enduring stainless steel which tes tifies that [be Caldwell
avenue bridge has received the highest award in that competition in the category of bridges with
spans under 400 feet and costing less than $ 500,000. I t
Presiden( Erickson said, "It is fortunate thai this most beautiful bridge stand i n th e
midst of two of Chicago's most beautiful residential communities - Sauganash and Edgebrook."
He emphasized that designing the prize winner was "all in a days' work. "
"This is one of 81 ezpressway structures designed by the Cook County Hig hway Department si nce 1946," he said. "It was not a specialized project, with unusual time and effort spent
on it. Our engineers strive for perfection in every job and [his prize, together with the honorable
mention awarded the 1591:h st. bridge over Calumet eJ:pressway, are evidence that Cook county can
produce the best.."

A year's round-the-clock survey with a radar speedmeter indicates the latgest group of
of fa st drivers is between 20 and 24 years of age, who drive between 1 and 3 a. m. - Driving Laboratory News (Iowa)

..... LTERNATE NIGHT P... RKING" WORKS IN EV ... NSTON

By Lt, Frank M .Aodr~ws
Evanston Police Department, Commanding Traffic
[0 1952 the city of Evanston won first place in group 7 of the naliona! safety comest. In
addition [0 that, Evanston was also awarded the grand prize for cities of all sizes because of its
safety record 625 days without a traffic fatality, from July 12, 1951, through March 28, 1953. A
traffic safety program which has been followed in Evanston for the past 25 years again paid off.

This program, which covers many subjects and is tOO lengthy to be discussed in this
article, is qu..ite generally known to residents of Cook couoty. However, a new phase was introduced
in 1952 which in DIU opinion is good aod has done the city of Evanston a great service in making it
possible (0 dean streets at nigbt and also to provide wider streets on wruch [0 drive. For want of a
better name i t has been called "alternate night parking." On one night vehicles are required to
park on one side of the street and on the following night they are required to park on the other side,
leaving one side of every street open for tmvel and street cleaning every night in tbe week.
The following steps of our night parkiog program are all covered by city ordinance: In
parking meter areas, no parking is permitted at all from 2 a. m. to 6 a. m. In resideotial areas, the
side on wruch you park is determined by the date on even numbered days you park on the even
numbered side of the streets, on odd numbered days you park on the odd numbered side, and while
the violation is from 2 a . m. to 6 a. m., the date that governs the side of tbe street on which you park
is the date before midnight of that particular night. If one side of the street bas no parlciog for a tldl
block , you do not aheroate in that block, but park 00 the one side of tbe street where parlcing is
permi tted. if a street is banned for par Icing a portion of the block, you do alternate, but you stay
o ut of the no parking zone.
h is amazing how this plan bas worked out and how the public has accepted h. Evaoston
has abow: 25,000 cars registered, with probably 1O,()(X) of them parlcing on the streets every night.
The ordinance went into effect Oc[Ober 15, 1952, and a week before (hat date letters were sent to
the owners of automobiles from the Evanston vehicle tag registration lists, erplaining the parking
reg ulations. On the nights ot October 13 and 14 special warning tickets were placed on the cars
that were improperly parked. On the night of the 13th, 1,500 of these tickets were issued. On the
night of tbe 14th, 1,000 were issued. So, anticipating a large amount of "business" on the night
of the 15th, additional squads were placed on the street. To everyone's surprise, only 52 cars were
fo und improperly placed on tbe first night of enforcement.
Beca use of the good cooperation of the vehicle owners, it has been possible to do a much
better and more rapid jobof cleaning our streets. While it is s till too e arly to evaluate the difference
in the accident picture from 2 a. m. to 6 a. m. , our accident totals for tbe (irst fin months of 1953
a re dowo about 7 per ceQ[ compared with the first five months of 1952. A more comprehensive study
will be made at the close of this year.
Evanston's location in Cook county makes its traffic erposure similar in proportion [0 all
other cities and villages in the county. Our good traffic safety record is attributal, therefore, to a
reputation for strict enforcement and to good educational and engineering programs, which are
carried on aU the time.

Thirty-seven per cent of the grade crossing accidents involving motor vehicles in 1952.
occured at crossings protected by gates, lights, bells or watchmen . National Safety Council

COUNTY' S HIGHWAYS CARRY VISITORS TO COUNTY FORESTS

By William O' Malley
Director of Information, Cook County Forest Preserve District

The moSI remote areas of the Cook County Forest Preserve District's 40,000 acres can
be reached by a utomobile from Chicago's loop in an hour.
One hundred and eighty-rive miles of paved highway either pass through or run alongside
the wooded areas. If railroads in the past have caused cities 10 grow up, then the Cook Co unty
Highway Department has caused the county's forest preserves to become popular.

The (orest preserve district is "the ~ople's country estate." Cook county highways lead
not to Rome but [0 the people's own vast recreational area, where many thousands 00 any day may
find relief from the workaday world - an out-oE-doors university where nature can be studied.
There is a close relationship between the forests and the highways that lead to them and
wend their ways through the groves and into the picnic grounds, go1 courses and swimming pools.
Edens, Calumet and Kingery (formerly Tri-State) erpressways lead to unique areas. Edens
carries motorists alongside Lebagh Woods and on 'north, skirting the Skoleie lagoons. The route of
the partially built Kingery erpressway leads ioto Palos Hills, which, with its 10,000 acres, is the
largest single holding in the district.
Entrances to the sir forest preserve golf courses - Northwestern, Indian Boundary, Edg~
broole, Billy Caldwell, Pipe O'Peace, and Burnham are on main highways and so are the three
swimming pools - Emmett "bealan, Cermale and Green Lalee.
Trailside Museum, at Chicago and Thatcher aves., in River Forest, the only museum of
its type in the United States, is a county forest preserve feature. Here, in informal settings, are
displayed all the species of creatures native to Cook county, either alive or mounted. Elk and Deer
Grove, with herds of those animals, in the far northwest part of the county, and the picnic groves
in Sauk Trail Woods, Schubert' s Woods, Seeger Woods and McCoy Woods, in the far southeast area,
are quickly accessible over ercellent roads.
The district, which i s headed by Charles G. Sa uers, superintendent, is divided into nine
divisions, each unde r a division superintendent. They are hosc-s to more than 15 million persons a
year, who come for picnics, golf, swimming and fishing in the summer and slUing, skating and
tobogganing in the wimer. And all of them use the highways.

Reports from 12 states to the National Safety Council in 1952 showed 62 per cent of the
drivers involved in fatal accidents and 75 per cent of the drivers involved in all accidents were
residents of urban areas. Reports from 20 s tates showed 61 per cent of the drivers involved in
fatal accidents lived within 25 miles of the accidents, 21 per cent resided elsewhere in the state
and 18 per cent were non-residents of the state.

--

The National Association of Corrosion Engineers has organized a special committee to

study the problem of corrosion by salt used to melt ice 00 city streets. Early reports indicate that
salt treatment accelerates corrosion moderately but thar splashing has a greater effect. Where an
inhibitor was used, corrosion was less than where 00 salt was spread.

SECONDARY ROADS ARE IMPORTANT, TOO

By P. G. Robin son
Asst. County Hi ghway Engineer
Besides the expressway and the Coue-Iane pavements which are most familiar to tourists
and SUnday motorists, Cook County has a system of secondary roads toraling 682.15 miles. Of this
total, 31.68 miles is concrete, 484.88 mile s blad top and 165. 59 miles c ru s hed stone.

The secondary roads division of the County Highway Department operates in five districts.
There are warehouse-garages at. Palatine, Des Plaines, La Grange Park and Blue Island and a
fifth is to be built in the far south part of the county.
These centers maintain and repair tbe trucks, snow plow s and other equipment and also
serve as operating headquarters for the 24 patrol crews who go over the roads daily. Routine work
includes snow and ice removal, patching, appl ying dust palliatives, cutti ng weeds, trimming trees,
cleaning culverts and issuing permits for moving houses, installing public utilities and similar jobs
that require geuing onto the roads.

The e.ztent of the yearly program of maintenance and improvement, now in full sWI ng,
indicated by the large amounts of materials required. Thi s year's estimates include:
Crushed stone ................................................... 162,757
Screenings .......................................................... 25,672
Asphalt ................................................................ 503,300
Tar .......................................................................... 189,623
Patching materials ........................................ 59,192
Earth taken from borrow pies .................... 2.5,600

IS

tons
ton s
gallon s
gallon s
tons
tons

An "easy foot on the throttle" has been proved a good rule by stock car economy test
drivers. They emphasize the importance of a comfortable position and good posture. The seat
should be set the correct distance from the controls so that the driver's foot rests ea sily on the
throttle. Throttle linkage must be responsive to s light change in throttle position. The fOOl should
rest so chat the leg will not bounce up and down thus fluctuatin g the throttle.

Drivers tend to be aO[isocial and to look upon other drivers, pedestrian s and cyclists as
obstacles to fast driving. Psychological causes of acciden ts are: (1) inattention, (2) over rating
oneself, or (3) under rating oneself and over rating the situation. - Highway Research Abs tracts .

The installation of lights on Edens e.zpres swa y by Cook county at a COSt of approximately
a million dollars will be completed about the middle of August. Contractor on the two sections south
of Golf rd. is Contracting & Material Co. and on the two north sections, Monroe Electric Co.

In addition to th e paving and re surfacing of e.zisting city streets, the count y highway department is also carryi ng on its share of the construction within the city of Congress st . and Lake
Shore dr. extension and is doing the work on Ohio and Ontario sts. preparing them to serve as oneway linlcs between Michigan ave. and the express way system in side the ci ty.

MA Y CONSULT MOTORISTS ON PROPOSED BRIDGE SITE

The idea that the people who use a public: facility s houLd bave a say in its loc ation is
being considered in a practical way by the Cook County Department of Highways.
A bridge is to ~ built over the Burlington railroad tracks somewhere io the west side
area ~tWei!n Cicero and Harlem aves. Since these through streets ate three miles apan and it is
possible to con s truct the proposed bridge either at right angles co the tracks or on a s lant, there is

considerable room for choice of the site.

The plan und~ cons ideration io the highway department is to canvass tbe numerous in-dustrial plants in the area and the reby determine how bes t to s erve the most people who would use
the bridge regularly.
Unde r spor.sors hip of the Cicero Manufacturers Ass oci adon, of which Walter I. Lerche is
secretary , a test s urve y was run at the Hotpo int company's plant No.2 in Cicero. Mr. Lerche report
ed [hat 100 employees were siven quesdonnaires and that aU eagerly participated.

DETOURS IN EFFECT
Work underway by the Cook County Highway Departme nt requires tbe following temporary
arrangements:

INSIDE CITY OF CHICAGO

Ontario s t.

Orleans St.

Ce nual ave.

26th st . to Madison st., one side dosed during

Central Park ave.

Closed at Cons ress

Cottage Grove ave.

83rd St. to 87th

(0

Michi gan ave., one s ide closed during paving.

St. j

~sudacing.

detour over Harrison s t. alley Congress st.

st., one side closed during paving.

OUTSIDE CITY OF CHICAGO

Tower rd.

Greenwood ave. to Vernon ave., closed for paving; detour south on Forest
way to Willow rd., east 00 Willow to Hubbard rd., north on Hubbard to
Tower rd.

"'ireton rd.

127th st . to Vermont ave., one side closed during res urfacing.

Kedzie ave.

87th St. to Wireton rd. , one side closed

durin~ ~sudad n g .

The following roads, annou nced last monch, are still clos ed on one s ide: De mpster st.,
McDaniel ave. to CNS&M railroad; DiIie hwt:" 135rh st. to l83rd St.; Ridgel and ave., Roosevelt rd.
to Grand ave.; Sibley blvd., DiIie hwy. to Chicago rd. ; 87th s t., 89th ave. to Rt . 8}.
The following roads , announced last month, are still closed, with detours as pos ted:
Bateman rd., Algonquin rd. {o Lak~Coo lc rd. ; Devon ave., Dee rd. to River rd.; Howard s t. , Caldwell
rd. to Waukegan rd. Meacham rd., Nerge rd. to Schaumberg rd.; Park an., 159th St . to Halsted st.

'-"

The (ol1owioS resurfaci ng projec["s, which requir ed barricades last month, have been co~
pleted: ,Addison st. , Jeffery ave. , Soutb Park ave., Torrence ave., 63rd st. , 87th st. and lOOth St.
inside Chicago, a od Schoenbeck rd., Thatcher a ve. , and 127tb st . outside the city.

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

SEPTEMBER, 1953

Vol. 1 No. 4

'~ COOK

COUNTY

H J GHWAYS~

Published by the Cook County ( III.) Department of Highways

Under auspices of the Board of County Commissioners
WILLIAM N. ERICKSO N. P,...ldul

....

J ..... r . "' h~d ...

Frank 8o~rybb
William Bu ...
Uznu~ A. C. . koW

J.~"
kl . Jr.
Geo ... A. Mill
Goo ... F. HluR
Oulel A. Ryu
Cloylon f . Slllll~
Edwlnl M. $/Ilod
Jlh" J. Tuh y

JDIon J. Ouft'y
Arih ijr X. Elrod
Cbrhl A. JUMen

WILLI AM J . MORTIMER
Suporlntondent 01 Hllhwly.

Published at 130 North Wells Street, Chicago 6.

Detours In Effect

FR&nklin 2-754-4 Extension 211

Recent Contract Awards

Work under way by the Cook County Highway

Paving
Lake Shore dr. extcllBion, norlh route, between
Foster and Bryn Mawr avcs.- Standard Pa ving Co.,
$751,907.75.

Department requires t he following temporary arrangemenls :

Ins ide City of Chicago
Canal st.- 18th at. to Madison st., one side closed.
Central ave.- 26th at. to Madison st., one side
closed.
Central Park ave.- Closed at Congress st.; detour
over Harrison st. aUeyCongress !It.
Cottage Grove ave.-S3d sL to 87th st., closed one
side.
Homan ave.-Harrison !It. to 5th ave., north bound
only, south bound detour marked.

B1ttuninous Resurfacing
Canal st. between Madison and 18th sts.- Rock
Road Construction Co., $103,855.76.
Dundee rd. between Hawthorne rd. and Des Plaines
river-Areole Midwest Corp. , $408.821.15.
Burnham ave. between 106th and 159th sts.-Union
Contracting & Engineering Co. , S249.719.70.
115th st. between Crawford and Cicer o aves. -J . P.
Construction Co.. $123.772.46.
147th st. between Keystone and Waverly aves.Orr Construction Co. and Ready Coal & Construction
Co.. $122.643.25.
J oe Orr rd. between Halsted st. and Ashland ave.
and East End ave. between Steger rd. and Lincoln
hwy .. one contract-Union Contracting & Engineering
Co., $115,174.80.

Outside City of Chicago

Tower rd.-Greenwood ave. to Vernon ave., detour
over Forest Way to Willow rd. to Hubbard rd.
Dundee rd.- Hawthorne rd. to Des Plaines river,
one side closed.
Lee rd.- Bridge repair by C. & N. W. railway,
detour over Voltz rd. to Waukegan rd. to Walters ave.
Bu.rnham ave.- 159th st. to 100th st., one side
closed.
147th st.-Keystone ave. to Waverly ave. , one side
closed.
East End ave.-Steger rd. to Lincoln hwy., one
side closed.
Joe Orr rd.- Ashland ave. to Ha lsted st., one side
closed.
31st st.-Dcs Plaines ave. to 17th ave., one side
closed.
Addison st.- Ruby st. to Mannheim rd. , one side
closed.
7lat st.-Roberts rd. to Harlem ave., one s ide closed.
Roberts rd. -70th ave. to ilst st., one side closed.
Willow Springs rd.---47th st. to Ogden ave., one
side closed.
Thornton-Lansing rd. -Bypass detour around expressway construction.
171st st.- Culvert construction, detour over 84th
ave. t o 159th st. to BOth ave. to 171st st.
115th st.--Cicero ave. tp Crawford ave .. detour
over Cicero ave. to lllth st. to Crawford ave. to
115th st.
(Continued on page 6)

Oong ress St.

Demolition of right-or-way between Laramie ave.
and C. & W. 1 R.R.- Russell Bros., $29,758.00.
Dra.lnage
Willow Springs rd. between 47th st. and Ogden ave.
and 31st st. between 17th and Des Plaines avcs .. one
contract- Hartong & Co., $108,861:25.
7lst st. between Harlem ave. and Roberts rd . Louis Scully & Sons, $69,150.10.

R. R. Grade Cr os..'tlllgs
Paving grade crossings of the C. & N. W. Ry. at
Plum Grove rd .. Brockway st., and Palatine rd., Pals
(Continued on page 4)
The Front Oo"er Picture
Now s uggestive of ruins of antiquity, t hese concrete
formatiolUi soon will take lina! shape as the OVMpass
to carry Calumet expressway across the Grand Trunk
railroad tracks at about 175th st. The structure is
part of Cook County's share of thc joh of extending
Calumet expressway southward from its present terminus at its junction with Kingery ( formery TriState) expressway.- Pholo by Elmer Majewski, Cook
County Highway Department photographer.
2

New Highway SuperintendenT And Staff

Wlllmm J . Mortimer

J a mes F. Kelly

\
lIugo J . Sta rk

Duncan M. CampbeJl

IA

L J. Ryan

Paul G. Robinson

who also has been a member of the departmen t since

1925. His duties encompass all activities of the department and also the correlaUon of the county's
highway programs with those of other participating
governmenta l agencies.
Duncan M. Campbell is chief engineer. He joined
the department in 1917 and W88 appointed to his
present post In 1939.
Hugo J. Stark. who joined the department in 1929,
Is chief engineer of planning. His field includes the
new expressways and all primary roads.
L. J. Ryan, chief enginCf!r of construction. came lO
the department in 1916. He is responsible for all construction, bridges and other structures as well as
roads.
Paul G. Robinson, assistant county highway engineer in charge of secondary roads. also started in the
department in 1916. He supervises thc mainte nance
a nd improvement of 641.37 miles of highways.

n..LIAM J. MORTIMER, the new fluperintendent

of the Cook County Department of Highways,
W
is the aecond
hold that office in the department's 40
to

years of existence. First was Maj. George A. Quinlnn,

who was appointed in 1914 , one year after the department was established b)' the state legislature. when
there was less than one mile Cl f concrete pavement
in the suburban area and the expressway system now
under development was beyond the reach of imagination.
Coming to the department in lQ25, Mr. MorUmer
also has participated in the great expansion of the
county's pattern of highways. In recent years he
served as asslstanl8uperintendent. When Major Quinlan retired last December, Mr. Mortimer was appointed
acting superintendent by the board of county commissioners and last month he was installed as superintendent.

The new assistant /Superintendent is James F. Kelly,

Civil Defense Aid For 14 More Suburbs

By JOSEPH A. DOWNEY
Director, Cook Coun ty Civil Defensf!

OURTEEN Cook County suburbs will acquire fire

F
engines. rn:Uo systems, sirens anti other civil
defense equipment under the 1953 federal matching

medical supplies and equipment, 83,432.14. : equipment

fo r rescue truck purchased unde r 1952 matching funds
program. $1.478.36.
Lansing- One 1.000 gallon pumper and 1,200 feet
of hose. 12,503.40.
)farkham- Two radio transmitters and two r eo
ceivers. S950.00.
Mo rton Grove Orl's Pumper
Morton Grove-One 500 gallon pumper and 2,000
fect of 21 :: inch hose, 59,576.00.
Palos Heights-One 750 gallon pumper, $11.526.14:
500 feet of 1 1/2 inch hose. accessories and fittings.
$909.68.
Park Foreat- One 1,000 gallon pumper 513.136.40:
2.000 feet of 212 inch hose and 400 feet of 1 12 inch
hose, $2.909.54: 10 radio t r anamitters and 10 reo
ceive ra, $5,311.76.
Posen-One 1,000 gallon pumper and 200 feet of
1 inch hose, $11,459.50.
Riverdale-One radio tranamltter and receiver and
two receivers and accessor ies. 910.00.
Riverside-One 750 gallon pumper, 2,000 teet
of 21 2 in ch hose and 500 feet of 1% inch hose.
S13,186.62.
South Chicago Heights
nc 500 gallon pumper ,
$7,875.00.
Tinley Park- One 750 gallon pumper, S1~ , 2u5. 70;
1.000 feet of 212 inch hose. 200 feet of I I,:! inch hose
and 400 feet of 1 inch hose, $1.068.04: siren. $600.00.

RECENT CONTRACT AWARDS

JO!;Cllh A. Downey

funds program. These grants just announced, are in

addition to t hose awarded to 13 suburbs last year.
The (act that 27 of the county's 103 suburbs have
participated al ready in the matching fu nds program
is a most encouraging sign of the high interest in
civil defense prevailing in the county. As a n important segment of the industrial area that has been
termed "the arsenal of democracy," Cook county has
special n eed of an alert, well-equipped C. D. organization. and I am pleased to observe that, with the
fin e cooperat io n of lhe suburbs, we a re getting it.
The total value of equipment purchased by the 14
suburbs with 1953 matching funda is $159,606.96.
Half the coat of each item la paid by the suburb a nd
half ia provided by the federal government.
List of Equ111lllcnt

The 14 aubllrbs, the items bought and the total cost

of each item are:
Chicago Heigbt&-I,OOO gallon pumper, S11,275.00 ;
twoway radio, $468. 18.
Clcero--One 1,000 gallon pumper, S12,204; 3,000
feet of 2!h Inch hose and a hose dryer, $2,572.M.
E lmwood Park - One 1,000 gallon pumper,
$11,347.00 ; 2M feet of 0/.& inch hoae. hose accessoriea
and fittings . $3,655.04.
Franklin Park- Three radio transmitters and one
receiver, $1,890.00; 200 feet of 2!h inch hose, 200
feet of 1% Inch hose, hoae accessories and fittings,
, 1,606.24 ; alam, I!trM Jl,nd accessories, $1,280,46;

(Continued from page 2)

tine; Wilkie rd" Euclid ave., and Arlington Heighta
rd., Arlingto n Heights: Central rd., Ml. P ros
pect: Ozark ave., Chicago-Milburn Brothe.rs fn c.,
S4 7.814.30.
Contracts let by the county board for improvement
of township roads:
Worth , 123d at. and 69th ct.-Skokie Valley
Asphalt Co" $4,591.62.
Northfield, Melvin ave. Helen rd.-Skok.ie Va lley
Asphalt Co., sa.130.54.
Thornton, CampbelJ ave.-Skokle Valley Aaphalt
Co., $1.024 .84.
Bloom , Sunset ave.- S. G. Hayes, SI ,931 .38
Palos, 74th Ilve-Krug Excavating Co., $3,946.00.
Barrington, Hawley rd. -Milburn Brothers Inc..
1,674.50.
Maine, Scott at.- Milbu.rn Brothers Inc., $3,862.00.
Orland, 175th st.- Krug Excavating Co., $1,374.50.
Hanover, Spaulding rd.- Milburn Brothers Inc.,
$955.00.
Norwood Park, Olcott rd.-Milburn BroLhers [nc.,
$2,102.00.
Bremen, Lavergne ave., lUst st., 142d st., l44 t h
st., Kenton ave., and Kalmar ave.-Flood Paving Co.,
$6,213.67.
Lyona, Sunset ave., Lorraine dr., and 67th at.Skokie Valley Aapha1t Co.. S4,OI6.28.
WheelIng, Arlington Heights rd .. Kenilworth ave.
and Marlon ave.-Milhurn Brothers Inc" 83,644.2:;.
Palatine, Dewey rd., Stewart lane and Cumm~k rd,
-Flood. Paving Co., $4,779,97.

Bike Safety Program Off T0- Fine Start

Yo ung bike riders under go this prnctlcal te..~ t as pa rt of t he safety I)rogram set. 1111 for t he sch oolil by
the Oook County T raffic SUfyey and Safety Commission. To )lasS, t hey must obey a ll s igns a nd must be a ble
to s teer through the lanes without. dis turbing wood bl ocks laid along lhe edges.

of the new
O
was given trial runs in Cook county suburban schools
PENlNG
school year will see full scale
operation of the bicycle safety program which

last spring. The e nthusiasm with which both puplJs

and parents received the project haa justified the Cook
County Traffic Survey and Safety commission in set
ting it up as a permanent service available to a ll
grade schools in t he county. public or parochia l, la rge
or small.
The bike safety slogan Is: " The ch.ild behin d lhe
h a ndle bars will be t he adult behind the wheel." It
holds promise of bringing up a new generation of safe
automobile drivers as well as reducing the hea vy toU
of life and limb recorded among young cyclists in the
last few years.

SaJety Group InfluenUal

The traffic safety commission includes all suburban
mayors or village presidents , police ch iefs and magis.
trates in its membership and ll, therefor e, the most
Influential agency in its fteld . lL was organized in
1946 as part of the nation-wide poatwar safety movement by Pres ident William N. Erickson of the board
of county commissioners. who continues to serve as
the commission's president. General chairman Is Chief
Justice H arry H . Por ter of the E va nston Municipal
court, a na tionally r ecognized authority on traffic law

enforcement. County School Superintendent Noble J .

Puffer is a member of the commission and is especlaUy
interested in safety for school children who ride
bicycles.
The commission's office Is room 1303, 130 N. Wells
st., Chicago 6. School principals o r civic groups wishing presentations of the bicycle program may communicat e with Leo G. Wilkie, executive secretary of
the commission, at t hat address. The tc.lephone is
FRanklin 2-7544 ExL 211.
How Bicycle Progr am Works
The bicycle program is conducted by George Glaser ,
traffic engineer o n the commission's staff. The re a r e
three stages:
(1 ) Examination of each suburb's bicycle ordinance
to make sure It conforms to upto.date ideas of safe
practices.
( 2 ) An illustrated lecture to pupils.
(3) Bicycle safety testing lane.
The safety lane, which is illustrated in the accompanying diagram , is laid out on a paved area con
venient to the school.
Those who can't pass are deemed un prepared to
ride their bicycles in street traffic and their parents
a re so advised. These children, who are either too
young or too little experienced, may earn their mcm
bershlp carde sa soon as they become competent.

What About Radar As Speed Check?

Growiny iniCTest in the U8C 0/ T(ldar as a mean"
memtllriuy speed 011 the highway prompted the
editors of COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS to go to the
Natalla1 Safety Council's heod office in Chicago lor a

frequent intervals throughout the localiUes where it

is being used wsrning the motorists and thus eliminating the possibility of anyone being trapped.

0/

re"ltme 0/ the potentialitie3 0/ the device and the

experience had with it in variOI~ parts

thWI far .

The following

artic/c. prepared

0/

S ig ns Are lnstructh 'e

the COll1ltry

The signs serve a second Bnd equally important

function. They create an awareness of speed Rnd
voluntary compliance to speed laws on the part oC
drivers even when the device Is not in actual operation. The result is that there is an overall reduction
in average speed and a lessening in the severity of
traffic accidents.

by Robert G.

Schmai, staff traffic consultant of the .~alety COltncil ,

was provided ill re3'p01l86 to thi8 request.
The Cook County High way department own" radar
equipmcllt, but ha.$ not employed it in law enlorce.
mellt. It has been lated j'18ti:md to e1Ja/lUlte pTop~al8

for

SpeCl/

Even though only one stale has spe::iflc legislation

covering the use of radar. the device is being used in
more than 20 states. When the legislature met this
year, Maryland enscted a statute that authorizes
speed of a motor vehicle to be proven by means of devices using radio-mlcro-waves. Similar hills were introduced In a number of states this year, but were not
vote:;!. into law.

rcgltlation Ori3i"g ill local arcas, and i8

a vedlable lor this purpose on r eq!(C8t by any s"burb.

Write or telephone Leo G. Wilkie, executive secretary,

Cook County Tra./fic Survey and Salety commusion,
Toom 1303, 130 N. Welz., st., Chicago 6; phone
FRanklin 2-7544, ext . 21e,

Good Re..'mJts In Ga ry

HAT is radar? How does it work? How accurate

is it ? Will it stand up in cou rt ? Will It help

W
reduce our accident cxperience?

A good example, close st hand . of what can be done

with radar will be found in the city of Gary. Indiana.
For a great number of years, Gary has bad olle of the
poorest accident records Cor cities Its size In the country. Late last year, they obtained radar and began
an educational and warning program. They began to
make arrests with the dcvice in March of this year.
Now let's compare the accident record for the city for
this year with their record for 1951 and 1952.

Questions, such as the ones abovc, started to pour

lnte. our offices about two years ago. Becausc interest
in this scientific device was running very high. we
conducted a survey in an attempt to Icarn all WI! could
about this comparatively new enforcement tool.
Through the cooperation of police departments
throughout the country. we gained a wealth of information and feci that we can answer the questions
that are set out above.
The Electro-Matie Speed Meter, o r radar as it is
more commonly called, is an electronic apparatus that
can measure speeds up to 100 miles per hour with a
guaranteed accuracy within 2 miles per hour throughout the entire range. We will not attempt to explain
the technical opcration of the machine. but can tell
you that it is not affected by weather a nd can be used
day or night.

During the first 6 months of this year, Gary has recorded 6 traffic deaths. as against 21 in the first 6
months of 1951 and 23 in the first 6 months of 1952.
We believe this type of record is the best evidence
that can be presented to support our belief that rndar
has s very definite place in the field oC traffic law
enforcement.

Public Bellens Ra da r
In addition to approximately 100 city and state
agencies that are using radar for enfor cement. there
are a countless number of agencies that are using it
for engineering and educational purposes. Wher e it is
being used for the enforcement of speed regulations.
the city Cathers. courts. and police are enthusi89tic
about the fln e results obtained. Simple demonstrations followed by a period of oral and written warnings have prompted the general public in these jurisdictions to demlllld that speed a rrests be made by
radar, rather than the less accurate method of pacing
or clocking by a squad car or motorcycle. The public
will not dispute the accuracy of radar, but will delight
in arguing with any officer who has "clocked" them.
In the past, the only argument against the use of
radar has been the cry of "speed trap" sent up by
some motor clubs and defense attorneys. This cry
has been slowly but surely diminishing because the
courts have said time and time again that there is no
semblance of entrapment in the entire procedure.
"RADAR SPEED CONTROL" siSU!S are posted at

DETOURS IN EFFECT
(Continued from page 2)
Announced last monlh, the following streets still
are closed one one side: Dempster st. between McDaniel ave. and C. N. S. & M. tracks; Sibley blvd.
between Dixie hwy. and Chicago rd.: 87th sL between
Stony Island ave. and Yates ave.
The following roads, 89 announced last month. are
still closed with detours as P08ted: Bsteman rd. between AlgonqUin rd. and Lake -Cook rd . Devon ave.
between Dee rd. and River rd. , Howard st. between
Caldwell rd. and Waukegnn rd . Meacham rd. between
Nerge rd. and Schaumberg rd., Park ave. between
159th st. and Halsted 8t.
The following resurfacing projects, which required
barricades last month, hsve been completed: Ontario
st. between Orleans st. and Michigan ave., Wireton
rd. between 127th st. and Vermont ave., Kcdzie ave.
between 87st st. and Wireton rd.

Plank Roads In Cook County's History

NE hundred and five years ago thiB month,

fr om bottomless mud and thereby became the marvel

of its day.
Profits Ra n Hig h
Fina ncially, the new road was at. first a glittering
success. Tolls were fixed by law. The char ge over the
10 miles to Riverside was 25 cents for a t.wo-horse
vehIcle, 37 V:!. cents for a four-horse hitch and 121,6
cents for a horse and rider. Two or three years later ,
returns on the various plank roads that by then had
been built in Cook County, ran as high as 30 and 40
percent on the investment.
The plank road era was about 15 years. Those
radiating from Chicago were strikingly in tbe pattern
of the modern expressway system under developmmlt
in Cook county. the explanation in each case, being,
of course, that direct. natural routes were followed.
In addition to the Southwestern road. which later was
extended to Naperville, plank roads were built as
follows:
The Plank Road Routes
Northwest along Milwaukee ave, for 23 miles with
a branch westwa rd connecting with the Elgi n and
Genoa plank road.
South along Stat e st. 10 miles to Kyle's tavern.
North from North ave. and Clark st.. then the city
limits, 5 miles along the Lake Shore.
From the center of the city along Bl ue Island ave.
lo Western ave" thence 80uth to the village of Blue
Island.
In his book Chicago Highways~Old and New, Milo
M. Quaife traces the plank road idea from Russia to
Canada and thence to the United States. The first
one in Canads was built in 1839. New York built one
from Central Square to Saline in 1846 and the idea
then spread quickly to the rapidly developing middle
west.
As commonly constructed, the road was grade:d 16
feet in width and the planked lane was 8 feet wide.
The bare dirt lane was used for tUrning out when
passing.
Two stringers, usually 2 by 4's. were laid down but
were not intended to bear weight, only to prevent
the planks from tilting, The planks were not nailed
to the stringers. They were placed flat on the dirt
in the belief that their weight would exclude moisture
and a ir and thus prevent rotting,

O t he first plank road leading into ChicHgO was

opened to travel. It was 10 miles in length, reaching

from the city, which then had a population of about
25,000, southwest to Riverside, closely par aUel to the

present Ogden ave.

The cost of construction was $16,000. Expressways
a century later cost more than one and one-hall
million dollars a mile, a thousand times as much 8S
the wooden track that rescued the pioneer 's wagon

elank Roads End In Decay

' -. _ . _

__

._

Water, however, quickly became a problem, even

after drainage ditches were dug. Sometimes in heavy
rains the planks fl oated away. The wet wood began
to decay, and before long the cost of replacing planks
far exceeded preliminary estimates. Receipts at the
toll gates had been paid out in dividends and there
was insufficient reserve funds to maintain the roads.
What happened to the plank r oads was set down
br iefly by the DeKalb county historian when relating
the demise of onc link in the Chicagoland system, the
road from S1. Charles to Sycamore:

. _ . _ . _ . ___ .J

Plank roads of a hundred years ago and mode rn

exp ressways being de\'elolled In Cook Coullty(1) Northwest plank road, (2) W estern 1)lank
road, (3) Southwest plank road , (4) Bille Island
Illank r oad. (5) Sout h 1!la nk road: (A) J::dells
exp.-ess way (8) No rth west expr essway, (0) Congres!; st.. e xpres~w&y. (0 ) l. and I'll. Canal expreslOway, ( E) Cs.lwnet exp ressway, (F) Kingery
expressway.

" For about one season the road was a decided

convenience, but soon the hardwood plank beCame
warped by the sun ; the road was as rough as the
old-fash ioned corduroy; no one used it when they
could avoid it; the neighboring inhabitants finally
confiscated the plank and the road was abandoned,"
7

1 ,--, COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Vol. 1 No. 5

OCTOBER, 1953

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

More Suburbs Report

Traffic Danger Spots

Published by the Cook County ( Ill.)

Departmenl of HIghways
Under auspices of the Board of Count)' Commissioners
WllLI ... M N.

Teight west- have designated

their most dangerous
intersections. These are
addition
the 19 north

HIRTY MORE Cook county suburbs--22 soutb and

in
to
and 19 west whose reports were printed in the July
issue of COOK CQUlI.TTY HIGHWAYS. Results of
the accident record surveys from those suburbs that
have nOl yet reported will be printed in future issues.
As was explained in the July issue, the countywide
project to detennine danger spots has been under-

J.~ n M.eklu, Jr .
G'.'II .... ,\:ifl . ..
1l'.'lft R. Hlun

O..lIe l Ryan

CI.yl." F Smll~
Ed ....... d M. Su, d
Jeh. J .

Published at 130 North Wells Street. Chicago 6.

FRanklin 2-7544 Extension 221

..
OEMP STER

ST REET

C]

","

~orn

'-

",'"

'"'"

""

'.

Niles Center rd., also at Dempster at. and

Cicero ave .. sbould be thoroughly s tudied
and tbe proper adjustment made.
(3)

The southwest corner should be redesigned.

It is almost iml>ossibie for a bus or a heavy
true.k eastbound on Dempster st. to make a
right turn into Niles Cente r rd. without
(Continued on page 7)

Too Shllrp Turn for Bus

It was found that a rather recent hazard has been
created by C. T . A. buses eastbound in Dempster
turning right into Niles Center rd. around an acute
corner. This is the bus turn men tioned in the written
recommendations to Skokie a uthorities. In full , the
recommendations read:

The stop and go lighta at Dempster st. and

Q'<

St ud y of Ihl1:ards Under W8)'

The. staff of the commission already has analyzed
most of the dangerous intersections listed and has
suggested means of eliminating hazards. Since state
controlled roads are included in many instances, it
will be necessary for the suburban authorities to seek
state cooperation in effecting measures suggested by
the county Commission.
As an example of the studies m ade by the commission, the inter section of Dcmpster st. a nd Niles
Cente r rd .. in Skokie, illustrates a number of hazards
of types found generally and which can be remedied
at le,w cost.
Dempste r st.. running east and west. is crossed by
Niles Center rd. angling from southwest to northea st. Both are heavily traveled. In 1952 Skokie police
recorded 13 accidents there, all with considerable
property damage but none, fortunately , with injuries
to persons.
Traffic engineers sent out by the commission found
stop and go Lights, signs on both roads posting 35
m. p. h. spero. and signs warning of an important
intersection ahead Installed fo r northbound Niles Center rd. traffic at the approach to Dempster and for
east bound Demps ter st. traffic just east of Niles Center rd. at the approach to Skokie blvd .

( 2)

T o~by

MORT1MER
SUJ IM"ndonl 0' HlglI ..... yl

neering technique in a corrective program. This

commission was organized in 1946 as a part of the
nationwide post-war safety campaign by President
William N. Erickson of the board of county commissioners, who remains as president of the commission.
Members are other county officers whose duties pertain to highway safety education. engineering or enforcement, and affiliated actively are the officials of
all Cook county cities and villages. Thus. it is potentia.lly an agency of great influence in all stages
ot countywide traffic safety drive.

Install slow junction 58 sign on Niles Center

rd. north of Dempster st. for southwest
bound traffic.

Prl . ldlnl

WILLI ... ", J.

taken by the Cook County Traffic Survey and Safety

commission with the view of applying traffic engi-

(1)

ERICKSON ,

Jom" F . ... . hndu

Fruk B.~rYI.ke
Wlrrlam Bu ...
Errnbllh .... Cuhy
John J. Dully
... rthur X. Elrod
Chrl . t ... . J oU""

The Picture On the Cover

Paving Congress st. through Maywood as observed

from the 17th ave. overpass. Construction of the expressway between 1st ave. and Wolf rd .. including
structures and a ll other featureS, is onc o f the sections assigned to Cook county. Other agenCies participating in the project are the city of Chicago and
state of Dlinois,

--

'-"

. County's Highways Planned By Specialists

'--'

lingo J . Stark, chief cnglneer of planning of the Cook Connty mlo:hWD~' OeJ)srtment. and his
s tarr s tlldJ' a IIHHlcl of the Co ngr e..,",s st.. cXllres!'way. FrOIll left to rig ht-WIlliam T. Ly nch, drllinage Ilnd utilit y eng ineer; Mr. S tark ; lIaro1d A. P ollock, highway design e ng ineer; Milton 10' , Page.
brid ge design enginee r; .<\.ndrew V. Plumme r, BS$istllnt chief enginee r of planning . a nd Allen J .
n amlltOIl. location engincer.

HE COOK COUNTY Highway department is reT

spollsible for
planning, construction and main
tenance of v3.l'ious routes in Cook county that a rc

grade separations. the ingress and egress to the expressway is controlled by interchanges.
The development of the expressway system in Cook
county is progressing according to schedule and some
sections have been open to traIrtc while others are in
various stages of construction or design.
Primary road planning consists at the preparation
of contract plans fo r proposed bridges, grade separalions, paving. grading and drainage on the pri mary
and secondary system. ,
Contract plans for seven structures at $1,000,000
and four a nd one-half milea of portland cement concrete pavement at $1,100.000.00 were completed this
year.
An extensive resul"facing pr ogram was initiated
consisting of ninety miles of streets resurfaced with
bituminous concretc at a cost of $3,700,000,00 Ln the
preparation of the plans for this program, field surveys
of the existing streets and pavement examination were
made in determining the design policy. What was
once a poor street, with abandoned street car rails.
is now a four or six lane smooth traffic carrier.
The planning djvision prepares contract plans (or
improvements totaling approximately S20.000.000 a
year with an engineering force consisting of 29
employees.

l he

designated as atate a id routes. At present there a rc

1,733 miles of state nid roads, and of these 680 a rc
under county jurisdiclion for maintenance.
Hugo J. StRI'k is Chief Enginec.r of Planning, A. V
PlUmmer is Assistant Chief Engineer of Planning.
The planning djvision prepares the plans. specifications. and estimates for the construction of expressways and primary roads in the county. The di\'ision
is made UI) of severaJ departments; namely, surveys,
soils, traffic. architectural est imating, location. bridge
deaign. road design. dro inage, utilities and ls.ndscaping. Each has a distinct service to perform in the
preparation of the contract plans.
In the prepar ation of the plans. preliminary locs
tion studies and eeonomlc analy~s of various routes
are made. Field surveys, aerial photographs. traffic
data. and soil borings assist in determining the localion of the highway or expressway.
An expressway is s modcrn highway with built-in
safety. Th irty-five percent of the accidents that
normally oceur are eliminated due to these built-in
safety features. Opposing traffic is separated by a
parkway, cross traffic is completely eliminated by
3

End of Foster Ave. Bottleneck In Sight

By JA)IES

fo~.

fue l tax Cunds. The construction contract was let by

the city lost month. The job is to be completed next
year a nd may be expedited by advancing the steel
supplier's rolling dates.
Whe n t he over pass is completed and in use, northbound motorists wishing to turn into Bryn Mawr will
exit Crom the drive on a c urving ramp passing under
the structu re. Southbound traffic entering at Bryn
Mawr will then use the samc connection that is now
being readied for use in December.

K ELLY

A-;slsta nt Supe rintendent.. Cook Co unty

H ighway OCIIsrtmell t

OR THE

~'1ANY

thousands of motorists who enter

Fand leave tbe North Oute r Drh"e through the Foster

ave. bottle neck, relief is in sight.

Work under way by lhe Cook County Highway

department will SOOIl provide Ill! additional outlet
at Bry n Ma wr ave. This will immediately divert
about half the volume of traffic now using Foster a nd
will continue to case morning snd evening rush hour
jams until completion of the drive extension to Hollywood ave.
The pavement connecting the drive with Bryn Mawr
ave is Rchcdu lcd to be ready for use. Dec. 15.
The enUre project to Holl ywood ave. will probably
bl:' finish Pd late next year.
When the Bryn Mawr connection is placed in usc,
it is expected that , for the most part, Foster ave. will
be used only by traffic originating a long that avenue
a nd tributary streets. Motorists from the north who
115e Sherldtlll rd. and those from the northwest who
enter Sheridan r d. at Bryn Mawr and continue on
south to swell the (low through Foster ave. will enter
the driv(' directly at Bry n Mawr.

8ryn )J owr to be Widened

As part of the speeded up program, Bryn Mawr will
be widened east of Sheridan rd. from its present 48
feet to 116 feet . The new SI)8ee has been obtained
by the acquisition and wrecking of the residence
di rectly north of the Edgewater Beach apartments.
The adVaJ1Ce stage of construction will provide four
12-oot lanes. with a 52-fool median strip, connecting
Bryn Mawr and the drive. South of the junction.
motorists will use the pavcment now in counle of
construction.
The extension is 4.977.90 feet in length from where
it Icaves the pres ~nt drive to its junction with Sheridan
road at Hollywood Avc nue. It will provide four 12foot lancs In each direction, with a 30-foot media n
strip. A continuous stabilized shoulder 11 feet in
width on each side of each set of four lanes will
a1ro rd refuge for mo torists in trouble.
The pavement will consist of a 15-inch sub base of
granular material, an 8-inch base of crushed stone.
3 inches of bituminous concrete binder and 1 12 inches
of bituminous concret e s urface.

Counl Shows lI ow Tramc Goes

Traffic calculations by the Chicago Park Dis trict
estimate that at prescnt 36,111 cars southbound and
28,962 northbou nd move over Foster ave. east of
Sheridan rd. in 24 hours. The apparent disc repancy
in the showing that more cars go south than return
north is due to the fact that counting is done from
7 A.M. to 7 P.M., which covers all mo rning rush
hour travel but misses those who for some reason
or other rema in downtown until la te in the evening.
To ohtain a 24-hour total, the pa rk district's traffic
engineer s multiply the 12-hour count by 1.458. a
formula they have worked out on long eXI>erience.
By the time the extension is complet ed, it is calc lilated that nonnal 24-hour traffic will have increased
from the present 66,063 cars in both directions to
79.840. This volume is expected to d istribute itself
th rough the three connections- Foster, Bryn Mawr,
and Hollywood- as foll ows:
Fostcr-South. 18,150; north, 14,500.
Bryn Mawr- South, 6.220 : north, 6,000.
Holl ywood- South, 18,770 : no rth, 16,200.

City to Build O \'(~rpas~

The decision to construct the Bryn Mawr connection in advance of the time table Cor the entire project
was r eached by the county highway department last
spring, when it appeared that delayed delivery of
steel would postpone completion of the extension
by a year. The needed steel is for the g rade scparation structure at Bryn Ms wr which will carry main
drive traffic over the turn into Bryn Mawr for north
bound cars.
This bridge is to be built by the city of Chicago,
which , like Cook county, is one of four govcrnmental
units joi ning in the extension project , each building
specified sections a nd financing the work with motor

Time Tahle Go\'ern~ Job

Work is proceeding unde r a time ta ble approved at
a pre-constnlction conference of the participating
governmenta l agencies with the contractor, the Standard Paving compa)'. The agencies are the lllinois
Stale Highway department, the city of Chicago, Chicago Pnrk District and t he COOK County Highway
departmen t. Thc county has been assig ned the extension paving job. ] t is proceeding under superviSion
of L . J . Ryan, chie f engineer of construction, who
drafted the time table, which was approved by the
other agcncics a nd the contractor.
Under t his schedule, two crews a re now working
on the 36-inch sewe r, with catch basins and conn ections, which wiU drain t he extcnsion right-of-way.
Wo rking a s ix day week. they arc to ha"' their job
completed October 15.
Work is also under way on the crus hed stone base,
which is to be completed Nov. 15 : the electric lig hting
installation , scheduled to be completed Dec. 31, a nd
curb and gutter construction, scheduled for completion
Nov. 1.
Spreading the bituminous concrete surface is scheduled to start Nov. 15, which will permit opening the
route to Bryn Mawr Dec. 15, unless severe wea the r
interferes.
The county also has the job of constructing a pedestrian underpass 175 feet in length. This subway will
l>ermit bathers and hikers from t he Edgewater Beach
hotel and Its neighborhood to reach the beach beyond
the extended drive.

Extension Job Put On Dec. 15 Ti me Table

Presidcnt Erickson of the Co unt~ Ronrt! and hig-Illmy delmrtmc nl engineers lind work proceed.
ing ahead of schedule on the north e..x te nsioll of the Oute r Drive. In th e g rollll, left 10 right . are.
J.~ rllie Presto, the hig hwl\;\, department's cnginee roll the job ; L. J . H)'an. chief cngill cer of construction ; Andrew V. Plumme r, assistant. chief engineer of IlJanning; President Ericksoll ; Ral!lh Kailian.
trunsit 1II1l1I. and. modestly Ilosect behind the instrument mun 's elbow, J ohn Sc.hubn, assis tant ch ief
engineer of construction. The;r arc stlluding just below the g rade 011 which IJa\'lng is being rus hed
so the exlclI!Oioll ma)' be IIsetl as far as Bry n Mawr " ,'e. this )'cll r. The new Imn~llI ent will conllecj
the drive with Sheridan rd. at the Edg'ewate r B each allRrtlllPllt.., which is to be seen between the
t wo fi g-Ilres lit t h e left of the g roIlJ).

to t he region, which are of vast importance," Aldrich stated. He said the follo wing conclusions were
warranted:
"( I ) The economic benefits to the motorist from
his investment in fr eeways are direct and substantial;
( 2 ) there are large benefi ts to the region . which are
as real. UlOugh not so easy to evaluate: (3) heavily
used freewa ys in congested ur ba n a reas, while much
more expensive to Rcq uire and construct, pay for
themselves mor e quickly than lower cost freeways
in areas of less intense traffic demand,"

Ex pressways Save Money

Economic savings effected by the modern freeway,

or expressway, have been found by the Los Angeles
Metropolitan Traffic association to amount to 2 cents
per vehicle mile on the average.
In an article by Lloyd Aldrich quoted by Highway
Resear ch Abstracts, t.he savings are it.emized as fo llows:
Gasoline savings _.... . ................. O.33c
Maintenance cost. savings due to elimina tion
of st.op and go travel ................. O.24c
Accident savings ....................... O.56c
Time savings (Commercial vehicles only) .. O.87e
"In a ddition to these rema rk able direct benefits to
the motorists, we have also the uncvaluated benefit.s

Fewer Qllr Ffl lIllre~

American motorists had 13 per cent :ess trouble
last y ear than in 1951 from such assorted ailments as
tire, battery and ignition troubles, getting stuck in
the mud, running out of gas and locking themselves
out of their cars, according to the American Automobile Association.

Traffic Count Key To Highways of Future

By .l OHN T . N A GEL.
T raffic E ngineer . Cook County IIIg hw,,), Depa rt ment

Thesc factors a re obtained by taking a series of

manual counts at selectcd times and places. These

lNeE 1939. the 'fraffic Engineering Division of the

Cook County ffighway Department bas been con
ducting traffic counts. Undoubtedly many people ha\le
wondered about that little black rubber tube stretched
across the road. This is the only part of the portable
traffic counter which yOll arc able to see 89 you drive
down the road. Th is tube is connected to a pneumatic
recorder capable of registering 1800 axle impulses
per minute. Every two impulses r eg!8ter one vehicle.
At 15 minute intervals Ii cumulative total and the
time are registered on a paper tape and at one hour
intervals the hourly total is recorded and the counter
r esets to zero. The power is supplied by hattery,
whi ch under normal condiUons will count approxl.
mately three million vehicles.
The r ecords obtained from these counts have proved
0. valuable asset in planning and designing safe high.
ways. Jus t ification for traffic control devices, slop
signs, lighting and assistance in the planning of new
highways and expressways are a few of the important
applications of traffic volume counts.

(Continued on next pagc)

New Counte r On f':xllressways

Today we have a new device in the field oC trafiic
counting, a permanently installed counter for multllane-highwaytl. At the present time there are eigh t
stations operating in Cook county; six on Edens ex
pressway, two each at Lake-Cook rd., Harrison st.
(Skokie ), and Devon ave. and t.wo on Kingery exprC5sway at Wentworth ave. Eight additional stations are being deSigned or const ru ct ed an:! 10 more
are planned on future expressways.
The combined engineering efforts of the Automalic
Signal Corporation of the Eastern Industries Incorporated a nd the International Business lI,fachine Cor
poration produced an extremely versatile unit consisting of s vehicle detector pad, a counter pick-up unit
and a recorder for each lane. The vehicle pad is imbedded in the concrete roadway and is similar to the
type employed with traffic actuated signal lights. The
counter pick-up unit and recorder is housed in a
weather proof pedestal mounted cabineL Power is
supplied Crom a standard 110 volt lighting ci rcuit.
By varying the controls, volumes can be tabUlated
Cor each lane lICparately or in any desired combination of lanes. In addition to recording cumu lative volumes o n a paper tape at 15 minute intervals and separate hourly totals, the counter will record the exact
time of any power failure or voltage surges.

l\lIushall E. P etersen or T rnlfie E ngi neering:

division checki ng Ilo rta ble t ype or tra.ftie cOllnter.

l'

r:) ]

Opera tion 99 P er Cent Accurate

T he counte r pick-up unit can receive and transmit
Impulses from the detector pad at vehicle speeds up
to 70 M.P.H., and has a capacity of 1500 vehicles per
lane per hour. Since their installation these units
have furnished a permanent traffic volume record of
our expressway system at less than 1 per cent error.
The permanently installed coun ters as well as the
portable counters record one vehicle for each two im
pressions received by the detector pad. In order to
differentiate the number of trucks which make 3 or
4. impressions from vehicles which only make 2 imp ressions, special factors arc used.

L
..
New Ile rmancllt t Ylle or fra me coun ter.

Where Accidents Happen

(Continued from I)sge 2)

In

Suburbs

HODGKINS-East ave. and Joliet r d. (Rt. 66). 8;

East ave. and Quarry entrance, 14.
NORTHLAKE-North ave. and Woll rd., 37: !':orth
ave. and Lake st. ramp. 12: Lake st. and Wolf rd., 18.
NORTH RIVERSIDE-1st ave. and Cennak rd., 13:
1st ave. and 26th st., 6; Despiaines ave. and Ce rmak
rd., 8.
STICKNEY-41st st. and Home ave., 2; 42nd st. and
Home a\'e., 1.
SUM~OT-63rd st. and Harlem ave., 13: Archer and
Harlem aves . 8; Rt. 171 between drainage canal and
the river, 12.
WILLOW SPRINGS-Archer ave. and Willow
Springs rd., 6; German Church rd. and Willow Springs
rd .. 3: Archer and Kean aves., 1.

getting into the opposing traffic lane and

therefore creating a hazardous condition.
Bad accident intersections reported this month 8S
follows:
South S u burbs
ALSIP- Crawford ave. ootwei'!n 115th and 123d
ab>" 12: Crawford ave. and 127lh st., 5; 123d 8t. and
B. & O. C. T. railroad, 2.
BLUE ISLAND-l27lh at. and Vincennes ave.. 42:
127th at. and Western ave .. 23; Broadway and Ash
land ave.. 21.
CALUMET C1TY- Burnham ave. at south end of
viaduct over Slate at., 50.
DIXMOOR- Western ave. between 138th at. and
Sibley blvd. (14 7Lh st.), 23; Wood st.- I. H. B. R.R.
to 1 45th st., 15.
DOLTON- 150lh st. and Chicago rd., 16 ; 142d st.
and Indiana ave. , 8: 100th st. and Lincoln ave., 10.
EAST CHICAGO HEIGHTS- Rt. 30 and Lexington
ave., 6; Rt. 30 and Berkley ave., 7 ; Rt. 30 and Greenwood ave. , 4.
EVERGREEN PARK- 95th st. and Western ave .
24; 95th st. and Kedzie ave . 20; 95th st. and Crawford ave.. 18.
GLENWOOD-Rt. 83 and Glenwood- Lansing road.
3: Rt. 83 and Thornton road. 2 ; Rt. 83 and State st.. 1.
HARVEY- J27th st. between Dixie hwy. a nd Markheim dr., 42 : 150tb and Wood sts. (Rt. 54), 11.
HAZELCREST- l71st st. and Park ave., i: l70th
and Wood sts., 6; liOth st. and Dixie hwy., 5.
HOMEWOOD- 183d at. and Rt. 54. i: 186th pI. and
Dixie hwy. 5; 183d st. and Dixie hwy, 4.
LEMONT
tephens ave. and Main st. , 4 ; State
and i\{ain sts .. 1.
MA TI'ESON- 216tb and Locust sts.. 1; Main st.
north of 2J6th st.. 1 ; Rt. 54 and Rt. 30, 1.
OAKLAWN- 93d st. and Central Ave.. 38: Southwest hw\,. and Columbus. 20: lOad at. and Cicero ave..

Value of Traffic Count

(Continued from page 6)
as well as other recorda are compiled and over a pe_
riod of years a traffic pattern can be established.

Ana lysis Shows Traffi e Variations

A b r ief analysis of the traffic volumes thus far N!~
corded indicate approximately 55 per cent more traffic on an average summer week day compared to an
average winter week day, and week day peak volumea
are considerably less than the 10 highest hours on
Sunday and the five highest hours on Saturday. An
analysis of an average week indicated that Saturdays
have 20 per cent increases and Sundays have a 35
per cent increase over week-day volumes.
Records so far compiled lndicate as a general trend
that holiday week-end travel is less than that of
average summer week-e.nds. The maximum 24 hour
total of vehicles recor ded thus far waa 53,703 on
Edens expressway, J uly 26, J953. At the time the
highest volume was attained more than one vehicle
per second was being recorded.

8.
PALOS PARK- 1l9th st. and 86th ave., 1; 121st
st. and 88th ave., J.
PARK FOREST- lndianwood and Sauk trail, 3:
Forest blvd. a nd Victory, 6: Western ave. and 26th
st., 5.
POSEN- 147th st. and Bremen hwy., 12: 144th st.
and Western ave., 15; 147th st. and Kedzie Rve . 2.
RICHTON PARK-minois Central viaduct and Sauk
trail, 4; Sa uk trail and Route 54. 4.
RIVERDALE--138lh and Halsted sts.. 24; 144th
and Halsted sts., 7 ; 142d st. and Indiana ave . i .
SOUTH CHlCAGO HEIGHTS-26th ave. a nd Chicago rd . 7: Sauk trail and East End ave .. 5: Sauk
trail and Chicago rd., 3.
SOUTH HOLLAND-159lh st. and Indiana ave . 12;
159th at. and Vincennes ave., 8: 159th st. and Cottage
Grove ave .. 4.
THORNTON- Ridge rd. snd William st.. 8; Ridge
rd. and Bridge, 5; Eleanor and William sts .. 2.

Expressways similar to the ones being built in

Cook county should be designed for summer week end peak volumes. This fact was considered in our
present expressways but without the detailed infor
mation which we are now obtaining.
New ~lea.n 8 of SaJe.ty Ind.icated
At present only a limited number of individual lane
volumes have been tabulated and analyzed. The results Indicate that there will be new trends involving design and safety. Some of the design ing features which will be effected are clearance distances
for entering and leaving expressways and the loca.
tion and placement of signs to allow sufficient lime
for execution.

West S ubur bs
BRIDGEVIEW- 79th st. and Roberts rd. , 3 ; 718t
st. and Harlem ave., 1.
FOREST VIEW- Harlem a\'e. and 47th s t" 9 ; Harlem ave. and 48th at.. 2; Harlem ave. and 49th st., 1.

Our expressways will become safer because it will

be easier to study and correct traffic congestion.
These t raffic volumes correlated with accident reports
will assist in correcting a ny deficient conditions.

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Vol. 1 No. 6

NOVEMBER, 1953

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

\

New Pavement In Use

Published by the Cook County {ill. l

Department

Under auspice!

or

ot Highways

tbe Board of County

Wlll'A"
JIM" F. "'I".~"
'-'ad; Bt~r)'l>h
WIIU.", SUM
U klb A. CClnkt,
J.b~ J. Dub
"rth. X. [1.tII
Chili A. J.""~

Commis~ioller.

N. ERICKSON. ,.,...'01.. ,
Jlh MuU,r, Jr.
0 "1 A. III:UiIr
Gnr R. Mlto.
Oulal R)'III
Cl lyt. . F .
EcI....NI III.

S.II~

s ..,t!

Jlh J. T ~,

WILLI"M J.

MORTIMER

su,rate_""a' .,

......

HI,lowI"

Published at 130 North 'WellS SHeet, Chleago 6.

FRanklin

2-7~4.

Extension 221
~

Cutting a bright red ribbon strung across Cottage

Grove ave. at 83d st. Oct. 22 dedicated the four blocks
of new concrete pavement extending from that point
to 81th st.
Participating (left to right) were President William
N. Erickson of the county board, Ald. Roy E. Olin
of the 8th ward and James E. Bulger. vice president
of the Chicago Motor Club, whicb sponsored the evenL
Present were numerous business and civic leaders of
the Chatham community.
President Erickson said that the four blocks of
six-lane roadway was one project of a summer's
program of paving and resurfacing done by the Cook
County Highway Department wilhin the eity of Chi
cago that totaled 30 miles.

The Old Green Bay Trail

passing through the Des Plaines river
M OTORISTS
valley on Milwaukee ave. are foUo\\'ing a travel
route rich in the history of Chicagoland.
Originally a trail used by Indians going bet ween
t.he fur trading center Ilt Green Bay and the settle
ment at the mouth of Lhe Chicago River. it was
followed and slightly improved by the first sett.lers
and later, in 1832. was dcsignated a road by act of
congress. In his book "Chicago Highways Old and
New." Dr. Milo M . Qualife says:
"To the Indians, as later lo the while man, Green
Bay and Chicago were places of importance and
the lwo were, of course, connected by weH eSUlIr
lished trails. These the white man f(lund on his coming to the caunlry. and adapting them for his own
proceeded to develop them into highways of civilized travel. Nowhere in America perhaps have
clcl1rer statements of the process of lhls transformation been recorded than In connection with
the Green Bay Road. "
The route now followed generally by Milwaukee ave.
left Chicago just west of the forks of the river. An
alternate lrail slarted al the north end of the Michigsn ave. bridge, followed Rush St. to Chicago ave.,
thence to Clark S1. and North ave. and on nortbwest.
It kept Inland except at Grosse Point, where it approacbed within sight of the lake. The two routes
came together norlheast of Libertyville on the east
side of the Des Plaines.
The first white men to travel t.lle trail regularly
were a few hardy lads in buckskin who carried tbe
mailln winter, when the sailing vcssels who performed
that service in summer were frozen In. One of them,
John H. Fonda, left written accounts of tbe 500-mile
round trip between Chicago and Green Bay. It took
about a month and the runner was entirely on his
own for subsistence.
Establishment of a post road between Chicago and
Green Bay was authorized by congress June 15, 1832.
Improvement seems to bave been 8\ow. Two years
later a party reported being mired in moaL of the 24
streams crossed by the road between Chicago and Milwaukee. A traveler from Waukegan the following
year reported that between there and Milwaukee the
road was still a prirnith'e Indian trail. In 1835 another party setting out for Milwaukee, abandoned their
horse and wagon in a mud hole and finished tbe trip
on foot.

The Picture On Ihe Cover

This aerial photograph shows tbe location of the
Lake Shore dr. extension north from Foster ave. and
progress of the pa.ving job being rushed to provide a
quick solution of lhe Foster ave. bottleneck.
With some temporary arrangements, the extension
will be ready for use as far as Bryn Mnwr and
Sheridan rd. Saturday, Nov. H. The entire project.
whicb will extend to Hollywood ave .. one block north
of Bryn Mawr. will not be completed until next year.
Paving on the extension is being done by tbe Cook
County Highway Department, which is one of four
agencies participating in the project. The others are
the State of Dlinois, City of Chicago and the Chicago
Park District.
The wbite stretch in the picture is crushed rock
which rests on a granular sub base. ThE' black is
bituminous concrete used 8S a binder course. The
surface also will be bltuininous.
Blsck and wbite meet at the left of the picture at
the Foster ave. grade separation. Midway aJong the
white area is a temporary crossover for northbound
traffic during the temporary period. Eventually there
wiU be two sets of four lanes each all the way to
Hollywood ave.
Tbe black top roadway under Foster a.ve. overpass
will eventually carry all traffic leaving the drive to go
west in Foster. To tbe east it wiu continue on to a
junction with an existing Lincoln Park dr. The
winding road near the shore line is used by construction trucks.
Tbe photo was taken by Elmer Majewaki, Cook
County Hig bway Department pbotographer.
2

Maintenance Division Busy 'Year Around

Snow plows on parade a t t he Cook Count y Highway DClls rhllcnt's wa rehouse at LaGra nge,
ollc ra tiu g center fo r one of 'h'c ma in tena nce dis tricts.

PIlW G. R()blnlKllI, nssllOtll nt county highway engineer in chu rge of t he mnl nh!mm oo dh'lslolI,
wilh some of his staff. Lert to right: T homas Fhl \'i n, SUI>ervlslng IllllintCllIUlce en,L:lneer of D istrlet

No.3 : J ohn age~on, assistant slll.eri ntcndcllt o f wa rehouses ; )lr. ltobiusolI ; Hllgb P . !\IeA nl fT,
s lIl>eryi:.ing ma in tcns nce enginee r of Dis t r icts 1 a nd 2; Thomas McHugh. as.... ishUlt engineer of maintena nce; F ro nk R ri?. 8Ullerllll'enden i of warehouses.

HE SEASON is close at hand when everyone who

Ttravels
by car out in the county will be especially

Reconditioning stone base .

Crushed stone resurfacing ..... .
Shouldering and ditching .... .
Tar patching and crack filling
Blading and grading, ...... .
Mowing and wced cutting .....
Snow removal and ice control .
Road side and ditch cleanup .
Dust prevention. . . . . . .. . ...
Sewer and culvert construction

thankful fOr the high effici ency of the Cook County

Highway Departmenl's maintenance division,
This is the outfit that turns out when snow faUs,
From t he four warehouse-garages operated by the
division, a Hect of s now plows bcnded by the huge
"snow fighters" can go to work on short notice in
every part of the county,
During the summer, the same crews lay the dust and
pe rform ali thc! other multitudinous tasks r eq uired for
the upkeep of 665 miles of secondary roads.
The scope of a season's work Is indicated by the
following summary of tssks performed this year:
Stone base construction '" ........
15.45 miles
Liquid scal . ... . ........ . ... .. . . . . .
15.20
"

3.80 miles
157
"

38
18.
545
1816
5244
828

"

17"

1.73

The amounts of materials used included: Stone,

200,382 tons; screenings, 39.969 tons ; asphalt, 688,238
gallons; tar. 62,500 gallons; bituminous s urfacing
material. 53.169 tons; bituminous patching material,
3,512 tons ; borrow soil, :SO,OOO tons.

Fatalities on Edens Expressway Studied

TTENTION GrvEN by the press in recent weeks
to the accident records on Cook county's new
A
expressways calls for a fuller presentation of facts
and also an effort to reach conclusions that will
be helpful in the county's future expressway program
as well as in making the fullest and safest use of
existing expressways.
At this lime several lhings seem to be plain :
1, People like expressways. In two years, Edens
has carried approximately 300,000,000 vehicle miles
of traffic and CalumetKingcry, approximately
225.000,000. The dajJy average on sixlane Edens has
been 28,000 plus, with a one-day high of 53,763, and
the daily average on fourlane Calumet has been
22,000 plus, with a onc~ay high of 37,717.
2. However, a considerable number of people will
stay off the expressways if they believe them to be
dangerous. Immediately after publication of a list
of fatal ities on Edens, the daily traffic count there,
both week days and Sundays, fell off about 25
per cent.
3. The only way to have safety on the express
ways is for every driver to drive safely. The nu
merous safety features engineered Into the expressways have stood the test. Examination of all the
fatal accidents on Edens. with checks against coro
ner's or police records, does not indicate that design
of the expressways was at fault in any instance.
N ew Safety Rules to Learn
An expressway is something new to the motorist
to learn. For example, he must learn the safe way
to get on and all' the through lanes, he must antlci
pate his dcparture point farther in advance than on
a conventional highw9.Y and he must understand the
greater danger of stopping on the p::J.vement.
Most important, he must recognize that he, and
eve ry other driVer on the exprcssway, must assume
a share of responsibility for the safety of all.
As a consequence of the somcwhat sensational
treatment of Edens fatalities in the press, many
persons wondered whether an expressway was hazard
OUII by nature or whether the 20 fatal accidents then
recorded were due to an unusual run of bad luck.
This state of mind was reHccted in letters to the
editors, some of which even suggested that the whole
expressway program be abandoned.
One answer to tlJe first of those two questions Is
that the Edens fatality rate is less than the national
average rate on all types of highways, To the second.
it docs seem that the hand of fate has been a main
factor, tn most of the 20 fatal accidents, the slightest
variation in the element of chance could have wr itten
an entirely different story. This point, and the pos
sihllity that all such tragedies can be! avoided in
future, will be made plain by study of the c.ircum
stances of each accident as presented farther on in
this article.

1953, the rate was 7.1. The national average rate in

1951 was 7.6 and in 1952, 7.3. For the Slate of Dlinois,
the 1951 rate was 7.1 and the 1952, 7,3. On the New
Jersey turnpike, the 1952 rate was 6,1 and on the
Pennsylvania turnpike, 7,3.
OW Skokie blvd., which Edens replaces, had a more
terrifying record. In 1951. the last year it was in
full use, its rate of accidents of all kinds, per
100,000,000 vehicle miles, was 556, as compared to
88 on Edens for 1952, Skokie's death rate in 1951
was 9.7 as compared with 5.6 on Edens in 1952,
The Edens fatalities record cannot Ix- interpreted
IUJ a reftection on Chicagoland drivers, for on Calumet
Kingery, Edens counterpart in the south area of the
county, the 1952 death rate was zero!
Now appears a s ituation that puzzles the experts.
Whereas Edens ha<l eight deaths and Calumet none
in 1952, Eden's rate of accidents of all types, fatal
and nonfatal, per 100.000,000 vehicle miles, was 88
and Calumet's was 134!
Both highways were designed by the same engi.
neera, employing the same prinCiples of safety. Edens
has three lanes in each direction snd Calumet has two,
but otherwise they are virtually the same in design
a nd construction.
Probably a variety of suggestions will be advanced
to explain why death has stalked one C!Xpressway
and avoided its counterpart; at le:l.st up to now,
Some may suggest that a higher per centage of
trucks use Calumet and the driving there Is generally
more professional, If that is true, it further empha
sizes the essential need of good driver technique to
improve expressway safety, Others may cite the
greater abundance of night life wong Edens as a
contributing cause.
.
Edens Fatalities in Detail
For the benefit of its readers, COOK COUNTY
HlGHWA YS herewith presents summaries of all the
fatal azcidents on Edens as compiled by the Cook
County Traffic Survey and Safety Commission. 1l
should be noted that two occurred at the north end
of the expreasway, where a grade crossing with traffic
lights erases one of the main features of expressway
design.
The complete list, in order of occurrence follows:
Au g. 2,1952: 5:13 p, m,; clear, dry,
Location: Edens expressway 25 feel north of Car
penter rd.
Deceased: Ronald Johnson, 14. 4338 W. Hollywood
ave., Chicago.
Type of accident: Auto-pedestrian.
Remarks from inquest records: Ronald Johnson and
two playmates were walking home after attending
an afternoon movie. When they arrived at Carpenter
rd. overpass, one boy remained on the overpass and
Ronald and the third boy went down the embankment
onto the expressway. The playmate ran across. Ronald
ran almost across, then stopped and attempted to
run back to the median strip. He waa struck by a
car driven by William Saunders, 2918 W. Arthur ave,.
Chicago. a disabled war vete ran,

Old Skokie 1'l ore Dangerous

Highway fatality rates a re represented as so many
deaths per 100,000,000 vehicle miles t raveled. On
Edens from Sept. Ii, 1951 ( travel was permitted
three months before the fonnal opening) to Sept. 1.

Fate Rides With Thoughtless Motorists

Aug. 10, 1952; 6:45 p. m.: clear, dry.
Location: Edcns expressway 1 mile south of Dundee rd.
Dcceased : William Woodward, 4367 Indiana ave.,
Chicago.
Type or accident: Auto-auto.
Remarks from inquest r ecords: Sarkis Bcsharian of
Racine. Wis.. was driving nortb with Miss Rose
MlU'karian as passenger. A bird made a deposit on
tbe windshield. Besharian SLOPped the ear not quite
off the pavcment and Miss Markarian got out to
clean the windshicld. The car was struc.k by the car
driven by Woodward, who had his wife and nephew
as passcngers.

her sister crossed Edens expressway, she was struck

by a car driven by Russcll Rittenour. Witnesses stated
he could not have avoided the accident.
No,'. SO. 1952; 4 :40 B. m.; clear, dry.
Location: Edens expressway at Lincoln ave.
Deceased: Sgt. John Dale DL'(on, 25. 809 E, Shane
st.. Freeport. 01.
Type of accident: Auto-Auto.
Remarks: William Bndorek was driving his car north
in the right northbound lane with Sgt. Dixon and
Eugene Althoff as passengers. At Lincoln ave. Badorek's car WAS struck headon by a car drivcn by John
Coutre. Witnesses stated that Coutre waa driving
south in a northbound lanc.

Ang. 19. 1952: 12:25 s. m.

Location: Edens expressway 600 feet nortb of
Tower rd.
Deceased: Otis E. Simmons, 38. 3125 N. Racine ave ..
Chicago.
Type ot accident: Auto turned over.
Remarks from inquest records: Simmons was driving
a new 1952 sedan northbound when, according to
witnesses. be was cut off by an unidentified motorisL
Simmons' car went off the road, struck a culvert and
turned over several Limes.

Dec. 17, t952; 4:30 B. m.; clear. dry.

Location: Edens expressway 100 feet south Willow
,d.

Deceased: Victor J. Tripodo, 23, 20121 E. 25th st ..

C1eveland. Ohio,
Type of accident: Auto-trailer truck.
Remarks from Inquest records: Tripodo was in the
back seat of a sedan parked on the pavement by
reason of a flat tire, waiting for the owner, Edmund
Tackler, 7110 Lincoln, C1eveland, Ohio, to return from
a gas station with the repaired tire. The sedan was
struck by a trailer truck driven by Warren G. Buckma.
1218 W. Juneau st., Milwaukee, and thrown about 100
feet.

Oct. 20. 1952; 1l:24 p. m.; clear, dry.

Location: Edens expressway 600 feet south of Glenview rd.
Deceased : John A. Boss, Jr., U. S. Navy, Great
Lakes. III.
Type of accident: Auto-truck.
Remarks from inquest records: Robert Squires, Union
Grove, Wis., staled that he was driving a tractor
trailer south bound in the right band lane of the
cxpressway when he saw a car in the same lane
faCing him. He swerved to the center of the highway,
then swung left. The car, driven by Boss northbound
in a southbound lane, struck the right running board
of the tractor.

Dee. 21, 1052: 3:30 a. m.; clea r , dry.

Localion: Rt. 41 at Clavey rd .. Lake county.
Deceased: John McAlvin, 17, 517 E. illinois, Lake
Forest, 111.
Type of accident: Edward Hickey, driving a trailer
truck, stated he had stopped on Rt. 41 behind a line
of cars thal were waiting for a tow truck to pull a car
out of the cast ditch south of the intersection of Clavey
rd. He statcd that he had gol out c.f the truck and
placed flares on the pavement and had one flare in his
hand when the truck was hit by the ear driven by
MeAlvin. who was alone.

Oct.. 22, 1952 : 1l~0 p. m.; clear, dry.

Location: Rt. 41 and Clavey rd. , La.ke county.
Deccased: Thomns C. Summers. Jr. , 47. 5508 Fargo,
Skokie, til .
Type of accidenl: Auto-truck.
Remarks: Arnold Willis, 'Vinnetk3, driving north on
Rt. H. in a tractor-oil tanker, slated that Summer's
car southbound on RL 41 swerved across the center
alrip and struck the tanke r truck headon. Wills slate:l
that Sommers appeared to lose control of his car
attempting to avoid a line of cars wbich had been
waiting ror a traffic light.

Feb.2S. 1953: 2 p. m.; clear. dry.

Location: Edens expressway 12 mile north of Willow

....

Deceased: Barbara Katz. 6 months.

Type of accident : Auto-lamp post.
Remarks from coroner's records: Tbe driver, Mrs.
Joyce Burman. 26, 2821 Benvyn ave.. Chicago: Mrs.
Sidney Katz, 6111 Ko. Sacramento a,'e .. Chicago, and
Mrs. Katz's child, were driving north on Edens. For
somc undetermined reason the car left the road.
struck a light pole and overturned, throwing the baby
out of the car.

Oct. 3 1. 1952; 6:08 p. m.

Location: Edens expressway 200 yards nortiJ of
Dempster at.
Deceased: Mrs, Cecile Fralick, 68, 7801 Saginaw,
Chicago.
Type of accident: Aula-pedestrian.
Remarks from inquest records: As Mrs. Fralick and

Feb. 26, 105S; 9:15 a. m.: clcar. dry.

Location: Edens expressway at Lincoln ave.
Deccased: Ross Bryant JohnfK)D, 38, 3235 Richmond
rd, Kenilworth, m.
Type of accident: Auto-abutment.
Remarks from inquest records: Johnson was alone in
5

Cause Ot'--'Safety In Hands

his car driving north on Edens. The car went off the

pavement into the center (larkway 135 feet south of

Lincoln ave. overpass and continued in s straight
line, striking the center pier of the structure.
J\ta rch 3, 1953; 9:40 a. m.: cloudy, dry.

Location:

Edens expressway at Glenview rd.

Deceased: T ed Peterson, 34, 7333 Ridge ave.

Type of accident: Auto-abutment.

Remarks from inquest records:

Peterson, alone in his

car, was south-bound in Edens when his car lcit the

road 126 feet north of the Glenview rd. overpass. The
CRr ran ahead in tbe center parkway and struck the
center pier of the overpass.
Atlrl.1 H , ] 953; 10:12 p. m.; ciear, dry.

Deceased :
ston, Ill.

Drivers

lanes, went. off thc road and struck tile h ead waU of
the stnlcture.
July 19, 1953; 3:03 a. m., clear, dry.
Location: Edens expressway 100 feet south of Lake
ave.
Deceased : Theora Bullcr, 35, 1922 Monroe st..
Chicago, and George Jamcson. 44. 248 N. Fairfield
ave_, Chicago.
Type or accident: Auto-auto.
Remarks: Jameson. with Theora Butle r as a passenger, was hcaded north in a sr:.uthbQund lane when his
car was struck by one driven by William J. Altman, 19.
a soldier stationed at Ft. Sheridan. Altman was
critically injured and there were no other witnesses.

Aug. 20, 1953; 2:55 a. m., clear. dry.

Location : Edens expresswa y 800 feet north of Lake
ave.
Decessed: Carl Lee Gillespie, 18. Rt. 2, Hartford,
Mich.
T ype of accident: Auto Pedestrian.
Remarks from inquest records: Gillespie and Carl
White. both sailors at Great Lakes station, hitch-hiked
a ride from Milwaukee with David Frazier. 4356 N.
Clifton ave., Chicago. and both went to sleep in the
rear seat. Frazier, unfamiliar with the location of the
naval station, drove almost to Lake ave. when White
awoke and noticed they had passed the station.Frazier stopped on the shoulder at the west edge of the
psvement. White awakeuf'-d Gillespie and the two
walked across the three southbound lanea, and erossed
the median strip. Gillespie continued walking across
the northbound lanes. Be was struck by a pickup
truck driven by John D. Mager of Greendale, Wis.

Warren W. Ah! , 27, 8]5 Seward st. Evan-

Type of accident:

AUlo-pedestrian.

Remarks from inquest records:

Ahl, riding with his

wife, stopped the car and got out when she admonished him [or fast driving_ Robert Nagle, 30, 3840
Oketo ave_, driving alone, struck AhL Nagle said he
was going 50 miles an hour and that Ahl stepped in
front of his car.
April 18. 1953: 3:25 a. m . clear, dry.
Location: Edens expressway at 8100 North.
Deceased: Hugo K. Vollath, 825 Laurel ave., Chicago.
Type of accident: Auto-pole.
Remarks from inquest records: There were no witnesses and no skid marks. The expressway runs
straight at this point. From the wrecked car it appeared that it had gone off the road, struck a light
pole which was lying fiat on the ground awaiting in stallation and turned over several times.

Aug. 25, 1953; 7:40 p. m . clear, dry.

Location: Edens expressway at Lake-Cook rd.
Deceased: Howard 1 Robbins. 24. Great Lakes Naval
station.
Type of accident: Auto-abutment.
Remarks: Robbins, alone. was driving south in Edens
exprcssway when for aome undetermined cause his
car left the road and struck an at,utrnent head wall
of the Lake-Cook rd. overpass. There were no witnesses.

May 19, 195.1I; 10:15 p. m. clear, dry.

Location: Edens expressway at Pratt blvd.
Deceased: Bronislaw Ziolkowski. 62, 5614 N. Kedva le
ave.
Type of accident: Auto-abutment.
Remarks [rom inquest records: Ziolkowski, was driving alone south-bound on Edens. For some undetermined reason his car left the p8vement150 feet north
of Pratt blvd. overpass, ran on in the center parkway
and struck thc center pier of the overpass. The car
then bounced back onto the pavement and turned
over. Ziolkowski was thrown from the car and the
wrecked vehicle feU onto him. The expressway there
is straighL There were no wilnesses.

Sellt. 12, 1953: 1:00 a. m. ; clear, dry.

Location: Edens expressway 500 feet north of illinois rd. overpass.
Deceased: John J. Loftus. HI, 4016 N. Francisco ave.,
Chicago.
T ype of accident: Auto-guard rail.
Remarks from inquest records: Loftus was riding
in a convenible driven by Robert F, Larkey. 22. 1524
S. Harding ave., Chicago, southboUnd on the expressway when a northbound driver made an illegal U
turn and entered the southbound roadwa y_ Lnrkey
s wung his car to the right to avoid collision. It went
off the pavement, struck R light pole. careened back
onto the highway. spun (lround and again left the
pavement a nd slruck a guard rail. The driver who
made the illegal turn remained unidentified.

June 28, 1953; 1 :07 a. m. , clear, dry.

Location : Edens expressway at carpenter rd.
Deceased: Edwin F. Glauner. 22, 8608 Gross Point
rd., Skokie, TIl.
Type of accident: Auto-abutment.
Remarks from inquest records: Glauner, was driving
south on Edens when his car left the pavement
approximately 300 feet north of the Carpenter I'd.
overpass. Fifty feet. farther on, the car came back
on the pavement and then skidded across the three

Aerial Photos A id Highway Planning

By
Locat ion

ALLF~N

F;n gl D ~ r.

J . IIAM:IL TON
Cook County High way

Depa r t ment

THE

COOK COUNTY Highway Department uses

aerial photographs a8 a valuable aid in determining

the location of expressways and other new highways.

The preliminary studies tor the location of Edens

expressway, which was opened to traffic in December,
1951, were made on aerial photographs. The federal
government had flown and photographed the area
around Chicago in late 1938 fOr tbe department of
agriculture.

The area flown Included all of Cook

county, and we were able to obtain a copy of the

photos enlarged to a scale of about eight inches
to the mile, when we started work on the planning of
the expressway system in 1939.
The aerial photos were cut, matched as closely
8S possible, and mounted on heavy cardbOllrd to
form strip maps of areas five or six miles long and
three to four miles in width. On these maps several
different locations for what was then called the North
Valley Parkway were drawn in with soft colored pencil,
each alinement having a different color.
A i med to Reach Fo r~t. I'resenes
The Forest Preserve District areas were colored
a light green, since one of the objectives was to provide access to recreal ional areas in til(> county, The
various communities with their paved streets; factories. railroads. river and other obstaclcs were readily
seen on the maps and were avo:.Jed whenever possible.
From the six or eight colored alinements on thc
maps, the one that best fullUied the objcctives was
chosen. Then engineers and surveyors ran OUt this
line on the ground and obtained all the detailed information necessary to draw up the final plan from
which the expressway was constnlctcd.
The sections of Calumet and Kingery I!Xpressways,
which we.re opened to traffic shortly before Edens, were
located in much the same way.
The Congress Street exprcssway through Maywood
Bellwood, Westchester and other west IHiburban comnlunitles posed a serious location problem in the large
number of homes that would have to be taken. Here
again aerial photographs were a valuable aid in the
e.arly stages of planning. In this case the area was
flown especially to obtain suitable maps. The photos
were made up into what the aerial photo company
called a m08iac map.

All Details Drawn to Scale

This was made at a scale of 100 feet to the
inch. A number of scale drawings of various possible
locations were made on transparent plastic film superlmposed OD the aerial photo map. Each detail such
as frontage roads, grade separations, express highway pavement. and right of way lines were drawn to
the scale of the aerial map. It was then rather cuy
to determine wWeb of the several location plans
would require the laking of the least number of
homes.
The entire Chicago and Cook county area was again

mapped in 194.9, this time for some of the local

planning agencies, and the highway department was
able to obtain a set of maps covering all of Cook
county. It ia at a small scale, about 2000 feet to the
inch. However, individual areas under consideration
can be enlarged for detailed study and these maps are
of great help.
U!>ed to I' lst Kinger)' Route
They werc recently used in making preliminary
locations for the Kingery expressway from the Calumet expressway westward to Cicero ave. near 171st
st.. and from that point northwest to connect to
the present rte. 83 ncar llUh st. and the Sag channel
ncar Le.mOIil. Another section of King~ry from near
Oakton st. nnd Higgins rd. northward through the
eastern part of Arlington Heights to the Lake county
line nesr Buffalo Grove was recently studied by the
department.
The photos save a great deal of lime in the early
stages of planning. It is possible to obtain in a day
or two at a nominal coat a scalc drawing of any part
of Cook county. The scale is not sufficiently accurate
to provide data for the final plans, but is good enough
for preliminary planning.
From the photos it is possible to see at one time
most of the various physical features that a.1fect new
highway location, which nn engineer walking over the
ground cannot possibly do.

Recent Contract Awards

4
A new bridge over the North Shore channel at
Oakton st., Skokie, was one of six Cook County l-Ughway Department jobs on which contracts were let
last month. It will have a roadway of 44 feet in
width, with two traffic lanes in each direction. and a
5-foot sidewalk on each side. In general it wiU be
similar to the North Shore channel bridge at Howard
8t. completed by the county last summer_
The contract was awarded to the Kenny Construclion Co. for S248.000. Tbe bridge is expected to be
ready for use about the first of next July.

Other contracts awarded in October included:

Congress st. expressway-Excavating from Celltral
Park ave. to Kedzic ave.. Palumbo ExcavaLlng Co.,
$408,210.72.
Congress st. expressway- Excavating from Pulaski
rd, to Central Park ave.. Charles J. Wilson Co..
$304,422.55.
Congress st. expressway-Grade separation at U. S.
20, Arcole-Midwest Corp., $197.770,64.
Fullerton ave.- P_ C. C. paving 22 feet wide from
Mannheim rd. to 25th ave.. 1 mile, J . A. Ross & Co.,
$170,000.
Central ave. and 47th st.-Drainage project, Scully
Brothers Conlracting Co. $27,181.50.

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Vol. 1 No. 7

DECEMBER. 1953

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Dunan M. Campbell

Published by the Cook County (m .)

Department of Highways
Under auspices of the Board of County Commissioner,.;
J .... f. Alllnd..
F ftk S.~rybke
Willi.", SUiN

JDII, "Ickl.r. Jr.

Ge" .. A. 'CUI
Gn, R. HI...
o ul RJ'u
CI'J'lu F , .. 1111
[<I " III , ....
J,h J. T ,"IIJ'

EUullll1l A. C. . hr
JUft J Duffy
A.I", X. [I ....

Chill

)UHft

WILLIAM J. MORT.MER
S,,"rl"udul ,. HI......)'.

Published Ilt 130 North Wells Street. Chicago 6.

FRanklin

2-75401

gxtenalon

221

~".a

Very Well Said, Col. Ede ns

DUNCAN

~l. OA~.1P8Ji'; LL

Duncan M. Campbell, chief engineer of the Cook

County Highway Department, dJcd Nov. 24.. He had
been in ill health nearly a year.
Mr. Campbell had been an engineer with the departme nt sinet'! 1917. Lhree years after the department
was cstablishl2d. and as such a pathfinder throughout
the whole history of modern road building. His
Btanding in the field of higbway engineering was
r ecognized by numerouB state and national technical

Col. William G. Edens, whose pioneer leadership

in the good roads movement in Illinois is commemorated in Edens expressway, celebrated his ninetieth
birth anniversary on Nov. 27.
M was fitting. he marked the occasion with sig.
nlficant comment. nnd at least one of his remarks
might well be chiseled in the concrete of the Cicero
ave. overpass, where, with Col. Edens prescnt, the
expressway W88 dedicated in 1949:
The engineers ha\'e provided the safest high.
way possible to design, but s tili darn [ool~ go out
t here .and kill l hemsehes.
COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS salutes Col. Edens
.al this milepost in a long, useful life and r ecommends
his birthday message fo r top position in the list oC
words to the wise.

societies.
He was born In Chicago Dec. 8, 1894. Immediate
Recenl Contract Awards
survivors are hill widow, Hulda, and their son, Duncan
M. Campbell, J r .. who was given leave from army
Congress at. Expressway
service in Korea and arrived home three days before
Kedzie ave. grade separation-M. J . Boyle Co.,
Mr. Campbell died. The family home is at 7625 South
$728,732. Kostner ave. gr ade sepnration-Superior
Shore Drive.
A civil engineer graduate of the Un iversity of lIll. Concrete Construction Co .. $582,651. Cicero ave. grade
ncls in 1917. Mr. Campbell joined the Cook County separation-Arcole Midwest Corp., $436,172. Laramie
Highway Department as an inspector-engineer on June ave. grade separation- Arcole Midwest Corp., $443,4, nine days before he was banded his sheepskin. On 172.
Culumet E.):presswllY
Aug. 25 of that year he was commissioned a second
Drainage between Lincoln hWy. and Glenwood-Lan
lieutenant in the antialr craft section of the coast
arLillery corps and remained in the army until Feb. 1, sing rd.-J ohn Doherty Co., $434,868.
Pa \'lng and Resurraclng
1919.
Fullerton
ave.
paving between 25th ave. and Mann
He returned from the army to the highway depart.
ment in his former grade of inspeetor-enginee.r. He heim rd.,- J. A. ROBS & Co., $170,949.
Western ave. resurfacing between 34th and 54th
arose through the grades of junior civil engineer, as
slstant civil engineer. supervising engi neer, office en sts ..-Standard P aving Co.. $279,152.
gineer and assistant county highway engineer and on
T ilE PICfURE ON T ILE OOVER
Aug. 1, 1939, was appointed chief engineer of the
department. In that poet he was the chief administra
Congress SL begins to look completed between
tive engineer, responsible for supervision of all depart Canal and Desplaines als., where the work is being
mental divisions.
done by lhe Cook County Highway Departmenl. In
Mr. Campbell was a member of the Dlinois Society this section a steel structure is required to carry the
of Professional Engineers, which he served 88 presi. broad expressway from street level at the main peat
dent ; the National Society of Professional Engineers, office to the bed of the depression in which it will
the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Western continue through the west side of Chicago. The photoSociety of Engineers, and the American Road Builders graph was taken by Elmer Majewski, Highway de
Association.
partment photographer, from the post office roof.

Time Saving Studied On Lake Shore Extension

Instead of the customary ribbon cutting, it was "one, two, three, helll'e!" Oil the hUllting decked
barricade, when the Lake Shore dr. edension was opened to trM'e.1 Nov. 14, a month and a day
ahead of schedule. Besides Cook county, whic.h laid the new IJa\'ement, the th ree otber agencies
partlcillating in the impro\'emellt---state. City of Chicago Bud Chicago Par k District-were relm~..
sented in the ceremony. }~rom left to right, in picture : Virgil E. Gunlock, city commissione r of
IlUblic wor~; L. J. RYlln, chief engineer of construction, Cook County Highway Department : Ald.
Thomll..'1 Keane: Park Commissioner lohn N. Le\in ; E. A. Rosenstone, director of the state deluutDJcnt of public works; Park Commlssloner JO!tellb W. Cremin; [Uayor l'tlartin H. Ken nelly;

County Commissioner Daniel W. Ryan; County Board Presidcnt William N. Erieksoll; Oounty
Highway Superintende nt Willia.m J, Mortimer giving the orde.r, "Tuke'er away;" lWbert A, Black,
Park Di.strict Chief E ngineer; Ald. Allen Freeman, and Oounty Commissione.r George A. l\IlUer.
HE FIRST stage of the North Lake Shore dr.
T
Extension
opened to traffic on November
This paving section, designed and constructed by the
was

created by the motorist's unfamiliarity with the op

erational aspects of the system.
Furthermore, the volume of traffic during the
evening peak hour increased after the opening by 1,127
vehicles according to Richard Fencl, Chicago Park
District traffic engineer. Previously. 4,626 vehicles
were handled, whereas, 5,753 vehicles are now being
bandied in the same hour. This diverted and newly
generated traffic added to the general congestion on
this first. weekday of operations.
Tuesday and Wednesday following the opening
found an average time savings of a half minute, and
by Friday, the driving time was 3 minutes less than
on the old facility.
It is the contention of the traffic engineers of the
Cook County Highway Department that their original
estimates of 3.2 minutes time savings during the
normal evening peak hour, made previous to the
opening, will be realized.
The Cook County Highway Department will con
tinue the study untll it is felt that the newly opened
facility is operating at maximum efficiency.

14.

Cook County Highway Department, now extends the

outer drive to Bryn Mawr ave., and the year 1954
should find the section to Hollywood ave. completed.
A major factor ill the decision to open this portion
of the extension Wore the entire project was com
pleted was a study conducted hy the Traffic Engi
neering Division of the Cook County Highway
Department. This study indicated a time savings
of 3.2 minutes for northbound motorists during the
evening rush hour, the period of maximum congestion
a nd delay.
Since the opening of Ulis ext ension , county traffic
engineers have been running a continuous study of
driving times upon the new facility.
011 Monday, NoveqJber 16, the first weekday after
the opening of the new section, driving times were
found to be much longer than on the old route. These
excessive driving times were due to the confusion

1953 Right-ai-Way Acquisitions

BY RA l~lOrr..'l) J . BUDINGER

f"Cig ht.-of-WlIl' Procurement Chief

Cook Ooulltl' Hi g hw~lY Department
ONTINUING the program of acquiring rights-of,
way for the modern expressways Ilnd primary
C
roads planned
Cook county, 319 parcels of land
in

totaling 4.709.526 square feet, or lOS acres, were

bought in 1953. The total expenditures for all righof-way was $2,682,219.
Other significant accomplishments of the righlof-way pro::uremcnt division during the year included:
Fourteen appraisals containing 400 parcels of land

completed.
Seventeen condemnallon suits containing 309
parcels of land referred to the State's Attorney for
court action.
Forl.y strip maps completed repr esenting 66 miles
on the ground.
Twenty-four right-of-way plats completed representing 16 miles on the ground.
Right-of-way estimates prepared for 25th ave. from
North ave. to Grand ave. and 147th st. from Cicero
ave. to \Vestcrn ave.
Progress in procuring land for completion of exprt!8sways under construction and also for the
Northwest C'tpressway is shown in lhe following
tabulation:
Calumet Expressway
F r om
Kingeryexpwy.
179lh st.
183d st.
GlenwoodLansing
cd.
Vollmer rd.
*20'lth st.
M. C. Ita.
Sauk trail

To

Percentage
Acquired

179lh st.
183d st.
Glenwood-Lansing rd.
Vollmer rd.
20-1th sL
M. C. RR.
Sauk trail
Will County line

Canal st.
Desplaines
tSacramento blvd.
Kedzie ave.
tKedzie ave.
Laramie ave.
t Laramie avc.
Austin ave.
*Austin ave.
Ridgeland ave.
Ridgeland ave.
Oak Park ave.
:j:Oak Park ave.
DcspJaines river
Desplaincs river
1st ave.
1st ave.
17th ave.
*17th ave.
24th ave.
24th ave.
I. H. B. RR
*1 H. B. RR.
Suffolk ave.
*Suffolk ave.
Mannheim rd.
Mannheim rd.
l,:! mile west
'~mi. w. MannheimWolf rd.
Wolf rd.
Taft ave.
*Taft. ave.
DuPage county line

Ribbon Is Cut In Midlothian

1Iidlothlan's new six-lane concrete pavement on
147th at. and Crawford ave. was dedicated Nov. 1<1
with ceremonies in which the entire village took a
lively interest.
The reason for the community wide response was
that part of the cost was mct with a bond issue
which the cltizcns approved virtually 100 per cent.
The rest was met with motor fuel tax funds appro priated by the county bo3rd.
Board President William N. Erickson, who cu t the
ccremonial ribbon , applauded the public IIpirited
Midlolhians.
"I hope that all of our ciOzens will take as active
an interest in road building in all its various phascs,"
he said. "The support given by Midlothian c itizens to
thc pavement bonds is a most hopeful s ign of a n alert.
prOgressive IIUblic attitude.
"On our purl. I can promisE' you that OUI' Cook
County Highway department can design and construct
the kind of roads lhe people decide tlley want. We
can all work together smoothly a.nd efficiently. and in
such coopcration I see the American way of life at its,
brightest."
The Midlothian Business Men's association, of which
Ralph PignitieUo is presidcnt. sponsored the dedicatory exercise. which included luncheon at CavalJini's
restaurant. Master of ceremonies was A. L. Stolz.
The committee on arrangements included M. Donato.
L. M . Kalis. and George Kreis.
Also participating were the village omcials--President Henry Milen, Ray Robinson, engineer; Mrs.
NeJlc Burton, clerk. a nd Verne SwiUum, Karl Padley.
Roy Bucek, Michael DeLaurentis. Chester Majch rzak .
and Walter Samet, trustees.

99
100
85

16

Howard ave.

I.uke St . Extension
Butterfield rd.

65

Kingery EXllressway (rri-State)

Calumet expwy.
C. & E . I. RR.
100
te. & E. I. RR.
Halsted s1.
.~de ns EXll resswa~'

100

100
100
100
100

58
71

85
100

95
100

.7

92

65
100
100
61

t F oster ave.

Northwest expwy.

NorUme.it I<~x llrcssway

Canfield rd.
Newcastle ave.
-IfNewtastie ave.
Melvina ave.
Melvina ave.
Foster ave.
*Foster avc.
Central ave.
Central ave.
Argyle st.
Argyle st.
Lawrence ave.
Lawrcnce ave.
Cicero ave.
:j:Cicero ave.
Cullom ave.
Lyman st.
Ruby st.
tRlIby st.
Mannheim rd.
In condemnalion
t Except railroad lands
t Acquisition in progress

100
98
100
99
100
79

43
100

The first eight Northwest expressway sections

listed are in Chicago. The section between Lyman and
Ruby sts. is in Leyden township and that between
Ruby st. and Mannheim rd. is in Maine township.

i
I

Figures show 1953 Busy Construction Season

----- -'"

~t

I I':'~ .

. .

-,

L
HeAd men in the COll struCt-iOIl dh-ision of the Cook Collntl' Hi g hwl\ ~' DCllarhncnt. 0 11 the rig h t
L. J. Ryan. chief engineer of COlls tructlol1; in the center of t.he picture, Royal Mortenson, assistant
engineer in charge of bddge cons truction ; on tlle left, John R. Skuba, assis tan t eng ineer ill charp;e
of road construction. Th e m1\11 s hows the 1953 cous tnletian program.
EW P AV ING and (l!5urfacing done this year by
the Road Conslruction Division of the Cook
N
County H ighway Department amounted to 2,263,859

remaining on the right-of-way between Laramie ave.

and Sacramento blvd.
A lighting system providing 1.020 mercur y vapor
lights W8!J installed on Edens expressway between
Foster ave. and the Cook Lake coun ty li ne.
To
provide emergency parking, the shoulders were stabil
ized between Glenview rd. and Cou nty Line d. Land
scape contractors com pleted their projects by complying with their guar a ntee to replace all trees.
shrubs and bushes rou nd unsatisfactory after one
year's growth.
Ontaria st. between Michigan ave. and Orleans st.
was widened and paved by the cou nty to adapt it as a
feeder to the Northwest expressway. This job was
started last year and was completed and opened to
traffic this year.
P rimary road improvements includtXI. six portland
cement concrete pavement projects and 21 jobs of
resurfacing ex isting pavements. This wor k was done
in both Ute city of Chicago and the suburban area.
Five agreements were signl'!d with various railroads
for installation of s u tomatic flasher signal!; and short
arm gates all automatically I'!ontrolloo by track circuits. Two were completed nnd the threl'! others are
nearing completion. Ten similiar installat ions sll.~rted
(Continued on page 7)

square yards of wearing surface, equivalent to 192.96

miles of 20-foot road, or more than the highway distance between the County building in Chicago and the
State House in Springfield.
Forty-two new contracts for work of various kinds
wer e completed and in addition , 21 active projects
carried over from the year before were completed.
T he grand total cost of the 42 new jobs was $11,312.422.01.
H ighlight of the season's accomplishments was the
pavi ng of the North Route Lake Shore Drive extension
from just south of Foster ave. to Bryn Mawr ave.
Contract was let by the county board Aug. 25 and
the new lanes. which afford a by-pass around the
F oster ave. bottleneck. were:! opened to the public at
noon Nov. 14, a month and a day ahead oC the
construction time table.
On the Congress SL expressway, the county did
work in 1953 amounting to $4,54.1.721.i4. This included grading, paving and incidental drainage be
tween 1st ave. and Addison creek bridge, approx
imately 2 miles; two main drains between Central
n ve. and Pulaski rd, and razing the last buildings

'-'

Model Bicycle Ordinance Offered To Suburbs

s A :MAJOR step in the bicycle safety program
launched last spring by the Cook County Traffic:

A
Survey

and Safety Commission, a model bicycle

ordinance is ready for the consideration of suburban
authorities.
When the safety program was begun, it soon
became apparent that an ordinance embodying up-to-date ideM was urgently needed Some suburbs were
found to be without 9~cial ordinances covering the
subject and some that bad ordinances were behind
the t imes, for example specifying cycling on the left
side of the road against oncoming traffic.
The model law now ready lor adoption was drawn
by the commission after long study of similar ordinances elsewhere. It was submitted to Slate's Attorney
Gutknecht and now bears his approval. The suburban
governments may, of course, make free use of the
model and the commission recommends that all suburbs a dopt the ordinance entirely or bring their
present ordinances to conformity with its principles.
The complete text of the ordinance follows:
BI CYCLE ORDINANCE
FOR TllE VILLAG E OF .................. ,Ill
An Ordinan ce Relating t o the Registration, Equipment
and Operation ot Bicycles.
Be It Ordained by the Presidtmt and the Board of
Trustees of the Villag e of ......... . ........ ,Ill.
SECTION 1. D't';FINITION.
Definition of the term "BICYCLE". Every device
propelJed by human power upon which Wly person
may ride. having two tandem wheels either of
which is over twenty ( 20) inches in diameter.
SECTION 2. REGISmATION OF BICYCLES.
It should include the following, License Application. Issuance of License. Attachment of License.
Inspection of Bicycles, Renewal of Lic~se. Trans
fer of Ownership. Rental AgenCies. and Bicycle
Dealers.
SEcrION 3. EQUIP~lENT.
(A) Every bicycle wh~ in use at night time
shall be equipped with a lamp on the front
which shall emit a white light visible from
a distance of at least five hundred (500)
feet to the front. Wld with a red reflector
on the rear. which shan be visible from a
distance of 300 fect.
(B) Every bicycle shall be equipped with a horn
or bell in good working order and capable
of emitting sound audible under normal conditions for a distance of over 200 feet. but
no horn or other device shall emit a harsh
sound. No bicycle shall be equipped with a
siren or whistle.
(C) ALL BICYCLES operated in the village of
. . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . shall be kept in good
running order and equipped with adequate
brakes, readily operated by Coot or hand.
SECTION 4. OPERATING REGULATIONS.
( A) Every person operating a bicycle in the
village oC ........ . ....... .. , shall conform to the provisions of the UNIFORM
ACT. REGULATING TRAFFIC ON HIGHWAYS, a nd shall also be subject to the following regulations. (NOTE : the following

The bicycle safety lirog ram at F{)rest R{)ad

school, District 102, LaGrange Park. Virginia
Hagell. 738 Homestead rd . has jU!'it passed t he
t est a nd ilS rt(leh 'lng her safety cl ub membership
card (rom George W. Glaser, program director,
as Lt. EdWard Patzer of the suburb's police for~.
looks on with 8.llllro\'al.
regulations should not be omitted but your
village may insert regulations that fit your
villsge) .
( B) All bicycles shall be operated as near to the
right hand curb as condtions will permit.
exercising due care when passing a stand
ing vehicle or one proceeding in the same
direction.
(C) No bicycle shall be propelled faster than is
reasonable and proper for the safety of the
rider Rnd others using the Highway.
( 0 ) No person operating a bicycle shaH cling to
or attach himself to an y other moving
vehicle.
( E) No bicycle shall have attached to it any
other vehicle such as a wagon or sled.
( F J No person shall ride a bicycle in the business district wh~ said bicycle is operated
on the s idewalk.
( F-l ) Whenever a person is riding a bicycle upon
a sidewalk , such person shall yield the right
of way to any pedestrian and shall give
a udible signal before overtaking and pass
ing such person .
( F.2 ) The pedestrian has the right of way at all
times.
(G ) No bicycle shall be used to carry more than
one person.
( H ) No rider of a bicycle shall remove both
hands from the handle bars or practice any
acrobatic or fancy riding on any public
street or sidewalk.
(Continued on page 7)

Fur Company at Bunkum from 1823 to 1832. Business with the Indians declined and in 1832 he moved
into Chicago, wbere he was a leading citizen for half
s century.
" In 1834 the legislature cuused a state toad to be
laid out between VincelUles and Chicago," Quaife relates. "The commissioners who located it tried bard
to get a straighter line and better ground than the
Hubbard Trail, but were forced to follow the old
track with but litUe deviation. It was marked with
milestones and was commonly known as the State
road.
" With the comJng of the railroads, the old State
road was abandoned, but within the city of Chicago Its
name still survives in that of modern State st."

The Historic Vincennes Trace

NE hundred and twenty years ago the Vincennes
Trace was a busy thoroughfare leading
O
Chicago [rom the south. The
of settlers into
into

flood

Indiana after the War of 1812 overflowed westward

and the road from Vincennes on the Wabash served
bolh homeseekers and the Hoosiers carrying their
surplus produce to th(' new setUement at the moulh of
the Chicago River.
The tenninus of the 200mile wagon haul was the
OI)Cn stretch of ground between Stale at. and the lake,
including the site of the public library, and 8S many
8S 160 outfits wer e counted in camp there at a time.
Years later, an early Chicagoan who had witnessed
the hey day of the H oosier wagons wrote his memories:
"Their large covered wagons, curved at each end
like a Roman galley. are seen in our streets no
morc. The loud crash of their far-reaching whips
is lost in the metropolitan din. The whoa, haw, gee
as the patient oxen draw beavy loads is merged
in the shriek of the engine that docs their labor for
them. The tinkling of the many bells suspended from
the horses' heads is the channing music of the
shadowy past. The fires where they bivouaced on
Michigan avenue have gone out forever. The scent
of their fried bacon and corn dodgers is lost in the
evU odors of a mighty city."
T:he POt&WlltOmi l'tlain Line
The road developed from an ancient trail (rom Vincennes to the salt springs of the Vennilion river at
the modern city of Danville, TIl. From there it continued on north through Hoopeston, Iroquois (then
called Bunkum), Beaverville, Momence, Crete, and
Blue Island and thence into Chicago over the route
of the present State st. In his book "Chicago
Highways-Old And New," 1'1110 M. Quaife says of the
Vincennes Trace:
"Running the whole length of the Potawatomi domain, from Lake Michigan to the Wabash, it served to
unite aU the villages in this region, led direcUy to the
greatlisbing and hunting grounds of the Iroquois and
Kankakee, and connected the different bands with the
trading post at Chicago on the north and with the
ancient Wabash trade centel'S of QUiatanon and Vincennes on the south ...
"Over it undoubtedly p~d the Wca war bands on
their way to Chicago in 1715, stirred up by the
French to aid in the proposed extermination of the
Foxes of Wisconsin.

(Continued from page 6)

(1) No bicycle shall be Iclt lying upon any
street or sidewalk or in such position as to
obstruct or Interfere with the use of any
street o r sidewalk.
( J ) Proper hand signals should be used at all
times.
( K ) No person operating a bicyclt> shall carry
any package, article, or bundle which pre
vents the rider from keeping both hands on
the handle bats or obstructs their vision.
( L ) Every person operating a bicycle must obey
all traffic signs.
SECI'ION 5. PRt.~ALTIES.
( A ) Any person convicted of a violation of any
provision of this ordinance shalJ be punished by a fine of not less than $ ......... .
nor more than S... . . . . . for each offense
or have their bicycles impounded for a
period not to exceed. . . . . . . . . . days.
SECTION 6. SAVING CLAUSE.
II any clause, sentence, paragraph or part of
this ordinance shall, for any r'Ca&On, be adjudged
or decreed to be invalid by any court it shall not
effect, impair or invalidate the remainder of this
ordinance, but aha.!1 be confined, in its effCi:t, to
the clause, sentence, paragraph, or part thereof
which Is adjudged or decreed to be invalid.
SECTION 7. Elr~FECHVE DATE.
This ordinance shall take effect and be in force
from and after its passage and due publication.
(Continued from page 5)
last year were cnmpleted in 1953. Eight grade Cl'088ings on the C. & N. W. railway's Wisconsin division
were improved this year.
A storm sewer project was completed in Roberts rd.
and 71st st. Under agreement with the city of
Chicago, the county inatalled modem light standards
in l1lth st. between Sacramento and California aVeA.
The bridge construction division had 33 projects
under construction during the year. The value of
work completed In 1953 was estimated at $4,469,000,
of which 2,686,000 was on Congresll SL and $1,354,000 on Calumet expressway.
Nineteen bridges and structures on Congress st.
were placed under contract in the last three. years.
Ono was completed in 1952 and 10 In 1953. Although
procurement of critical materials delayed completion
of some of the structures in 1952 and part of 1953, the
overall construction program was satisfactory.

A Bride For Fort Dearborn

"An expedition of different character over the ancient trace was that of Captain Heald of Fort Dearborn, who in the spring of 1811 brought his charming bride on horseback through the wilderness from
Kentucky to Chicago. In the rooms of the Chicago
HistoricaJ society ODe may still see the little trunk
in which Rebekah Heald transported her wedding
finery and personal treasures on the journey. With
the bride came Black Cicely, her servant girl, onJy
to die under the tomahawk in the massacre of 1812."
The trace later became known as the " Hubbard
Trail," from Gurdo n S. Hubbard, who was superintendent of the Illinois river trade for the American

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Early winter landscape-Calumet expressway bridge over Kingery expressway and Thorn creek

Vol. 1 No. 8

JANUARY, 1954

--

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Time To Get Tough

Published by the Cook County (Dl.)

Department of Highways
Under auspices of the Board of County Commissioners

BY WILUAM N. ERICKSON
President, Cook County Traffic Survey
and Safety Commission

WILLIAM N. ERICKSON, Pretldenl

JaNel F. Ashendu
John Mackler, Jr.
Frank Bobryltke
Georl' A. "Iller
Wlllla., Bu...
Georl' R. Nixon
Ellultelh A. Conkey
Daniel Ryan
John J. Ou"y
CI'ylol' F. Smith
Arthur X. Elrod
Edward M. Snted
Chlal A. Jenaen
John J. Touhy
WILLIAM J. MORTIMER
Superintendent of Highwaya

WE SUM up the record of 1953 and look for-

ward to tbe opportunity for doing better which

A
every new year brings, it appears very definitely that
our efforts to prevent the
useless loss of life on our
highways are heading to
a crisis.
There is much evidence
that public participation
in highway safety j.s far
from adequate. Too much
of it is in the grade of
N ew

Year's

Published at 130 North Wells Street, Chicago 6.

FRanklin 2-7544 Extension 221

...,.,88"'
year came to an end with the worst fatality rccord
since the Traffic Safety Commission was organized in
1946. The figure marked up by Death in 1953 is sobering in every respect.
The High Cost of Accidcnts
How many realize the cost of traffic accidents month
after month?
The staff of the Traffic Safety Commission can tell
you. They took lhe accident reports made to the
state highway division and figured the hill in the
suburban area of the county in an average month.
Here are the items:
Seventeen dead, 645 injured (how many crippled
for life?), and property damage exceeding a quarter
of a million dol1ars counting only accidents in which
damage is $100 or more.
In an effort to learn the fundamentals of driver
behavior, the commission in December started a study
of"what happens at stop-"igns-not stop and go lights,
but the eight-sided boards. Observers spent the day
at both two-way and four-way signs, checking per
formance during peak and slack hours of travel.
Thus far they have learned that roughly half the
drivers come to a full, legal stop.
Many practice
the rolling stop, which is dangerous when the opposing driver at a four-way stop is also a driver of that
school. A smaller percentage, but nevertheless a
terrifying element, go right through stop signs without slowing up.
It was observed that where any authority was
present, even a school boy patrol, pcrfonnance was
very much better. Does that mean that a considerable number of drivers entertain the notion that they
can make their own rules when the umpire is away?
The Day of Enforcement at Hand
The high points I.have mentioned make up a picture that is not .encouraging. In addition to the grow
ing lotal of accidents, there is the complacency with
which the public as a whole accepts the situation.
What can be done to arouse the people to the realization that a relatively small group of irresponsible,
inattentive drivers is causing the damage and that
thus far soft methods have failed?
I respectfully call on the mayors, village presidents, police chiefs and magistrates of Cook county's
103 suburbs- all of whom are affiliates of the Traffic
Safcty Commission to adopt a policy of rigid enforcement in all traffic violation cases. In my opinion, the bad drivers have had their chance. They
won't like a program of tough enforcement, but it
will be a break for the large majority of good drivers
that is long overdue them.

TPsolutions

- whose fragile nature is

generally attested by Jan.
2 accident reports - and
too little of it is based
on the acceptance of individual responsibility.
In my opinion, the time
is at hand to deal seriously with those types of
careless, inattentive drivers who up to now have
William N. Erickson
been approached, for the
most part, with educational appeals in the name of
good citizcnship.
One sign of delinquency at the wheel is the toll
marked up on Edens expressway. The tragedy of
Death taking over a highway incorporating every advanced safety idea was expressed on his ninetieth
hirthday recently by Col. William G. Edens, the good
roads pioneer whose name is borne by the expressway.
"The engineers have provided lhe safest highway
possible to design, but still darn fools go out there
and get themselves killed," he said.
A Visiting Engineer'S Views
On the page opposite this one there is further authoritative comment on the Edens fatalities. The
writer, Louis J. Schrenk of Detroit, widely known con
sutting engineer, studied the lighting installation on
the expressway in November and from bis profes
sional viewpoint analyzed the 20 fatal accidents on
Edens which were reported in detail in COOK
COUNTY HIGHWAYS in November.
I wish the newspapers in Cook county would reprint from this article so their readers could profit
thereby. I wish they would emphasize especially Mr.
Schrenk's comment that uO ne is readily convinced
that the best engineering skill which goes into the
design of these limited access highways cannot protect everyone from the human element. . . . Irresponsib1e, inattentive and drinking drivers, who cause
recklcssncss, are found on all highways and arc not
limited to expressways."
The death record on Edens was shocking because
the expressway was designed with every known safely
factor. However other highwo.ys in suburhan Cook
county continued to contribute to the toll and the

'-"

'-'

Lighting on Edens Rated A Safety Factor

The following article was written by one of
the country's leading authorities on highway
illumination after inspecting the lighting of
Edens expressway and then studying the reports
printed in the November COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS of 20 fatal accidents on Edens between
Aug""t 2, 1952, and Sept. 12, 1953. His conclusions will be reassuring to anyone who had
quest:oned the safety of the expressway design.

not show under which conditions the fatal accidents

occurred during construction, whether they occurred
in the lighted or- unlighted sections.
Since conditions were changing it is difficult to
come to any definite conclusions. However, from
experiences on many other highways where adequate
street lighting was installed a reduction in fatal
accidents of a minimum of 50 per cent was made.
It would be reasonable to expect that much better
results will be accomplished on the Edens expressway,
since the lighting as installed provides excellent
visibility, resulting in easy and quick seeing conditions.

BY LOUIS J. SCIIR~;NK
Street Lighting Consultant
DENS EXPRESSWAY is so engineered as to make
use of all proven safety devices and construction.
Needless to say. accidents on such expressways
should not occur. However, in analyzing the fatal
accident record, one is readily convinced that the
best engineering skill which goes into the design of
these limited access highways cannot protect everyone
from the human element. Similar accidents occur
on other types of streets and highways where speeds
are much lower, or around 30 to 40 miles per hour.
Irresponsible, inattentive and drinking drivers, who
cause recklessness, are found on all highways and
are not limited to expressways.
The driver who is inconsiderate of others is a
menace on any-street and many of the fatalities
listed in this report were directly or indirectly caused
by this type of driver. (Analyzing the twenty fatal
accidents, the following IS found:
Eight accidents where the driver left the expressway, either lost control of the car, or was forced off
by another vebiclc.
Four accidents were head-on collisions or cars
traveling in the wrong direction for some unknown
reason.
Four accidents involved pedestrians, for which
the highway was not intended.
Three accidenta were due to stopping or parking
on the highway and not fully clearing the lanes.
One accident was due to illegal U-turn.
~ The twenty fatalities occurred during a thirteenmonth period .
Five of the fatal accidents occured during daylight.
Fifteen occurred during hours of darkness.
The above indicates that the lack of adequate
visibility is a major factor and no doubt this is
partially true.

Lights Prevent Accidents in Detroit

A study from police department reports on 31
miles of Detroit's heavily travelled streets shows
material reductions were made in traffic fatalities
after adequate safety lighting was install",d. The
improved lighting in all cases somewhat exceeded the
American Standard Practice for this type of urban
thoroughfares.
The following table shows the driver's actions
where it was determined that the driver was at fault:
2 Yrs. Before 2 Yrs. After
Improved
Improved
Driver Actions
Lighting
Lighting
Inattention of
Night 18
6
Driver
Day
1
3
Running Red
Night
6
1
Lights
Day
0
0
Speeding
Night 14
2
Day
1
0
Hit-Run
Night
9
2
Day
0
0
Under Influence
Night 15
1
Alcohol
Day
1
0
TOTALS
Night 62
12
Day
3
3
It is quite obvious from the above table that
adequate street lighting which provides easy and
quick seeing is a major factor in assisting all types
of drivers in safer operation of his vehicle, which
means a safer highway for the public in general.

Edens Lighting a Good .Tob

Apparently the reckless, inconsiderate and plain
incompetent drivers will always occupy our highways.
Anything that provides increased safety for the
ordinary sane driver, who, thank heaven, comprises
the great majority of drivers on our streets and
highways, should be given every consideration.
There is also a psychological-effect on drivers to
obey traffic regulations more implicitly under good
visibility than in darkness.
The engineers responsible for the adequate lighting
on Edens expressway should be commended as the
lighting is not overdone. It is felt that the public
reaction by and large will be very favorable and that
the night accident records in the next few years will
justify this installation.

Edens LJgllting Installation

The first seven months and seven days since Aug.
I, 1952, the expressway was in service without any
highway lighting, as the lighting on the first three
mile section went into service on Mar. 12, 1953.
The balance of the lighting, or approximately eleven
~i1es, was completed during the following six months,
placing the last section of lighting in service around
Sept. I, 1953.
The night fatalities are equally divided during the
period of no highway lighting and the period during
which the lighting was installed. The record does

"""

'-&

1953 Building In Cou nty Sets New Record

BY ALBERT J. nULLINS
Director Building and Zoning Bureau
of Cook County
HE HEAVY building program in the unincorpo'
rated areas of Cook county continued to increase
during 1953 arid the volume of construction for the
year again topped all previous records.
Total value of all property improvements was $53,302,871. This compared with $33,388,751 for 1952.
Total fees received by the bureau in 1953 was $190,095.75, which compared with $120,386 for the preced-

ing year.

A program of rcinspcctioDS and investigation~ of

all taverns in unincorporated areas with the view of
eliminating fire hazards was begun by the district
engineers of the bureau at the recommendation of
President William N. Erickson of the county board.
It is contemplated that tavern owners seeking renewal
of their licenses will be required to show that their
premises meet fire safety standards.
Ordinance Revision Started
Revision of the county zoning ordinance was begun
in 1953. The ordinance has been changed but little
since it was adopted 13 years ago and needs modernizing in many respects. The revision committee in
eludes Howard Olson, director, and PaulO. Fisher,
secretary, of the Chicago Regional Planning association; James G. Jamieson. supervisor of the Building
and Zoning Bureau of Cook County; Walter T. Popjoy, secretary of the Zoning Board of Appeals of
Cook County, and the writer.
The high level of activity in residential building
throughout the area under jurisdiction of this bureau
made a busy year for the district engineers and in
spec tors in the 10 zoning bureau districts. They
investigated and inspected the construction, plumbing
and electrical installations, water and sewage facil
ities, business uses, trailer camps, convalescent homes
and similar types of improvement covered by a total
of 4,620 building and zoning permits.
Zoning Makes uElbow Room"
Because of proper zoning restrictions and reason
able building regulations, land planning in the suburban area.s has bElen neveloped to provide more light,
air, fire protection and privacy, thereby contributing
to more gracious family life and country charm.
Under the zoning ordinance, the minimum building
lot is 10,000 square feet with a 60-foot front, and this
size, larger than the minimum in Chicago and most '
suburbs, allows more "elbow room" and breathing
space between homes annd altogether provides a
scheme of better living conditions.
A summary of the improvements for which pennits
were issued in 1953 follows:
Permits
Valuation
Residences
3280
$42,912,399
Accessory buildings
578
514,452
Remodeling and additions
243
1,100,855
Water and sewage
219
127,654
Business
81
1,276,890
Industry
21
559,407
Other permits
198
6,811,214

4620

Albert J. MuUlns, director, and "ames G.

Jamieson, s upervisor, B~lIding and Zoning Bureau of Cook County.

Stage Coach Days

EW YEAR'S 1834 is a high point in the history
of transportation in Cook county. On that day
the first stage coach to run west out of Chicago, an
"elegant, thorough.brace post carriage" that had been
shipped by boat from Buffalo, set out to carry the
mail to St. Louis.
It is recorded that the honor of driving thc first
coach under the newly awarded mail contract was
given to John D. Caton, then a young Chicago
lawyer and later a famous chief justice of the
Illinois Supreme Court. But there is no record of
how far the shiny new stage made its way on that
wintry day.

From the account of a traveler who started over

the same route two weeks later, it may be suspected,
however, that the inaugural trip did not achieve
much mileage. This tourist, a passenger in Ha hand
some four-horse coaCh," set down in his journal that
the day was bright and cold; the snow was abundant,
and a few milcs ovcr thc prllirie made it plain that

$53,302,871

(Continued on Page 7)

"'-'

Zoning Board of Appeals Has A Busy Year

At a recent hearing on a zoning variation petition held in the county board room-Walter T.
Popjoy, secretary of the Zoning Board of Appeals; Andrew J. Dallstream, acting chairman of the
board of appeals; President William N. Erickson of the board of county commissioners, and County
Commissioners John J. Duffy and John lUackler, Jr.
BY WALTER T. POPJOY
Secretary, Zoning Board of Appeals
of Cook County

Building and zoning regulation in the unln- corporated areas of Cook county is placed by
ordinance in the highway department and the
highway superintendent, William J. Mortimer,
Is county zoning officer and administrator of
the building code.- The Building and Zoning
Bureau and the Zoning Board of Appeals are
quartered in highway department space at 130
N. Wells st., Chicago.

ADOPTION of the zoning ordinance of Cook

5parts!NCE
County on August 20, 1940, the unincorporated
of the county, which amount to almost 500
square nrlles, more than half the total area of the
County have seen an unprecedented growth. A substantial part of the residential growth as well as
the industrial and business development has been
due to the protection given by the zoning regulations.
In recognition of the fact that even the stable
regulatory ordinance which guides the various uses
of land may be amended where the interest of the
public can be served, it is provided in both the state
statute and the county zoning ordinance that changes
in regulations and district boundaries may be made
by the Board of Commissioners, but only aftcr public
hearings by the Zoning Board of Appeals.
In lhe 13 years of zoning regulation in the County,
1190 petitions for amendments and variations have
been received. In 1953, 113 such petitions were
given one or more public hearings. Following is a
summary of action by the County Board:
More restrictive classification granted ....... 26
More restrictiye classification denied...... . .. 1
Less restrictive classification granted ........ 35
Less restrictive classification denied ... . ...... 22
Reclassification petitions withdrawn . . ...... " 6
Reclassification petitions pending ........... 17
The disposition of petitions for variations by the
Zoning Board of Appeals was as follows:

Variations authorized (several with specific

conditions attached) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 5
Variations denied ............. . ........... 1
Members of the Board of Appeals are Acting Chairman Andrew J. Dnilstream, Russell B. James, Edwin
C. O'Toole, William L. Voss, Sr. and the writer, who
also acts as secretary.

Turnpike Earnings Grow

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission recently
announced a record gross revenue of $21,281,499.36
from 11,304,699 vehicles using the superhighway
during the fiscal year ending May 31, 1953. This
represents a 32.2 per cent increase in gross revenue
and a 28.5 increase in vehicular traffic over the
previous fiscal year. The net profit for the past year
was $7,631,700.29. Earnings have placed the entire
bond redemption program approximately seven years
ahead of schedule.

Expressways Designed by Jor;,t Committee

By HUGO J. STARK
Chief Engbteer of Design
Cook County Highway Department
N Scptember. 1939, the Cook County Highway Dc
partment set up a superhighway design division
to plan the system of controlled access highways
which we now call our expressway system. During
the years of World War II planning work continued
at a slower rate due to shortage of materials and
because many of our engineering personnel were
in the armed services.

Much of our highway planning had always been

subject to state approval, and so we were familiar
with the state's standards of construction. We made
some modifications in 1941 after extensive conferences with Public Roads Administration engineers to
tit the demands of the higher type expressway construction.
In 1944 the City of Chicago came into the picture
with planning of the city section of the Congress st.
expressway. Their engineering force was the Bureau
of Subways and Superhighways (now the Bureau of
Engineering), which had recently designed the subway system for the city.
Connty Joins City and State
They held a number of conferences with the state
highway department early in 1944 to set np standards
and details of design for this route, which they have
always designated as the West Route Superhighway.
At first we were not represented at these meetings,
but on May 13, 1944, Mr. William J. Mortimer, who
is now superintendent of highways for Cook county,
was present at a meeting also attended by engineers
from the Public Roads Administration of the federal
government and the state and -city.
At a meeting of the four agencies on Dec. 15, 1944,
Maj. George A. Quinlan, then county highway superintendent; Mr. Mortimer, then assistant superintendent, and the late Duncan M. Campbell, chief engineer
of the county highway department, were present from
the county department. At this meeting a joint committee was set up consisting of Mr. Mortimer, Richard
Van Gorp from the city and C. H. Apple from the
Chicago office of the state highway department.
The writer was appointed to replace Mr. Mortimer
as Cook county representative on Nov. 2, 1945, and
attended his tirst meeting on Nov. 7. When Mr.
Apple retired from the state in 1951, Mr. J. P. Tuthill, district engineer, took his place on the committee.

U. S. Engineers AUend ~Ieetillgs

Members of the staff of the Bureau of Public Roads
have attended ali the meetings since 1944, although
they have no official membership on the committee.
Mr. Robert Black, chief engineer of the Chicago Park
District, and members of his staff sit in on matters
concerning the North Lake Shore Drive extension.
Mr. Van Gorp, who is chief engineer of the newly
named Bureau of Engineering of the City of Chicago,
the only original member, is now chairman of the
committee.

Hugo J. Stark
At first this committee was formed to set up
standards for the Congress st. expressway, but as
planning of the other expressways came on, the committee was called on to decide matters on all the
routes. Meetings were some times held at the offices
of the Bureau of Subways and Superhighways and
some limes in the county highway conference room.
In the last two or three years they have heen held
in the state's conference room at 160 N. LaSalle st.
There are now active subcommittees on Traffic,
Maintenance, Electrical, and Bridge Structural Design
Standards. At various times there have been subcommittees on Design Standards, Flexible Pavements,
Lighting Standards, Bridge Name Plates, Landscaping and Estimating.
County Engineers Active
The Cook County Highway Department has been
well represented on these committees. M. F. Page
is chairman of the subcommittee on Bridge Structural Design Standards. Leo G. Wilkie and George
Hagenauer have been chairmen of the Traffic committee and John Nagel and Richard Kanak have been
members of the Traffic subcommittee. Paul Robinson
is our representative on the maintenance 8ubcomroit~
tee. A. J. Hamilton has been a member of the Design
Standards and Bridge Name Plate SUbcommittees.
Harold Pollock has served as chairman of the subcommittee on Flexible Pavcmcnts and William Lynch
has been chairman of the Lighting Standards subcommittee. Tom Roche has rep.resented this depart.
ment on the Estimating subcommittee and Morrie
Cherner on the Landscaping subcommittee.
The Design committee meets on call, approximately
every month or six weeks, to consider engineering
matters on the various expressway projects that are
brought before it by the agencies concerned. The
committee considers and makes decision::; on such
matters as alignment, right-of-way widths, location
of frontage roads, pavement width, grades, drainage
any deviation from standards and many other spe~
cial problems. These decisions represent the com.
bined engineering judgment of years of experience
on the part of each agency.

Revised Roll of CD Directors

Chicago Stage Coach Days

new names appear on the roll of Civil

TWENTY-TWO
Defense directors of Cook county's 103 suburbs.

(Continued from Page 4)

The 22 new directors come into office partly as

changes caused by recent suburban elections and
partly due to natural turnover. Including them, the
complete roll at present follows:
Nor th and North west
Arlington Heights-Nicholas Latto!,.212 Haddon ave,
HarrlOgton-lteynold E. Smith. 206 .s. Hough st.
Bartlett- Arthur T. Holtz 1~ Elroy sl.
Des Plaines-Vincent A. Ralph. 1441 Van Buren st.
Elgin-VIctor n. Kasser, 202 E. Chicago ave.
Evanston- Eddy S. BraJldt, 2665 Stewart ave.
Glencoe- A. G. Welnecke, 680 Vernon ave.
GlenvIew and Goll-Major .Wm. G. Budinger, 2004 Prairie ave.
Harwood Heights- LeRoy Randall, 4151 Overhill ave., l'iOlTitlgc.
l{cnllworth-Wo.ltcr C. Yackel, 529 Park dr.
Lincolnwood-Lorenz Schey, 4065 Morse ave.
Morton Grove-Carl Ekhart 5944 LIncoln ave.
Mount Prospcct-Sherman Ii.. Canty, 105 S. Main 5t.
Niles-George Pasek, 6820 Harts n1.
NorrIdge-LeRoy Randall, 4151 Overhill ave.
Northbrook-Fred Weiszmann, .Jr., 1900 Shcrllwr rd.
Northtleld-John L. Aman, 116 Happ rd.
Norwood Park- LeRoy Randall, 4151 N. Overhill ave ..
Norridge.
Palatine-Frank S. Mcyer, 56 S. Rockaway ave.
Park Ridge-Donald E. Call, ]15 Columbia av('.
Schlllcr Park-Domonlck Barzano\ Pralrlc avc.
Skokie-Arthur W. Haab, 8025 Ki patrick ave.
Wheeling- Douglas II. CargUl, 1\'101'8 avc.
Wilmette- William A. Wolt! 1538 Highland avc.
Winnetka-William S. Warltcld lIr, 1124 Pine avc.

Western Suburbs
Bedford Park-Eugene Boganowskt. West 66th st.
Bellwood-Harry KUhn, 539 Bellwood avc.
Berkcley-Curtls Anderson, 1948 Atwood ave.
Berwyn- Maj. Paul Ceaser, 2118 East avc.
Bridgeview-Albert A. Cllby, 6749 S. 79th st.
Broadvlew- l\lerritt E. Braga, 2130 S. 14th ave.
BrOOkfield-C. HarOld Eash, 3412 McCormick ave.
Clcero-J. W. Raleigh. 2307 S. Laramie ave.
Elmwood Park- L t. Ossie Hjellum, 7420 Fullerton nvc.
Forest Park- John E. Phelan 851 Lathrop ave.
Forest V1cw-Cordon Hartl 4544 S. Kenilworth ave.
Franklin Park- George Po lUck 2932 Lincoln ave.
HIUslde--:r-.Uchael Yundt, 4837 Butterl1eld rd.
Hinsdale-Charles E. Cessna, 449 Cleveland ave.
HodgkInS-JOhn P. Morrell, R.F.D. NO.1. LaGrange.
Justice- Raymond Pltnskl Oak Grove ave. and Archer avc.
LaGrange--Charles Baldw j n 102 S. Blackstone ave.
LaGrange Park- Robert S. Oussman. 407 N. Malden ave.
Lyons-James A. Basak, 4140 Rose a.ve.
Maywood-Harvey G. Meyer, 1612 S. 9th a.ve.
McCook- Martin Guarello 8746 W. 50th st.
Melrose Park- Thomas Matters, 708 N. 18th ave.
North Lake-John Kudela, 201 Wagner dr.
North Rlverslde-John W. Plewa, 2426 8th ave.
Oak Park- WilHam F. Koerber, 1114 M1ller ave.
River Forcst-C. W. Sodcrlln, 203 Calc nvc.
River Grove--Henry B. Christman, 8410 W. Grand avc.
Riverside-Col. O. B. Shawhan, 314 Bartram rd.
SUckney-John W. WoltOl'd, Jr. 4341 S. Home ave.
Stone Park-Emil W. Elttmann, 1818 N. 34th ave.
Summit-Harry Sklenar. 6123 Archer rd.
Westchester-..tohn G. Kelly. 702 Newcastle ave.
Western SprIngs-Dr. Harland H, Young. 4724 Wol! rd.
willow Springs-Earl Van Ort, 8700 Charleston ave.

South Area Suburbs

AIslp--Thomns Robinson 4444 W. 123d st.
Bedrord Park- Eugene noganowskt, 7802 W. 66th pI.
Blue Island-Burtus Overton, 12541 S, Western ave.
Burnham-Ray Zmlja 14039 Greenbay.
Calumet City-Eldon E, Hastings, 660 Douglas st.
Calumet Park-Carl F. Fornal" 12357 S. RacIne ave.
Chicago HeIghts- Waiter' H. Lueder, 404 W. 15th 8t.
Chicago Rldg~-F. C. Shetzley, 10441 Prairle ave.
Crestwood- Fred Massat\,..l35th st. a nd Crawford a ve.
OIxmoor-Paul Vrshek 11:. F. D. 2.
Dolton-Dr. Fred C. Jethe 14749 Oak st.
East Chicago Heights-Alvin Bowd2!l", 1456 Creenwood ave.
Evergreen Park""':Edward Sykora, "w0 W. 95th st.
Flossmoor-Dr. Marvin C. Rogel's, 2043 Cummings lane.
Glenwood- Mennon Cunkle, 110 Main st.
.... Grand View Park-Ira Harscts). 8823 Austin ave.
.. Harvey-Carl W. Stanger 153:d Broadway.
Hazelcrest-Rlchard T. Siockwell, 16994 Dixie hwy.
Homewood-Edward C. Riordan 2008 Ridge rd.
Homewood Acres--Wlll1am A. Sherer. l83d and Lawndale ave.
Lansing-Edward Van LanIngham, 3404 Lake st.
Lemont-Harold W. Petrie, 1 Logan st.
Markham-Ben Byers, 100th st. and Hillcrest.
Matteson-Leonard J. Lauer, 3735 W, 216th st.
Merrlonette Park-Robert S. Challtoux. 3036 W. 114th pI.
Midlothian-Louis M. KaUs, 4037 w. 147th st.

a wheeled vehicle was not best suited for the conditions.

The first stage coach station was at Barney
Lawton's hUl, on the present site of Riverside.
There the coach was abandoned and the journey
resumed in a sled furnished with plenty of hay and
buffalo robes.
Lawton's place was important in the early history
of roads from Chicago to the southwest. One of the
first two highways established in 1831 by the board
of commissioners of the newly created county of
Cook ran to Lawton's by way of modern Madison st.
and Ogden ave., from Lawton's it continued on to
a settlement at Walker's Grove, just south of the
present town of Plainfield.
This road was one of three that carried early
daY travel between Chicago and Ottawa and Peru,
where connections were made with steamboats from
St. Louis. One of the two other roads passed through
Naperville and thence southwestward through Oswego,
Yorkville and Newark, following the general course
of the Fox river, to a junction with the Plainfield
road a few miles northwest of Ottawa. The third
followed the DesPlaines river by way of Lockport
and Joliet and although longer than the two other
roads, it carried a heavy volume of traffic during
part of the stage coach era.
canal Outmodes Stage Coach
The highways continued to be the main arteries
of travel southwest of Chicago until the Illinois and
Michigan canal was opened in 1848. It attracted
no t only freight shipments, but passengers as well.
Instead of bouncing overland to Ottawa, travelers
from Chicago could make the journey in 20 hours on
packet boats accomodating 75 to 100 persons a nd
fitted with shelf-like berths for night time.
The "Queen Of The Prairies" and the other packets,
however, were soon doomed. The coming of the rail
roads, paralleling both highway and waterway, opened
a new era, which continued until hard roads and
the family car gave Americans a new and most
thrilling form of travel.
Now the local passenger train, in its turn. has
vanished, and the I. & M. canal appears on the map of
the future as a link in Cook county's system of
modern expressways.
Oak Lawn- J ohn F. Delaney Jr., 4918 W. 92d st.
Oak Forest- John E. Trully, 15847 S. Cicero ave.
Olympia l"ields-James Connel1y, 11011 Brooksldc dr ..
Matteson.
Orland Park-Roy Loebe, Oak and BrOOk sts.
Palos Park- Victor Leatzow, 123d and Hobart sts.
Park Forest--Sldney W. Frisch, 10 Dunham rd.
Phoenix- Frank A. Reznik 504 E. 154th pI.
Posen-Joseph Koppal 14530 Division 8t.
Richton Pnrk-Erhardl;I Stade, Main st.
Riverdale- Charles K. Cook, 41 E. 137th pI.
Robbins- Paul Rayon, 3836 Lincoln ave.
South Chicago Heights-Rennie Smith, 153 W. 27th st.
South Holland-John Van Del' Woude, 153d and South Holland
Steger-Wa.lter H. Putterson, 3643 Green st,
Thomton-Harry W. Blank, 809 E. Cherry lane.
Tinley Park-Elbert Elmore, 17001 New England ave.
Worth-- Edward Edmond, 6855 Crandall ave.

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

MidWinter in Cook County's Forest Preserve

Vol. 1 No.9

FEBRUARY, 1954

.......

'-"

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook County (ill.) Department of Highways
Under auspices of the Board of County Commissioners
WILLIAM H. ERICKSON, Pretl'ent

Jalll,' F. A,'ud.n
Frank Bobl')ltzt.
Wlilla ... Bu ...

Job Mackl,r, Jr.

Geo,,1 A. Miller
Georgi F. Hilton

Arthur X. EI~tI
elitist A. Jenlelt

Daniel Ryan
Clay tan F. Smith
Edward M. SIlI.d
Jolin J. Ttuhy

Ellubeth A. Canby
John J. Duffy
WILLIAM J.

MORTIMER

SUlIBrlntud."t of HIgllwlya

Published at 130 North Wells Street, Chicago 6. FRanklin 2-7544 Extension 221

Gen. Winfield Scott--Cook County Road Breaker

COLORFUL ligure in the beginnings of Cook
counly's highways was Gen. Winlield S. Scott,
A
who, with nine companies of infantry in plumed

had left them when they broke their lirst night's

camp.
Roads From Chicago to Galenll

shakos and shouldering flint locks, arrived in Chicago

late in June, 1832, on his way to take charge of the
campaign against the Inruans under Black Hawk.

Although the name Army Trail is now applied only

to lhe Du Page county road branching from Lake st.
(U. S. 20) in Addison, Gen. Scolt's campaign left ita
marks in Cook county, not only the line of march
from Riverside through Maywood and 011 toward
Addison, but also the lirst leg of the lirst highway
between Chicago and the booming lead mine town of
Galena. This road started at Lake st. and the river
and ran by way of Naperville to Dixon, where it
joined an existing road to Galena.
Another road to Gallona was authorized by the
slate legislature in 1836. It atarted from Meacham's
Grove, now Bloomingdale in Du Page COUlJ.ty, ran
northwest into Cook county and crossed the F'ox
River at Elgin. The newly charted route was up
river three m..iles from the Anny Trail crossing and
the settlers at Elgin and Meacham's found it necessary
to join hands to break a track between the two settlements and thus give Elgin access to Chicago over the
Army 'rrail. The project was carried out and its
completion was celebrated with proper festivities on
July 4, 1836.
Meacham's Grove has become Bloomingdale, but
the original name is preserved in Meacham road,
which extends from the village of Merunah in Du
Page county to Al~onquin road in Cook county. At
that intersection, the Cook County Highway dcpllrtment two years ago erected a modern warehouse
garage Which is headquarters for the big snow fighters
and maintenance crews that keep county roads in
that area passable the year around.

Impatient with the poor showing of the volunteers,

President Jackson had ordered Scott and the detachment of regulars from Fortress Monroe, Va. Tbey
came by way of Buffalo down tbe lakes and while
still on shipboard were stricken with the Asiatic
cholera then sweeping the country. Many died on
tbe ships. Many more deserted in panic. Close to
a hundred died after reaching Fort Dearborn and
were buried in the sand of the lakc shore.
As soon as the troops could move, Gen. Scott
marched them to the present site of Riverside and
put tbem in camp on the bank of the Des Plaines.
lIe then left with a small escort to clltch up with
the Indian war in southwestern Wisconsin.

Army Trail Road Broken In

On Aug. 1 the infantrymen were well enough recovered to take up the march. With their 50 heavy
wagons, they moved up the Des Plaines to present
day Maywood. There they turned slightly northwest, following in general the line of Lake st. The
first night out they camped where the village of
Adruson in Du Page county now stands. There they
turned almost due west, and from where this route
left the present Lake st., the highway is still known
as the Army Trail.
The aoldiers hiked to Beloit, Wis., arriving there
Aug. 8. They settled down for a week'a reat and
while still in camp word came that the Indian force
had been vanquished in tbe battle of Bad Axe.

After Dark Death Stalks the Driver

A summllry of 1952 accident reports of 14 states
for total and fatal traffic accidents reveals two important facts, it is noted by Street Lighting Magazine:
(1) there are 36 per cent less total accidents at night
than during the day and (2) there are 18 per cent
more fatal accidents at night than during the day.
'fhese reporta divide traffic deaths during the hours
of darkness between those on unlighted streets and
those on lighted ones. Over 3% times more deaths
occurred on unlighted streets.

Originally an Indian trace from Chicago to Beloit,

the Army Trail waa ao well broken in by the heavy
army baggage wagons that it was turned into a main
highwllY by .elllers comillg illto the country following
, the end of Indian hostilities. One party that set out
from Chicago in 1833 related that after croaaing the
Des Plainea at Maywood they found "a well traveled
road." They passed the grave of an infantryman
who had died on the march the year before and at
Salt Creek aaw tent poles stantting as the soldiers

Highway Bridge Becomes Thing of Beauty

Cost and appearance also play an important part
in tbe final selection of the str ucture. Increased cost
of labor and material, together with heavier loadings
and greater roadway widths found necessary to accommodate modern traffic, demand careful economic
analysis of the structure.
Beauty No Extra.va.~ance
The appearance of the bridge is always paramount
in the mind of the designer. Experience has proved
that the cost of a beautiful bridge is little or no more
than the cost of the most severe and meager improvement allowable.

By MILTON F. PAGE
Bridge Engineer
Cook County Highway Department
of our modern highway sys
THEternDEVELOPMENT
has been made possible by the bridge struc

tures which carry the highways over streams, across

difficult terrains and provide the safe separation of
traffic at highway and railroad crossings.
The bridge of today is a marked improvement over
those of 10 or 20 years ago. The demand for rapid
and secure travel, together with greatly increased
weights of vehicles, has necessitated many changes
in geometric and strength requirements. Generous
horizontal and vertical clearances are provided to ob
viate a feeling of constriction as the motorist passes
beneath or over a bridge or grade separation structure. Gone are the sharp "humps" which plagued
the driver with not being able to see ahead. Open
handrails have been provided to increase visibility
witbout loss of safety.
No longer do we see the attempt to beautify a
bridge by adding ornate details. Instead the general
form of a bridge does not disguise the purpose, but
rather reflects its strength and function as an integral
part of the highway.
Each Structure Separate Study
Each structure is individually studied and planned
in an effort to have it suitably provide the most pleasing and satisfactory solution to the problem for a
bridge at that particular location.
In selecting the type of bridge to be used, many
factors, varying witb each location, have to be taken
into consideration. Among the most important fac
tors are grade, alignment, clearance requirements,
topography, foundation materials and utilities such
as sewers and water mains.

Bridge over Congress st . expressway at 9th ave.,

Maywood.
D esigned by Cook County Highway department.

Unfortunately, there is no formula by which to determine beauty in a bridge. This must be attained
through the development of economic and practical
considerations.
It has been recently stated that a bridge should
appear to enjoy tbe exhilaration of live loads instead
of looking as if it were laboring under its own weight.
Fortunately, the principles of engineering design
symbolize the laws of nature and emphasize the
character of the applied materials. The observer of
a bridge readily recognizes the materials of which it
is constructed and immediately senses the proper
proportions.
Each completed bridge represents the product of
the knowledge and efforts of many engineers and
craftsmen who developed it from the drafting board
to its ultimate purpose of connecting the highway
Hthich it ties together.

Mississippi Valley Conference

,

Gross Point rd. bridge over Edens expressway aa

viewed from Oakton at. bridge.
Both structures
designed by Cook County Highway department.

The Mississippi Valley Conference of State Highway Departments will meet at the Edgewater Beach
hotel March 4, 5, and 6. The welcome extended to
the visitor. by the Cook County Highway Department
will include stenographic ~nd clerical help for the
registration desk.

The conditions resulting from complying with all

of tbe above factors, very often provide a real test
of the designer's ingenuity.

Expressway Signs Based on Long Study

sign of the signs was undertaken. The first sign that
is seen as a driver approaches an interchange is
shown in the top picture. The crossroad has been
indicated in each case by its commonly used name
and a route number where a route number applies.
The next sign is a map sign as shown in the second picture. Much discussion ensued before this
type of sign was included in the system. Its purpose is to indicate to a driver the trallic movements
that are poasihle as he drive. through the interchange. In the final discussion, it was felt that this
type of sign was necessary because of the varying
geometry of the interchanges which range from the
configuration shown in the second picture to partial
cloverleafs, and to full cloverleafs.

The various tests and studies which led to

adoption of the system of signs on the new expressways in the Chicago metropolitan area were
set forth in a report submitted to the annual
meeting of the Highway Research Board in Washington, D. C., last month. The authors were
William F. Bauch, Jr., e"'PTessway traffic engineer
of the Illinois State Division of Highway., and
John T. Nagel, traffic engineer of the Cook COU"ty Highway department. Their report, slightly
abridged, follows.

T THE TIME of the beginning of the project there

A
were very few criteria on which the design of
the expressway signs could be based. Lake Shore dr.

in Chicago was the nearest thing to an expressway

in the ChIcago area, but it dUfered in several operational respects from the expressways being con
structed. The prime diJference lies in the fact that
lake Shore drive is exclusively a passenger car opera
tion with a relatively low design speed, while the
expressway system has a 70 M.P.H. design speed and
will accommodate trucks and buses as well as passenger cars. Because of these differences it seemed
desirable to start anew rather than to adopt and
amend the system of signing used by the Chicago
Park district on Lake Shore dr.
The results of tests showed that of all the signs
tested the one with the white rellectorized background
and black letters gave the lowest legibility readings.
This was a significant factor in the ultimate choice of
color combination using a dark background and white
letters. Three types of rellectors produced satisfactory results, but tbe one containing moulded plastic buttons indicated supcrior legibility. Therefore,
this type of material was used throughout the system
excepting two interchanges on Edens expressway in
which the other two types of reflectors were used to
permit continuing observations under actual traffic
conditions.

Three Signs On Circular Ramp

The third sign is placed in the nose between the
ramp and through pavement (third picture). This
sign identifies the intersecting road by name, by
route number if one applies, and by community destination. These three signs, then, comprise the group
that direct a driver through a circular ramp interchange.
One other sign was given consideration for inclusion into the above series. It would have contained the name and distance to the next interchange,
but because of the frequency of the interchanges,
it was decided to erect an information sign at a
point beyond the interchange, as is shown in picture 4.
'l'hi. igu give. thf>c name and distance to the next
exit and the name and distance to a major destination.
One other information sign was deemed necessary
and that was to identify the cross street where
no interchange was present. This sign as shown in
the bottom picture, serves the purpose of helping to
orient strangers, and is also helpful in reporting the
location of accidents.
In the matter of letter size, the large signs in the
interchange series were furnished with 12 inch letters and in every case the message on the sign determined its overall dimensions. The community destinations on the signs at the ramp take-offs are given
in 8 inch letters to subordinate the community
name to the more important part of the sign, namely,
the name and direction of the crossroad, which is
given in 12 in letters. The information signs following the interchange are made up of 6 inch letters, while the bridge name signs contain 8 inch
letters.
Drivers Given Ample Warning
The first sign in advance of each interchange was
placed approximately 2,000 feet in advance of the
ramp take-off. When the night time legibility of the
sign, approximately 500 feet, is added, ample distance is provided to enable drivers to get in position to make the required movements at the interchange without hazard to other vehicles.
All the signs in the interchange series were constructed in the sign shop of the Cook County Highway department. The sign erection in the lIeld was
performed jointly by the sign forces of the Cook
County Highway department and the Illinois Division
of Highways. The destination and information signs,

"Ground Rules" Established

Concurrent with the sign tests, which were being
carried on in the field, work was underway on the
problem of developing a system of signing for the
circular ramp interchanges on the expressway system. A Ilrst step was the establishment of limitations, or ground rules if you please, which would govern throughout the entire sign design. The important ones are listed below:
1. All messages will be limited to three lines of
copy.
2. Arrows will be placed on the sign at an angle
approximately the angle the driver will follow, but
in no case will an arrow be placed either horizontal
or vertical. In such cases, a 1 in 7 slope shall be
used.
~
3. The word "EXIT" shall be used throughout
the system instead of the word "OUTLET."
4. All the signs which are being designed shall
consist of a dark green background with white letters.
With the above facls established, the actual de-

4:

"'-'

which were added after the expressways were opened,

were furnished and erected cooperatively by the two
highway agenCies mentioned above.
The large signs contain a "lumber framework of
2x4's, 4x6's, and 2x6's. The sign backing is of Yo
inch plywood. The smaller signs contain plywood
backing, and are mounted on 4x4 creosoted posts.
Erection details are as follows:
1. Edge clearance-desirable 10 feet, minimum 6
feet without curbs, 4Yo reet with vertical curbs.
2. Height-desirable minimum 4V2 feet to the
bottom of the sign.
3. Angle of placement-approximately 85 with
the center line of through pavement.
Studies and Tests Continue
The whole question of sign framing and supports
is under continuous study. At the time of the initial installation, it was admitted that there was room
for improvement. It was a question of providing
adequate signs initially, while undertaking the longer
teno problem of determining the proper materials
for future expressways as they are opened to traffic.
Continuing study is being given to the expressway
signing. Subsequent to the installation of the signs
containing the three different retlectorizing materials,
a night inspection trip was made on Edens expressway by a group of 15 traffic engineers all of whom
were given opportunity to express their opinions of
the various materials under study. The result of
this study was to confirm the sign tests regarding
color combination and refiectorizing materials.
Another night inspection was made on the Calumet expressway where a variety of sign types and
delineation materials were obserVed. Twenty-two
engineers participated in this exercise and were given
a questionnaire to fill out. The results were very
valuable in determining the system of signing that
has been described above.
Edens Lights Call fOT Study
Another item for study has come into being with
the installation of mercury vapor lighting on Edens
expressway. This has opened the field for study of
the placement of the signs with respect to the location of the luminaires. Secondly, study will be
undertaken to gather additional information relative
to legihility and target value of the signs under the
mercury vapor lights.
The Congress st. expressway now under construction will contain parallel ramps for the urban portion of its length of approximately eleven miles. This
highway will be depressed with several locations where
retaining walls are necessary, which almost precludes
the possibility of large, shoulder mounted signs.
This leads to the next step of providing overhead
signs, and work has begun on making some experimental installations on Edens expressway, in order
that experience may be acquired with this type of
sign before Congress st. is opened to traffic.
In conclusion, it can be said that the basic system
of expressway signing as described and illustrated
herein has proven to be satisfactory based on the
operating experience on the two expressways over
a period of time in excess of one-and-one-half years.
The studies now continuing should lead to improvements that will consist of modifications of the existing signs rather than revisiollll Qf the system.
0

167 TH STREET

I>

'-"

"-"

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT CONTRACTS LET IN 1953

ONTRACTS awarded by the Cook County Highway department in 1953 total cd $19,541,284.52.
C
Of this grand total, $12,873,885.38 was for work on the Congress st., Calumet and Edens expressways and the North Route Lake Shore dr. extension. The jobs included structures, paving,
drainage, lighting, demolition of right-of-way and grading. The remaining $6,667,399.14 was for
work on non-expressway streets and roads, principally resurfacing and paving.
In addition, contracts totaling $51,859.33 were awarded for 14 projects on township roads.
Al! of the resurfacing and paving projects contracted for last year have been completed.
other projects are in various stages of completion.

The

Structures on Expressways and Other Roads

Project

LocatIon

Type

Contractor

..
...
Congress
.
..
.
..
..
..

Thornton-Lansing rd.
Line A-Thorn creek

Grade sep.
Substr_
Super.str .
Substr.
Superstr.
Grade sep.
Substr.
Superstr.
Substr.
Superstr.
Grade sep.
Grade sep.
Substr.
Superstr.
Grade sep.
Grade sep.
Grade sep.
Grade sep.
Ped. underpass
Ped. underpass
Bridge
Br idge
Bridge
Bridge
Bridge
Bridge

Standard Paving Co.

Arcole Midwest Corp.
Superior Conc. Const. Co.

Calumet

.."

."
North Route
Devon ave.
Howard st.
Oakton st.
State st.
Steger rd.
25th ave.
25th ave.

..

"

"

130th st. at M.C. R.R.

/1

II

II

II

Kedzie ave.
Homan ave .

"

"

..

Central Park ave .

"

Indepcndcncc blvd.
Pulaski rd.
Keeler ave.
II

II

Kastner ave.
Cicero ave .
Laramie ave.
U _ S. Rt. 20 conn.
Lake Shore dr.
Dee rd.
North Branch
N. Shore Channel
Deer Creek
Plum Creek
Addison creek
Salt creek

"

Price

"

"

"

Allied Struct. Steel Cos .

M. T. Boyle & Co.
Thomas McQueen Co.
Allied Struct. Steel Cos.
M. J. McDermott Co .
Allied Struct. Steel Cos.
Arcole Midwest Colp.
Kenny Construction Co.
W. J. Sheppard Co.
Allied Struct. Steel Cos.
Superior Conc. Const_ Co.
Contracting & Material Co.

"

..

..

Arcole Midwest Corp.

States Improvement Co.
Frenzel Bros.
Thomas McQueen Co.
Kenny Construction Co.
Superior Cone. Const. Co.
Orr Construction Co.
M. J. McDermott Co.
Milburn Bros.

$ 312,263.00
210,139.15
182,001.64
198,841.74
159,998.95
728,732.82
285,818.67
103,095.20
235,678.15
103,219.15
861,924.93
472,041.23
219,342.15
101,605.50
582,651.82
436,222.20
443,196.55
197,770.64
88,494.25
41,831.65
135,928.23
248,000.00
82,469.67
119,409.40
147,478.96
165,621.95

Sewers and Culverts

Project

Location

Calumet sewer
Congress st. sewer
Congress st. sewer

John Doherty Co.

Thornton-Lansing to Glenwood
Pulaski to Cicer o
N. Pontarelli
Central to Cicero
Kenny Consu'. Co.
Scully & Son
Harlem to Roberts rd.
Midlothian creek
Orr Constr_ Co.
"
(3 culverts)
Standard Paving Co.
50th at. to 47th .t.
Scully Bros. Cont. Co.
Central to Laramie (included in above contract)

71st st. sewer

Central ave. culvert
80th ave. and 171st st.

Central ave. sewer

47th 8t. sewer

Contractor

P r ice
$ 432,937.75
517,668.50
798,657.30
69,150.10
47,043.88
69,450.41
27,181.80

Expressway Grading
Project

LocatIon

Contractor

Congress st.
Congress st.

Cen tral Park to Kedzie

Pulaski to Central Park

Palumbo Excava.ting Co.

Charles J. Wilson Co.

PrIce
$408,210.72
304,422_55

Street and Road Resurfacing

tlon

Project
Addison st.
Buck rd.
Pulaski rd.
Thatcher ave.
Burnhabl ave.
Canal st.
Central ave.
Crawford ave.
Dempster st.
Pulaski rd.
Dixie hwy.
Dundee rd.
East End ave.
Joe Orr rd.
Jeffrey-100th st.
Torrence ave.
87th st.
Kedzie ave.
Kedzie ave.
Narragansett ave.
Ridgeland ave.
Sibley blvd.
Sibley blvd.
South Park ave.
South Park ave.
Western ave.
Willow Springs rd.
31st st.
Wireton-Vermont
103rd st.
47th st.
63rd st.
127th st.
147th st.

PrIce

Contracto r

_ 1 and to Harlem
' evelt to Maple
"
Jnt to Irving Park
Chicago to North
159th st. to 106th st.
18th st. to Lake st.
26th st. to Madison st.
Lincoln ave. to Ridge rd.
CNS&M RR to McDaniel ave.
Bryn Mawr to Lincoln ave.
183rd st. to 135tb st.
Hawthorne to River rd.
Steger rd. to Lincoln bwy.
Ashland ave. to Halsted st.
95th st. to Avenue L
112th st. to 100th st.
Stony Island to Yates ave.
Wire ton rd. to 87th at.
87th st. to 67th st.
North to Grand ave.
Roosevelt to Augusta
Dixie bwy. to Chicago rd.
Chicago rd. to Burnham ave.
115th st. to 91st st.
91st st. to 68th st.
54th st. to 34th st.
47th st. to Ogden ave.
17th ave. to DesPlaines ave.
127th st. to Division st.
Crawford to California ave.
Cicero to Kedzie ave.
Archer to Central ave.
80th ave. to Calumet Sag rd.
Keystone to Waverly ave.

Standard Paving Co. }

II

"

"

II

II

f4

Union Contr. & Engr. Co.

Rock Road Constr. Co.
Hartong & Co.
Arcole Midwest Corp.
Areole Midwest Corp. I

"S

If

fI

Crowley-Sheppard Co.
Areole Midwest Corp.
Union Contr. & Engr. Col

"US

"H

American Asphalt

eo.}

II

" "

"

""

Rock Road Constr. Co.

J. M. Corbett Co.
Leininger Constr. Co.l

"

""S

Gallagher Asphalt Co.

Gallagher Asphalt Co.
Union Contr. & Engr. Co.
Union Contr. & Engr. Co.
Standard Paving Co.
Hartong & co.t

"

"

"

II

Hartong & Co.

American Paving
If

co.}

226,080.20
249,719.70
103,855.76
106,866.50
198,881.25
176,987.25
268,486.75
408,821.15
115,174.80
255,585.54
203,488.40
117,512.50
132,056.75
156,460.50
123,634.15
134,103.80
14.0,111.65
279,152.59
108,861.25
105,577.00
198,870.70

" "

Gallaghcr Asphalt Co.

Orr-Ready Cos.

91,067.00
122,643.25

Portland Cement Concrete Paving

Project
Congress st.

"
"

"
"

Nortb Route
California ave.
Cottage Grove ave.
Fullerton ave.
Howard st.
Park ave.
Tower rd.
115tb st.
Railroad Crossings

Location

Oon tractor

1st ave. to 12tb ave.

12th ave. to 21st ave.
21st ave. to Addison creek
Lake Shore dr. Extension
25th st. to Roosevelt rd.
87th st. to 83rd st.
Mannheim to 25tb ave.
Crawford to McCormick
159tb st. to 155tb st.
Greenwood to Vernon
Cicero to Crawford
C&NW RY, 9 sections

Anderson-Milburn
P. J. Crowley Co.
Arcole Midwest Corp.
Standard Paving Co.
Calumet Construction Co.
Ready Coal & Constr. Co.
J. A. Ross & Co.
Frenzel Bros.
R. A. Black Co.
Milburn Bros.
J. P. Construction Co.
Milburn BrOB.

PrIce
$1,036,048.75
814,846.79
1,327,402.40
751,907.75
466,000.52
166,360.25
170,949.05
208,121.59
171,749.78
32,Q66.70
123,772.46
47,814.30

Expressway Lighting
Project

Loea.tion

Contractor

Edens
Edens

Catalpa to Touhy
Pine st. to County Line

Contracting & Material Co.

Monroe Electrical Co.

Price
$301,864.14
289,779.94

Expressway Right-of-Way Demolition

Project

Location

Contractor

Congress st.
Congress .t.

Belt RR to Central ave.

C&WI RR to Laramie ave.

Harvey Wrecking Co.

Russell Bros.

Price
$37,340.00
29,758.00

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

IIU

IH if 10

The Edgewater Beach Hotel, meeting place of the Mississippi Valley Conference of State Highway Departmenta, as viewed

from the Foster Ave. grade separation on the newly opened Lake Shore Dr. extension.

I
Vol. 1 No. 10

MARCH, 1954

v
COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Welcome, Mississippi Valley

Published by the Cook County (n!.)

Department of Highways
Under auspices of the Board of County Commissioners

Highway Conference

WILLIAM N. ERICKSON, PresIdent

Jamel F. Alhellden
John Mackler. Jr.
Frank Bobrytzke
Georg. A. Millur
William Buue
George R. Nixon
Ellzab.th A. Conkey
Danl.1 Ryan
John J. Duffy
Clay tall F. Smith
Arthur X. Elrod
Edward M. Sneed
Chrht A. Jen"n
John J. Touhy
WILLIAM J. MORTIMER
Superintendent of HIII'hwaYI

By WILLIAM J. MORTIMER
Superintendent Cook County
Department of Highways

Published at 130 North Wells Street, Chicago 6.

FRanklin 27544 Extension 221

N BEHALF of President William N. Erickson and

the members of the Board of Commissioners of
Cook County, as well as the personnel of the COok
County Department of Highways, I extend a welcome
to the Mississippi Valley Conference of State Highway
Departments as it meets for its annual sessions in
the Edgewater Beach hotel.

~3115

daily, was planned and paved by the Cook County

Highway department, one of four agencies participating in the extension project.
Material shortages come and go, but the question
of how to finance highways probably will remain with
us for some time to come. Modern expressways, with
their broad rights-of-way, grade separations, and
other features that provide the motorist with safe,
continuous travel, are costly. For example, Edens
expressway. one of Cook County's first two such units
to be placed in use, cost $2,000,000 a mile, including
lighting, landscaping, fencing, signing, median strip
cable and stabilized shoulders.
This year alone the Cook County Highway department will do $4,500,000 worth of work.
Cook county's share of Edens and of the work done
thus far on Calumet and Kingery expressways in the
county and
Congress st. lUl
the Lake Shore extension in Chicago has been financed
with a $70,000,000 bond issue serviced entiroly with
motor fuel taxes. This issue will be exhausted this
year, so at the present, Cook county, like most of the
rest of the nation is concerned with how to raise the
large sums required to provide the many miles of
modern highway for which there is unquestionably a
strong public demand.
The public will pay the cost one way or another,
but I do not anticipate any opposition to well-planned
expressway programs. Financing methods probably
will differ between differcnt localities. Here in Cook
County a committee of civic leaders serving at President Erickson's request is conducting studies aimed
to determine the best means of raising the $125,000,000 needed to complete the county's share of
the 235-mile basic expressway system reaching into
the city and the suburbs. This committee appears
to be in favor of tolls, but whatever the final recommendation, it will be written with due consideration of the needs and the resources of the people.
Good public relations, I believe, is more than ever
important to all who have parts in providing the highways of our country in this day and age. We should
strive to advance our ideas and the means of carrying
them out, and we should strive to keep the public
informed and to provide the people with channels to
make their wishes known.
These things are being done for the great region
they serve by the members of the Mississippi Valley
Conference of State Highway Departments, and with
a word of welcome to Chicago I also wish them con
tinued success.

William J. lIIortimer

In public interest, highway planning and construclion has become probably the No. 1 peace lime activity of the nation. The high cost expressway, which
in the beginning appeared to be justified only as an
urban facility to expedite heavy traffic, as along Chicago's lake front, is now regarded as a transcontinental necessity, and Chicago looms as the hub
of an expressway system reaching through the Middle
West.
The Commissioners of Cook County have
endeavored at all times to shape their highway program to meet the wishes of the public, and this is
true of other highway authorities, both state and
county. To the credit of our engineering staffs, it
can be said that the people's desires have never been
denied' for lack of technical ability.
One obstacle we all have encountered in recent
years is the material shortage resulting from war.
It has come to an end, although it still has an effect
on the Lake Shore drive extension to be seen from
~ the east windows of the Edgewater Beach hotel. The
pavement now in use is temporary in the sense that
it was put down without awaiting construction of a.
grade separation for which steel deliveries were de
layed. In passing, I am proud to remark that this
by-pass, which benefits many thousands of motorists

New Highways Meet New Traffic Demands

By HAROlD A. POlLOCK
Engineer, Highway Design
Cook County Highway Department
HE MODERN highway of today is a vast improve-

T ment over the traveled ways of the past. Gone

are the narrow pavements, sharp curves, steep grades
and inadequate sight distances.

The motorist of to-

Out.dated-Narrow lanes, !Sharp curves, short sight

distances.

day demands better highway facilities to cope with

the mechanical improvements of the present day
automobile. Its sleek lines and aerodynamic contours, together with increased motive power and ease
of maneuverability. makes it imperative that new
basic highway designs be created. The truck, as a
common carrier of freight, has developed in size and
weight to such an extent that its physical characteristics are positive controls in the general geometries
of highway design.

Illinois

Rt.

83

in

suburban

Cook

county-modern

highway partially at grade, with median strip separating opposing traffic.

It is, therefore, requisite that for a design of a

particular highway, data on the composition of traffic
should be obtained by field studies. At important
intersections traffic volumes of trucks and passenger
cars at peak hours in the A. M. and P. M. must be

determined. Future traffic trends also must be established and taken into account.
The designer's responsibility is to develop a highway facility that will accomodate the majority of
demands efficiently and peak loads with reasonable
adequacy. However, the economics of a highway
design should be consistent with the benefits of the
road user. The cost of right-of-way, construction,
maintenance and operation are ba&ic economic factOTS to be considered.

Dempster st. interchange on Edens expresswayComplete grade separation, controlled access, divided
traffic.

The modern higbway may he a highway partially

or completely at gmde, or a highway completely
grade separated with controlled access.
Highways at grade may be two lane or multilane with or without a median or separating strip
dividing opposing traffic. The lane widths vary with
the volume and design speed of the highway. Wide

Congress st. at 17th ave., Maywood (under construetion)-Ty pical parallel ramp design.

shoulders, flat slopes and shallow ditches create a

streamlined cross section and feeling of freedom of
operation and vision.
Traffic is controlled at intersections by channelization with or without traffic control signals. Such
[Continued on Page 7)

58,732 Motorists Checked

By LEO G. WILKIE

at Stop Signs

Police Chief Comments ---

Traffic Engineer

"Dempster and Harlem is our worst intersection,"' said Police Chief Joseph Gabel of Morton
Grove. liThe accident record there emphasizes
strongly the need to instill respect for stop signs
in the thinking of a large number of motorists.
Not long ago we arrested a man who went
through the stop sign there. He said he thought
we were making 'suckers' out of people 'unlucky'
enough to get 'trapped.' I believe we convinced
him that the real sucker is the motorist who
fails to rcalize that stop signs nre set up for his
own protection."

Cook County Highway Department

-SIX stop sign intersections in Cook county
Sto IXTY
outside the city of Chicago were recently studied
detcrmine the extcnt of obedicncc by motorists in
this area to these important highway signs.
This study was undertaken by the Cook County
Traffic Survey and Safety Commission in order to
evaluate the rC'lationship of stop sign disobedience
to the traffic accidents reported for these intersections.
A prelimina.ry examination of the accident report;
of a previous study of some 300 of Cook county's
bad accident intersections disclosed that very little,
if anything, can he done to improve the physical or
engineering elements of some of the intersections.
However, this r eview of the accidents reported for
these physically adequate intersections pointed out
that many accidents were caused directly by a complete and admitted failure by the motorist to stop
for a stop sign.
A preliminary test at three intersections showed
that ther-e was general non-conformance to stop signs
in this area. However, to eliminate the possibility
of a hasty conclusion, it was decided to make an exaustive study nrst to determine- the degree of non~
conformance and then, if possible, to arrive at some
specific recommendations to solve this problem.
It must be remembered that no sign is of much
value if it is unreasonable and therefore impossible
and impracticable to enforce. Officials of municipalities and the highway department are constantly
besieged by citizens for stop sign installations. In
some cases these requests a.re warranted, but in many
other instances no justification is found.

The investigators tabulated the following information for each intersection:

a. Total traffic entering intersection for duration
of test period
b. Voluntary stops
c. Involuntary stops
d. Rolling stops
e. No stops
This information was further classified by type of
vehicle, whether truck or passenger car, direction of
travel and direction of turning movements. The
weather conditions, temperature and other special
featw:es-DL th~ jntersection were also recorded.
Study Covers the County
the 66 intersections included in this- report,
there were three one-way stop intersections, 42 twoway stops. one three-way stop and 20 fourway stops.
The total number of stop signs included was 170.
These stop sign intersections were selected, not only
because of their accident reputation, but for geographical distribution throughout Cook County.
The results of this study showed a serious percentage of rolling stops and a significant quantity of
no stops. According to legal opinion, a !lroHing stop"
is a distinct violation. The revised 1953 laws r elating
to motor vehicles, compiled by Charles F. Carpentier.
secretary of state, and printed by authority of the
State of Illinois, states in Article 1. Section 19.01 (a);
Act Regulating Traffic on Highways:
Stop--\\'hen required, means complete cessation
from movement.
The rolling stop is a habit and is equally as dangerous as no stop at all.
It is obvious that. engineering has performed its
function by plaCing a sign for the specific purpose
of controlling the intersection for the safe and expeditious movement of vehicles and pedestrians
through that intersection.
It is equally obvious that it is impossible and
should not be necessary to police every intersection.
The appreciation, not only of the dangers involved,
but of principle of sportsmanship in driver behavior,
is im portant.
Our experience on Edens expressway is a case in
point. Edens averaged one fatality a month from

or

How Data Was Acquired

Our traffic accident investigators were assigned the
job of acquiring data for this study. In order to
secure data that would portray average conditions, it
was decided to design this study with the following
performance requirements:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

A. M. Two-hour peak period

A. M. Two-hour off peak period
P. M. Twohour peak period
P. M. Two-hour off peak period
Two-way stop intersection
Four-way stop intersection
County intersections
State intersections
Mixed jurisdiction intersections
Reflectorized stop sign intersections
:11. Non-refle~tori7.ed intersections
12. Special stop sign intersections varying by color,
placement and modified message

Two-way stop intersections, it was found, could be

handled by one man, whereas a four-way stop re quired a two-man tee.m.

[Continued on Page 7]

--

Intersection of Dempster st. and Harlem ave" where checkers found 26 per cent disobedience of stop
Even w ith a wide open view In all di rections, this was the scene of 18 reported accidents in 1953.
signs,
Three of them, In which a total of five perso ns were Injured, were admittedly due to failure to obey stop
signs. The diagra m below shows how the 18 accidents occurred last year.

{(
----

2-20-53-~:lsp-ro;n

DEM PSTER. 5 T.

P-ef,~'1~~~~~~

..

$ -20- 53
-"'/$1"
7-7-533 -30

9-24-53 -2'301"
B - 9 -S3-4 0.7i7p- dr l'
S -29-.53-9'47A dlli'

.2

/1-25"-53 - 7-'oop-ever--

/0-26-$3-9'00,0 -Wit! -

7-2-SJ/-9,oop-dry- -

--.3-7-.s3-/O.:50A-Sl1Otv ~
9 -14 -53-9' 35A-wer-

- - - - - - - - - --03

l$p- drt
f
===-:s-S-29-53 -.s-6'00P
-~q,~~===========:;~l1
=
- - - 6-ZS-53-/-JlOp-dIJ'
4-/2-53 o

LE6ENO

1--sJ)
I

-----

3 -19 -53-9
OOA-d"'-.'1~=====
- - - 4-27-53
-/0--QQp-wU
~
- - 4 -/7 -53-9'45p- d,'I - - - - - - -

I ,.

'"~

ILl

'"
~

1l:

-'
CY.
<1:

r:

8
""
~
V)

~
~
~

---- /",/ pole

How A Soil Problem On Edens Was Solved

By NICHOLAS VIRGILIO

Tbis would bave necessitated an expenditure of

$136,000 over normal slab construction.
The method of stabilization utilized entailed a calculated risk but was deemed the most economical.
Consolidation of the weak soil was accomplished by
the construction of a combination surface and Bub~
surface drainage system, together with the superimposing of embankment loads about a year prior to
tbe paving operations.
From the North Branch of the Chicago river to
Devon ave., lhe trunk sewer was constructed in

Soils Engineer
Cook County Highway Department
SCIENCE of modern soils mechanics deals priTHEmarily
with the physical and mechanical properties of soils. A comparison of the various soil types
is made possible by evaluating the physical characteristics of each.
The complex nature of soils presents many problems which directly affect the design and construction
of engineering structures. However, the wealth of
data accumulated during recent years materially aids
the engineer in analyzing problems pertaining to the
consolidation, settlemcnt and stability of soils.
In conformity with the latest standards of engineering practice, Edens expressway, extending from Foster
ave. to Clavey rd., was subjected to a detailed subgrade examination. Soils investigations W{, r e CODducted throughout the entire 14 mile section.
Subgrade hand auger borings were spaced at not
more than 300 foot intervals, and ranged as close as
25 foot intervals in questionable areas. The majority
of suhgrade borings were carried down to a depth
of six feet below the proposed grade. Many were
made deeper in order to acquire information for the
design of the sewer system. Bridge foundation
borings required the use of a power driven core drill,
adapted for continuous earth dry sampling at much
greater depths.

Edena expressway just south of the Caldwell ave.

Interehange, where a pl"'oblem of unstable soli appears

to have been solved with economy.

tunnel. This contract preceded grading and paving

by about one year. Tbe drainage appurtenances
within the J?eaty area were constructed in conjunction
with the trunk sewer. The soil available from the
tunnel excavation was used to construct tho fiJI at
this location.
Where the catch basins or lateral connections were
founded in the soft soil horizons, the material was
removed and replaced wilh sand, to provide substantial support for the drainage structures. To
avoid mass movements of the inferior soil, this portion of the drainage system was constructed prior to
the placement of the embankment. Perforated corrugated metal pipe was used to eliminate the possibility of damage to the sewer due to lateral and
vertical deformations of the unstable soil.
Results Good Thus Far
In view of the anticipated subsidence, the sewer
flow lines were established about a foot below the
bottom of the sand horizon, where possible, so as to
effectively dewater the permeable stratum. The
sand provided ample opportunity for the escape of
water squeezed out of the soft soil below.
The installation of the drRinage system combined
with the effect of the superimposed loads, accelerated
the subsidence and densiflcatlon of the unstable soil
to a degree that was considered satisfactory at the
end of a year.
Since the expressway was opened to traffic in 1951,
the behavior of the fill has been observed by means
of levels taken periodically. The concrete pavement
has sbown no indication of settlement or distress.
The results to date have certainly been gratifying.
The achievement of desirable stabilization at a
significant savings in cost, has Rgain demonstrated
V>e wisdom of thorough planning In the design ~ta!;e,

Studies Reveal A Problem

Soil samples obtained in the field were analyzed in
the laboratory. The types were classified in accordance with tbe Bureau of Public Roads system of
classi.fication. Field and laboratory data were COfrelated In the form of soil profiles. The various
strata were then carefully studied and the probable
subgrade behavior was evaluated.
An analysis of the soil profile revealed that except
for a peaty soil deposit located south of CaldweJl
ave., the soils underlying the proposed pavement
were of a stable nature.
A special study was made of the unstable section
occurring at the south end of the CaldweJl ave.,
intercbange. This deposit was approximately 400 feet
in length, extending across the fuJI width of rightof-way. The profile consisted of a top layer of fine
sand about five feet in thickness, underlain by a peaty
soil ranging from five feet to nine feet in thickness.
The proposed embankment over this area varied from
two feet to seven feet in height.
After having defined the limits of the unstable area,
our prohlem became one of attaining adequate stability. prudently.
.
~

Calculated Risk Is Taken

Various remedial treatments were considered. One
Involved the removal of the inferior soil and replacement with a suitable material at a cost of $125,000.
Another required bridging the soft area by construQt.
jnt: a reinfor~~d concrete pavement supported on piles,

~1_____
New
__H_i_9_hw_a_y_s__~1 ~1___S_to_p__
Si_g_n_C_h_e_ck__~
[Continued from Page "]

[Continued from Page 4]

channelization is evidenced by painted I~ne markings

or island construction of various geometric designs.
The general alignment is directional as possible and
still consistent with the topography and general contours of surrounding terrain.
Features of a n Expressway
Highways completely grade separated with controlled access are normally called expressways_ This
type of higbway which is designed for accelerated
movement of large volumes of vehicles is a divided
highway with a continuous median strip. All ingress
and egress is controlled at definite points of interchange, providing increased safety, comfort and ease
of operation. Head-on collisions, together with hazardous left turning movements, are virtually ellmin~
ated inasmuch as there are no intersecting highways
at gradc. Ramp facilities permit the motorist to
leave and enter the expressway without interference
from the cross street traffic.
When traffic volumes are heavy and turning
. movements dense compared to through movements,
a directional type of interchange is designed which
provides for aU movements in the direction of intended
travel. Such an interchange requires numerous grade
separation structures and expansive right-of-way and
is only used where the economics of the design can
be justified.
The commonly known clover-leaf type of interchange requires one structure and provides for all
turning movements without left turns. However, to
accomplish the left turn the motorist must pass beyond the road he wishes to enter and turn right into
the inner loop in a direction opposite to intended
travel. These loops require considerable right-ofway, and thus such a design is also predicated upon
a balanced economic design.
Parallel Ramps Solve Problem
Within urban areas where land and buildings
represent investments of immense value, it is incumbent upon the enginer to restrict his design to a modified type of interchange. Parallel ramps offer the
best solution espeCially where frontage roads parallel
the expressway. Ingress and egress to the expressway is directional with left tUrn movements confined
to the cross street intersections with the frontage
roads. The exit end of the ramp at the frontagc
road is located away from the cross street to provide
adequate vehicular storage area.
The use of colored concrete has been introduced
at the entrance and exit ends of ramps together with
acceleration lanes to identify ramp turnouts and weaving areas more vividly.
Many additional features have been designed into
the expressway to provide ease, comfort and safety
:0 the motorist such as lighting, reflectorized signing,
stabilized shoulders, landscaping and pedestrian fenc-

the day it opened, to September 12 of last year. The

design of the highway was severely criticized by
motorists, the enforcement agencies were rebuked
and scores of other reasons were given for this death
toll.
A speed study was made and a public information
program begun to show right and wrong ways to use
this wonderful facility.
From last September 12 to this writing, Feb. 12,
no fatalities have occurred on Edens. Perhaps it is
coincidental, but it is more than likely that the public
awareness toward sane practices on this expressway,
were alerted by the campaign for driving decency.
In 1953, there were 223 traffic fatalities in Cook
county outside Chicago.
This can be reduced
dramatically on all our highways as it was in the
case of our expressway.
Although the study on stop sign disobedience is
not yet completely analyzed, the results already show
wholesale disregard for these most important signs of
life and death.
It is hoped that a program of selective enforcement
can be begun by our municipalities. Toward that end
the Cook County Traffic Survey and Safety Commission not only offers but encourages requests for
a scheduled program of selective enforcement, based
on the facts disclosed by this study.
Following is a partial tabulation of results already
disclosed by this fact finding program. Additional
data resultine: from this studY will be Dublished next
month.

~g.

While much of the foregoing has reference to

expressways, many of these improvements have been
embodied in the design of the entire network of public higbways so that additional safety and convenience
is afforded to the motorist.

12,383 Did Not Stop

Of the 58,732 vehicles observed in this study, 12,383

tailed to stop; 11,653 of these went through the inter-

section on a "ro1ling stop" basis, while 730 went

through at speeds that would be fatal under certain
conditions of tra1lic and apparently without any degree of attention to these signs.
Comparison of obedience for morning and evening
peak hours, shows that there are 18 per cent more
violations in the morning rush periods, compared to
evening rush hours, while a comparison of rush hour
to non-rush hour obedience to our stop signs shows
that there is little difference.
The afternoon non-peak tra1lic period is, conformance wise, better by 8 per cent than the morning nonrush hours.
These figures are averages for 66 intersections
throughout Cook county outside of Chicago and although these figures show that there is a general disobedience of 20 per cent to stop signs in Cook county,
there are many important intersections showing a
disobedience as high as 62 per cent.
This emphasizes the need for selective enforcement
and a thorough review of the problem.

:\., COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

When our engineer. 11ft their gan from their drafU ng board and look Into the parkIng lot at R;r;ndolph
and Weill, they get an Ideo. of the lineup ready to roll 31 fast U !'leW hlgh .... ay. can be dulgned and built.

Vol. 1

No. 11

APRIL, 1954

'-./

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook County (Dl.) Department of Highways

Unrler auapieea or the Board of Counly Commissioners
WILLIAM N. EIIICK80IiI, .. ' .....1
I .... '. ,........
Fr... IkllryUlto

W,lli Bu ...
EI ......" .. C.. U,
J.h~ J. Duft'~
Atlht X. Elr.d
Chrlll A, , .... n

WILLIAM J. MORTI MER

8uur'.tendlRt II HlgkwI,.

Published at 130 North Wells Street, Chicago 6.

t<'RnnkUn 2-7544 Extension 221

~======-

Is Off To Good Start

Clean Streams Program

have been made, the caUS(! of clean streams has been

well I50ld among tbose now offending, and 1 am confi
dent that by the end of this year good progress will
be apparent.
The Cook County Clean Streams Committee in
cludes five sub committees-one fOI' each of the
princlpal drainage systems in the county. These are
the Upper OesPlaines, Lower DcsPlaines and Salt
Creek (combined under one sub committee), Tinley
Creek. Chicago River and Thorn Creek-Calumet (combined). General chairman ill A. J . Tomacek of Des
PlainetJ, for many years active In natural conservation; vice-chairman is Howard R. Olson, general
manager of the Regional Pbnnlng A880clation; secretary Is Lewis R. Birdsall, consultant to the Cook
County Forest Preserve District. and the legal advisor
is Theodore Stone. The chairmen of the sub committees form the general committee, which meets
once a month.
The memberships of the various sub committees
are 8.8 follows:
Upper OesPlaines-Chainnan. Walte r J. Stengel,
DesPlainea; Miss Marie Erickson, Park Ridge; Robert
Himel, J)esPlaincs; Edward Ta)'lor, Oak Park; Harold
Hammond, Maywood.
Lower DeaPlaines-Salt Cret'k Chairman, Duke E.
Reed, Riverside; assistant cbairman, Henry A. Miller,
Riverside; Merlin Elrod, Willow Springs; Leonard
Fanning, Brookfield; Mrs. George Hawkins, Western
Springs; Henry Jablonski, Brookfield; A. E. MacMu r raugh, Brookfield; Phillip Manning, Riverside;
and Thomas Purl, Brookfield.
Tinley Creek-Chairman, Michael DeLaurentis,
Midlothian ; John D. Helder, Tinley Park; Mrs. W. T.
Eichelberger. Tinley Park ; Eugene Mason, Harvey;
Fred Kohlman. Oak Park, and Joseph Kaptur, Palos
Park.
Chicago River-Chainnan, Clarence Carlson, Winnetka ; Burton H. Atwood, Winnetka: Lester W.
Coons, Glenview; Mrs. Horton Conrad, Hubbard
Woods, and Harry P. Hunt, Chicago.
Thorn CrcekCalumet-Chairrnan, George M. Baird,
Chicago; Walter Haines, Harvcy; Mra. E. G, Klingler,
Chicago Heights; Mrs. George W. Anderson, Chicago;
Howard Hussman, Chicago Heights.
The project on whicb these citl.zens are embarked
is one ot great concern to all the people of Cook
County, and I am confident, from Lbe cooperative attitude found thus far, that all who are in a position to
be helpful will lend their aid.

By Will ia m N. Erickson
Prc.ldent, Board 0' Comml"'one ...
of Cook County

HILE THIS publication is devoted principally to

the planning, construction and usc of highways,
1 am Bure that its readers will be Interested In another
activHy that promiscs great bencftta La the residents
of suburban Cook County. This is the Cook County
Clean Streams Committee, which was (armed last

August of interested and

influential citizens serving

at my requesL With the
coming of spring and the
opportunity to work more
('xtensjvcly In the field,
the committee's efforts
will no doubt be morc
apparent to the general
public, allbough an admirable amount of planning and invcstlgation has
b.:'('n going on through
the winter.
Since the condition with
which the oommittee is
dealing 18 the dangerous
contamination of streams
with sewage and other
waste matters, the main objectlve Is public health.
At the same time, however, cleaning up the streams,
particularly those that ftow through forest preserves,
will contribute importantly to the natural beauty of
tbe suburban countryside and ita recreational resources. It i. possible that streama now unfit for children to wade will soon be safe and attractive to
swimmen, and fishing will again be as good as the
Indians bad It
The committee's work sheet at present lists 60
sources of pollution in all parts of the county. These
include 16 vl\1ages, using streams for sewage dIsposal,
several new subdivisions where septic tanks have
been placed ill-advisedly in soil that drains sewage
into nearby streams, trailer camps and Industrial
, plants.
All of the municipalities and indll8trles listed have
been approached, and in every instance it is possible
to report some measure of progre8l. It is probably
too early to look for tangible resul18. but contacts

County Highway Work Program for 1954

By Will iam J. Mortimer
SUperintendent Cook County Oepartment
of Highway.

OOK COUNTY'S 1954 highway construction program includes 23 expressway items and 57 nonC
expressway in
the City of Chicago and the subboth

urban area. Total estimated cost is $44,723,000.

The larger portion, S32.550,000. will be expended
on expressways - Congress St., Calumel, Kingery and the North Roule
L:J.kc Shore Dr. extension.
On the non_expressway
program are three paving projects within the
cit.y and 12 outside the
city, 11 resurfacing jobs
in the city and 19 outside,
and in addition various
other improvements such
as g r a d e separations,
bridges, culverts, slorm
sewers and street widenWIlHam J. Mortimer
Ing.
This year's work will virtually complete Cook
County's share of Congress St., in which the City of
Chicago. State of Dlinois and U. S. Bureau of Public.
Roads also 81'e-participating. Among the large items
on the county's schedule are the grading and paving
of the 2.15 mUes of Congress St., between Sacramento
and Laramic Aves., within the city. The county aJ80
has the construction of five grade separations in the
same section of Congress St. On the west end of
this expressway, the county will pave the two miles
between Mannheim Rd. and Atwood Ave., in the village of Hillside, and will also install the lighting
system and do the landscaping on the 4.5 miles between 1st Ave., Maywood, and Atwood Ave.
Lake Shore Ur. Extension
The North Route Lake Shore Dr. extension, which
was opened as far as Bryn Mawr Ave. last November
over pavement laid by the county, will be completed
to Hollywood Ave., a quarter of a mile north, this
year.
The City of Chicago is constructing the grade
separation that will permit motorists either to turn
west into Bryn Mawr or continue on to enter Sheridan
Rd. at Hollywood Ave, The county's share in this
final stage of the extension project is laying the pavement at an estimated CORt of S500,000.
On Calumet Expressway, which has been in use
since December, 1951, between 130th St. and the
junction ot Calumet wilh . Kingery (formerly TriState Expressway), the major item of the 1954 pro~ram is paving the 6.50 miles between that junction
a.nd the S:l.uk Trail. The season's s::hedule also includes five grade separations on Calumet. It is expected that Calumet will be ready for travel next
year. and r esidents of Chicago Heights and other far
south suburbs will then have a modern, time-saving
means of reaching the loop.

Work scheduled this year will mark the westward

extension of Kingery Expressway, which has been in
use from its junction with Calumet Expressway eastward to the Indiana State line since December, 1951.
The sum of $2,600,000 haa bee.n a llotted for right-ofway aequlsition and various construction items, which
have nol yet been designated, in the section between
Calumet Expressway and Halsted SL On Northwest
Expressway the year's program calls for continued
righ tof-way acqulsit.ion.
Ashla nd Al'Cnue Re!jur(aclng
The outstanding project on the non-expressway
program, hoth In point of cost as weil as the "new
look" it will give to an important city artery, is the
resurfacing of Ashland Ave. This will be done in two
scct.ions, from 95th St. to Roosevelt Rd., 10 miles,
and from Lake St. to Irving Park Blvd., 4.80 miles.
Betwecn Roosevelt Rd. and Lake St.. Ashland Ave. is
no\.... pave:! with portland cement concrete in good
condition. The bituminous (black top) resurfacing,
which will cover abandoned street car rails and irregular paving blocks with a sUghUy even finish ,
will cost an estimated 1,260,000.
Ashhnd Ave. and the other city streets on the
county highway department's program this year and
previous years receive the bene8t of county motor
fuel tax funds out of a due sense of consideration on
the part of the county commissioners. This year's
work will bring the total of street paving and resurfacing done in Chicago by the Cook County Highway
Department since 1947 to 165 miles.
Ashland Ave. is one of six Chicago streets and
eight auburban streets and roads placed on the 1954
program in a r evision approved by the county board
March 2. The others, which are given in detail in
the tabulation below, are Diversey Ave., Western
Ave., Addison St.. Montrose Ave., and Ozark-Ozanam
Ave., in Chicago; 183rd St., Ridge Rd., Indiana Ave.,
Lincoln Ave., 31st St., ELmhurst Rd., Harlem Ave"
and 25th Ave. in suburban areas.
EIg ht Projects Deferred
The same revision removed eight projects that
previously had been approved. These, with the
reason for deferment in each instance, were:
Pratt Ave. hridge over North Shore channel and
paving ot Pratt Ave. between McCormick Rd. and
Western Ave.- both deferred at the request o[ civic
groups apprehensive of creating a traffie problem.
East Lake Ave. widening and resurfacing between
Waukegan Rd. and Edens Expressway-right-of-way
needed.
25th Ave. paving between 22d St. a.nd Roosevelt
Rd.-deferred until after completion of 1 C. R. R.
grade separation.
Central Ave. paving between 11ith and 79th Sts.improvement of Stony creek outlets by drainage district needcd.
l03rd. Sl paving between Central and Cicero
Aves.--ahoul::l be pavcd with Central Ave.
State St. paving between Sauk Trail and Lincoln
Hwy.--drainage studies and right-of_way needed.
Torrence Ave. grade separation at M. C., I. H. B.
fCOtlUllued 011

Ne~'

Page)

.I

The Calumet-Kingery eltpre ..Willya InterehOlinge

I combinat Ion of clover leillf and directional
ramp . ihe drrectTonai rampl provae for the
heavy traffic movemenu louthbound on CiIIlu_
met to eaUbound on K inGery. Structures lIInd
emblnkmenu of the Interet'illnGe iIIre well
lia nG . PlIIvinfl will be Itlllrted thll lummer.

(Ootdb,,,cd Iro,,~ Premo"" P"~)

and B. & O. C. T. lrncka- Commercc commiB9ion approval needcd.
The complete 1934 program as it stands after the
recent revision follows, with the mileage and esti

Resurfacing in Suburbs
I'ro~t

CHICAGO HD.
Mich. CII), rd. to Sibley
DESPLAINF-S AVE ,
RO()Bllv/!it to rtnndolph
ELMHURST RD.
Devon to Oakton
HARLEM AVE.
14311 to llSlh It.
INDIANA AVE.
l!19th to Slblt!y
LIXCOLN AVE.
Ga!ltill: to Cleveland

mated coat for each item:

Paving in Chicago
l'roJed

STQ:>;Y ISLAND AVE. Mill to 87th

87TH ST. Pulukl to Keeble
WCSTERN AVE. Mth to 34th

ADDISON ST. AUltin to Harlem

ASHLAND AVE. seth to ~"ell

ASHLAND AVE. Lake to Irvin, Park _
DIVERSEY AVE. Pul kl to 0.1111'1
GUNNISON AVE. 1Ia.rlem to Na,!!'1
'" MOl\"TROSE AVE. NlltTalanteU to ~nl.T.1
OZARX..()ZANAM AVE. Norlbwu, hwy. to
Devon

=.000
170,000
"5,000

....,
,....

lO.oo

'.00
OS
l.OO

._

SACRAMENTO SOUL. Roo.evelt to CarrolL.

TORRENCE AVE. Colfax.Anthony
lOOUl to 87th IU.

."t'.

81TH ST, Damen to .,.1('1110"

WESTERN AVE. oe"on to Howard ........... ~ .

EIIt. Cost

l.O
l.O

...

Resurfacing in Chicago

Miletl

M ..

",,000
....000
410.000
1%1,000

""""

"'-"""

0.'"
1.1.,

28,000
00.000
72,000

lJJO

96,000
lO8,ooo

l.'"
l.'"

I-:,t. Coat
,~,OOO

1.00

60.000

Forelt Park

:1.00

'1 8,000

Unln.::orp.

11.00

66,000

Unl ncurp.

l.~

83,000

South Hollaml

0.40

30,000

Skokie

PalOil Park.
unlncorp. a~a
SkokIe

2.1}()

70.000

OAKTON ST.
Centra' to MeCormlek
OAKTON ST.
Mannhelm to River Rd
RIDGE RD.
Torrence 1.0 ltale line
ZiTII AVIt
ROOIe~lt to Le:dnltOJl
31ST ST
Mannhelm to County Une
31ST ST.
Mannhelm to 17th ave.
138TH ST.
nalltll!d to [.e)dc"
147TH ST.
O-n.l to Wellern

3.00

160,000

IncludH COlt 01 wldenlnl.

Suburll
Dol""

1.00

M~RT"IIY RD.
96th to 80th II

1830 ST.
76th ave. to Hailled

.&tUu

0.90

46,000

","Pw...

1.7li

78.000

UnA1nl

() 40

90.000

2.30

55,000

l.jO

192,000

1..2:S

M.OOO

3.2

0.512,001)

8.&

210,000

M.,.....,

..... d _
LaGra.nle P.e.rk

WHtchHter

LaGrange
Brook lleld
ruverdale
Midiolhilllt

P.e.rk

Markham. 1'o&(>n
unlm:orp. area
Homewood
unlnoorp. area

0,1

Civil Defense Books

publications- manuals,
Ftins and instruction
cards-are available for
IFTY -SEVEN

guides, bulledistribution to suburban Civil Defense directors from Cook

county C. D. headquarters, it is announced by Joseph
A. Downey, director. His office, which also supplies
lecturers for meetings of citizens interested in Civil
Defense, is at 130 N. Wells St., Chicago 6; telepbone
FRanklin 2-7544, ext. 221.
The printed material and pictures available include:
Administrative Guides
Health Services & Special Communication Service
Engineering Service
Weapons Defense
Civil Defense In Industry
Police Services
& Institutions
The Rescue Service
The Clergy in Civil
Fire Service
Defense
Warden Service
Principles of Civil
Welfar e Service
Defense Operations
Staff Service
Public BookJets
Survival Under Atomic Attack
What You Should Know About Biological Warfare
This is Civil Defense
Emergency Adion to Save Lives
Fire Fighting For Householders
Duck and Cover
What You Can Do Now

Paving on Suburbs
l.'roJ ..d
FOREST WAY
Tower to Dun(]et!

STATE RD.
Narragansett to Cicero
FULLERTON AVE.
Mannhelm to 25th ave.
MI CHICAN CITY RD.
Cottage Grove to SIbley
TORREN"CE AVE.
Homewood-l,anslng rd.
to Kingery Expreuway
WOODSIDE-DESPLAINES
Longcommon to 26th ave.
EAST AVE.
Joliet rd. to 47th It.
SSTH ST.
Cook-DuPaRe lIne to
Mannhelm
25th AVE.
North to Grand
STATE ST.
Uncoln to Joe Orr
BURNHAM AVE.
183d to 160th
LEHTGH AVE.
Old WUlow to New Willow

Mil ....
U

S uburb

Eat. CO"t

$168,000

Winnetka.
Glen~.

,."

"",000

Bedford Puk

'.0

175,000

Franklln Park

LO

160,000

Dolton

0.'

lC6,OOQ

Lansing

'.0

,,",000

,."

RlveUlde
N. Rlvers!de

175,000

McCook.
Weatern Spring.
Western Springs

"

463. 000

L5

197,000

LO

"2()O,OOO

""520.000

0.5

".000

Melros e Park
North T,ake
Franklin Park
Chicago Heights
Lan~lng

Calumet City
Unlncor'p.

Inclu des cost of storm sewer.

In('lude~ cost ot wIdening.

Resurfacing Partly on Chicago

ProJect

BELMONT AVE.
~Iver rd. to Harlem
1ST AVE.-THATCHER RD.
Fullerton to IrvIng Pk.
127TH ST.
Ashland to IndIana
" Include. cost ot widenIng.

Alll e~

EHt. Cod

' .00

:5 90.000

'.00

90.000

'.20 "450.000

SUburh
Chlca~o,

Frank In Park
Chlcllgo.
RIver Grove,
FrankHn Park
Chicago
Calu met Park

Air Raid rn:~t,uc,!~,n

CONELRAD---A.M. Radio Dial 640 & 1240
(In case of an attack)
(CO llehlU6d On Next Page)

Other types of improvements on the 1954 program

include:
EMERSON ST.-RIDGE AVE., Evanston, grade
separation at C. & N. W. R. R., $500,000.
KEDZIE AVE. , Robbins, storm sewer between
C. R. 1 & P. R. R. and Sag Channel, 1 mile, $500,000.
25TH AYE., Broadview, grade separation at
1. C. R. R., $578,000.
26TH ST., Riverside and North Riverside, widening, with curb and gutter, between DesPlaines and
Harlem aves., 1 mile, $125,000.
WILLOW RD., Winnetka, widening, with curb and
gutter, between Lockwood and Green Bay, 1 mile,
$350,000.
TOUHY AVE., widening between River rd.,
Franklin Park, and Western, Park Ridge, 1.2'0 miles,
$200,000.
82D-I04TH-I OBTH STS. , rural area, culverts at
Tinley and Marley creeks, $128,000.
APTAKISIC RD. , culvert at Buffalo creek, $31,000.
RIDGELAND AVE., culvert at S. Flossmoor rd.,
$30,000.
FLOSSMOOR RD., three bridges between Ridgeland
and Central, $83,000.
CENTRAL AVE., north of Flossmoor, bridge,
$28,000.
TOUHY AVE., widening of bridge at DcsPlaines
river, $150,000.
JOE ORR RD. , Chicago Heights, bridge over
C. & E. I. R. R. and Thorn creek, $330,000.
l11TH ST., Sacramento to California, lighting,
$10,000.
R. R. GRADE CROSSING proteetions and improvements, $150,000.

Stop Sign Obedience

New ~ridge At Oakton St.

Is Further Analyzed
By Leo G. Wilkie
Traffic Engineer, Cook County Highway
Department

TATISTICS published in the March issue o(

COUNTY HIGHWAYS indicated a general disregard
S
to stop signs in suburban Cook County, where the
COOK

.t.

OOWI1 comes the ancient, wood-floored Oakton

bridge over the North Shore channel. In Its place,
and ready "ext autumn to carry the heavy flow of
traffic between Skokie and Evanston, will be a con_

crete structure exactly like that over the channel at

Howard st. (lower picture), Which was opened to
use last May. Both bridge, are projects of the Cook
County Department of H ighways.

(Continued Irom Previou-8 E.age)

National Blood Program (Fact Sheet)

What to do Now About Emergency Sanitation At
Home
Home Protection Exercise (A Family Action
Program)
Training and Technical Manuals
Principles of Civil Defense Operations-Webb Defense, Mutual Aid, Mobile Support
Windowless Structures-A Study in Blast-Resistant
Design
Emergency Mass Feeding (Instructor Course)
Target Areas- For C. D. Purposes- Their Population,
Principal Cities, Counties
Outdoor Shelters - Lean-to Shelters Indoors - For
Family Protection in an Atomic Attack
Operation and Repair of Water Facilities in Civil
Defense Emergencies
Rescuc Tcchniques and Operations
Civil Defense Urban Analysis
Civil Defense Against Biological Warfare
Water Supplies for Wartime Fire Fighting
Outdoor Warning Device System
Shelter From Atomic Attack in EXisting Buildings
Method for Determining Shelter Needs and
Shelter Areas
lj'ederai Civil Defense Administration ManualM25-1 Fedeq.1 Contributions
...
l\lotion Pictures
~he Atom Strikes
Biological Warfare
( Bombing of Japan)
Survival Under an
Pattern for Survival
Atomic Attack
Self Preservation In
Fire Fighting For
Atomic Attack
Householders
pqc~ and Cover
The Cities Must Fight

study was made. This disregard obviously accounts

for many accidents at stop sign intersections.
There are many elements in this problem that
should be discussed. It is the hope of this depart_
ment that as a result of this study and othcrs which
are to (ollow, there will be in evidence an organized
cffort toward selective enforcement, which, of course,
is of prime importance in any significant traffic
safety program.
It is true that police departments in our Cook
County municipalities are generally understaffed and
any special program which would require considerable
attention would suffer because of the already
crowded work-load within those departments. However, such a program could bc based on the selectivc
enforcement basis, thereby scheduling only those intersections which show the greatest nonconformance
as reflected in accident experiences of record in the
ROlic~ tiles.
Enforcement, however, is not
conly
subjcct under discussion. The placement of these
signs will be reviewed as well as the sizes, material
and color combinations used.
Experiment with Red Signs
A serics of studies is now under way to determine
the effect of color, size, placement and illumination,
whether direct or reflected. Recently the State Highway Division granted permission to use a red background for stop signs. This permission was granted
for experimental purposes only and thcse signs have
created considerable comment, the preponderance of
which is favorable.
In an effort to emphasize the target value of stop
signs, the Cook County Highway Departmcnt has
installed many red signs (or the purpose of ascertaining the importance of this color with respect to conformance by motorists. These tests are not far
enough along at this time to permit analysis and conclusions.
How "Stops" are Defined
In tcsts for conformance a tabulation was made on
voluntary stop. involuntary stop, rolling stop and no
stop. A voluntary stop is one where motorists obey
thc s ign as it should be without any influence of
cross traffic, whether pedestrian or vehicular controL
In othcr words, such stops are volitional acts in ac
cordance with the law requiring complcte cessation
from movement. At a given intersection, cars
stopped behind the lead car at the stop intersection
were given the benefit of the doubt and were considered to bc voluntary stopped cars.
In.vo!Qntary stops are those vehicles that are COnl-

pelled to stop by reason of cross'"'Gamc or pedestrian

traffic.
Rolling stops are those movements where there is
an awareoe88 or the Ilgn, a nd crossing of the Intersecllon is performed at selectively lower speeds.
The lut category tabulated was the " no stops".
The "00 stop" here 18 eon81dered to be one wher e the
motorlsll8 eithe r BWBre o r not aware of the existence
of the stop sign and eonUnues through thc intersection at such a speed that tbe car would be impossible to stop in time to avoid an accident with a
vehicle of conflicting movemenL
Actually rolll.ng sto,* are no stops when intt!.l'pteted with respect to the lnw and generally speaking it
is a developmental stage leading to eventual total
disregard.
[t is imp0681ble to e nfo rce every stop sign Intersection. The st..3.ostics point out that many of the accidents st our stop sign inteMJcctions would nOl occur
if the motorisls changed the ir attitude to these algns,

rega.l'(lIess of the'ifr'elsure of personal convenience.

SclecUve infonnation is one answer. Other answers
may be contained In the results of the s tudy with respect to sizes, colora and placement of these signs.
These results will be published in a future [saue of
l blB publication..
The tabulation below represents the findings of
obser'Vt!MJ for the Cook County Traffic Survey and
Safety Commission, which Is affiliated with the county
highway department, at 63 stop Ilgn intersections
in various pam of the county. The first (our columna
abow, In order, the number ot voluntary stops, involuntary stops, rolling stopa and failures to atop.
The next column shows the governmental unit that
baa jurisdiction over each road In queetion-5 for
aUlte. C for county a nd V ror vUlage,
Accident reports for 1952 were used because they
were more rcadJ ly available fo r more locations than
1953 reports.

South S uburban
lntl'nootlou
Berkl:lI.y A\'e. and Lincoln hwy.
l.5Ot" . t. and (..'hICaao rd .
17Ul aL unll Puk a\'t ..
931'd al. anll Centr.l 'VI: ..
ClC'C'rQ lind 103rd IL_
J~h ..
lUI.
lllilh It.
Crawtonl ave.
Ketl~D ave ... 147th Il.
Slluk tr.1I
RL 60&. ..
CIru "Vlt. and COlumbo. dr ...
17Jth .t." lIarlem a\e.
Rldgl'llI,nlt Rve. anU SOuth WU~ Hwy.
Crllw rord .... e. a nd RL 83
Rld,elO"d Il\'~. and 11llh II
11M em ",Vt. and RI 83
l~lh anti Cut\.a~ Grove
~bcr~ nLanlJ
tb .t......
UI!;
.1111 and Chlca.o rd
'nilh and lIarlem avO'
177th ,,",I VlrI('f!nnt'S avt!.
J!\I9th and VI~nnH ave.
t47th lind Ul'I'nnlln hwy.
8tellherul . nd Mn.ln It ...

':00(1

Rn'"

\ ' IIJ.
Stop

"
.. '"...
m
'"
,..

."

272

" "',,
.
"
'",.. ,'".. ,
"" ,
><.
"

""
'63

".

",'e.

222
272

719
TJ

11

... ... .. .
. ....
tl

2M

22
U

92

231

'14
1510

S. '" V,
S. " S.
C.... ".
C. &. S.
S ... C.
V." S
C. &. g
c ... S
C'. &. s
C." Ii
S. " S.

C'onlrul
:J way

:l WIIV
:l way

:.t way
:2 w')
:.t way
:.t WilY
2 w.y
:2 WilY
:oJ WilY
:.twtly

19 ~E
"cc~ ,

I ....,... tion

L'

H
S

' 121

Oil

....
. .
.
..
.

267

North S"b<lrbll"

3!1

H
II

&. Chgo.
1)0 , .
la Inj.)
H'7.I('Cr t'tlt
(44 In J. 1 dead)
Oa k l..awn
,~
I!I 1nll
16 I n . !I 11I,!IIdl
HarVt)'
Al, lp
16 InJ. 4 11('1111)
RlclIton Pk
Inj.)
Oak La~
1'1110. HI'I~h'"
Chlellgo R dgl:!
RObblnl
InJ,l
Wurth

0.'

S.

S. " S.

S. " C.
S.
V. It. S .
C". " S.
, C
\'." S
S
S. .. S.
" S.

:.t

20

:I WilY

wa)'
4 WilY
~ way
:I way
:.t W"l'
~

2 ".,,)'
t wily
2 "'IIY
:2 way

:I

'1 f2 tnp
"12In,!
..::
121 In. tl
8 III In.1
t:.t 112 InJ)

...

......
nural

_.

SOu th noUllI'Id

Bl1dgl'Yl~

c:::to.dfeevr~

s.

dl'''d~

Sue I.
th DollalHl
Lemont

So ..
" S
So
C.
V. & V.
V ...
S
S.
V & V.
S... S
V, .. V.
V, '" V,
S,
V. & V.
C. &- 8,
V. A S.
V, &. S .
V.

:! way
I WilY
~ way
.. way
.. "'ay
:I WilY
.. way
2 Wfty
.. WilY
~

Will'

W~tchl'Sll'r

oak Park
Hllll\lle
a.k Park

II II 'nll
lI (6In .

( l In j.)

way

w/lY
WII)'
WilY
WilY

KarrhJ~

Oak Par
ORk Park
'lln)()knl'ld
!'Iiurth Lake

27 (6 IJlJ.)

":l WilY
wlty
2
:.t
"
..

Sehlll"r Park

17

1..1
~

(l~

Tnj , :5
.,

0.-

PMk

Willow Sprln gl
Oak Park

1i~lId)

Hodgkin

l-IIGran&'t'
MafwOOd
River oren

A"~

'" ""
'" ..,
....H"'"... "17"""
'"
"'" " "" '"8
""
.",.
, '"'"" on'"" 87"
,". H"'" ,
". ,..." " ",
"" ."'" 63 "",,,
'" '" "'" ,
"" '72 ""
'"
'" "
0

J34~

62

Ti

54

63

!-\ "

llW"

8 (19 ' nJ.)

"rfOll

... . ...,. .,
..... ....

.. S
1471

Grou PoInt rd. an'" LlnenlJl a.n..

417
Wenvlew .nd Hibbard rd .
276
Th.teher IUld Lee lUI.
' 09
Harlem lind De'1m'ter
lU
Oakton Il. and
mhuut rd.
ll\ver rd. lind Ol.Jl.ton n._
Main Il. and O"awlorcs aVf!.~
"llO
99
w~r rd. and Wlnnelka aVIt.
<2
W etll ave, and Waukr.an rd
Plum Grove and COltax
Harm nd COlt rda...
Grove rd. IUld Chko ave_
27'
<11Th Il. and lia.rrmr rd.
._~
63
Gr1!CI>wood and Goll I'd
39
Dem~t.er and Ml. P'rt:.~ rd .
" .Al~(lI1qUln rd. and RI.
.......
20
Wo r IUld I~nd rd .......
.:Imhunt and Dund ee rd .
S>
Gol f rd. a nd F'..all R.lver rtl"
Teehny and Scherml'r rdl.
Th.ackt!r II. Itnd Wolf m ..
~
Alconqoln and Colt rd,
m
Sunsel Rltl p! ItJId Willow rda .
M-.M ...ln&,
-In dutlt!l LaCran.e .nd McCook.

aurn

..

""rl~d ,

",
,,. .,.
""" .,.
"" ",
""
'"
"" "'" U. ,"
,
""
"
,
,>4 "'"
'" "'"
''''''
u,.
"" "'" '" '","0 s. "
",, "
=
""
-'-'
s ...
"" '"'" '",'"un
*' '1' m,
,
way
"s .s.
"'_I
,
24'
,,. H' 223"
"" ."" '"'., ,~ .e.v.
"",
<7.
24'
" , s. "a s
,., ",.
,,....
"
."
..., ,,3,
"-,
,Ii
'"
"S" "''''
s. '"
,8
<t
"'"
'"
""
,
"
"I Y."
..... '"
f~"
.....
"'" "
~."

S uburtu",

Irvin, I'llrk and Ruby It

Monlr'Ok and Harlem avn
il.a.ndoJph II. a nd a.l .,'e.
IUtndolll" Il. a ni,l Wll('Ohln aIle.
4.71h /l nd E41t
Wolt rd and :Sorlh IIVI!,
:n.t I ' . IInti Woll rd "
Wa'hln~IOn anti WlfCfIn.ln
nOOle\'1' l IUIII Wolt rtl .
LOmbnrd Ilml AUlloltu
Ol \'llhm It. An(\ IU(\fleiJlnd
Arc lU'r 11011 K(,lln nvea,
",.
AUIi'U.l tu blvll. lind F.IIJIII It\' ....
EAlt av~. lind JOliet til
O\dl!n lind Alh llLlld nvt' .
:5t I1ve. nn .. oSlo Chnrlo tt,l.
LAthrOp It.nd OIvl.lon 'U.

i\r~u

Im oJ. nom,,!!: No
"'top St Ull S top

0
0

c. .. 8.
e.ae.
v ... S.

S. &: S.

s. '" S.
S. '" s.
C .... C.
c: .. C
C. .. S.
S. .. S.
S ... C.
S ... S.
('... C.
R .. S.
C... C.
8 ... S.
S. It S.
S ... S.
C. &- S.
!'t &. C.
~. . .

C.

S ... S.
S. It C.

2
!I
:.t
2
4
..
4
2

way
way
way
WilY
WilY
way
wly
way
:;I way
:l way

w,",

';! way
:.t way
:;I way
2 way
" way
:.t way

.. wlty

:.t
2
:.t
4
..

way
wlty
way
WilY
wa)'

Skokie
0
Wilmette
10 12 InJ,l
D/:'IPl alnel
2'" t l O I'll dead) Morton Gro\'t'
6 1 In .'
R urll
15:.t ln .)
Dea'Plaln Cli
Skokie
Northftelll
::I /I lnp
NOrthbrook
PalaUne
20 00 tnJ.)
Rural
Pal.Une
14 ~a tn.N
li "tn .)
M'llrton Gr.Vf'
0
R.".,
0
DeIPllllnea
6<7 InJ .)
Rural
o.osPla lne.

"
,
,"

,,
,
,

R o~al

R orll l
Rural
DelPl a lnn
Rurll
NIlI'\.hllt!ld

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

I" Springt ime, highway. lead to Iccne. of beauty In Cook County Forelt Pruervel.

Vol. 1 No. 12

MAY, 1954

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook County (Ill.) Department of Highways
Uoner auspices of the Board of County Commissioners
WILLIAM N. ERICKSO N, Pro. ldenl

John Maek.", Jr.

G",,'" A. Miller
GMI'I" F. NlxOl

Jamn F. Alhnd ..
Frank Bobrybb

Willi .." Bu ..,

Ellube!k A. CORby
John J. Dull)'
Att~ut X. Elrod
Chrl$\ A. Jen U I

Danlol Ryan
ClaytOR F. SIIIrth
Edward M. Sn."
John J. Toohy

WILLIAM J. MORTIMER
S.pnlntendlnt 01 Hlgbwlyl

Published at 130 North Wells StllCet, Chicago 6.

FRanklin 2-7544 Extension 221

County Plans Civil Defense Exerc ise

By Joseph A . Downey
Cook County, Civil Defense Director

UBURBAN Cook County

participate fully in
S
the nationwide exercise to be conducted by the
Federal Civil Defense Administration June 14 and
will

15. Although the activity will be on paper, except

for the blasts of the warning sirens, the exercise
will deserve the attention of every resident as well
as of the organized C. D. personnel.
Sirens will blow twice on Monday, June 14--the
alert at 10:50 A.M., (daylight time) and the all
clear at 1 P.M. A countywide test made in September, 1952, covered the suhurban area with a
blanket of sound C!xcept for a few small spotH. These
have since bee-;n corrected, and it is expected that
the alarms June 14 will be readily heard by everyone
out in the county.
A meeting of all local C. D. directors will be held
before June 14. and provision made for adequate 'noise
makers. Some suburbs have installed sirens as part
of Civil Defense preparedness. Others will use fire
and police vehicle sirens and in all parts of the
county whistles on industrial plants will join in.
Local C. D. key personnel to the number of a
thousand or more are expected to follow the carefully drawn exercise schedule. They will assemble
in their local centers, follow the exercise on printed
matter and maintain radio contact with county and
state centers.
Police Reserves To Take Part
In addition, some 200 members of the Illinois
Police Reserves under the command of Capt. Arthur
E. Unger, will be on hand. It may be that a dem_
onstration of halting all traffic, as would be done in
an actual attack, will be made in one or two smaller
suburbs, and the R eserves would have that assignment.
The post of the county C. D. Director and his staff'
will be in the county control cenler established three
years ago in the Elmwood Park fire station' at 7420
Fullerton ave. This center will operate as it
would in an attack. It
maintain communication
with the stale center in the Museum of Science and
Industry and on the basis of information received
therefrom, will issue orders sending fire engines,
police squads, doctors, nurses and highway repair
trucks to communities needing aid.

Staff of the Cook County Director of c;ivil Defen.e

(left to right)_Col. Nichola! J. Budinger, co-ordinator;
Carl A. Freeberg, aniatant director, and Jo.eph A.
D.wney, director.

We Are One Year Old

With this issue, COOK COUNTY IDGHWAYS is
one year old.
It appears to be well on the way to serving the
purposes in mind when it was launched. These are,
mainly, to interest Cook County residents in their
highways hy keeping them informed of planning
and construction, to disseminate among other high_
way authorities engineering knowledge acquired in
Cook County projects and to promote the Cook
County Traffic Survey and Safety Commission and
the Cook County Civil Defense, which are affiliated
with the highway deparbnent.
As the only means of reaching the general public,
COOK COUNTY mGHW AYS hopes that the newspapers will help themselves generously to the contents of the magazine and pass them on to their
readers. This has been done to a gratifying extent,
and such recognition by the daily and weekly press
of Chicago as well as by numerous magazines in the
highway construction field is regarded as evidence
that our publication has justified its existence.

will

"

(ContinfUJd

on Page 5)

New Highways Call for New Hi ghway Laws

The joUowing article i.! reprinted by .!P6Cic&l
permi81riot& from GM POLKS, monthly publication

0/ the personnel and employe relations staff of

GeneraZ Motors Corporation.

By Louis R. Morony
DIrector, LllW Olvl"on
Automotive Safety Foundation

OMETIME RECENTLY you've doubtless driven

along a modern highway. You made good time.
S
The lanes were divIded. There were no crossings at
grade. You could enter and leave the highway at
given points, but driveways didn't cut into the road
every few hundred feet. As you sped along you prob
ably remarked to your self on the great progress
we've made in highway enginepring In recent decades.
Today the skill and know-bow of our engineers is
so great that, if given the wherewithal, they could
design and construct highways that would eliminate
many of the things that plague motorists-much of
the congestion and many accidents. Unfortunately,
in many sections of the United States, we don't get
the benefit of these engineering advances. In some
eases it's lack ot money. In far too many cases, however, it's because we have let our highway law lag
so far behind modem needs.
, Ordinarily when we drive to and trom work, or
on a vacation trip, if we think of law at all in connection with our highway system, we think in terms of
traffic officers, speed limits, stop signs, and the other
regulations that govern us as individual motorists.
These are important, to be sure. Tbey're the rules
we've laid down for ourselves in the interests of order
and safety on the street and highway.
But there's another body of law that, although less
obvious, is equally important to efficient motor transportation. That's the basic law governing the construction and administration of our higbway system.
Let's go back to the modern highway we were
driving along, with its divided laoes and exits and
entrances limited to given points, properly spaced for
adequate traffiC service. Construction of that highway was possible because there was proper foundation
in law. Engineers know and traffic experts can prove
that a controlled access higbway is safer and more
efficient as a traffic carrier than one that can be entered and left almost at will, punctured with numerous
driveways and cross streets.
In many states the people have chosen to give
themselves the benefit of this modern type of engineering. They've made their wishes known by putting
them in form of law that permits that kind of construction. In other states, no matter how eager the
highway department might be to build a modern
expressway, its hands are tied for lack of permissive
law.
Zoning for Road Side
.. Turn off the ma.in thoroughfare and drive down a
country road. What do you find? Possibly you'll
find hot dog stands, juke joints, encroaching on the
right of way, buildings erected almost up to the edge
of the traveled way, unsightly structures that cut
down sight distances and often block vision completely

at curves or Interseetioos. Understandably you're

annoyed with these blemishes that spoil the landscape
and impair the safety of your travel and you remark
to yourself "there ought to be a law."
Very likely you're right. You certainly wouldn't
Invest your money in a new home if you knew that
anyone was free to establish a garbage dump on the
lot next door or a junk yard directly across from your
front lawn. You saw to that by checking on the
zoning regulations before you made .vour down pay
ment.
It's a different story in the casa of highways. We
keep on making down payments and full payments
on roads without checking the zoning. It's only after
the right-or-way is cluttered with ribbon commercial
development that we start telUng ourselves "there
ought to be a law." When you drive aJong roads
such as that and feel annoyed, it's well to remember
that in only about half of our counties have we made
legal provision for roadside zoning.
Doubtless this has happened to you at one time or
another. You're prepared to drive a certain highway
only to find that it's closed while the pavement is
being widened. You're in favor of that because you
know that the road needs more cross-section to
handle its volume of traffic. On your next trip
you're pleased to find that the widened road enables
you to make better time. But then your pleasure
turns to disappointment when you learn that the widening bas proceeded for only a few miles. You
wonder why. Then YOll find out that the highway
department was having trouble getting part of the
right of wsy It needed, that a certain tract of land
had to be condemned, and that construction had to
be held up until the court ruled on the fair value of
land taken by eminent domain.
R ight-of-Way Difficulties
If you're like many motorists rve talked to you

probably say to yourself: "Since the state was going

to pay fair value for this land in any case why
didn't the highway department go ahead and finish
the construction and settle up after the court had
made its decision?" Quite likely many people would
consider that an equitable and practical method. The
stumbling block is the lack of permissive law.
Here's anotber common aituation. You see a
highway widening program held up while the necessary land is acquired and you start wondering what's
wrong with the highway department. "Didn't our
engineers have enough sense to know that traffic
volume was bound to increase, that eventually the
road would bave to be wider? Why didn't they acquire an adequate right-ot-way in the first place?"
Obviously that's a reasonable question that could
be asked by any reasonable man. The answer is that
in some states laws don't always permit t15 to take
right-of-way in antiCipation of future needs.
These are just a few random Illustrations to point
up how BOrne of our present day highway problems
stem from inadequacies in the law. Basically this
situation arises from the fact that we've let ourselves
CCont1nued

O~

Page 6)

Sight Dist~nce Factor

Speed Limit

In respon.sc to 1'cqucata and $Ugg63tiOns from

reader/f, COOK COUNTY ffiGHWAYS this 'm onth

launches a column of questions and an..tW6T'8.

Readers are invited to .submit questions. Members
of the engineering stal! 0/ the Cook County DepaTt~
met1t

01

Highways will prouide the a1l.!w.T8.

OSSTfllJCTION

Mail

question" to COOK COUNTY lDGHWAYS, Romn

1503 .. 130 N. Wells st., Chicago 6.
If 7XMsiblc. an questions wt1l be atl8W6T'ed in the

m.agazine. if there are too many for the space avail-

bl8 any month, those that 86cm to be of widest

interest

win be answered here and the others, by

leUer .
The di",,,r;am above IlJun .... te. an Intersection with
,Ight obstruction. Vehicle A I. approaching the In
ter.ectlon at 35 miles per hour. The dlltance from
the light obstruction to the path of Vehicle A is 50
feet, and the dl.tance from the 'Ight obltructlon to the
path of Vehicle B I, 60 feet. With the critical dl ..
tances .nd the .peed of Vehicle A known , the normal
la(e approach Ipeed il computed for Vehicle B. In
- thll illustration, Vehicle B'. norm,l ,afe approach
speed J, 22.9 miles per hour, relultlng In ;II 20 mile
per hour speed :zone.

QUESTION- How far from a street intersection

should shrubbery or other obstructions to visioq be
cleared away?

ANSWER---All intersections should be 80 designed

and landscaped that the driver of an approaching
vehicle has unobstructed sight of the whole intersection and a length of the intersecting street suf
ficient to pennit control of his vehicle to avoid
collisions.
Intersection sight distances are checked on existing streets by the Cook County Highway Depart
ment by having field men construct a condition
diagram of the intersection. This condition diagram
shows -pavement widths, actual sight obstruction
locations, control devlccs, etc. The design speeds of
the intersecting streets are detennined; this at times
necessitates employment of the radar speed meter.
The data obtained is then analyzed by a traffic
engineer and the adequacy of the sight distance is
determined.
If the unobstructed sight is not adequate, an at
tempt is made to Increase iL Many times, the
prohibilion of parking is enough to make the sight
distance adequate. U the cost of the removal of the
obstruction ,is prohibitive, either speed zoning or a
more restrictive control such as a stop sign is em
ployed. If speed zoning is employed, usually the
design speed of one sucet is maintained, while the
speed on the other is regulated. When stop signs
arc employed, the minor street Is stopped for the
m:ljor street.
QUESTION- Is there a standard height In Cook
County for stop signs, and llOW far from the pavement shotlid signs be placed?
ANSWER-The placement of STOP signs by the
Cook County Highway Department is in keeping
with Ule State of minois' Manual of Uniform Traffic
Control Devices for S~ts & Highways.
All stop sign rcquests are channeled to the Traffic
Engineering Bureau of the Cook County Highway
Department. The proposed intersection is then the
subject of a traffic engineering study, which results
in approval or denial of the sign erection. This
procedure prevents the indiscriminate use of and
preservcs the effectiveness of the stop sign.

In rural areas, tlle stop sign is placed between

6 and 10 feel from the edge of the approach roadway. The bottom of the sign is not less than 3
feel above the crown of the pavemenL
[n urban areas and at locations where parked
vehicles might obscure the stop sign, the lower edge
of the sign is 7 feet above the top of the curb. The
left edge of the sign is from 1 to 3 feet back from
the face of the curb. If a marked crosswalk on
\h~ ~a'l;j~e.n\ e.'Y..\oa.\!., \ne. oa.\'gtI. \oa. e.tt<:.\~ ';) t~t \l\
advance of the crosswalk line nearest to approach.
ing traffic.
The Cook County Highway Department does not
use portable stop signs for school crosaings or other
part.time usages. Any portable signs erected on
County road~ by private parties are immediately
removed.

C. D. Show at Riverview

Cook County Civil Defense will partiCipate in an

interesting public exhibit of Civil Defense facilities
and methods to be set up in a building in Riverview
Park. It will be opened Sunday, May 23, with
ceremonies in which Gov. Stratton, army and air
force officers, and veterans' organizlltions will take
part. All suburban Cook County c. D. directors are
invited to join the official party in the grandstand.
The other agencies participating in the exhibit are
the Federal Civil Defense Administration, illinois
State Civil Defense Agency, City of ChJcago Depart.
ment of Civil Defense, army antlaJrcraIt command
and the U. S. Air Force.

--

.....

School Bicycle Program Is Life Saver

ROWNUPS struggling with the problem of mak

ing safe drivers out of dangerous drivers, might

G
well turn their attention for a. moment at least to the

accomplishments of Cook county grammar school

pupils in their own little world of wheels.
Now entering its second year, the bicycle saIety
program sel up by the Cook County Traffic Survey
and Safety Commission, haa results to show. Most
striking are those figures representing the deadly
hazard ot riding a bicycle on streets and highways
canyrng today's heavy traffic.
When the program was launched in March, 1953,
the most challenging facl was that during 1952, 15
chUdren between the ages of 8 and 12 were kiUed
when riding bicycles in Cook county. In place of that
figure, there is now a 6 for 1953; and none of that
6 was a boyar girl who had passed the bike program
safety tests.
A preliminary report of the first year's activity
shows tha.t the program has been introduced into
113 suburhan schools, including public and Catholic
and Lutheran parochial schools. A total of 216 lectures has been given in schools and to meetings of
parents and other interested groups.
Pupils Test R ldJng Ability
The program as given to the pupils is in two
parts- a lecture in which the aafety rules worked out
especially for bicyclists is presented and explained
and, later, a test in which the youngste1'8 ride their
bikes over 11 course set up with STOP signs and other
features of a highway. Thus far, 48,350 pupils have
had the lecture and 12,592 have gone through the

Civil Defense Exercise - (Continued from Page 2)

For the general public, the exercise will be one

in "duck and cover" ratber than in evacuation.
Obviously, the attempt to move more than four million people as a drill could not be considered. Even
in an actual attack, only a small part of the whole
population of Chicago and Cook County could be
moved to the period between warning siren and
bomb blast, and the best chance they would have to
protect themselves would be to duck against a solid,
windowless wall or simUar place of reasonable safety
and cover their heads with their arms to guard
against Hash burns.
Pre!jident To I'roelaimEmergency
Monday's program starts at 9, daylight time. (All
times on the official schedule are central standard,
but in this article they wi11 be transposed to daylight
tJme since it prevails throughout Cook County.)
The exercise will be concluaed Monday at 2 :15 p.m.
t..Tuesday will be devoted to study and evaluation of
'he operation.
All centers are to be manned and ready to operate
at 9 Monday. At 9 :45, the President of the United
States will issue a proclamation declaring a Civil
Defense emergency and the Governor of lllinois will

test lane. All but 39 passed and were given membership cards in the bicycle safety club.
The traffic safety commiSBion was organized In
1946 by President William N. Erickson of the County
Board as an associated activity of the county highway
department. He has remained 8.8 president of the
commission. Chief Justice Harry H. Porter of the
Evanston MUnicipal Court is general chairman. Noble
J. Puffer, county school superlntendent. is a commission member and has found a $eclal interest in
the bicycle program.
Details of the bike program were worked out by
George Glaser, a county highway traffic engineer, who
has been giving full time to It since it was organized.
Glaser is a most enthusiastic advocate of starting
them young in lessoDB of highway safety. His slogan
is: "The boy behind the handlebars today will be the
man behind the wheel tomorrow."
Sa fe Drivers in the Making
"I feel sure that we nre on the right track," said
President Erickson. "These children are learning
respect for traffic laws and regulations at the same
time they are getting drilled in how to ride their
bicycles with safety. This will go far toward producing a generation of good drivers. All of the school
authorities and the suburban officials who have had
part In this program are to be congratulated on the
fine results apparent in the fiNit year."
Glaser said that nine suburbs already have adopted
the model bicycle ordinance drawn up by the commission with the aid of State's Attorney Gutknecht,
who is also a commission member.
issue a. similar proclamAtion at 9 :50. At that hour
also, lhe first warning of approaching enemy bombers
will be given the centers.
The alert sounds at 10:50. This is the signal to
"duck and cover."
Three Bombers Over Ohlcago
The hypothetical enemy makes his attack at 11 :57.
Three airbursts are reported, all at 4,000 feet
~ltitude.

From then on, the exercise Is concerned with the

many phases of rescue and aid work. County C. D.
workers, according to lhe schedule, will be caUed on
to help distribute supplies received from outside; for
example 10 truck loads of medical supplies sent from
the federal warehouse at Bremen. Ind., to Chicago
Heights. County forces will alao have the huge task
of keeping highways open to evacuees and arranging
detou1'8 where bridges or pavement have been
dnmaged.
The exercise has been made as realistic as possible
and It is hoped that all will study it as the best
means of presenting the conditions that would follow
an enemy attack by air. It should be valuable in
reminding our people that such a caJamity may be
a reality. and the lessons drawn from the operation
should go far toward helping us prepare a defense
in which everyone can help himself and his neighbor
as well.

Highway Laws-(Continued from. Page 3)

grow into the motor age without stopping long
enougb to look and see where we were going and how
best to get there.
New Oars; Old Laws
In the case of vehicles we've had new modcla al
most every year, new modeJ8 that incorporate the
latest engineering advancement&.
ThlUl today'a
streamlined passenger car fa almost a complete departure from the original horaele&a carriage of a
balf century ago, just 88 the modern expressway,

with Ita cloverleaCs and undcrpe,88C8 is a complete

departure from the old dirt road.
But our hJgbway Jaws for the moat part are the
old horseless carnages, patched up with baJing wire,
the acetylene lamp replaeed with a seal beam I~ght,
and balloon instead of solid tires. In the field of highway law we're opemtlng a 1900 chassis and body, a
slightly lOuped up motor and Borne optional equipment thrown in for good measure.
As a lawyer would, and did, pullt: "Highway legialation on the books today is a hodgepodge of statutes, amendments, and epedal acts. Together they
constitute a maze of varying degrees of authority
and responsibility that ofUmcs baffles the most competent legnJ authority."
Time for Oomplete Overhaul
What's wrong bere, you may ask. Who's to blame?
Wby haven't our atate legislatures been on the job?
Are they unfriendly to motor tl1UlaportaUon? Part
of the answer. probably l.I that our atate legialatures
have been too much on the job and 80 busy with their
many other duties they haven't eat back for a long
look at our basic bighway la~. And another reason
is that all of us grew up wilh wheeled transportation
and when the motor replaced Old Dobbin, it was
gradual. We got used to it and took the change more
or leas for granted. Ae a result we didn't begin
to appreciate the signi6cance of Lbe molor age early
enough.
Happily we're coming to reeognlze the importance
of modernizing our basic highway laws, of malting a
model change-over instend of continuing to tinker
and patch. Slates arc beginning to Rct. During
1951 and 1952, a complete study of the state highway law of Nerth Dakota was developed at the request of a state legislative committee. Baaed on the
recommendations of that study, North Dakota has
adopted a new state highway law, which re-defines the
respoaalbiLities and authority of the highway department.
A number of states are following North Dakota's
lead and overhauling highway law.
Nationwide Stlldy Started
Another significant development is in recent action
of the Highway Rcee&teh Board. At the request of
the American Association oT. Stale ffighway Officials
this agency is analyzing the bJgbway laws of all
'-tates and relevant court decisions in every major
area of highway activiUes. The study will Include
the highway administrator's authority and responsibilities in 8ueh categories &II land acquJ.sltlon, control
nf access, road cla88i6caUon. construction. mainte
nance, planning, research, contracta and others.

Out of this exhaustive research, will come the essential elemente that go to make up a good law with
reapect to eacb of these [unctlona. The ftnal report
will be most useful 8B a legislative guide for aU
states.
There's an old saying in the legal fraternity that
the law Js what the court says it Is. The application
of that phrase points up another important reason
for bringing our highway law up-to-date. Imagine
lOme of the problems that our courts come up against
in attempting to interpret laws written SO or 40 years
ago in terms or modern conditiona.
New WOrdll Need Deflnltloll
A whole new terminology has grown up in the
highway field in recent yetu'8. We've added to the
lexicon words that were unknown at the time of the
first World Wa.r--Creeway, expressway, cloverleaf, radial highway, and 80 on. Each of us may have our
own ideas of what these words mean. But in aU too
many cases, terms mean different things to different
people and local usage differs between various sections. You probably know what you have in mind
when you talk about a primary road and a secondary
road. But is it the same thing that the state legislature had in mind when it wrote your bighway laws
back in the 20's?
That's anotber function of good law, de6ning terms
80 that aU of us know what we're taJklng aboul
In .lOme areaa of Law we strive for uniformity.
That's true in many fields, notably with respect to
rules of the road. We aWl don't have uniformity.
with the result that drivers are often at a loss when
they are in another state, or even another clty. But
we're getting cloeer to the goal of a Uniform Vehicle
Code.
Strlve to Reach Oommon Ground
HJghway law is IOmewhat diJ'!'erenl The problema
may differ between northern and southern etates, a
mountain state and a plains slate. 8 populous state
and a spa.rsely settled alate. But lhere ia considerable
common ground, and that is in the intent of highway
law.
One way or expressing that common ground was
stated in the North Dakota study. It proposed that
in any law, the legislature express to designated
highway officials the following:
"We are placing a high degree of trust in your
hands and are giving you individual and joint responsibilities [or cotllJtructing, managing, improving and
preserving the roadl and streeta of this state; in
carrying out this responsibility your primary objective
shall be to provide. within the Umita of available
funds, a unilled system of adequate highways that
will serve the best interesta of all our people; within
the reatrictions imposed upon you by law, the planning, conslruction and maintenance of our road fa
clllUea is left to your wisdom, judgment and integrity,"
That sums up bJghway law.
School Driver TraIning Increasea
IUinois ranked seventh among the atates in its
high school driver training courses last year, the
Auodation of Casualty and Survey Companies bas
announced. By next spring, it was said, the nation
will have at least 5 mi1llon young men and women
who have received such training.

The .tructure. that will carry Independence blvd. over the Congrell .t. exprellway are taking form. In the
foreground I. the bridge that will carry .outhbound traffic. On the ea.t .Ide will be a .Imllar bridge for north.
bound traffic. During con.tructlon, traffic I. temporarily channeled through the .pace between the bridge..

Bids Opened and Contracts Awarded

IDS for 11 projects were opened by the County

Board May 4. Contracts will be awarded in June.
The jobs. with the low bidder in each instance, fol
low:

}~xpres8waY8

"

Calumet-Sewer between Lincoln hwy. and GlenwoodLansing rd., Louis Scully & Sons, $407,946.35.
Congress st.- Excavating, grading and barricade
ffO!nces from 90 feet ca.st of Kostner avc. to 160 feet
west of Pulaski rd., Krug Excavating company,
$481,274..44.
Congress st.- Excavating, grading and barr icade
fences from 100 feet eut of Laramie ave. to 195
feet west of Cicero ave., W. J. Sheppard & Co.,
$358,468.40.
Congress st.-Removal of structures between Laramie and Central aves., Harvey Wrecking Co., $27,000.
Resurra.cing
Addison st. between Harlem and Austin aves. and
Diversey blvd. between Pulaski rd. and Logan blvd.,
White Construction Co., $121,284..70.
DesPlaines ave. between Roosevelt rd. and Randolph st.. Chicago; Sacramento blvd. between Roosevelt rd. and Carroll ave.; Chicago, and 31st at. between County Line rd. and LaGrange rd . Allied Asphalt Paving Co., $122,983.55.
Elmhurst rd. between Devon ave. and Oakton st.;
Oakton at. between Mannheim and River rda.; Gun
nison ave. between Harlem and Nagle aves., and
Montrose ave. between Narragansett and Central
aves., Contracting & Material Co., $115,988.20.

1st ave. between Fullerton ave. and Irving Park

rd. and Belmont ave. between River rd. and Harlem
ave., Contracting & Material Co., $121,431.45.
WIdening an d Concrete Surfacing
Torrence ave. between Ridge rd. and Kingery expressway. Gallagher Asphalt Co., $74,500.34.
Forest Way between Tower and Dundee rda., Arcole Midwest Corp., $169,626.20.
Michigan City rd. between Cottage Grove ave. and
Sibley blvd., Gallaghcr Asphalt Co . $168,016.04.

Contracts
Contracta for work on two expressways were
awarded by the County Board April 20 as follows:
Congress st.-Grading and Paving between Mann
heim rd. and AddIson creek, Contracting & Material
Co., $1,052,074..
Calumet- Joe Orr rd. overpass, Standard Paving
Co., $250,64.5; GlenwoodDyer rd. overpass, Standard
Paving Co., $221,796.

Downey Given New C. D. Duties

Joseph A. Downey, who was appointed by President

William N. Erickson of the Cook County Board of
Commissioners to be director of Civil Defense in
Cook County when the program was launched in
1949. was appointed by the State of Illinois Civil
Defense Agency late In April to serve also as Mutual
Aid Coordinator of the Chicago Mutulal Aid Area.

 COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

"Th,

ta~

of Civil

Vol. II

Detente I, vital to our Natlon,1 IIf''''-Pr.. ldont Ei .. nhower

No.1

JUNE, 1954

'-" COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook County (TIl.) Department of Highways

Uoner auspices of the Board of County Commissioners
WILLIAM N. ERI CKSO N, Prn ldlnt

John Maetl." Jr.

G.a .... A. Mllltr
Oeor._ F. Nixon
Dtnlel RJ'u
CI,)1on F. S",lth

Ja",,, F. Al blnd, ..

Frut Bobrytzu

WllIlant BU"I
Ellzabetl! A. Conkt,.
John J. Dutry
Arthur X. Elnld
Chrllt A. Jluen

Edwllrd M. Snted
John J . Tauh)'

WILLIAM J. MORTIMER
Superintendent " Hlg~w ..,.

Published at 130 North Wells Street, Chicago 6.

FRanklin 27544 Extension 221

~1____T_O_O_c_o_s_tl_Y_T_O__G_a_m_b_le____~1 ~1____A_w__a_rd_S_F_o_r_p_o_li_ce_m_e_n____~
By Will iam N. Erickson

As a means of promoting safety on streets and

highways in suburban Cook .county, President William
N. Erickson of the County Board announces a monthly
award of $50 to the police officer who performs the
most meritorious act in the course of traffic law enforcement.
"I believe everyone concerned with traffic safety
will a.gree that we need strict, uniform enforcement
of traffic laws, right down the line," said President
Erickson. "We have too much disobedience of stop
signs, as traffic engineers of the county highway
department found in a recent survey. Many motorists take a slow sign at a school too lightly. Disregard of traffic controls in minor matters breeds
contempt for all traffic regulation, and we continue
to have a growing toll of accidents."
President Erickson said he had written to all
suburban police chiefs, the sheriff's police force and
state police assigned to Cook county districts inform ing them of the awards and asking them to
nominate men for consideration. The first award,
he said, ",-:ill be for June.
Consideration will be given, he said, to any outstanding act performed in the course of traffic law
enforcement. It may be that a man caught going
throug.h a stop sign will turn out to be a fugitive
wanted for some more serious offense. Or the winner
any month may be an officer who through his own
in~e nuity has developed an effective means of combating traffic accidents.
In his letter to the police chiefs, President Erickson
asked that letters nominating men for the awards
be addressed to the Cook County Traffic Safety Commission, 130 N. Wells st., Chicago 6.

President, Cook County

Board of Commluloners

THIS time I hope I am wrong.

I hope, with every other American, that our difficulties with Soviet Russia will eventually come to
such understanding that our vast program of preparedness will be unnecessary after all. In that
sense, I will gladly find that I have been wrong in
advocating a full measure of defense.
But r am sure that at this time we cannot afford
to gamble.
I believe with President Eisenhower that we must
organize Civil Defense so impressive that it will
"deter aggression itself."
Here in Cook county we have done well thus far.
Our Civil Defense program is almost five years old.
Under the mayor or village president, everyone of
the 102 suburbs is organized, with responsible men
in the key posts. We were the first large metropolitan county to be completely organized.
As in other Civil Defense areas, it has not been
deemed practical at this stage to enroll large numbers
of citizens. Instead, we have concentrated on training men to head up the various services-fire, rescue,
welfare, engineering, communication, transportation,
ctc. We have inventoried all the facilities available
-hospital beds,- stocks of food and clothing, shelter
space in forest preserves, race tracks and country
clubs, fire hose, doctors and nurses, trucks, radio
equipment and so on.
lf the dreaded attack comes, the key men will
serve as rallying points for volunteers, and the basic
organization thus can quickly be expanded. However, any men or women who wish to enroll now
will be welcomed by the Civil Defense directors in
their home communities, and this evidence of interest
will be appreciated.
I hope very much that every citizen of Cook county
,will give attention to the June 14 nationwide Civil
Defense exercise proclaimed by President Eisenhower.
Whether or not events, sooner or later, require Civil
Defense in action against an enemy, no one knows
today. All we know is that our existence as a nation
is at stake and wisdom calls for preparedness.

A Task Eor Every Citizen

The taak of Civil Defense is vital to our na/t01tal
life. it dMilands 1Ireparedaess that can do more
than Umit the damage of a war-time di8a.ster. It
means developing a preparcd/tess, a vigilance, so
impre"sive (J.! to deter aggrcssion itself.
This
awareness must tOlleh every community, euery
citizen of OIlT land.-From President Eiseflhower'8
proclamation of the June J~ Civil Defense excrci8e.

"-'

Officials of Suburbs Plan Civil Defense

Civil defense leader. In Cook county IIuburbs meet In Elmwood Park village hall to hear localized
pia'''; for June 14 nationwide C, D. exercise. Fro nt row. left to right-Ralph L. Garrett, wel fare officer,
region 4, Federal Civil Defe nse Ad m inist riltio n j Gen. Ro bert M. Woodward, director Illinois State Civil
Defense Agency; Anthony J. Mullaney, Chicago Civi l Defense d irector; Joseph A. Downey, Cook County
Civil Defense dlreetor; Gen. J. L. Homer, Illinois State Civil Defense executive; WilHam N. El"icklon,
prealdent ,COOk County Board of Commlssionerl.

of a program for a realistic perfonnance

DofETAILS
the nationwide Civil Defense exercise June 14.
were agreed on at a well-attended m,eeting of suburban mayors, village presidents and C. D. directors
in the Elmwood Park village hall May 19.
Presentations of the exercise on the national,
state, county and City scale were given by W. R.
Garrett of the federal regional C. D. office; Gen.
Robert M. Woodward, lilinois state C. D. director;
Gen. J. L. Homer, state C. D. executive; Joseph A.
Downey, Cook county C. D. director, and Anthony J.
Mullaney, Chicago C. D. director.
President William N. Erickson of the Cook county
board of commissioners thanked the suburban officials
for giving Cook county leadership in Civil Defense
among the large metropolitan areas.
Public's Part Only 10 ~[i n utes
Most important for the citizens is the decision to
compress the exercise into 10 minutes so far as public
participation is concerned. Members of the Civil
Defense organization will be busy with paper work
over two days, but for the public, activity will begin
with the warning sirens . at 10 :50 a.m. (daylight
saving time) June 14 and end with the "all clear"
.. at 11.
Highlights of the program :
All street and highway traffic to stop.
Pedestrians to get off the street into designated
shelters or other buildings where they can "duck
and cover."

People in their homes to go to the safest place

in their buildings.
Children in such schools as are open that date to
go through their bomb attack drill.
CTA trains, as in Evanston, Oak Park, Cicero, to
proceed to the nearest station and remain there
until the "all clear"; passengers to keep their seats.
Industrial plants with internal Civil Defense organization to conduct at least a token practice drill.
Need to Info rm P ublic

"The big job in the hands of suburban officials is

to inform the public and arouse an enthusiasm in
the exercise," said County Director Downey. "Our
program goes as far as it reasonably can in
dramatizing the occasion. We feel it would be an
imposition to ask the people to give more than 10
minutes to the drill, but we think that they will
respond willingly to the schedule lUI drawn up for
them."
Touches of realism win be added by 200 uniformed
members of the Dlinois Police Reserves under Capt.
Arthur E. Unger, who will help halt traffic at important intersections, and by the sending of fire engines, police cars and ambulances from Elmwood
Park, Cook county C. D. control center, to O'Hare
field on receipt of a report that saboteurs are attacking that important air base.

'-'

Plenty of Push

In

Expressway Sewer Job

equipment was not geared to monolithic construction
would have a dampening effect on competitive bidding.
We therefore decided to place in the specifications
an alternate type of construction- the placing of
main drain by jacking operations. Though we searcbed
far and wide, we found no records of jacking in trunk
sewer construction of the scope we proposed. We
started (rom scratcb, placed our "dream" in the form
ot plans and specifications and anxi()usly awaited the
return of bids.

By William T. Lynch
Drainage and Utllltiel Engineer
Coole Count)' Highway DeplIIrtment

HE finished expressway to the average motorisL

is a thing of beauty. It may appeal to him
T
terms of a roadway designed for high speed travel
in

with all the safety features inberent in sound engineering praclice. His thoughts may run to the
many grade separation structures, which are not
only pleasing to the eye, but also allow cross traffic
to flow unJmpeded, thus saving valuable time with
less wear on bJs car and his nervous system as well.
Or his i.otcrcst may be attracted to tbe modam mercury vapor lighting system. which more than pays
for itself in Uvea saved as a result of perfeel iUumination under the most adverse weather conditions, Even
if he is not a nature fan, he will find the expressway
landscaping t urning a business trip Into a vacation
jaunt.
All these features have the appeal of beauty to the
passing motorist, who is unaware that many feet
below ground lies another thing of beautiful efficiency
- the sewer system that instantly dra.ins pavements
and underpasses, thus assuring safe travel in bad
weathe r and protecting the pavement from buckling
by keeping the subgrade dry and (ree from "pumping"
action.
A typical mile of this system is composed of a
lineal mile of main drain, or storm sewer as it is
sometimes referred to, ranging in diameter from 48
to 96 inches. For every mile of main drain there is
a collector system that in lineal length would equal
about four mUes. This is composed of sewers of
various diameters, from 10 to 24 inches, that carry
surface water from inlets and catch basins located
along the roadways and ditches into the main drain.
The combined 80w is carried to outlets such as
streams or lakes and discharged by gravity 80w or
pumps, depending on the hydraulic conditions imposed
at the outlet.
A Two-told Qhallenge
WhUe everyone in the field of hydraulics readily
accepts his work as a challenge to lick the elements,
we at the Cook County Highway Department consider the challenge as two fold. First, and foremost,
we must overcome the threat of pavement Booding.
Secolld, we are confronted with ever rising costs that
threaten to devour appropriations before the finished
job can be made availab1e to the motorists.
As an example of this double challenge, I wish to
cite the design of the first three contract sections
of tbe Congress st. expressway between Mannheim
rd. and the Des Plaines river.
When the profile of this part of the expressway
'was plotted, sbowing existing and proposed ground
elevation, water table, rock and clay strata, existing
.. utilities and hydraulIc conditions at the Des Plaines
river, the type of sewer construction to be designed
was clearly evident. In all three contract sections
conditions indicated that tunnel construction was
necessary and hence costly construction was anticIpated. The self exclusion of contraetors whose

Jacking Elected In One Section

The results of the bidding Indicated that the majority of the contractors preferred the standard
mining, forming and monolithic pour as sgainst the
combination jacking and tunneling of pre-cast pipe.
The sections between Mannheim rd. , in Hillside, and
21st ave., in Maywood, and between 9th ave., Maywood. and the Des Plaines river went monolithic,
while the section in between (2l!!t to 9th ave.) went
jacking. This gave us a project comparison in prices,
which shOWed a drastic reduction in construction
costs In favor of our jacking operation.
Our dream was now ready for the George B. Hardin
Construction Co. of emcago, the low bidder eJecting
jacking operation, to make it a reality.
The job called for placement of 3,861 feel of 78-inch
pre-cast twin line reinforced concrete culvert pipe.
This pipe was made and tested at the Lewiston Pipe
Co.'s plant in Hillside, just a stone's throw from the
construction site. Six manholes were cau
for on
the plans, located so that jacking pits could be located at the same sites, thus reducing costs.
The first shaft was excavated at the east end o(
the contract to 39 feet below the surface. As the
job progressed, other shafts were opened up along
lhe line. The last one was 34 feet below the surfacc. An Owen one-yard clam on a Link-Belt crane
dug t.he boles, dumping tbe material into waiting
trucks or casting it aJongside the shaft. This material was re-handlcd by various front-end loaders
mounted on Caterpillar tractors.
These shafts were 24x14 feet, with the longer
dimension along the axis at the tunnel. The earth
walls were braced with 2xl0 sheeting and 12x12
timbers.
Two Chambers for Working
The 12x12 cross braces divided the shaft into two
sections, each approximately 12x.12 feet. The rear
scction contained the jacking equipmenl and the forward section was used for pulling up the mucking
boxes and lowering the pipe sections. The jacking
equipment was first installed and preliminary mining
was started.
The soil in this area was hardpan, with some rock
in the invert. The material was cut down with two
Chicago Pneumatic clay spades, passed to the muekers
and loaded into shop built cars-3x6x2-foot boxes
mounted on 24 gauge track wheels. The cars were
pushed back to tbe shaft when full and lifted and
dumped at tbe surface.
The mucking crews worked only 10 feet ahead of
the pipe at first, but later thJs was inereased to 15

'-

$h..,t opening, .howing .urface operation. of

the jacking job. Below, looking down the ,haft;
at tho left I, a section of pipe coated with
'ubricant; .at the right, at top and bottom of the
picture, the two 4O()..ton hydraulic ram,.

and 20 feet when it was found that the ground held

well. The hole was opened to a diameter just about
1 inch larger than the outside of the pipe except
at the bottom, where skid rails were placed to insure
perfect line and grade.
.. After the hole was mined for approximately 20
feet ahead or the previously laid pipe, 2x12 timber
cross ties were laid down every five feet. Two 4x6
timber skid rails were then placed along the length
of the open section and coated with Bentonite to
reduce friction during jacking.

Jacking equipment consisted of two Rodgers 400ton hydraulic rams and a Rodgers hydraulic pump
powered by a 25-hp Wisconsin air cooled gasoline
engine. The main equipment and accessory high
pressure hose, valves etc., were supplied as a complete
unit by Rodger!! Hydraulic Inc. of Minneapolis.
The rams were flet at the rear section of each shaft
and braced agailUlt the back wall. The integral pump
and engine was up at ground surface. All controls
for the jacking operations were handled by the one
man at the pump. The rarns have a 4foot travel
and are reversible so that the jacking frame was
easily withdrawn for the next push.
The contractor bad a little trouble at first with
the backstop for the rams. The back wall of the
shaft was braced with 8x8 oak timbers bolted logether for local distribulion against the soil. A
4x4-foot braced sleel box section was placed behind
each of the rams. The box was made up of one-inch
plate steel and four 12-inch H beams, with 8anges
welded to the front and back plates_ This showed
signs of crushing during the early stages of jacking,
so It was further reinforced by we1ding more H beam
sections in the box. This did the trick.
The force of the hydraulic rams was tr8J1Bferred
to the pipe through a speciaJ jacking frame made of
(Oontinued em Page 7)

'-'

Ancient Trail Linked With Expressway

ORK SCHEDULED by the Cook County High.
W
way Department on Calumet expressway this
season Includes 6.50 miles of paving between Kingery
expressway and Sauk Trail, thus linking this most
modern lYPC of highway with onc of the oldest and
most important Indian highwaY8 in Chieagoland.
Long before the white man arrived, the Great Sauk
TraH cut aerosa 0I1nol8 from the Mlasissippi at Rock
Island, pnssing through loforri.B, J oliet, New Lenox,
Frankfort and Richton and cl'088Lng too l ndiana line
at Dyer. Near LaPorle a branch connected with the
trail between Detroit and Chicago. In his book
"Chicago's Highw8ys-Qld and New," Milo M. QuaiIe

e-

------'=-

tcI

S8yS:

"Over the Greal Sauk TraiJ Cor unnumbered generations bands of red men trooped in single We, intent
on mlsaiona of peace o r of arms, unW with the
passage of time they had beaten a narrow path deep
in the BOU. From the time of the earHest French
occupation of the interior the tradera utilized it,
LaSalle being probably the first white man to pass
this way.
OSl"tl by Early Ma ll Carriers
"After the establishment of the military garrisons
at Fort Wayne and ChJcago, the trails between these
places and Detroit acquired a new imporlance for the
white man. Over them passed the earliest postmen
in the Northwest, soldiera carrying the meagre maila
or official dispatcbes between the several posts."
The present day Cook county highway bearing the
name Sauk Trail tollows a eeeUon line (rom the- CookWill county line east to Richton Park. From there
on easl, through Park Forest, Sauk Trail Woods
(orest preserve, and South Chicago Helgbts to its
junction with thc Glenwood-Dyer road, the route is
exactly, or very close to, that of the lnmans.
When the expressway is opened to travel, probably
next year, the old Sauk Trail will &ain new importance by serving as a feeder to Calumet from
s uburbs in the south part of the county.
Anotber historic trail that also figures in the a rea
aerved by Calumet expressway Is the old Chicago
road, which waJJ first an Indian line of travel and
later a military highway. The right to build a road
through fndlan country to connect Ch icago with
Fort Wayne and Detroit was granted by the allied
tribes in the treaty negotiated at Chicago in 1821.
Congress authorized surveys in 1824 and appropriated
$30,000 tor that work. The survey went slowly,
however. and further delay was occasioned by the
Black Hawk war, 80 it was 1833 before the road began
to be much used.
l\lain Une of JUJgration
'-rhe Chicago road at this period (1833 onward)
was one of the great thoroughfares of the country,
snd the migration which poured along it Into the
newer West was no less slgnificant or picturesque
.. than that which at a somewhat later period was to
" immortalize the Oregon TraU," Dr. QuaIIe notes in
his book.
"Some indication of ita volume may be gained from
the figures given us by Am08 A. Parker, who in
1834 made a. tour from New Hampshire west to

Y'H

----v--

Stop line Marking

A program of stop line marking has been started
by the Cook County Highway Department in an eft'ort
to achieve a better conformance to stop sigtlB. These
lines, paJnted with yellow lacquer, wiU extend from
the edge of pavement to the center line and will
be 24'" wide.
The location ot this line with respect to the intersection, will vary with the conditions encountered.
In gener al, these linea wUl be placed so as to permit
vehicles to atop as near the intersection as possible
without causing interference to pedestrians or to
Cross vehicular movements.
The illustration shows standard atop line marking.
Variations from this will depend on sight distance
variations or other peculiarities of an intersection.
A recent study, the results of which were published
in the March and April issues of COOK COUNTY
mcmvA YS, disclosed significant disregard to stop
signa in thia area.
It is expected that a substantial improvement will
result from the added emphaais and target value of
stop lines at atop signed intersections.

Chicago and southwest to Texas. He recorda that

BO,OOO western ImmIgrant. embarked from the port
of Bu1!'alo alone that season; no exact ligures could
be given of the number who continued the journey
by land along the south shore ot Lake Erie, but an
observer Wormed the writer that he had counted
250 wagons in a single day."

> <

>-'

- 11 1L.___o_n_e_-w_a_y_s'_r_ee_'_S_??__--11

L-_ _P_u_b_l_
iC_Y_O_'_e_S_O_n_B_ri_d_ge__

PreUm!nary results have been compiled of the

survey begun last year to determine the location of
a new highway bridge over tbe CB&Q railroad in
Cicero most convenient for those who wUl use it most.
The survey was organized by the Cook County
Highway Department, which will construct the bridge,
in keeping with its policy of locating highway fa
cililies in the best interest of the public. Cicero town
officials and members of the Clearing Industrial District and the Cicero Manufacturers Association c0operated. particularly in circulating among employes
a questionnaire prepared by the highway department.
It is felt lhat this cooperalive approach to transportation Improvements will provide more effective
CaclUties than any plan not based on factual data.
The preliminary report issued by the engineering
firm of De Leauw, Cather & Company, which is
analyzing the questionnaires, states in part:
"A total of 18,712 usable interviews was coded.
These were expanded to 76,610, which is the total
industrial worker population of Cicero and Clearing.
"Analysis of the survey data Indicates that 28.3
per cent of the workers used public transportation
to and from work, 51.8 per cent drove their own cars,
15.2 pcr cent rode with someone elsc, 3.6 per cent
used other means, such as walking, and 1.1 per cent
did not list their means of transportation.
"Of the 39,542 persons driving their own ears,
32,870 returned home from work between 3 p.m. and
6 p.m. A total of 7,137 of these drivers crossed the
Sanitary canal in one direction or the other. A total
of 10,147 crossed the CB&Q. Of all CB&Q crossings,
3,172 occurred at Cicero ave. These trips accounted
for 66.2 per cent of the total two-way traffic a.t the
Cicero ave. crossing between 3 and 6 p.ID. This per
cent ot total traffic decreases at the croSSings in both
directions Crom Cicero ave.
"Preliminary studies bave shown that only 7,625,
or 16.6 per cent, of the 45,868 industrial employes in
the town of Cicero are Cicero residents. Our preliminary drawings indicate that the greatest number
of workers coming from outside the Cicero-Clearing
arca arc arriving from the soutb and west suburbs."

Several q uestions addrcaacd. last month to the

newly established question and answer corner of
COOK COUNTY HIGmVAYS bear on the good and
bad features of one-way streets, reflecting the growing interest in this form of traffic control in villages
as well as cities.
For the sake of both clarity and brevity, these
questions and the answers thereto are combined as
follows:
What are the advantages of a one-way street?
Properly designated and controlled one-way streets
will Improve the operation of vehicular traffic by the
following means:
1. Headlight glare is eliminated. Drivers may
use high beams resulting in greater safety to
pedestrians.
2. Pedestrian movement is improved by reducing
accident hazard and delay due to movement through
pedestrian lanes.
3. Intersectional accidents are reduced due to the
decrease in possible points of conruct.
4. The operation of a progressive signal system
is facilitated.
5. The average speed of vehicular traffic is increased due to the eliminntion of opposing strcams
of traffic and the more efficient operation of the
signal system.
6. The vehicle capacity ot a facility is increased.
7. The establishment ot fire emergency lanes is
made possible.
Are tbere any disadvantages to one-way streets?
Yes, one-way streets do hav~ some disadvantages.
L Driven may have to travel farther to reach
certain locations.
2. Additional sign posting is necessary.
3. Public transit routing and operation difficulties
may be encountered.
4. Pedestrians and motorists are giv~n a false
sense of security.
!S. Accidents may increase on the one-way streets
because of a tendency toward unsafe speeds due to
improved facility of movement.

(Continued from Pag8 5)

The longest push of this type was 530 feet and

required only 520 tons. Standard practice for man
bole spacing allowed this combination jacking and
tunneling easily to complete the necessary runs be-tween manholes.
Bacltfilling the voids around main line drain pipe
in place was accomplished by forcing a pumpable
mixture of dolomite dust and concrete aggregate
down 10-inch line pipes placed at various intervals
along the length of the job. These were required in
the early stages of mining to keep line and grade,
and thus served two purposes.
Much more might be written about this job, which
now has been successfully completed and stands as
an ilIuslration of the practice of the Cook County
IDghway Department to strive for engineering
methods that will assure the greatest construction
yield for the money expended.

built-up H beams applying a distributed load at six

bearing areas on a steel-pipe ring. The ring was set
into the groove end of the pipe and distributed the
load evenly around the full circumference.
J a.ck Power to Spa.re
Five-foot sections of pipe were added, one at a
time. Maximum push on this job was 270 feet, r eQ"uiring a force of 540 tons. Full BOO-ton capacity
of the rams was not used. When tbis type of jacking
operations was stopped, operations from the next
'haft were carried on to meet the pipe. The arch
was braced, skjd rails laid and pipe pusbed by means
of the same jacks until closure was made. This type
of operation allowed longer pushes to be made as
tbere was no surface tension on the pipe.

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Driver. Learn Safety-Eden, Ellpre .. way at Dempater 51...-See Page 2

Vol. 11

No. 2

JULY, 1954

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook County ( ill.) Department of Highways
Unrler auspices of the Board of County Commisaionera
WILLIAM N. ERICKSON. Pru l!lut

JIIII 1II.~k.ler. Jr.

0-.. A. Miller
G....... f . Hlu.

~3all

Daniel II,..
ClaytfR F. SIIIUI
E~w"" N. Snml

Jah J .

T"'~J'

WILLIAM J . MORTIMER

Superlntendonl of HI. _wa,.

Published at 130 North Wells Street, Chicago 6.

FRanklin 2-7544 Extension 221

Upward Trend Of Highway Deaths Continues

But when the accident figures contain evidence that
people can drive safely whcn they put. their minds
to it, there is good reason to refuse to go along with
the idea that so many Jives must be sacrificed for
so many vehicle miles.
In thc 1953 and 1954 statisticB, Cook county has
probably the outstanding demonstration of what
drive", can do to promote their own safety to be
found anywhere in the country. It is the almost
comple te elimination of death from Edens expressway, whe re 21 killings, 12 of them in 1953, occurred
in 406 days. Between Sept. 12, 1953, and this
writing, only two persons have been killed on Edens.
The reason is plain. Confronted with the ghastly
record of 21 dead, drivers have been exerc ising care,
a nd the exHressway.. which was engi ncered for the
ultimat e In safety. has proved that it wiU save Jives
if drivers do their part.
If th e rate of slaughter 011 Edens had continued
unabated, we would have had eight deaths there
against the 1954 total instead of two. A1il it is, if
1954 contJ nue<5 to exceed 1953, we must. suppose that
drivers who have learned to be carefu l on the express
ways have not learned to be careful OD other highways.
1 earnestly urge everyone who drives to recognize
that safety for all rests directly on each individual.
(CofJiinucll 011 pilo e 71

By W illiam N. Erickson
Pre , ldent, Cook County Board 01 Commlllionerl
an d Chairman, Cook County Trllffle
Survey and Safety Commlilion

N THE first six months last year there were 97

I tralfic fnteJilies on the highways suburban Cook

counly. This year through June 23 , the total slands
In

at

which

be due entirely to 11 streak of good

luck in June because the

tota l for the first five
m onths of 1954 stands a t

76 as compared with 68
fo r t he same months of
1953. With heavy vacaLion and wcekend travel
just sta rting, 1951 could
easily eXCe<!d 1953's total
of 223 dead, tllUS continuing the rising loss of
life and limb that has accompanied steadily increasing car regis trations
the last several years.
if one Is willing to accept. the inevitability of
more ca rs. more accidcnts , thcn the situation
in the suburban urca may be viewed with complacency.

Traffic fataliti es in suburban Cook county first half of 1954 and 1953.
( Prepllred by Cook County Traffic Safely Commission)
T~~ "
Aoe'dl'"

I'e'.

JI" ,

Auto--Pedestrlan ................
Auto-Bicycle, ....... , ......
Auto--Aulo .............. . ........
Auto-Truck ......... . ..............
Auto-Train .. ............. .........
Auto-Bus ......... . .. ....... " ....
Auto-Motorcycle ... . . . . . .. ... ... ...
,AutoBuilding ..... . ................
Auto-Tree , ..... . ...... . ..........
.. Auto-Abutment. ...... . .... ....
Auto-Pole .............. . , .... . ...
Auto overturned ...................

.. . . .

Totals ......... . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
*lncludes only through J une 23.

""6

,,~

1t53

,,~

3
1
3

1
6

11

0
1
1
1
1

2.

11

Minh
'153 ,, ~

I.
1

3
1
4

3
5

,,~

2
1
2

1
0

1
1

I.

19

14

."

A.rl,
1153

16

13

1953

Jwu

,,~

In)

,,~

'0

'I

5
1
2

1
1
1

19

'2
'2
'2

""
25

''..

'.
'0
'1

29 ' 14

'9S~

31
11

2.
5
22
9
11

2
2
6
2
3
2

97

90

'1

11

5
5
7

TOTALS

14

No Single Answer to Transportation Needs

portation study that could provide our metropolitan
area with a concerted plan of action.
Let us consider now the needs. As part of this
report I have attached a series of maps pertaining
to the comprehensive system of expressways in Chicago and Cook county approved by the City of Chicago
and the County of Cook in 1940 and accepted by
the State of IHinois. In 194.6, because of the inability to finance the comprehensive plan, a priority
system was adopted. The third chart shows the
progress on that system plus anticipated completion
date, if any.
(Editor's note--As a means of space saving in
this publication, the various maps have been combined in one, which is reproduced on page 5.)
You will note that other than Congress st., Edens,
Calumet-Kingery expressways and the Northwest
expressway from the loop to Edens ( approximately
at Montrose ave.) no completion date can be anticipated. We are, therefore, faced with a problem of wailing from seven to eight years for Northwest expressway to Montrose ave. and further construction to O'Hare airport is not even foreseen at
this time.

The following disC1UJstOn of Cook county's and

Chicago's expressway needs, together with recommendati01l8 for meeting them, was prepared by Mr.

Mcrtimer lOT consideration 0/ the citizens' committee

appointed by County Board President William N.
Erickson to study financing the expressways by tolls
or other 'l'ftcans.

By William J. Mortimer
Superi ntendent, Cook County
H ighway Department

N RECENT months there has been considerable

discussion relative to the transportation problems
of Cook county. Expressways, toll roads, mass lransportation (both electric and steam) are subjects debated at meetings, house parties, railroad stations
and in the daily papers. Transportation is our number ODC problem and it should be discussed, but as a
unit, for it is my opinion that unless an integrated
plan is prepared covering all transportation facilities,
millions of dollars will be spent improving each facility without solving our problem to any gnat degree. Neither expressways, toll roads, nor mass
transportation by themselves can do the job, but
planned to complement eB.Ch other much can be B.Ccomplished and at a substantial saving to the public
and transportation agenCies.
Some steps have been taken in the right direction.
For example:
Mass transportation in the median strip of Con~ress st. and the separation of railroad grades
through Oak Park by the same method.
Parking garages are under construction in the
central business district, providing additional offstreet parking.

Local Needs Are Greater

There are thousands of motorists who desire to
come from the northwest sections of Chicago and
Cook county to the central business district daily.
Other thousands will use the facility t.wice a week,
some but once a week and some but once a month.
I doubt sincerely if they will be pleased over the
fact that once a year during their vacation, they can
drive to New York on a lOll highway. I am certain
they would be much happier if the faciliti es were
available for their daily or weekly trips.
The same is true of the south route expressway.
Plans for its completion are indefinite, and yet are
faced with the problem of Indiana toll road traffic
entering Chicago in the vicinity of 106th st. A very
fine plan has been developed by the City of Chicago
to continue this route north to about 63rd st., but
the congestion from 63rd st. to the central business
district is far greater than that found south of that
area.
More than 75 per cent of the traffic using Cook
county highways generates in Cook county, and the
S'ame is true of Ule facilities inside the City of Chicago. I believe our first obligation is to this traffic,
and with the construction of roads (expressways or
tolls) to serve this traffic we are automatically providing for intra and interstate traffic. Any motorist
desiring to go beyond Chicago can do so safely, as
quickly and more economically on toll roads leading
to and through the central business district than by
going around our great metropolitan area.

All plans for a new civil center include location

on an expressway.
Mr. Ralph BUdd. former head of the CTA, and Mr.
Virgil E. Gunlock, who recently sueceeded him in that
post, have proposed that expressway plans provide
room for mass transportation facilities within their
rights-of-way.
A top level committee is studying a central air
bu~ terminal to relieve congestion on the loop's surface streets.
The press has asserted that "a revolution in railroad passenger service appears to be overdue."
An Illinois state toll road commission has been
created to study the needs and construct toU road
facilities.

Overall Planning Feasible Now

,

,!,be t.abulation of our assets provides an encouragmg pIcture, but other than mass transportation in
Congress st. and the loop parking garages, some are
in the preliminary planning stage and others in the
talking stage. However, we can use this condition to advantage if we join now in a complete trans-

State P la lls By-I)ass Ch icago

The Illinois Toll Road Commission has announced
that it does not plan to construct toll roads into
Chicago at the present time. Bankers who loan
[Oontlnued on next page]

I have studied a map showing the railroads entering Cook county. I have also read with some regularity reporta on a number of these indicating some of
lhem are operating in the red. Our survey sho....-a
almost 1,000 railway highway crossings in Cook
county, A good number of them are separated.
Many are protected with ligblB and gates, some with
lights only and some with no protection. The cost
of separating aU of the grade crossings would be
fantastic and might be unnecessary because many
railroads operate side by aide, others entering Chicago by clrcui~ous routes.
1t is my thought and recommendation that a care
ful study be given to this problem with the thought
of consolidation. A meeting of leading railroad men,
business men and engineers should look into the
problem. It could be a shot in the arm or the start
of the overdue revolution for some of tbe railroads
if they could an-ive at a solution for more frequent
usage of a facility.

money for toll roads out of necessity a re primarily

interested In sound investments. Toll roads constructed in belt areas are cheaper to construct and
can be completed quicker and with fewer headaches
Lhan complicated city roads. 1 am sure this is one
of the reasons no plnns for toll roads are being made
in the congested areas.
Mr. Gunlock, when he was commissioner of public
works of the City of Chicago, and I discussed the
problem informally with the state toll road commission's engineers and urged them to consider our major problem. T recommend that your committee urge
the members of the state toll road commission to
consider the problem and direct its engineering staff
to make the study without delay. Our staff is certain that the bankers' requirements can be mel and
roads constructed to meet the greatest traffic needs.
Your loll road committee presented a preliminary
plM indleating that sections of the basic express
way system could be built by toll authorities and
would be a sound investment. U a section of Northwest route were made a toU route, we could have
service to the a.irport within three years. I believe
the same would be true of the South route, connecting it to the Indiana toll section, the construction of which is imminent. While moneys are sufficient for the construction of Congress st. expressway 8S a free way, a section of that cou ld be made
a toll rond and the moneys spent by the constructing
agencies could be returned so other needed projects,
such 8S the Southwest route, could be undertaken.

Perhaps the loll road authority could purchase the

railroad right-of-way that would be abandoned and
have a ready made right-of-way for a toll highway
that could be constructed in a short time at a reduced construction cost. Tbe money received by the
rall.road for its right-of.way could, I am sure, be
used to good advantage, especially if the railroad is
operating in tbe red. Mass trllJUlportation fscilities
again cou ld be provided in the median strip, so that
faster and better service could be given the commuter if the railroad to be abandoned is at the
present time servicing commuters.

Business Centers Need Service

To coordinate the pJan, the mass transportation
idea suggcst('d by Mr. Budd and Mr. Gunlock, should
be studied and brought into being. The CTA recently
increased ita fares as necessary to meet operating
expenses. If complete grade separation of facilities
were provided for mass I:rn.n.sportation. operating
costs could be reduced and service increased, and
many motorista who now use their cars for daily
transportation would return to the CTA.
This is important. because expressways or toll
roads alone cannot solve our congestion problems.
Mass transportntion is a vital part, It certai nly is
vital to the cenLrnI business district if Chicago is to
continue as a leader in merchandising. A serious
business reduction in our loop would be reflected in
property values and would be a serious blow to the
tax structure of the city and county.
In addition to the central business district., lhere
arc :l numbf' r or major neighborhood districts such as
63rd and Halsted, Belmont and Lincoln, etc, that
must be considered in the same light. Taking Mr.
Budd's plan further, the Chicago Transit Authority
could operate service to O'Hare airport in the Northwest expressway median strip by extending the
Logan Square subway only a short distance from
he proposed expressway location. Fast, frequent
service to the airport could be had from any loca.... tion of the city and could be an excellent solution to
"s centra l air line terminal. Special trains from the
subwny could run directly into the terminal and could
carry a. great number of people to and (rom the airport. without using surface streets.

'Five'Recommeuda.tions
In summing up, I should like to make the following recommendations:
(1)

Complete Transportation Survey.

(2) Priority to be given to construction of toll

.... d. on the routes adopted in the comprehensive
plan.

(3) Facilities for mass transportation to be made

available within right.of-way of toll or expressways.
(4) Consolidation of railroads to reduce the
number of grade crossings and provide more economical operation and clear right-of-ways fOl" needed
highways.
(5) Thorough analysis of our present zoning and
bUilding codes for an orderly development in keeping
with the location of expressways and railroads.
1 am fully aware of the magnitUde of this proposal
and the difficulties that will be encountered in
moulding these suggestions into a real istic plan. 1
firmly believe, however, that Chicago and Cook
county have a great opportunity at this time to do
a resl job, and that the public is entitled to know
the problems and decide whether they desire to have
Chicago continue as a great metropOlitan area, or
whether business a nd industry will be forced to relocate in areas removed from the present locations,
and providing uJ timately another seriea of congested
ar"as in suburban Cook county,

46'OOO~

~~ ..

48,000

~::-:=\:_~ _-\

~\\i !
~3 \
~~ il' ~\\
.. --c-. o-_~
~\~

~ '--'--'~:!!g::1l r"

i
:

n
~~

NOR

GENERAL PLAN
FOR
COMPREHENSIVE SYSTEM
-

caQI<

~~

I~-l

go ~
U');J

,...)0

OF-

,N

II L.~

EXPRES SWAYS
CHICAGO AND

I
~_ AVEf:-~
a

. :1 '

COU NT Y

'\

~,..(~
1 -.-----./, "-:'~,

THE COUNTY OF COOK

AUGUST 1940
_

COMPLETED

I!ZZiJil

UNDER CONSTRUCTION
(FINANCES AVAILABLE)

L . ___ ..

PROGRAMMED (FUNDS NOT "'YA'LAILE, --,

r:zzz:z:IJ

PROPOSED

1"1'

//-'

--I

,,

L'28 900
J

AQV I.SORY CO M MITTEE

ON
COOK COUNTY EXPRESSWAY

FI HANCING

FEBRUARY 19 46

~~-,
~/;/"
.~~

iii
,/

DAILY VEHICULAR TRAFFIC

SHOWING- VOLUMES ENTERING
AND LEAVING THE CENTRAL
BUSINESS DISTRICT. CITY OF
CHICAGO, COOK COUNTY AND
VOLUMES USING ROUTE 83
AROUND COOK COUNTY.

2~000t-l

a::

(FUNDS NOT AVAILABLE)

In

CHICAGO

~I:
~,
'~ 1 ~
". !/-

I:lIfl!:]

238000

CON~~_~;.;s:...~qij~f.~rit1;W~A~C;K~ER

~l-

~,<"" v:,JJ

~ ~\\

"\

SO\,)

D)'

AND
A S APPROVED BY

71 ,0 0 0 ,,,

o 62looo
1o

REVISED TO APRIL 19045

.I ~

1 _-:-]

AS APPROVE 0 BY
THE CIT Y OF CHICAGO, FEB. 1940

~":~",,. \,

'

__ ,

212,000

Further Study Of Stop Sign Disobedience

By leo G. Wilkie
Traffic Engineer
Cook Count)" Highway Oepartment

..

8t.,

N THE March issue or COOK COUNTY HIGHWA YS, it was pointed out that there was significant
disregard by motorists to stop signs in the Cook
county area. Il was staled then that many accidents
are caused by admitted failures to stop (or these
important signa.

A further analysis of the results of that study indicates some additional facts of Importance with respect to motorist behavior at these signs. The first
report indicated the LOlal number of motorists who
either stopped voluntarily, came to a rolling stop
or did not 8tol) at all. The present analysis was
made to show the performance of motorists at stop
signs wit.h re81)CCl to slrnighl-lhrough tmffic, left
lurn traffic, or right turn traffic.

Of a1l the motorists tabulated In this survey, 60.2

percent had a IIILraighl th rough desUnation. Of
these, 11.2 percent did nOL slOP for lbe sign. Eigbteen Rnd four tenths percent of tile motorists in lbis
study had a left turn desunaUolI, Of these, 3.9 percent m3de no stop. Right turn de5tination motorists
accounted for 21,4 percent. or these, 6,4 percent
did nol stop.
(CQ"thu~cd ON

A,M, PEAK

3.236
Right
302M
Through Traffic 10,469
Lett. ..

TttaJ
Nt . tl
Vdlc1H

4.{82

27.8
38.~

~,280

7-4 .D

2,027
3,596

2M

14,065

28.8

23,827

....

~f,

.""'

PEAK

.,.

n .l

8M
00.1

1,'200

0 .

3,095
3,467
12,19:5

11.8

18,767

341

19.6

Totai3

16,04 1

" .2

2,216

Left .

772
862
2,724

71.8

304

28.2

RIght
Through Tramc

6~,2

<80

83.8

73,4

900

26.6

1,076
1.342
3,7H

Tota18

4.M8

71.1

1 ,77{

28,9

6,132

p , lof. OFF PEAK

Lett
Right

1,770
1.919
Through Tra1!k 4,613

TotaJs

1JI.IIJtl 7J

1,246

71~

p,

Ldt
2,7M
Right
2,792
Through TraffiC 1O,99~

st.,

72.2

.,.1>

16,m

Nt .

81.7
76-6

39'
607

18,3
24.0

8~.O

810

l~.O

2,164
2,626
5,t23

.i,8ll

.17.9

-lO,US

8,302

.-

....

It_,

IRul

1t.1I

T.I_l
Nt. ,I
V.lllclu

81.,

A. M, PEAK

Left .... ... ..... , .

Right ..... , ....... .

Through Trame .... .

1,631
1,543
4,661

36.4
29.2
33.1

1,60:}
1,710
5,808

35.8
32.4
41.3

1.188
1.819
3,427

26.5
34.4
24.'1

58
208
169

1.3
4.0
1.2

4,482
5,280
14,065

Totals .......... , .. . . , .....

7,835

32.9

9,123

38.3

6.434

27.0

435

1.8

23,827

Left. , ..... . ... .

Right. ... .
Through TntlHc ..

1,107
1,370
4,343

P.M.
36.0
39.4.
35.6

PEAK
1,647
1,422
6.652

53.0
40.6
54 .5

332
638
1.14]

10.7
18.3

...

9
37
59

0.3
1.7
0.5

3,095
3.467
12.195

Totals ...... .

6,820

36.4

9,721

51.7

2,111

U.3

105

0.6

18,757

A. M. OFF' PEAK
40.7
334
31 .0
36.6
371
37,6
4.L4
1,188
31.9

286
440
920

21l.6
32.8
24.8

18

1.7

1,076

'0

3.0

1,342

70

1.9

3,714

128

2.1

6,132

0.'

2.164

..,

Left . , ... .
Right. , .... .
Through Traffic ,

1,:}36

Totals

2.465

40.3

30.8

1.646

26.8

Left ...... ,
Right ..... .
Through Trallie ..... , . . . ,.,

921
1,002
2,263

P. M. OFF PEAK
42.6
849
39.2
4.0.2
917
36.2
41.8
2,347
43.3

38'

17,7

10

Totals .. . ........... . ...

4,189

41.5

'38

1,893

4,113

40.6

577
772

22.4

30

14.2

1,733

17.1

38

1.2
0.7

5,423

78

0.8

10,113

2,526

-J1

S_to_P__S"_,g_n_S_t_ud_i_e_s____

LI_ _ _ _ _ _

[Coutilllwd /roln

pfCyC

61

According to this analysis, the greatest percentage

of no stop violations was by the straight through
motorists, while the total of left and right tunl
violations was less than the straigbt movement
violators.
Peak bour performance shows that morqing
straight through violations accounted for 15 percent
of the violations, which is greater than the overall
average.
Evening peak hour performance shows an improvement over A. M. peak hour performance in all turning movemenLB. H owever, the mid-morning and midafternoon peaks, indicate greater non conformance
than that experienced in either evening or morning
rush hours.
Field studies are now under way to determine
whether placement, color, size or material. relative
to stop signs, could e1fect and improve the performance at stop sign Intersections. tf such Is discovered,
an effort wiJl be made to petition for a change in
policy. with respect to stop sign installations in Cook
county.

1954 Road Striping Begins

A total of 560 miles of County maintained roads
will be striped this year. This striping program
was begun the first week of June.
Al! rour-Iane roads will be painted with a double
solid yellow line in thc center of the road, but the
lane lines will have a white intermittent line. On
two-lane roads the center line will be a continuous
white line.
To aid night time viltibility, all of the lane and
center line marking on Cook County highways will
be of reflective materials.

The accepted standard width for such traffic control lines is 5 inches. It wilJ take approximately
12,000 gallons of reflective paint to accomplish this
highway marking program. Roads carrying the
heaviest counts of traffic will be striped first.

[COlldlluc(l/rom paye'l

We know that good driver perfonnance prevents accidents. The rising toll on our highways is a challenge.
This is a. time of large planning of new highways. Your coun ty commissioners a re agreeable to
providing all the new facilities that the citizens of
~ook county desire within the possibilities of financing. The citizens can make an Important contribution by raising and meeting their standards of safe
driving. The way things are going, this year of
1954 may be erillcal. The time to start safer driving
is now.

Q
__"a_n_d_A
__"c_o_r_n_e_r____

LI_ _ _ _ _ _

~1

Questions on matters 0/ highway design and constrllcHon una t-raffic regulation are invited. Address
COOK COUNTY HlGHWA YS , 130 N. Wells st., OhiCQ.go 6.

question- I have drive n on many expressways

around the country and have noticed that some signs
extend out over the pavement. Why didn't the Cook
County Highway Department use overhead signs on
Edens expressway?
Answer- Overhead Signing Is usually installed
only when narrow right-of-way is encountered. The
narrow right-o(way being encountered on Congress
st. expressway warrants overhead signs and tbe Cook
County Highway Department is at present engaged
in the design of such signs for the section of Congress
st. between 1st ave. and Mannhelm rd.
Question-What is the proper way to make a left
turn?
Answer- To make a left turn. see that the way ia
c lear and pull into the lane nearest the center of the
coad at least half a block before luming left. At
least 100 fed before making the turn. use the signal
indicator or give 8 hand signal of the intended turn.
(It isn't necessary to use hand signal if using the
turn indicator, hut it is desirable for courteous
driving.) Eltter the intersection from this lane,
make a reasonably sbarp turn and complete the tum
In the lane nea rest to and to the right of the center
of the street into which you turn. After you trave l
about half a block .in this lane, see that the way is
clear and then move over Into the right hand lane
(unless you nrc going to make another left turn).
Wben turning into a one-way street, enter the street
as near to the left curb as possible. When turning
from a one-way street, gel as ncar to the left curb
:1S possible.
J 953 Speed Record II1g h

Twenty-six states have reported the results of 557

speed studies conducted during 1953 on mrun rural
highways. The results of lhese studies include observations of 241,089 vehicles.
The sverage speed of all ,'ehicles in 1953 was oig,7
mph, a r ecord high. but only 0.2 mph above 1952,
'rhe average speeds for passenger cars, trueks and
buses were 51.1, 44.9 and 51,5. rcapectively. Buses
showed the greatest ebange with a drop of 0.6 mph.
Twenty four per cent of the trucks and 59 per cent
of the buses were exceeding 50 mph .~Highway Resea rch Abstracts.
Olle ill l\-lne Drl\'e rl4 A Violator
During 1953 one o[ every nine drivers in California
was cited by 8 member of the state highway patl'ol
for failure to observ(, traffic regulations. A ghastly
by-product of this disregard for trnffic laws was 3,376
persons dead and upward of 110.000 injured,-The
California tate Highway Patrolman.

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

..

.tudure, new'y completed, will c.rry Calumet expre"wlI,. over Kingery

u:preu..,ay ... P<lrt of the el.aborate tr.ffic ["tarc:h""g' under con.truc:tlon lit 17"t .t.
Thl,

Vol. II

No. 3

AUGUST, 1954

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook County (Dl.) Department of Highways
Unrter auspices of the Board of County Commissioners
WILLIAM N. ER I CKSO N. Prul dtlt
Ja/lln F. M"Mn

Fnnk Ih"r)'b:k.
WIlli... Bllua

I:rb'lIl l ~ A. Cuh,
Jahn J. DUlly

ArUur X. Elrod
C~rl"

A. Ju..n

WILLIAM J. MORTIMER

Superlnt.. dnt of Hlgh""),1

PublLshed at 130 North Wells SlrE:et, Chicago 6.

FRanklin 2-7544 Extension 221

1954 Home Building Out In County Ahead

Of 1953
ESIDENTIAL building in the unincorporated area
R
of Cook county
the first half of 1954 exceeds
that of the first half of last year in both the number of

structural soundness; type of fire protection; fire

district; chemical extinguisher equipment in the
building and current charge in extinguishers; water
supply location, whether drilled well or city supply;
sewage system and general plumbing; heating system.
Electrical installations were given n very thorough
examination, particularly the compressors and various
cooling units. Exits wcre carefully checked and doors
that swung Inward were ordered changed to swing
outward.
A copy of the field report was give n to each licensee
to guide hJm in making necessary changes or COr
rections. There are a.t prescnt 324 applications for
liquor licenscs fOr the year"""'195;-ifCQn1n'C'Orporate<l
territory. Approximately 95 per cent of them already
have conformed to the Inspectors' requirements and
the others are apparenUy about to do 80. Results of
the inspectiona have been acclaimed as satisfactory
by federal , state and county liquor license commissioners.

in

permits and total valuation. The excess was 8uch that

1954 may top all previous years, as did 1953.
Building of All types in the unincorporated part of
the county is regulated by ordinance administered by
the Cook County Building and Zoning Bureau, which
is a subsidiary of the Cook County Highwa.y Department. The following comparative statement of permits, valuations, and fees in the two periods Dec. 1,
1952, through June 30, 1953, and Dec. 1, 1953, through
June 30, ]954 , was prep:lred by Albert J. Mullins,
dire:::tor of the bureau.
19:53.

Per mits

1954 .

Valuation

Permits

Residence . . . . 1540
Acce8!lory .... "6
Remodelmg &;
Addition ..... 121
Water and
Sewage ...... lOS
Busi nes.s .....
Industry .....
Other ........ 100

$2 1,1 80,269 .
265,545.

2138
203

$27,616,333.
258,155.

..I'

490,575.

125

1,04 3,0 44.

66,960.
781,500.
33 1,407.
120,508.

87
43

6.

49,902.
1,599,150.
30,000.
106,242.

Total .... .. 2196

'23,235,764 .

2652

$30,702,826.

2.

3,315,893.

26

3,1.18,970.

Total .... .. 2216

$26,551,157 .

2678

$33,82 1,796.

No

}<~ees

Fees

$92,311.50

Valuation

Q. and A Corner

Questions about highway design and construction,

traffic regulation and ",miZar matters are invited.
Add1'688 COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS, 130 N. Wells
St. Chicago 6.
Question- I have been told that the IitUe yellow
and black sign placed below a curve sign is a legal
speed limit. Is this true ?
Answer- The speed you see posted beneath a curve
sign is purcly an advisory speed limit. It is the speed
under ideal conditions at which vehJcles can safely
negotiate the curve with maximum comfort and ease.
A ball-bank Indicator mounted within a vehicle is
employed and trial runs are made on the curve. It
is from these trials that t.he posted speed is obtained.
The Cook County Highway Department has made a
practice of double check1ng ball-bank indicator find
ings. One method require.s the determination of sight
distance, side friction, t he radius of the curve and
the Buper-elevation of the roadway. Another requires
a radar spot speed check of vehicles negotiating the
curve.

$124,797.00

A special 8cUvity of the bureau this year has

been lhe inspection of all buildings In the unincorporated area hOUSing taverns or other liquor dispensaries. The inspection, with a detailed report in
each instance, was requested by the county liquor
commissioner for the purpose of promoting the public
healt.h. safety, morals, coinfort and general welfare,
conserving property values throughout the county and
.. lessening or avoiding congestion in streets and highways.

The following items were inspected and recorded:

Type of building, whether brick or frame; how
many stories; number of rooms; approximate age;

Construction Progresses on Two Expressways

... IS(
....

At the he llJht of the hlghwlII), con.tructlon lellon, thue picture. ahow activity o n Cook coun t y .ectlon. of two ex_
prenwlYI, To~cttlnlil fo rm for I pier of the Calumet e~prellwly g ra de .epal'lltion at Glenwood-Lan.lng rd.
Botlorn-CO"liIrCII It. overpa . . . t Wolf rd., looking we-t, reid )' for pouring concrete floor.

Painted Center Line A Boon To Motorists

two years of use by heavy volumes of trucks as well
as passenger ca.r traffic,
The paint manufacturing companies of the United
States are spending large sums of money experimenting with pavement marking materials, and it
will not be surprising il in the near future paints arc
developed that are guaranteed for 36 months by the
maker. One problem the paint companies are facing
is the deteriorating effect on paint of salt and
cinders. This can be seen in the spring; where salt
or cinders is used as ice control the center line wilJ be
gone for 200 or 300 feet and from there on the line
will be in excellent condiUon.

By lawrence Ma ri otti
Superintendent Paint Shop

Cook County Highway Department

N THE early yea~ of this century, when the pr oduction a od use of motor vehicles increased and
construction and improvement of hig hways expanded
rapidly, it soon became evident that a method of
traffic bne markings must be d evised. Center lines
of white concrete, stones sealed whh asphalt, reflector
buttons. brass spots, pla.ster Inlays. carbon black in
concrete and 80 forth have been tried at various
times but none of them has proved as satisfactory
as the painted line.
It is nOl definitely known when or where the first
traffic line was used and many clai ms have been
advanced for credit of originating Lhe Idea, but the
B. F. Goodrich Co., after extensive investigation
prcsentoo Edward N. Hines, for many years road
commissioner of Wayne county, Mich., with a plaque
designating him as the o riginator of the idea of
using a center line. In 1911 Mr. llines witnessed
a near collision on a bridge between a horsc and
buggy and an automobile. The fault was not in the
roadway, but in the drivers. for there was plcnty or"
room to pass provided each kept to his side of the
road. The commissioner experimented by painting
white lines at known danger spots and a rapid decrease in accidents resulted. The Idea was extended
throughout Wayne county. Oth& states pi.c.ked....-up
t he idea and thus was born the painted traffic center
li ne. Approximately 4.00 years previous to this. the
Spaniards built a road between Mexico City and
Cuernavaca. This road had a built-in center line
of Hght colored stones. Thus ends a brief history
of the Idea of the center line.

SILme Paint Used at Airports

There are two types of refle<:torized paints in usc
today. With one, the beads are dropped on: the
other has the beads mixed into the paint. The first
type gives reflection immediately while the second
takes from four to six weeks to reach full refle::torizalion. Both ate excellent paints and it is largely a
matter of choice which one to use. When the first
type Is used, some difficulty may be experienced with
the bead dispensing equipment; with the second type
no such trouble is encountered.
The major aiJ'])()rts. both civilian and military,
use the beads-on paint for markers to guide planes
at night and these paints have CAA approvaL
Specifications for airport and highway use are identical except in lhe anlount.s of beads used. Highways use 6 1!Qunds of be.ads to the ~allon of aint
and airports use from 10 to 12 pallO s .
A striping force for this type of work cQ.llSists of
three trucks, including the striper ; three drivers, onc
painter and five laborers. Some times a highway
patrol car accompan.ies the rig. With loud speakers,
the patrol officer directs traffic when to pass the
striper. The big machines vary In width from 8 ftto 9 ft. 6 inches and are too hazardous for use on
18 and 20 foot pavements.

New T.VlICS of Pai nt Developed

The National Safety Council Isn't sure who deserves

full credit, but whoever did pioneer this blessing to
the motoring public had little idea of the tremendous
volume of paint, equipment, gadgets, research and
experimentation that would be utilized by highway
departments and private business to achieve a painted
line on concrete and asphaltic surfaces. As results,
machines have been developed that can lay two yellow
lines and t wo white lines simultaneous ly and paints
t hat refl ect headlight beams, causing the painted line
to shine at night. These paints are also used on
highway signs.

COllnty Striper Busy at Work

The Cook County Highway Depatment uses a
striper purchased in 1940 and since t hen rebuilt to
incorporate up-to-date mechanical devices. It can
lay two stripes at one time a nd we have been averaging from 12 to 15 miles of line a day. This machine. which is >tV:! feet wide and 22 feet long. is ideal
for our use as it does not impede traffic on the 18foot pavement, which makes up 95 per cent of the
roadways we stripe.
Cook county uses a solid paint l ine 5 inches in
width on two-lane pavement and two sol id yellow
center lines with dash lane lines on fout-Iane pavement. Dash lines e ffect a saving of 60 per cent in
pain l.
Our slriping crew consists of two drivers, one
painter and thr ee laborers. Last year this machine
laid 540 miles of stripe. The cost of striping this
year is about $60 a mile.
An important member of the crew is the driver.
His job is one that tends to become tedious and straining after a long period of striping. It is advisable
to bave a capable relief driver to relieve the regular
man during a heavy striping program.

The Cook County Highway Department has been

a pioneer In the use of reftectorized paints in lllinois.
Now the various other agencies controlling markings
on highways In the state a re using these paints to
a greater extent.
Since the close or World War n , many strategic
.. materials used in the manufactu re of paints have
been re1eased to the pa int manufacturers, resulting
in a grade of paint that will average from 12 to
16 months of use. Paints used by thc Cook County
Highway Department when striping Edens and
Calumet expressways are atm in good condition after

A fresh white brO'ken line la laid on 31st st. (near Mannhelm rd.), which has just been widened and resurlaced
by the Cook County Highway Department.

Pioneer Highway
WEEK END trip that is becoming increasingly

popular with Chicagoans of- this day, one that

A
affords both interesting scenery and historical associations, is the ride out to the old lead mining town
of Galena. An easy 400 to 500 mile twoday tour,
it contrasts sharply with the first trip by wheeled
vehicle between the two places 125 years ago.
In August, 1829, J . G. Soulard, a Galena business
man, loaded a wagon with 3,000 pounds of lead and
sent it to Fort Dearborn. The journey took 11 days
over a 200-mile route that ran from Galena to a ferry
across the Rock river where Dixon stands now, thence
to the Methodist Indian mission near the present
town of Plainfield and from there to the fort at the
mouth of the Chicago river. probably crossing the
prairies on the last leg pretty much as U. S. 66
docs now.

Few wagons followed the trail blazer, however,

until after the end of the Black Hawk war, in 1832.
Two Pioneer Routes to Galena.
"In its (the war's) train followed not only the birth
of modern Chicago, but, with the dispossession of
the Indians, the settlers began moving into the country stretching west to the Mississippi," it is observed
py Milo M. Quaife in his I?ook Chicago HighwaysOld and New. ''In connection with this process, the
...~iddle '30's witnessed the development of two great
~oroughfares running west from Chicago to Galena
as their common destination."
On the modern day Cook county highway map, the
southern route to Galena may be located as approximately Ogden ave. It started from Lake st. and

West Water ats., crossed DesPlaines river at Riverside and continued on to the ferry at Dixon. The
surveyors reported that from Chicago to Dixon the
route was over "high and dry" prairie and the only
cost would be bridges over streams. The road was
built in 1833 and in the following year a mail coach
began running between Chicago and Galena.
The northern roule appears to have been the same
as the southern from the Chicago settlement to the
crossing of the DesPlaines. From there it followed
the route taken by Gen. Winfield Scott's troops when
on their way to the Black Hawk war. This line ran
north of west through present day Addison and
thence along the highway that still bears the name
Army Trail.
State Authorize Road
In 1836, the state legislature authorized a road to
Galena from Meacham's Grove, Cook County, (now
Bloomingdale in DuPage counly). It passed through
Elgin and thus missed the Army trail, which crossed
the Fox: river three miles down stream. However,
the settlers held a road building bee and connected
the new road with the older road leading into Chicago.
Week end sightseers going to the Galena country
these days may leave Chicago over U. S. 20, which
is approximately the route of the old northern road,
and follow that route to Galena. If they wish to
make time by avoiding Rockford, they may leave
No. 20 and follow IJIinois 72 just west of Elgin.
An alternate route for the return trip would be
over the old southern route through Dixon, with the
opportunity to visit the Dlinois Wbite Pines !;Itsle
park on the way.

Monthly Accident Toll High in Cook County

HE MONTH by month record of traffic accidents
Cook

they occur and what they

Tin in life.county-where
limb. and property damage-is compiled
COlIt

by the illinois State Division of Highways from the

reporta required by law to be Hied by motorists
involved,
All accidcnta in which a person Is killed Or injured or the lota] property damage is $100 or more
must be reported to the stale. Thus, the totals
shown in the monthly reports deserve serious con-

:--------.1
'
Expressway Explorers

sideration.

Including Chicago, Cook oounty mal'ks up 50 perSOIlB killed outright in the average month and 3,000
injured, 80me of whom will die later. The leta] of
accidents runs about 6,500, which at the minimum
of $100 each means 8 monthly damag(' bill of $650.000. Probably the average C08l ot accidenta 1:J several time. the minimum, since most of them Involve
more than one car or a car and a building, light
post or other stationary property.
Accide nts Related to POI)lI latlon
1n a general way, Chicago, with about lour-fifths of
the total population of the county. has about the
same proportion, or a little higher. of the total traffic
accidenla, The same relation of population to. accidents is evident all down the list of suburbs except
where some local condilion, such as heavily traveled
through route, cOll8titutes an extra hazard.
If it is a fair eonclusion that a heavy accident
toll results naturally from a large population, then
it would appear that thc line of DUaek In a safety
drive would be to educate the people. That this can
be done efl'ectivcly. either with thc gentle art of persuasion or the firm hand of strict law enrorcement.
is indicated in the monthly reports. For example,
Evanston, nationally famous for traffic safety, consistently keeps its accident record low in proportion
to population.
Because of the vast. amount of clerka] work in
sorting out the thousands of accident reports and
totaling the various items, the state's tabu\Ittion
for any month is behind the calendar. However,
the pattern does not vary too widcly from one month
to the next and for the purpose of emphasing the
heavy cost of lraffic accidents and showing whC!!'C
they occur. one month will do 8.8 well 0.& another.
Clesn S late in t~o ur Villages
The tabulation on page 7 gives the accumulated
totals tor the first three months of 1951 in all Cook
county suburbs and the unincorporated area 118 well
as in Chicago as compiled by the stote division of
highways. Four subUrbs-Bartlett, Wheeling, Golf
and Homewood Park- had no accident reports in the
first quarter and a re therefore omitted from the
list.
Suburbs reporting accidents are listed In order
of population. The first column, headed TA, Is total
laccidentA. Headings of the other columna mean:
FA, fotal accidents; lA, injury a.ccidents; PDA, property damage nccidents; K, number of persons killed,
which Is larger than the number of fatal accidents
because more than one pel'1lOn waa Jdlled in some
of thoee accidents; I, number of penona injured.

A modern expreq....ay mUlt relt on .olld Ground, and

to m.ke .ure of firm found.tion the .oU .lonG the
projected route I. Itudled carefully. Thll aoll border
I, Cook County Hlgh .... ay Department equipment.

Where Accidents Happened In Suburban Area

TA

Place

Chicago .... 14.542

Evanston ...
238
Cicero ......
253
Oak Park ... 238
Be"",. .... 171
Maywood ...
125
Chicago
Heights .
97
Harvey .....
117
Elmwood
Park .....
71
Wilmette .. .
57
Blue Island .
75
Park Ridge.
51
Calumet City
80
Brookfield .
44
DesPlaincs ..
70
Forest Park .
62
Skokie .....
136
Melrose Pk ..
107
Winnetka ...
43
La Grange ..
70
River Forest
69
Evergreen
Park .....
62
Riverside ...
25
Summit ....
35
Franklin Pk.
57
Arlington
Heights
31
Oak Lawn
88
Bellwood
37
Lansing ..
31
Park Forest
13
Glencoe ..
12
Western
Springs .
14
LaGrange
Park .....
8
Glenview
18
Lyons ...
32
Homewood ..
Riverdale ...
32
Dolton .. ...
22
Broadview
23
River Grove
'0
Robbins ....
13
North Lake .
20
Wcstchcster
21
PaJatine ....
20
Mt. Prospect
23
Morton
Grove ....
38
Phoenix ....
3
Niles .......
50
Norridge
8
, Stickney ...
2'
Northbrook
8
So. Holland
.16
North
Riverside
31

I"

...

"A

IA

PDA

100
1
3
2
1
0

5,100
71
115
80
54
34

9,342
164
235
156
116
91

101
1
3
2
0

7,093
106
159
109
72
48

0
0

33
48

64
69

0
0

47
74

0
0
1
0
0
1
1
0
3

22
22
29
19
23
10
28
17
38
27
7
18
20

.9
35
45
32
57
33
41
45

0
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
4
0
0
0
1

31
34
4.
28
34
12
.5
22
65
41
10
30
38

0
0
1

95
80
3S
52
48

Midlothian
Lincolnwood
Kenilworth
Lemont

2.
7
10
16

41

0
0
0

10
35
12
7
6
4

0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0

0
0
1

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

35
8
18
33

21
52
23
24
7
8

0
2
3
0
0

13
47
18
13
10
6

2
5
12
5
10
2
11
14
7
4
5
7
7

6
13
20
14
22
19
12
26
6
16
16
13
16

2
11
20
10
13

14

24
2
42

1
8
4
8
1
8

38
18
25

16
7
8

0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0

17
20
8
8
5
11
9

18
3
10
14
12
3
17

8
59
9

0
1

Calumet Pk.

12

TinJey Park
Hillside ....

3
19

0
0
0
0
0
0

9
9
5
7

0
0
0
1

....

Markham ..

So. Chicago
Heights
.
Hazel Crest .
Berkeley

...
......

Oak Forest ,
Posen

.
.

Flossmoor
E. Chicago
Heights
Worth ..... ,
Stone Park.
Northfield

Bridgeview
Schiller
Park .....
Burnham

0
0
0

FA

TA

Place

12

18

23

7
38
8
3
9
7
1
13

0
0
0
0
0
0

1
28
1
0
0
9
2
11

5
7
1
4
3
5

0
0
0
2
0
0

8
3
8
8
2
4

0
0
0
0
0

0
4
4
2
6

0
0
1

14
12
5
7
22
2
0

0
1

0
0
0
0
0

0
3
2
2
5

1
4
3
9
10

7
9
3

11

0
0
1

8
25
2
2

0
0
0
0

6
12
2
0

2
13
0
2

0
0
0

2
3
2
3
8

0
0
0
0
0

0
0

3
7

1
2
2
0
1

16
5
8

0
0
0

9
1
2

5
1
21

0
0
1

1
10

5
11
15

1
20
1
0
0
5
2
6

0
0

1
1
0
3
7

0
0
0

13
1
5

0
0
7

5
1
13

0
0
1

0
0
8

0
0

0
3

1
7

0
0

0
4

1
7

0
1

0
3

1
3

0
1

170

60

101

98

519

12

200

307

12

3'0

TOTALS ... 18,752

145

6.498

12,109

150

9,245

Harwood
Heights
Forest View
Olympia
Fields ....
Richton
Park ." ..
Home town ..
Hickory
Hills .....
County
Roads ....
Rural U. S.
a nd Ill.
Higbways .

---1

20

Oixmoor ....
Willow
Springs
Alsip ......
Thornton ...
Matteson ...
Merrionetle
Park .....
E. Hazelcrest
Glenwood ...
Orland Park
Palos Park
Bedford
Park
J uaticc .....
Crcstwood .
Chicago
Ridge ....
Hodl,;kins ...
McCook . ...

PDA

4
2
4
2
2
2

11

...

lA

-------

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

...

-......

_.

_,,,..

- .

-The engineer has the fascination of watchiog a figment of his imagination emerge with
the aid of science to a. plan on paper. Then it moves to realization in cement, metal or energy.
Then it brings new jobs and homes to men. Then it adds to the security and comfort
of these homes. That is the engineer's high privilege among professions.-Herbert Hoover.

Vol. 1/

No. 4

SEPTEMBER, 1954

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook County (Ill.) Department of Highwa.ys
Unner auspices of the Board of County Commissioners
WILLIAM N. ERICKSON, Prilldint
John M.okln, Jr.
Gt.r.. A. Mlllu

Ji m.. " Alhud,.

Frank aabrytzb
William BU"I
Ellnb.t~ A. Contey

Olor.. F. Nixon
Olnl,1 Run
Clayton F. SIIIII'
Edwlrd M. aned
John J. TOllh),

Jobn J. Dull',
Arthur X. Elnd
thrill A . Iinun

WILLIAM J. MORTIMER
Su, ln nd,n! of Highway,

Published at 130 North Wells Street, Chicago 6.

FRanklin 2-7544 Extension 221

Citizens Urged to Study Expressway plans

including the City of Chicago, we have on paper a
comprehensive system of expressways serving all
parts of the suburban area and connecting them with
the central business district. This comprehensive system, on which the state, City of Chicago and the
county are agreed, is long range planning. For
the immediate future, the three agencies have selected
those routcs whose early completion promises most
in benets and have designated them the priority
system. Included are Edens in the north part of the
county. Calumet in the south, Kingery encircling the
city, Northwest to connect the loop with O'Hare airport, Congress at. from the west suburbs of the county
directly into the loop and the routes within the city
that will connect Northwest expressway with Michigan Iwe. and Congress st ....
As located at present, these projected expressways
would bencfit residents of both the city and suburbs
in their daily travels. A road that will save a
suburbanite half an hour twice a day between home
and office is more important to him than one he
might use once a year for a vacation trip; and that
is the idea that the Cook County Board of Commissioners and the County Highway Department have
followed in planning expressways.
There is a temptation to locate expressways where
the right-of-way is less costly. Rural acreage is many
times cheaper than built-up city neighorhoods and it
it possible that some interests will t.ry to change
our present plans and go ahead with expressways
farther out from the city.

By William N. Erickson
P realdent Board of Commiuioners
of Cook County

N MY OPINION,

the immediate future holds

nothing more descrving the attention of Cook

Icounty
citizens than a program to provide adequate

modern highways~highways of such capacity and

design that our growing volume of traffic can move
without delay and with the highest degree of safety
that it is humanly possible to realize.
There seems to be general agreement that the most
satisfactory solution of the traffic problems of a
metropolitan area is the expressway. Here in Cook
county we have become acquainted with the benefits
afforded by expressways through nearly three years'
use of Edens and Calumet. In addition, much has
been accomplished by the newspapers in the way of
educating the public. Frequent news reports of large
scale expressway projects elsewhere, together with
editorial endorsement, have made our people eager
to have the same facilities and have also, I believe,
conditioned them to accept the fact that large sums
of money will have to be found to meet the costs.

Public Wants Expressways

As far as 1 have been able to observe, our people
want more expressways and are ready to pay the
costs of a good expressway program. The specific
method of raiSing the money, however, is one important point that still is under study. A committee
of leading citizens serving at my request has devoted
more than a year to the subject. Their final report
is still to come, but at this stage they appear to favor
tolls for expressways running into the central
business district of Chicago.
There has also been discussion in the committee of
the feasability of combining tolls with a small levy
on real estate, the idea being that the realty owner
will benefit from increased property values. Another
suggestion under consideration in other states is
to use the proceeds of bonds backed by tolls for
expressway construction and ordinary highway funds
for maintenance.

Public's Interest Is Sougbt

The matters that I have sketched should interest
all the citizeus of Cook county. They are the ones
who will pay the cost of an expressway system that
may be good or poor according to decisions to be made
in the immediate future.
As I have stated before in these columns, my fel
low members of the board of commissioners, County
[Continued on Page 61

The Cover Picture

Th e reeently co mpleted grade separlltlon st ru cture over Congress St. expresswa.y at 5th ave., May_
wood; de8igned and con8tructed b y Cook County
H ig hwa y Departm e nt.

Planned for Cook County

One other consideration is important just now, and
that is the location of the expressways we all hope
i t will be possible to huild soon. Here in Cook county,

Alert Police Officers W in Erickson Award

.,

Winners of President William N . Erickson", pollee award for July receive their checks at the Brookfield
police atation. Left to right_Earl D. Eisenhower of LaGrang e, brother of Th e President, who expresed the community's appreciation; Prelident Erickson, Officer. Fred A. Latzke and Darlo J. Pigatto and Chief W. Griffin.

RESIDENT WILLIAM N. ERICKSON'S monthly

police award for July went to Officers Fred A.
P
Latzke and Dario
Pigatto of Brookfield, who, the
J.

president said, "exemplified the purpose of the award

in striking fashion."

The monthly $50, which in this instance was

divided equally, is offered for the outstanding accomplishment in traffic law enforecem.enL Latzke and
Pigatto stopped a car that lacked a front license
plate and then found the driver to be wanted for a
hit-and-run accident and also for stripping the hub
.ps from an automobile. The driver arrested was Robert Bowling, about 20.
Weslmont. As the officers were questioning him
about the missing plate, a call was received on the
police car radio asking search for a car like Bowling's
that had been involved in an accident in Downers
Grove. The victim was 2 y~ -year- o ld Donald Reinshagen, who received a fracture of the leg and multiple

'f

bruises on the back. Latzke and Pigatto took Bowling

to the police station and after questioning charged
him with leaving the scene of the accident.
1931 Car, 1954 Hub Caps
When examining Bowling's car, the policemen noted
that although it was a 1951 model, the hub caps were
1954. They asked an explanation and Bowling, they
said. admitted having stolen the caps from a car
belonging to John Pinner of the Pinner Electric
company of Brookfield. Three Downers Grove youths,
one of whom was with Bowling when arrested, were
also implicated in the theft, the police said.
The monthly award was announced in May. President Erickson said he hoped it would serve to improve
traffic law enforcement by emphasizing that the most
trivial offense may prove to be important. All suburban police, state police assigned to Cook county and
members of the shprj1f's police force are eligible. Com[Continued on Page 7]

Turn to "5 urgery"

Expressway DeSlgners
with eand embedments and the rubbe r gasket joints
driven tight by being pressed together with a tractor.
Four of these siphons, located a t Homan avenue,
Kedzie avenue, Pulaski road and Mannheim road a re
completed and in operation. The photograph on the
opposite page shows the three pipes of the Pul aski
road siphon emerging from the upper compartment.
of the inlet chamber and leveling off in the trench
that carries tbem under the pavem t grade.

By W illi am T. Lynch
Drainage and Utllltiu Engineer
Cook Coumy Highway Department

ONSTRUCTION of a depressed expressway

C
through a city involves much more than laying pavement and building grade separation struc-

tures at intersecting streets. The vasl network

of underground utilities requires major surgery and
the foremost problem confronting the designer and
construction crew ill to assure uninterrupted service
during and after this "surgical operation."
[ believe my life insurance policies would be cancelled should r tell a neighborhood group that during construction of the new expressway bridge the
co-axial cable must be cul and r e-Iocated and hence
television I!lCrvice must be discontinued ; or that
candle-light will be the only availsble source of illumination; or that the loss of electrical energy will
make their many electrical controls and appliances
inoperative; or that the famil y household will be
temporarily without water, drainage or sanitary facilitiea. Mr. Average Citizen has his daily routine
based on these servicee being available. We strive
not to disappoint him.

Busse Favors Expressways

In his 52 years as a member of the Cook County
Board of Commissioners. William Busse has been a
leader in the good roads movement from its beginning. Now, at the age of 90, as he is about to retire
from public service, his interest. in highways is still
keen. and he perceives the development of expressways as a ncw era in the upbuilding of Cook county.
" In other days even 20 years ago, road building
was fairly simple." he said t.he other day. " In many
instances the right-Of-way was donated. Paving was
done with realty taxes. As we built these roads.
new communities spmng up along them and the
values of real estate were multiplied.
"More recently we had to acquire rights-of-way
by condemnation proceedings. The public paid the
cost of paving with motor fuel taxes and license
fees. Traffic increased and so did the. danger 01
driving. The noise and smell of heavy traffic tended
to lower realty values.
"Now wo are entering a new era. The modern expressway, with limited. access and other features
that permit heavy volumes o{ traffic to move with
speed and safety, will again improve property valuCfl.
That has been the experience in other etates where
extensive expressway system!'! havc been developedCalifornia, for example-and that should be our
design (or the future in Cook county and Dlinois."

SiJlhons fo r SeweNJ
Perhaps a good example of one pbase of utilities
adjustment would be the lowering of the main city
sewer under the depresaed expressway, relocating
to one side to make way for the grade separation
structure and then bringing it back up to grade on
the other side. This type of contruction is called an
inverted siphon. As these city sewers are of the
combined type, sanitary and storm water fiows , continuous operation of flow is mandatory.
There will be six inverted siphons constructed on
Congress street expresswsy in sections being constructed by the Cook County Highway Department.
The first of these dcslgned and now In operation was
at Homan avenue where the existing 78-incb diameter
sewer was lowered by means of a three stage inverted
siphon consisting of two 54-inch reinforced concrete
pipes and one of 24-inch diameter placed between
the two larger pipes. The size of the smaller one is
designed to carry normal dry weather How- mainly
sewage--at a self-cleaning velocity. Special rubber
gaskets were called for to assure leak proof jOints,
thus aseurlng a stable sub-grade for the expressway
pavement.

Traffic Commission Meetings

The 1954 sectional meetings of the Cook County
Traffic Commission will be held this month as follows:
North section-Sept. 15, at Sportsman's Golf Club.
West aection-Sept. 16, at Orand Manor dining
room.
South section--5epL 23, al Ben Francis' cafe,
Thornton.

Ilow A SIJ.hon Wo rks

Transition of fiow (rom the existing 78-inch diameter pipe to the three inverted siphon pipes takes
place in the upper compartment of specially built
inlet and outlet ebambers. Baffle weirs divert tbe
dry weather flow through the 24-lnch pipe and durIng the period of storm' run-oll' provides equal or
greater capacity than the main 78-inch sewel' by
... utilizing the additional two 54-inch pipes. The six
pre-cast "Y" branches at the ends of the siphon
barrels are connected lo the lower compartments.
The ends were sealed with r emovable flanges to
facilitate maintenanc
wben and if necessary.
The pre-cast concrete pipe sections were provided

August Traffic Fatalities

Fourteen persons were killed in highway traffic
accidents in suburban Cook county in August as
compared with 20 in August last year. The tolal
deaths in the first eight monlhs of 1954 were 118
and in the same period of 1953. 130. Two of those
killed. last month were pedestrians. Ten were killed
in collisions between two cars, one in a car struck
by a train and onc in a car that hit an abutment.

Help Offered to Promote Safety at Schools

Commissioners, who organized it in 1946, and the
general chainnan is Chief Justice Harry H. Porter of
the Evanston Municipal court. The mayors or village
presidents, chiefs of police and police magistrates
of all Cook county suburbs are associate members.
The commission's offices are at 130 N. Wells st.,
Chicago 6. Requests for traffic engineering assistance
in school zones may be addresaed there by mail or
made by telephone-FRanklin 27644.

By H. R. leadaman
Executive SeeretOilry.

Cook County T r1lffic Safety Commlulon

EPTEMBER streets are crowded as throngs of

S youngsters afoot and on their bikes start their

annual trek bac.k to school.

In virtually every Cook county suburb there are

morc children in school than ever before. There also
is a record high registration of automobiles. Danger
at the crossings has increased in all respects.
Much 88 we may emphasize the duly of parents
and teachers to train children in safety, the main
responsibility rests on the motorists. In the first
place, Lhe driver is a grownup-or allcast old enough
to be licensed to operate a potentially deadly mac.hine
- while the child is, after all, only a child. The young
oncs do nol understand too well the limitations of
a motor vehicle a nd it may be that they place undue
trust in the ability or inclination of the motorist to
avoid accidents.

Edens, Calumet Rated High

Edens and Calumet expressways are listed among
outstanding examples of this type of modem highway
by the Portland Cement Association in a newly pub
Iished booklet entitled "Concrete Expressways." Each
of the two Cook county expressways i8 illustrated
with aerial and surface photographs.
"Ofiering the latest in built-in safety, Edens expressway consists of two concrete roadways. each 36
feet wide, separated by a broad, ple888.nt median
striP." the hooklet says. "Traffic counts show that
this modern highway, which extends 14 Jh. miles
through the northwest section of congested Cook
county. carries 50,000 cars, trucks and buses per day
during holidays and weekends. Engineers estimate
the saving In time and gasoline is worth about S3 Y:/:
million annually to motorists and truckers using
this expressway-an extremely important consideration to any highway user ..
"Concl'e.te highways such as these have provided
for free-Howing truck and bus traffic and have made
driving more pleasant for hundreds of thousands of
motorists in the Chicago metropolitan area. By
eliminating paralyzing congestion in denBcly populated area., expressways offer a new and brighter
future to America's cities."

Safety Commission OWeN! Ilelp

Il is of coune, important to start safety Indoctrination in childhood. Excellent aafety education
programs are being presented in the schools of Cook
county, in mn.ny instances with the cooperation of the
local police, Parents, too, can be helpful by coodlnating their training at. bome with the school activities.
But such trn.1nlng by il&clf cannot give the. child a
full measure of protection. There must also be educalion nnd regulation of automobile drivers.
In the immediate vicinity of the school, the safety
patrols have made a splendid record a nd Lhis well
recognized feature of the school safety movement
should be maintained and strengthened wherever
possible, In some instances, it may be that a more
effective use of the portable SLOW signs could be
devised, or the regulation of traffic turns or some
similar matter could be improved.
The Cook County Traffic Safety Commission stands
ready to help in this field . Such 888lstancc haa been
rende.red In several suburbs, with good results.
Trained tratllc engineers with the special knowledge
of their profession and experience in this particular
problem , are available to belp organize safety patrols
and work out proper school traffic signals and signs,
speed limits, parking restrictions, cr0&8ing markings,
safety islands a nd the like.

Police Awards(Continued from Page

3)

manding officers are invited to submit names of men

deemed worthy of consideration.
Tn'O Awards In July
Two of the cases entered for the July award were
judged equal and two $50 checks were presented.
One went to Officers Clarence Hennan and Walter
DeCosta or River Grove, who arrested an AWOL
aoldier for driving a truck through a red light and
then found the truck to be stolen and loaded with
$1,000 worth of tools. The other went to Officers
William G. Palmer and Robert L. Reid of Evanston,
who also found that a man they caught running a
red light was a lhief.
All nominations for the monthly award must be
accompanied with an adequate report of the accom
plishment and mailed to the Cook Counly Traffic
Safety Commission, 130 N. Wells st., Chicago 6.

l}C8.kus For l\leeting8

In some suburbs, the commission's sta1f has made
a study of school bus routes and suggested changes
which have avoided congested traffic areas and at
the same time accorded maximum 8afety while loadIng and unloading.
Besides this engineering -service, the commission
00 request will provide speakers with motion pictures
\0 lecture on Barety at meetings of child ren or adults
arranged. by community organizations.
The safety commission is affiliated with the Cook
County Highway Department, The president Is President Willinm N. Erickaon of the Board of County

Pioneers' Bridge Was Just a Few Planks

UILDING a bridge
Cook county was once the
B
aimpleat possible job of placing stringers across the
stream and flooring them
planks, a far cry from
in

south branch of the river in 1831. The tlcensc fee

was $50 and the holder, Mark Beaubien. was required
to transport without cbarge citizens of the county
with their "traveling apratus."
The following year, 1832, the ferry was replaced
with a bridge. 10 his book Chicago Highways-Old
and New, Milo M. Quaife notes thal this bridge cost
$486.20, "to whlcb sum, for some mysterious reason,

the Potawaloml lndiana were made to contribute

$200."
A. a rather striking compari80n, some of the
grade separation structures constructed. by the Cook
County Highway Department on the new expresswaY8, coal up to a thousand times S8 much as that
fl.rst span across the Chicago river.
"Engineen were scarce in the western country and
the early bridges were rude IJtructUres, oftentimes
of wonderful architecture," Mr. Quaile observes.
"Some were known as 'shaking bridges', others a.s
'floating bridges.' One of the laUer type spanned the
Des Plaines on the Chicag()...Elgin road (close to the
present Roosevelt ni. bridge over the Des Plaines)
in the early '40's. It waa compoeed of planks laid
down without nailing on stringers which Hooted on
the water. A teamBter who for many years hauled
grain to the Chicago markel haH left this description
of Its paesage:
"'The horses' front feet would Hcttie the planks
about six inChes, the hind ones about a foot or six
inches more, the forward wheel about a foot and a
half, and the hind ones about two feet in the water.
It did not seem possible to CI'088 safely on the contraption. Every time a t eam crossed, every plank
had to be replaced before the next o ne could cross'."

Calumet Contracts l et

Citizens Urged-

with

the structUI"CS required to carry modern highways

over other highways and railroads B8 well as rivers
and cRnsls.

The first setliers got along without bridges. In

summer they forded and in winter often took their
wagons and cattle across on the Ice. There was
danger at a ll times. Up to the building of the first
bridge ove r tbe Vermillion river in La. Salle county.
01., 25 drownings were recorded at tbe ford.
Wbere travel justified, ferries were installed as
safer and more convenient than tordlng and less
expensive than bridging. One of Lhe first acts of
the board of commissioners oC the newly created
County or Cook was to establish a ferry across the

Contracta for two grade separation structures and

three sections of paving on Ca lumet expressway were
awarded by the Cook County Board of CommJssioners
Aug. 23 aa follows:
Calumet-Kingery interchange and paving between
1667th st. and Thornton-Lansing rd., 1.09 miles, Peter
J. Crowley company, $1,234,496.
Lincoln highway grade separation Structure, Joliet
Bridge and Construction company, $533,846.81.
Paving 1.4 roiJes south of Thornton-Lansing rd.,
Robert A. Black lnc., $615.243.
Pa.vlng 0.7 mile south of Glenwood-Lansing rd.,
Calumet Cosl company, $254,5{17.
The three paving contracts cover approximately
balf of Ca lumet between 167th sl, where it now ends
in junction with Kingery, and the Sauk Trail. Work on
these contracts is expected to be started thie autumn
and completed next summer, by which time it is
planned to have the rest of the paving under contract.
[' OOe!Jtrlan Accidents St.ud led.
A special study by the Minneaota Department of

Highways of motor vehicle accldents involving

pedestrIans at nonsignalized intersections in incorporated aTCas showed that communities under 1,000
.. population had the highest rate (15.4 per 10,000
population). The metropolitan communities of Minneapolis, 8t. Paul and Duluth had a. rate of 3.6 and
cities of 5,000 to 10,000 had the loweat rate, 1.{I.
Two age groupe, :5 to 14 and 65 and over, were found
most likely to be In pedestrian accidents.

{Continued from Page 2]

Highway Superintendent Mortimer and his staff of
engineers, a.s well as myself, all wish to give our people
the roads they want within the po8Blbilitiee of financing them. We welcome expressions from the public at
all tlmea. Now, more than ever, we would like to
hsve a lively public opinion taking part in the expressway plans.
1 urge that community or gu.nJzatlons slate expressways high on their list of live topics for discussion. [t would be gratifying If such groups formed
committees to give special attention to expressway
developments. A meeting night could be devoted to
expre88ways.
On our part, we will provide competent speakers for
such meetings. Superintendent Mortimer has I!
number of engineers who are well grounded in the
history or expressway planning in Cook county SlId
well Informed on the numerous matters that enter
into such planning. These men are available for
meeUngs of interested citizens, nnd I hope they will
be in demand.
]'urn plk e TIcket Obeek. SlleCd.
The speed limit on the New Jersey turnpike is
60 mph. When a vehicle enters the turnpike the
opemtor Ie handed a ticket on which the time is
stamped. If he arrives at the toll house where he
leaves the turnpike sooner than he could have at
60 mph., he ha.s obviously exceeded the speed limit
and may be s ubject to sneel.

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Hillhway. l.eaO to Scene. of A,ioItumn Beauty 'n Cook County Forett p,.uervea

Vol. II

No. 5

OCTOBER, 1954

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook County (ID. ) Department of Highways
linneT auspices of the Board of County Commissioners
WILLIAM N. ERICKION, P,.tl... 1
JI". Mntln, Jr.
A. Mm..
GIU F. Nlnn
Dul.1 Rr ...
CI.yton F. 5,..11,
Ed ..lt'd M. Stloed
J.Ion J . rouhr

a ,...

WILLIAM J. MORTIMER
. , HIUw.,.

III~t/}. l eD d .. t

Published at 130 North Wella Street, Chicago 6.

FRanklin 27544 Extension 221

Annual Safety Meetings Are Well Attended

lrafiIc aa.fety and his zeal for the cause raised the
audiences to a high level of enth\lslnam.
Dr. F. R. Noffsinger of the Northwestern University
Traffic Institute and Thomas P. StArk, field representative of the traffie division of the International
Association of Chiefs of Police discu88('d the problem
of the 'teen age driver and urged adequate training
in high school as the solution. Every year. they said.
two million young people become automobile drivers.

VERY suburb in the county wall rcprcacnted at

the eighth annual section meetings of the Cook
E
County Traffic Safety Commission, which were held

Sept. 15 for the south suburbs, SeJlt. 16 for the

west. and Sept. 23 for the north. As in previous
years, the gatherings included the mayors or village
presidenlll. police chief. and magistrates of the 103
suburbs.
Prt'lidcnl William N. Erickson of the County
Soan:!, who organJzed the oommisaion In 1946 and

has since then served as its president, praised the

suburban officials for their cooperation in the movement to save Jives on Cook county highways. Thua
far this yca r, he Aald, the dealh loll has been reduced
so thal It Is possible, If the present ratc is maintained, to end the year with 177 dealhs lUI compared
with 223 last year.

Ae the lJajety meetings-Top, Judy e Harry H.

Porter, ThQmttS P. Stark, Chm Paga1m; center,
President William. N. Erick.!on, a shot of the
altdienee~ lou;er, W1llia11' J. MorHmer, Dr. F'. R.

Noffsinger, Matt Sielak"

..

"A slwlng of 46 lives is a notable Bchievement,

especially when we consider the increased traffic on
the roads," he said. "I like to think that at last the
average motoriat is beginning to realize his own
individual responsibility. I also like to think that the
efforts of this commiesion have been effective in this
direction. and all of you gentlemen are entitled to
a large share of credit."

Only about 800,000 receive lraining. As they continue to drive, accident records show the trained
drivers to be involved in only halt lUI many accidents
a.8 the untrained..
"The money lost through motor vehicle accidents
in one year would teach 40 miUion persons to drive
safely and efficiently," said Dr. Noffsinger.

Ede ns Accitle nt Recortl Good

Further evidence that the motoring public is improving ita behavior was eited by both President
Erickl50n and William J. Mortimer, county highway
superintendent, using accident records of Edens exprcssway. Following a run oC 20 accidents in which
21 persons were killed between Aug. 2. 1952, and
Sept. 12, 1953, only three deaths had occurred on
the exl)ressway at the time of the meetings.
The fatality rate on Edens the past year, the speakers said. has been 1.79 per 100 million vehicle miles,
which compares with 9.7 ori o ld Skokie superhighway,
10.15 on Edens during the first eight months of 1953,
"9.5 on rural highways nationwide. 7.2 for Illinois
statewide and 7.15 on the Pennsylvania turnpike.
Chief Justlee Harry H. Porter ot the Evanston
Municipal court, who has been general chwnnan of
the commission from the start, presided at all three
8e88ioDa. His recognized leadership in the field of

New Progra m Is Offered

Matt Sielski. traffic Engineer of the Chicago Motor
Club and Chris Pagakia, also ot the club's tra..ffic
safety division. presented a new progrnm of the National Safety Council, in which the motor club has
joined. to assist municipalities of 10,000 and more
population to formulate sound traffic aa[ety programs.
"The inventory program aJfords a community an
opportunity of consolidating Its traffic 88-(ety efforts
on a well-()rganized plan," said Sielski. " Provcn
specialiSts in each field are responsible to the organIzation of their particular facet in the over-all safety
program. These facets are:
"Accident checks, traffic engineering. pOlice traffic
supervision, traffie counts, school safety, public information and safety organizations. After the inventory analysis is complete. the services ot the Chicago
Motor Club are available to communities who request
coD8ulation on various phases of the inventory."

Traffic Surveyed

Vicinity

a quarter of a million motorists on Edens

expressway and parallel highway were InterNEARLY

of Edens

A plan showing the recommended location and station set-up was drawn for each station. The chart
on the opposite page illustrates the station set-up for
Station A-6, on Edens expressway at Lake-Cook rd.

viewed by the stafl' of the Cook County Highway

Department on August 31, September I, and September 2, 1954..

This survey was a follow-up of a similar road interview type survey held on the same days---Tucsday.
Wednesday and Thursday- in August and September

Motoris ts Pa rtici pate Willingly

Despite the difficulties encountered in such a large
operation. 75 per cent of all motorists passing through
the stations were interviewed. A much higher percentage was, of course, obtained at stations of lesser
volume. The fine cooperation of the motorists was a
notable contribution to the success of the survey.
The survey was performed In two sh1!ts. The first
started at 6:00 A. M. and concluded at 2:00 P. M., when
the second shift of interviewers took over and worked
until 10:00 P. M.
The organizational structures consi&.ed of two
screen line supervisors for each shift and II. station
captain for each shift. Police protection was provided by the State of Illinois and the Sheriff of Cook
County. In one instance. a suburban police chief
8.8$isted. This element of police protection and control was most important, especially on Edens expressway, where accident prevention squad cars. equipped
with a public address system, were found invaluable.
4

of 1950,.

A staff of 300 was required 1.0 obtain facts on

origil1B and destinations, which, when compared with
the 1950 data, will provide for the first time information a.s to tbe influence that 8 superior highway facility has on parallel roads.
At the prescnt time there is no knowledge relative
to the degree that an expressway diverts traffic from
existing parallel roules. Further, the results of this
survey are expected to show al80 the percentage of
traffic that is generated and induced by the obvious
advantages of an expressway.
Tbis was the first time in the history of higbway
building that a survey was made to ascertain the
tangible effects of an expressway on parallel highway routes. The value of such knowledge is apparent
and its effeet on future expressway location planning
and design will be significant and of substantial value.

Research Gr oup on t he Job

An interesting and valuable improvement in this
year's survey was the addition of a small statistical
research group. Their responsibility wa.s to obtaln
such items as approach deceleration. number of inlerviews per man per unit of time, motorists' reactions.
detailed station measurements, quality control, percentage of male to female drivers and other items of
value to the objectives of thIs survey.
TabulaUons are now under way to secure significant
answers from this survey. Such results will not be
available for several months, because of the tremendous volume of data. Results win be published in
COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS when available.
Sign signals. barricades and other warnjng devices
were handled by regular sign crews. Such materials,
for the following days stations, were picked up from
a previous day's station and delivered to the new
location at night.
Office supplies such as pencils. interview forms,
fiashlights. batteries, whistles, flags, etc., were constantly distributed by a crew that was responsible
for the Installation operalion and maintenance of the
mechanical traffic volume counters. Such counts were
maintained for one week prior to the survey dates,
and continued on through the Labor Day week-end.

Structure o r t h e Survey
This year's follow-up survey was refined as a result
of the experience gained 1n 1950. Th.e structure of
the survey was detennined in 1950. This structure was
maintained in this year's follow-up with several field
improvements and the addition of interview stations
along Edens expressway, which was not open to continuous traffic in 1950.
BaSically. the survey consisted of road interview
stations across three screen lines cutting routes paralleling Edens. All stations were operated for 16
hours, beginning at 6 s. m. Traffic volumes varied
at the stations between 3,000 and 35,000 vehicles in
24 hours.
On Tuesday, Aug. 31, the screen line was j~t
south of Lake-Cook rd. and stations were located
fl.t Waukegan rd., Skokie rd., Edens expressway,
Green Bay rd . and Sheridan rd.
On Wednesday, Sept. I, the screen line was just
north of East. Lake rd. and stations were at Waukegan
rd., Edens, Skokie rd .. Hibbar d rd., Ridge rd., Railroad ave., and Sherid';\n rd.
On Thursday. Sept. 2, the screen line was midway
between Touhy and Pratt aves. and stations were
at Milwaukee ave., Caldwell ave., Edens. Cicero ave.,
Lincoln ave., Pula..ski rd. and McConnick rd.
Other variables were number of lanes, existence
of median strips, proltimity to large industrial plant
areas, variation in illumination. quantity of truck
to.. traffic, proximity to signalized or stop signed inter~ct.ions and sight distance.
All of these variables
aft'ected the station set-up. Most important was the
Item of traffic volumes at peak hours. This obviously,
had a direct bearing on the number of personnel required to secure the interviews.

Oul y One .<\ ccldent

Variable needs in manpower requirement8 were adjusted from hour to hour as required by traffic volume
variations from station to station. This was done hy
request from a station captain to the screen line
supervisor.
Only one accident OCCUlTed during the survey,
despite all precautions by the interviewers and the
police. A squad CIU" was wrecked by a motorist.

COOK COU NTY HIGHWAY

WILLIAM

DEPARTMENT

MORTIMER

SUPERIN TENOENT

TRAFFIC ENGINEERING

EDENS

DIVISION
ORIGlN OEST INAT ION SURVEY
STATION

EDE N S

A-.

XPRY. SOUTH OF LAIC COOl(

fIIO

SLOW

TRAfFIC SU RVEY
AHtAO

0T
ST AT ION

Sl(P WHEN

SIGNAUED

II
....~
T

1I

TOWE"

QUICKL Y

lOU

FOR TOO!;
COOP [AA' IO "

fIID.

PLUSE GIVE
INFOR MATIOH

THAI'll!

+ 1,,--1 NTERVIEWERS

I--- P

\I,

Ij I

\I
X

"

....! .['\

~ l-

FLASI'1EA

[\v-""CE
'"
0

A ty pical Interviewin g .tation. L.egends In boxu at

upper right Identify traffi c control aillnl loca t ed ..
Indic ated by circ:led letten.

Slow Going on Prairie Roads 100 Years Ago

ITTLE more than a hundred years ago before the

stable room and hay for his team, the country tavern
charged 50 to 75 cents, while the like accommodations
for the one night spent in Chicago might run as high
3S a doUar.

L illinois & Michigan canal and the first railroads,

the only means of travel through the Cook county
countryside and into Chicago was by the roads. To
this generation, accustomed to concrete pavements
in every direction, it is difficult to comprehend the
slow arduous toil involved in a trip to market in the
middle '40's of the last century.
The ungraded roads in many instances were lit tle
better than the old Indian trails. In wet weather,

Teamsters' 1I0tei In Chlcugo

"Our narrator always put up at t~ Chicago Temper~
ance House, which stood on Wells st, between Lake
and South Water. This was a four-story structure,
the entire top Roor of wbicb was given over to teamsters and farmers,. It consisted ot a single room with
a double row of beds running the entire length of the
chamber. In winter it was 'as cold as if there were
no fire within a thousand miles' and in summer the
temperature stood at tbe opposite extreme."
The site of tbe long-vaniShed Chicago Temperance
House is only two blocks up Wells st. from the office
of the Cook County Highway Department, where the
drafting tables carry design.s for modern expressways
over the prairies traversed by the Hoosier and Yankee
wagona.
An associated activity of the highway department
Is the Cook County Traffic Safety CommiSSion, whose
efforts in considerable measure are directed at persuading the descendants of the 30-mile-a-day wheat
hauler to slow down to 30 miles an hour.

mud became sucb a problem that farmers hauling

grain to the Chicago market traveled together so lhat

any wbo got stuck would have belp close at hand.
Two types of wagon were in use. One was the
massive broad-tread wain known hereabouts as the
Hoosier wagon, or the Western Conestoga. The
other was the trim narrow-tread Yankee wagon,
which came later with the inrush of settlers from New
Englnnd. The Yankee rig finally survived because its
broadtread rival was able to put only the wbeels
of one side on tbe narrow roads, tbe other wheels
running off the shoulder.
In his book "Chicago Highways~Old and New,"
Milo M. Quaife notes that during the hey day of the
Hoosier wagon, which had come by way of the Ohio
and Wabash valleys, Illinois was essentially a soutbem state. "With the triumph of Yankee effiCiency
as typiHed in the 'narrow-tread civilization,' nlinois
became a northern state and in the persons of Grant
and Lincoln supplied the two great leaders who saved
the nation in tbe struggle in the sixties."

A N ice Letter To The Editor

U's nice indeed to be appreciated, and the following
letter from Police Chief Walter T. Griffin of Brookfield to the editor of COOK COUNTY IDGHWAYS
has the heart-warming touch:
"This letter Is being written to express the sentiments of Brookfie1d's governing body. its residents
and myseLf for the excellent assistance furnished
our village by various safety segments of Cook
County.
"During the past two years we have called upon
you through the Cook County Traffic Safety Commission, Bicycle Safety Division a.nd the Highway Department's speed check radar units.
"In each instance your response bas been prompt.
service efficient and results gratifying.
"We in Brookfield plan to continue traffic and safety
educational programa through all means available,
including strict enforcement.
"We believe our record of no traffic fatalities during
1953 is, in part, due to the fine co-operation and assistance received from tbe Cook County safety sod
traffic services."

An SOJUlle 118111
The experiences of a young Yankee fanner who
settled near Belvidere in 184.3 are presented in Mr.
Quaife's book. This pioneer worked his fields in spring
and summer and spent much of the autumn and winter
bauling bis wbeat to Chicago.
"The distance in this case was 80 miles, and a
definite schedule was adopted" says Mr. Quaife. "The
driver would leave home carlyon Monday morning
with f1 load of 40 or 50 bushels. Traveling at the rate
of 30 miles a day he would reach Chicago some time
aIter noon on Wednesday. The wbeat would be disposed of and tbe merchandise for tbe return journey,
if any, purchased before night. With an empty or
lightly loaded wagon the return journey could be
made in two days, the stop for the night usually being
made at Elgin.
';With wheat at 40 cents a bushel, the amount
realized for the load would be from $16 to $20, while
the cost to tlle driver of his five-day trip, if no unusual delay or disaster were encountered, would be
about $3 . . . How a man' and team could pass five
days and four nights away from home with an ex"pendi ture for food and shelter of but $3 requires
elucidaUon.
"The teamster carried from home enough grain to
feed his horses and food for his own noon luncheon.
For supper, lodging and breakfast for bimself and

New Cars vs. J a Jol)lcs

Figures for registration of new vehicles show tbat
more than twice as many cars are being manufactured
8S are bei.ng scrapped and about three new truc.ks
produ.ced for every one scrapped.

" Bad Driving" Makes Accidents

Parking Lots In Residential Zones

Findings in the moat comprehensive highway accident Burvey ever undertaken- the sludy of all aecidenta OD the Pennsylvania turnpike between October,
HMO, and the end of 1953-were published recently
in the Saturday Evening Post, and thereby some myths
we re shattered.
Included were 9,350 crasbes involving 13,4.26 vehicles in which 486 lives were lost. Some major facts
turned up were presented by the magazine as follows:
"&d driving- that is, drivers who are incompetent.
ca.re1e.ss, reckless, inatlenUve or seemingly incapable
of accurately judging distance-eau8CB 85.1 per cent
of all turnpike accidents and 97 per cent ot the falalities. Vehicle failures account for an additional 14 per
cent and the remaining fraction is the work of drunken
drivers.
"Excessive speed is nol, by and of itself, a frequent
accident cause. For passenger cars the turnpike is a
high-speed road with a 70-mUe-an-hour limit governing hair Ita length and a 6O-mile limit on the rest.
Tnlck speeds are limited to 45 and 50 miles an hour.
Almost continuous patrol car and radllr checks established that In the 70-mile zone most Lrnffic moves aL
59 mile8 an hour including the trucks and In the 60mile &rea at about 55.
"The number of accidents at speeds of 70 or more
is less than 2 per cent of the total, while tbose in
which one of the vehicles involved is standing
still account for ncarly 11 per cent. In both the
60- and 70-m.ile zones the greatest number of accidents Lhat occur at any speed level are In the 41 to 50mUe-an-hour range when the weather is dry and clear,
a nd In thc 31-to-40 range when there i8 rain, snow,
slush or Ice.
"Next after the careless or reckless driver who
doesn't look where he is going, the grealest single
menace on the highway is the driver who docsn't know
how to handle his vehicle In a sk id."

Communities recognize that ill e.fI'ccts may arise

when parking lots are next to holillC8. But at the same
time. they seek to ease parking jams in commercial
areas. In order to miniroiu the drawbacks of parking
loti near or in residential zones, communities have
turnc<l to the adoption of special zoning regulations
that control the loca tion and usc ot such lots and
reguJate their physical features.
The American Society of Planning Officials has just
I1nlsbed an analysis of 41 of such zoning ordinances in
torce In cities, towns, and countio. throughout the
nation. Results of the study are Bet forth in the
society's report, "Zoning for Parking Areas in an:!
near Residential Districts."
All the ordinances require special protective devices,
such as barriers, when parking areas adjoin dwellings.
Other requirements concern location of entrances and
exits,
Ordinances may require one of three kinds of bar
rlers designed to screen dwellings from parking areas.
First Is the solid wall or fence which cuts off some
sight of the lot, deflects some sound, And makes the
area less accessible to children. It will also help keep
car headlights from flashing Into the windows of a
house. Second is the compact evergreen growth which
may be an adequate s ubstitute tor a wall or fence, if
it i. dense enough and may improve the looks of the
lot If It is planted outside the waH. Third is the yard
which, when landscaped. may also look like the yard
that would be there jf the land were in use as residence Instead of a parking lot.
A number of ordinances specify that entrances and
exits open onto the business side of the street and not
onto the residential side. Some also regulate the dis
tance that exits and entrances must Ix> from schools,
publlc playgrounds, ehurchcs, hOflpltals, and publlc
libraries. Virtually all the ordinances analyzed require that any lighting used In off-street parking be
arranged so as to reflect the Light away from adjoining
resldences.-Newa Bulletin Puhlic Administration
Clearing House.

New Civil Defense Movies

The official Civil Defense film "Operation Ivy" in
te<:hnicolor and four new black and white tums have
been added to the motion picture library of the Cook
County Civil Defense a nd are avallable for use at
community meetings.
"Ol>cralion Ivy" comprises the non-secret parts of
the film made at the test explosion of the H-bomb.
It runs 31 minUles. The other new films are ''You
Never Can Tell," "Guarding Against Sabotage,"
"Military Police Town Patrolling," and "Trapped,"
which was made in Sweden e.nd ia presented with text
in English.
Other films in the library, all of which run about
30 minutes, include :
" Pattern For Survival," "Self Preservation,"
"Duck and Cover," "Survival Under the Atomic
Attack," "The Cities Must Fight," "Fire Fighting for
... Householders." and "Biological Warfare."
Cook county suburban organizations wishing to see
any of the films are invited to address Joseph A.
Downey Cook County Civil Defense Director, 130 N.
Wells sL, Chicago 6 ; telephone FRanklin 2-7544.
There Is no charge,

Traffic Heavier Than Planned

Recently completed highways and turnpikes are con
slstently attracting traffic volumes far In excess of
orlginnl estimates. This often necessitates the instal
lation of special flnti-<:ongestion racilities and safeguards. Such installations are. or course, more costly
when they are added as an a(terthought than when
they are included in the first plaRS. There is, therefore,
an urgent need for methods of predicting the distribu
Lion of traffic over a ne twork of roads and the manner
in which this distribution will be affected by the construction of new links in the network.
The distribution of traffic over a network of roads
obviously depends on the individual decisions of a
great number of drivers. At first glflncc the prediction of this distribution would therefore seem to defy
mathematical analysis, However, the decisions of the
drivers are mostly governed by their wish to save
time. The large number of drivers also facilitates the
prediction of average behavior. High\\'8Y Research
Abel-racts.

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Northward Extension of Lake Shore Drive Nears Completion (See Page 2)

Vol. II

No.6

NOVEMBER, 1954

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook County (DI.) Deparunent of Highways

Ullrlcr auspices 01 the Board of County Comm.issioners
WILLIAM N. ERICKSON, Prtllllleni
JOh. Mickler. J .
On.It A. 1II11ter

Jlllln F. "'1~'IMI.ft
Frink Bobrybk.
WIIII.III BUill

GIO"I F. NlxDa
Olnlo l Ry . .
Cllyton F. SlI'IlIh
Ed ....rd M. 8need
John J. Touhy

Ellub.tk A. COIhy

John J, Qutry
Arthur X. Elrad
Chrlll A. J .... n

WILLIAM J. MORTIMER
Sunrlntudut 01 HllhwlYI

Published at 130 North Wells Struet, Chicago 6.

Drive Extension Read ied

Traffic Deaths down in '54

THEparent
DOWNWARD trend in traffic fatalities apthis year in Chicago is nlso being recorded

photo on the cover S'lOWB prO'{ress

TonHEtheae rial
northward extension of Lake Shore dr. to

in suburban Cook county.

Hollywood ave., which is expected to be ready

for use by December 1. Paving snd Jightin3 n-e being
done by Cook County, one of four participating governmentnl agencies, at a cost of $524,905.91.

In the first 10 months of 1954, there were 151 deaths,

according to coroner's reports. This compares with
168 for the same period last year and gives hope of
ending the year under the 1953 tolal of 223.
While any reduction in deaths is welcome at a time
when automobile registration is increasing. there are
some aspects of the situation that dampen enthusiasm.
For one thing, October saw 21 deaths. or two more
than October last year. If this indicates an upward
swing, the good score for the year which was promIsed in earlier months may not in reality be a large
imtlrovement on 1953.
The 223 deaths recorded last year incJud e~ eleven
on Edens expressway. This year there have been
three, anoj. like those in the prceedJng year. they were
directly attributable to driver failure. It begins to
appear in clear cut form that Edens is as safe 8S
good engineering could make a highway, and that
all that was needed was good driving.
During the time when public and press were wondering whether Edens couId ever be used safely, Calumet
expressway on the south side of the county. designed
and built at the same time as Edens. was r olling tip
a safety record outstandJng in the entire country. By
way of comoarison. Edens had a death rate of 10.5
for every 100 million vehicle mile$ during the worst
of the b:l.d driving debauch. 1n the year following
the turn for the better, the rate dropped to 1.79, which
compares with 9.3 on rural roads nationwide and 7.15
on the nation's best known expressway, the Pennsylvania turnpike.
Calumet expressway, opened to travel Nov. 1. 1950.
had only two deaths up to last month, which ga\le it
a fatality rate under 1. The good four-year record
was spoiled last month, when three. persons were
kiIled in two accidents that occurred within two
weeks.
The kind of driving described in official reports
of the two accidents on Calumet and the three this
year on Edens prompts r eprinting a paragraph from
the Saturday Evening Post article based on analyr.is
of all accidents on the Pennsylvania turnpike. T!le

Wben the extension is completed there will be tbree

points at which traffic can enter and lea\le the drive
in that area and it is anticip3ted that this dispersal
will elimi nate rush hour and Sunday afternoon botUeneckB. Foster ave., which until a year ago carried
all Lake Shore dr. traffic to Sherid:m rd., will continue
to be used by a considerable number of west-bound
motorists, It is calculated. Hollywood, which will
enrry north-bound traffic, is expected to handle a
slighter larger volume than Foster and Bryn M:lwr,
leading to Peterson rd. and Ridge ave .. will probably
see a sharp reduction from its present volume.
The following estimates were maoje by the Chicago
Pa.rk District, which expects a 24--hour total of 75,465
cars in both directions:
Foster- South, 15,782 ; north, 12,461.
Bryn Mawr- South, 9,407; north, 8,691.
Hollywood- South, 13,812; north. 15312.
The cO\ler picture which was tnken from the north,
shows all the features of the extension. ]n the distance is the Foster ave. grade separation and just
opposite the Edgewater Beach apartments is the newly
finished structure at Bryn Mawr.
The west roadwsy, which will become the permanent
southbound r oad, has been in use in both directions
as a temporary measure. In the autumn of 1953, when
it appeared that delayed deliveries of steel for the
Bryn Mawr bridge would hold up the whole extension
for a year, it was suggested by the Cook County Highway Department that the west roadway could be paved
and put into use at once and thus relie\le the Foster
ave. bottleneck.
The three other participating agencies- the state,
dlstrict~agreed.
Cook County, which
had the pa\ling to do, rushed the job and the outlet to
Bryn Mawr was opened last December. It has proved
to be a great accommodation to motorists going
beyond Foster.

city and park

FRanklin 2 7544 Extension 221

Photo made by the Aerial Photograph Company.

( Continued on Page 7)

Work Progresses on County Sections

Ade quat e d ra in age I. importiu'It part o f m odern expre ..way,

Cicero ave. ovorpaSl.

of Congress Street

Pictu re taken ne a r Wolf rd.

Congre .. st. cllpect ed to be open between Ml chl; .. n and Cicero avu. nex t year.

The

Case For

The

Four-Way

Widely Wled 111 Gook Cf)Utlty (lild the rest 0/ IRlno!.!, the
JOltr-way stop 8ign S6e1IlS to be regarded elsewhere as 0/

questionable value.
A leU er from G. P. Parmalee, manager 0/ the sign posting department of tile A lltomobile Club 0/ HontheNl Cali!oT1lia, to Leo G. Wilkie, trafJic elt,fJin6eT 0/ the Cook.
County Highway Department referred tf) artick8 ill the
March, April, and July i.~81W8 of COOK COUNTY HlGHWAYS presenting Wil/de's exteullivB study of 8t01' sign
obedi(mce, and continued:

" lVlle!1 ill YOItT county in Jllly 0/ thi.s year ami later i11
other part3 oj YOUT Iltate, a great number of IQltr-tcay
stop installa/ions were observed, and the signs at these
locations bore the wordil19 'Follr Way STOP.'
" Nowhf;re ill tM woslerf' statcs or ill the 22 states
traueled d!tnu,17 my recent trip have wc observed. th.iQ
?1W88{lg6 on stop siglls alia we are 'Very much. "Itcrested
in th c ad1;all/{l.IJC of samc.

" To the writer it w01lld scem that any motorist ap

proaehiug SItch a sign would immediately be imprcssed
tllat there was ' 10 great need for hiQ observance of the
sign if all other motorists approaching from the other
three directious lVollld stop. PcrhllpS this type of sign has
defillitely COlltributed. to the large perCC"1ltage of motoriQts
/aflillg to hced stop slll~ in YO!tr {lren."
W i th v ery few exceptiolis, aU the four-way /ltop signs
Cook Calmly were placed by the state. COOK COUNTY
IIlGIlWAYS, therefore turned to II. H. Harrison, enginuer
of traffic, JlUtlOis Division of Highways, alld he rcspOflded
with tI~e following illterestiJlg omi informative disC1~lrlon.
ill

By H. H. Harrison
Engineer of Traffic
illinois Dlvl.ion of Highway.

"

N RECENT years, the Illinois Division of Highways

has made extended use of four-way stop control

at grade intersections of streets and highways. Such
control is considered an intennediate step between
the conventional two-way stop control and traffic
signal control. It is relatively inexpen8ive compared
to a modern traffic control signal installation, and in
many cases has provided solutions to complicated
problems, as well as having reduced accidents.
Minimum vehicular volume wan-ants for four-way
stop control have been established in the Dlinois
Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices. For rural
areas, the total vehicular volume entering the intersection from all approaches must average at least 450
vehicles per hour for any six hours of any average
weekday, with a minimum of 40 per cent entering
from the minor highway. F.or urban areas, the volume
must be 650 vehicles per hour, with 40 per cent entering from the minor highway.
The manual has also established a vehicular volume
warrant for traffic control signals of 1,000 vehicles
per hour for any six hoqrs of an average weekday,
with at least 25 per cent entering from the minor
street.
Consequently, it is felt that a four-way stop is suitable to control traffic volumes ranging from 450 vehicles per hour to 700 or 800 vehicies per hour. When
traffic volumes exceed these figures, traffic control
Signals of the fixed-time or vehicle-actuated type,

STOP Sign

depending upon the usage ratios, should be installed

as soon as funds are available.
Pollee Deljl at Time!'
During special events or during peak periods, surpriSingly high volumes of traffic can be handled safely,
cspecially when the four-way stop control is augmented by police officers to direcit traffic. Generally
police officer control will be needed only for relatively
short periods of time.
With four-way stop control, the element which prob
ably is the cause of most angular collisions at intersections has been reduced. This element is error in
driver judgment. The driver entering an intersection
is relieved (1) from being required to perform the
difficult task of judging the speed of approaching vehicles, and (2) from being required to ascertain
whether or not gaps of sufficient length exist in the
flow of traffic to allow him to proceed safely through
the intersection. His remaining primary obligation
is to apply the right-of-way rule.
The Illinois standard sign at four-way stop intersections bears the message "4-Way" above the word
"Stop." Hence, a motorist about to stop is advised
that an approaching motorist on the intersecting
highway must also stop before proceeding through the
intersection.
A few traffic engineers have expressed the opinion
that the message "4-Way" above the word "Sto.J!"
is an invitation to the motorist to "run the stop."
The basic theory supporting the use of this message
is that a motorist is entitled to be informed of the
control affecting his movement without leaving him
to guess what it may be.
The message '"4-Way," being in letters; only four
inches high on the larger sized signs, is not too prom
inent. By the time it is read by the motorist, his ve
hicle is well under control and in the process of
stopping.
Local Motorists ~Ia io Offenders
It is well known that the local motorist and the
motorist familiar with the control are the ones who
constitute the majority making rolling or gearshift
stops. These motorists drive by memory and, from
our experience, it is indicated that thcy pay little or
no attention to signs; they are not consciolls of what
message is contained upon a sign.
Furthermore, these local motorists who drive by
rote frequently are platoon leadcrs. They set patterns
of inadvertence for other drivcrs not familiar with
the intersection to follow. In these cases, the presence
or absence of the message "4-Way" on the sign can
hardly be considered a factor contributing to viola
tions.
Some years ago the department conducted a statewide survey to gain information as to the public reaction to four-way stop control. It was favorable in
all respects and indicated that motorists have accepted
the control. In response. to one question, "Is the fourway message in the stop sign of value in eliminating
confusion 7" 91 per cent answered "yes," and only 9

of accidents. Moreover, in their respective opmIons,

much safer conditions now exist at these intersections
than prevailed formerly,
As for the second question , it was t he consensus
lha t the message "4-Way" on the stop sign is nol
conducive to increased viola tions, and that those who
violate this control would likewise violate stop signs
having no such supplementary message. Of those
present at the meeting, no one knew of a single case
in which the words "4-Way" in any manner contributed to a violation. Of course, the discussion was
limited to four-way stops on state highways.

In the April , 1954 , issue of "COOK .cOUNTY HIGHan article appeared on "Stop Sign Observance" wit h a tabulation of stop s ign observance
al 63 stop sign controlled intersections in Cook County. This tabula tion formed an interesti ng compa rison
between four-way stop control and other stop control.
Some of lhe highlights are:
1 . The intersections with fou r-way stops
carried the heavier volumes of traffic .
WA YS"

4-WAY

TO

2.

Considering the number of " no stops"

which in general indicated wilful violations of the stop signs, 65 per cent of the
total occurred a t four-way stop intersections- yet only 77 accidents, o r 19 per
cent of t hose listed, occurred at these intersections, and -notle 0/ t k elJe accidentlJ

wa" fatal.
3.

The three intersections chal-ged with t he

greatest number of accidents and all of
the intersections charged with fatalities
were controlled by other than four-way
stops.

One conclusion can be drawn from this analysis;

namel)" that from the safety standpoint. four-way
s tops are effective in minimizing serious accidents.
Slate Comltit'tes Stud y

per cent answered " no."

At a recent meeting of the Illinois State Highway
Police attended by officers in command of the various
State Highway Police district headquarters, two questions were brought up for discussion. Also, officers
assigned to the Traffic Safety Section of this or ganization were given these same questions for comment.
The questions were:
1.

2.

"

"What is your opinion of (our-way stop

control as a means of accident prevention and n. method of traffic regulation?"

"Do y ou (eel that the usc of the message
" 4.Way" in the upper panel of the stop
Sigll at intersections so controlled is conducive to violations?"

Replies Favo r Four-Way Stop

The response to t he first question by both groups
was 95 per cenl favorabl e. Numerous experiences
were cited by the officers where four-way s top control,
which had replaced two-way control, had brought
about a reduction in both the number a nd the severity

A s ta le-wide before-and-sIter study of t he accident

experience at 24 intersections on state hig hways recently converted from two-way to four-way stop control has been completed. The periods of s tudy ranged
from one to two years be/ore conversion, and from
onc to two years after.
During th e be/ore periods, (I total of 303 accidents
of all types werc reported, and th e average rate per
million vehi cles entering the intcrsection was 4.0:
after cQI~ver8ion, only 213 accidents were reported ,
and the average rate was 2.2.

These figures represent reductions of 29.7 per cent

in all accidents and 45 per cent in ratc, respectively.
The reduction in accidents was accomplished in the
face or an approximate increase of 20 per cent in
t raffic volumes through the inte rsections, which increase is reflected in the low volume-accident rate
of 2.2.
The noteworthy item from the study, however, was
the reduction in the number of fa tal and injury accidents. Before conversion. 25 falal and 132 injury
accidents were re ported. After conversion. t hese accidents we re reduced to o nly 6 and 100. or 76 per cent
and 24 per cent, respectively. Reduztions in these
(Continued on Page 7)

Test Tells

If

Pavement Ready

By John J. Fitzgerald
Eng. Bureau Testing and Materllll_

HIS Cook County Highway department makes flexural strength tests of concrete to determine the
T
opening dates of pavements to traffic. Ordinarily
concr et e pavements are closed to traffic for a period
of nol less than fourteen days after the concrete is
placed. The department, however, feservea the right
to open the l)aVement to traffic prior to the expiration
of t he fou r teen day period on the b381s of flexutal
strength t ests, also known as modulus of rupture t ests,
88 hereinafter described.
Steel forms 6 " x6 ~ x30~ are used. Concrete used for
making test s pecimens is taken from a. batch representative of t.he avera ge consistency being secured.
The form is filled to overflowing and spaded along ~e
sides .with a trowel. The top of the specimen is struck
off with n stra ightedge and floated with A. wide 60at
to secure a true and even surface.
The leslspcci mens are cured as follows :
(a)

(b )

(c)

Immediately after the test s pecimens a re

made t hey are covered with burlap, which
is kept wet until removed.
On the following day the test specimens
are removed from the ronns, marked for
identification purposes, and covered with
at 1eOBt eighteen inches of damp sand,
which Is kept damp until the specimens
are tested.
During the period from November 1 to
April 1, or at a ny other time that the ncar
dally temperature falls eonti nuoualy below 55 degrees Fahrenheit, the test specimens a re covered with about twelve inches
of dry straw instead of damp sand.

Concrete is designed for a minimum modulus of

rupture of not less than 650 pounds per square inch
at the age of fourteen days for Portland cement pavement and a t the age of three days for hig h-early
strength Portland cement concrete pavement when
tested by the method further described hercin.
The strength of the concrete is detennined by testing not less t han four test specimens prepared at the
site of the work each day during the first three days
of placing concrete, and t hereafter by testing not
less tban two specimens made each day_ IT 0. section
of pavement Is to be opened to trsffic at an age earlier
than fourteen days o n the basis of results oC beam
tests, twice the regular number of beams are made.
In general. te!:lt specimens made during the first
three days arc tested at the age of three, five, !:Ieven
and (ourteen days. Thereafter they sre tested at the
age of seven and fourteen days.
Te!iUng J\laehine Procedure
The testing machine used is specifleally designed
for the modulus of rupture t est. A Chatillon dyna*
Plomeler is used to record the breaking load. The

To

Use

following procedure is followed :

Before the test specimen is placed in the testing
machine, the adjustable equalizer is placed in its higb*
esl position and the movable arm in ita lowest position.
This is necessary to prevent disturbance of the roller
on the movable arm while the test beam is being placed
in its proper position in the machine. The beam is
placed in the machine with ita form i d sides in contact
at the points of loading and r eaction.
When the beam is in its proper position the lever
arm is raised until the beam is lifted about onc aix*
teent h inch from the small rod which is directly below
t he adjustable equalizer. The adjustable equalizer is
lowe red until the dynamomet er reads fifty pounds. A
load is applied by turning tbe crank a t a unifonn rate
of sixty revolutions per minute.
Immediately after each test Is made, t.he breaking
load is recorded, the broken end of the beam removed,
and the average width and depth at the fractured end
measured and recorded to the nearest 0.05 o[ a n inch.
The modulus of ruptu re is determined from the
fonnula
fo' ormula

or

Calcuilltions

S - Mcor S

Z-

in which S - unit stress in pounds per sq. in.

M - bending moment in.. inch-pounds.
Z - 1 - section modulus.

c
If the product P x L is substituted in this fonnula

for M. where P - the breaking load

and L - the length of the lever a rm - 36 inches for
machine used, the resu lts will be
S - PxL - PL - P36

-----z- z

----z

The expression 36 is called the stress factor and the

Z
use of the fonnula in t his form simplifies the calculations greatly, as a table of stress factors for beams
of diiTerent crOSB sections can be used. Such a table
is found In the fi eld record book of modulus of rupture
tests of concrete beams.
To 8nd the modulus of rupture it is only necessary
to multiply the stress factor, corresponding to t he
cross section of the broken specimen, by the breaking
load.
NEW BRIDG E IS

OPEl\~F~D

The new bridge over the North Shore channel at

Oakton st., Skokie, which was designc<i and constructed by the Cook County Highway Department,
WILS opened to traffic Saturday, Oct. 30. with a ribbon
cutting ceremony on the bridge deck.
Mayors George D. Wilson of Skokie and John R.
Kimbark of Evans ton, which suburbs are direetly
joined by the improvement, were co-hosts. President
William N. Erickson of the Board of County Commis.
sioners was guest of honor and chief ribbon cutter.

--

They Had Traffic Troubles 4 00 Year s Ago

VER 450 years ago it was necessary to introduce

for police to summon all future offenders before the

magistrates or at once to take them into custody,
In all cases the fine of 40 shillings is to be strictly
enforced."

O regulations in London to prevent coaches and

wagons from blocking the London bridges.

It is nearly 400 years since the forerunner of the

modern car first appeared. It was built by a Nuremberg watchmaker named Hautsch, who claimed that
it was self-propelled and could travel at 2,000 paces
an hour. However, it transpired that the motive
power was provided by two men in the interi9r,
pedalling vigorously.
But the car did have some unique features, such
as a dragon's head at the front which squirted waleI'
on anybody ill the way, and two mechanical angels
which gave warning of approach by raising bugles
to their lips and blowing loudly.
Nearly 300 years ago, Sir Isaac Newton anticipated
our modern jet-propelled transport by phnning a
"rocket car" which was to be driven by hot steam
ejected from a tube in the back, and in the Netherlands attempts were actually made to use gunpowder
for propulsion.

STOP Sign(Continued from Paget 5)

types of accidents indicate improvement in the severity of accidents.
We know t.hat not all motorists accept the fourway stop control at all intersections. As previously
stated, prescribed warrants must be mct before they
are installed at. intersections on State routes. Unfortunately, this is not the case at numerous intersections on local, county, and even township streets
or highways. In certain instances, four-way stop
control has been installed by local authorities without
reference to warrants justifying its use, This defeats
the purpose of such control, and weakens its effectiveness generally.
Some Signs P laced Unwisely
To the local residcnt, the stop sign is the one positive way that traffic can be "slowed down" past his
home. Numerous local authorities arc prone to agree,
but for another reason: The majority of motorists
observe stop signs, and spee:ls arc reduced without
enforcement.
We do not approve of the use of stop signs to effect
a reduction in excessive spced in the absence' of enforcement. Without doubt, these unwarranted fourway stops on local streets are sources of irritation
t.o some mot.orists, and this irritation may be carried
over to four-way stops on state routes which have
been installed in accordance with traffic engineering
standards, U such attitudes prevail, the accident
records show that they have little effect on the overa ll pict.ure of safety perfonnance.
Our favorable experience with four-way stops as a
means of regulating the movement. of traffic at certain
int.ersections, and as a safet.y measure to rcduce both
the volume and severity of accidents, convinccs us
t.hat such control has a rightful place in the field of
traffic control devices,

Buggy Travel Risky

-.

Although the horse remained the chief source of

motive power until the 19th century, there were already traffic problems right at the beginning of that
century. The Observer, the English Sunday newspaper,
commented in 1803 that "while so many improvements are in the making in our highways, it might
not be amiss to adopt some plan of making them passable in safety. Between the c:1.reJessness of drivers
and the too good lookout of robbers, the chances
at present are considerably against one's getting
securely to the end of a journey."
In 1839, when experiments were being made with
a view to expediting the traffic and reducing the noise
within the vestry of Marleybone (a part of London),
a count was ~ade of traffic passing a certain point in
Oxford street between 6 in the morning and 12 at
night. The total number of vehicles counted was
5,515.
Attempts were being made about this time to discover the most suitable m:Lterial for making or mending road surfaces, and once a dozen different types
of surfacing (including wood , stone, bitumen, asphalt)
had been laid down on one section of Oxford street.

Accidents -

The Wood Block Story

The portion which attr acted most attention was
that surfaced with wooden blocks, "the noiseless
tendency of which made the vehicles passing along
appear to be rolling over a thick rug or carpet."
(In the year 1954, one of t.he chief preoccupations of
he London authorities is t9 replace wood block suraces, which are very slippery when wet, with open, textured bitumcn surfaces,)
July 4, 1852, the Suilday Times carried the fo llowing report: "Yesterday, in consequence of the repeated accidents arising from the unnecessary speed
at which light carts used by tradesmen are driven
througb the streets, the commissioners issued orders

(Continued from P::lge 2)

experts who made this study found that it was not
speed pel' se, but. "bad" driving that callses accidents,
The paragraph mentioned above stated:
"Bad driving that is, drivers who are incompetent,
careless, reckless, inattentive or seemingly incapable
of a-.:curately judging distance--causes 85.1 per cent
of all turnpike accidents and 97 per cent of t he
fatalities,"
The 21 fatalities last month occurred in the fol
lowing types of accidents:
Auto-pedestrian, 3; auto-auto. 10; auto-truck, 3;
auto-train, 2; auto-tree, 3.

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Congrtll St. Expressway Reaches Mannheim Rd, (See Page 4)

Vol. II

No.7

DECEMBER, 1954

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook County (DI.) Department of Highways
Unrler auspices of the Board ot County Commissioners
DANIEL /lYAN , "/'ftlolul

J' ..et r. Alhlloll"

Fra.' BobI'Ytlh
Cha.l.. F. ChA~lI.
Etllnoth A. Clnkl),
Jerry catual
John J . O~II,
Arthur X. [ trad

William H. Erithu
FrH A. fwUo
C~rt't A. JU5U
Joha A. M tl , Jr,
CllytOIl F. SMtth
Edw.rd M. Sneod
John J, TIU~Y
WILLIAM J. MORTIMER
Suporlntlndlnt 01 HlghwaYI

Published at 130 North Wells StI:eet. Chicago 6.

FRanklin 27544 Extension 221

Highway Death Toll Rises

Changes at the Mast Head

s THE end of the year approaches. accumulated

A
records on traffic accidents reOccl what many
observers have come to believe is the key to the whole

ITH t his issue, the membership of the Board of

W
County Commissioners as presented regularly at
the top of t his page shows the changes resulting from

problem- that the measure of safety on the highways

is determined directly by the people who drive cars.
In suburban Cook counly, 185 peraons were killed
in traffic in 11 months of 1954, according to coroner's
records tabulated by tbe Cook County Trnffic Safety
Commission, Although November, with 23 dead, was
the worst of the year thus far, t he 1954 toll to date
is 10 under that at the same time in 1953, and unleas December is unexpectedly bad, the total for the
year will be fairly under the 1953 LOtal of 223 and
the 1952 total of 218.
The 1954 record also looks well because it has been
made at a time when, as everyone is aware, there
are more cars and trucks on the road and, theoretically at least, more hazards. Indeed, it might be
C6nsidered good enough if 1954, with heavier traffic,
was no worse than 1953.
Such complacency, however, would overlook some
significant (acts in the month-bymont h record. For
example, the total of tbe (our vacation months, June,
July. August and September, wa s 18 under the same
months of 1953. This good showing W8S discussed
at the annual south. west. and north section meetings
oC suburban mayors, village presidents, police chiefs
and magistratea conducted by the Traffic Safety Commission, and it was the concensus that drivers generally were beginning to heed the many educational
campaigns aimed at them.
n was noted at the meetings that if the death rate
did not increase during the fourth quarter, the 1954
total wou ld be 177. Instead. October saw 21 deaths.
an increase of eight over September, and November
saw 23.
Safety experts long ago warned that autumn, with
early twilight and damp leaves on the pavement, was
a season of special hazard. and pleaded with motorists
to be extra carefuL As long 8S accidents increase
during those monlhs. the only conclusion seems to
be that too many drivcrs refuse to learn. and this is
the marl' tragic when tbere is evidence that good
driving has lowered the toll at other times of year.
Nine of those killed last month in suburban Cook
county traffic were pedestrians, and their deathB
broughl the 1954 total of pedestrians killed to 48.
The other November fatalities occurred 8S follows:
Aulo-auto, 5; auto-tnIck, 3; auto-bus, 2; auto
turned over, 2; auLa-tree, 1; auto-pole, 1.

the November 2 election.

The new president is Daniel Ryan, succeeding William N. Erickson, who remains as one of the Bve
country town members. There arc three new members-Charles F. Chaplin of Northbrook. Jerry Dolezal
of Cicero a nd Fred A. Fulle of DcsPlalncs. They succeed William Busse, George A. Miller and George F.
Nixon, all of whom chose to retire from the board.
President Ryan has been a member of the board 24
years, and during the last 10 yea.rs has been chairman
of the Finance Committee. Previous to 1944 he was
for many years chairman of the Roads and Bridges
Committee. He was appointed to the County Board
to succeed his father, Daniel R'yrLJl~ who had served
with distinction for many years and was president
of the board at the time of his death in 1925.

Ede ns and Busse Honored

Hats were doffed reeenUy to two Cook county resi~
dents who bave won top ranking in the "grand old"
department of the human race, division of highways.
Col. William G. Edens, whose name graces Edens
expressway (despite the belief heard now and then
that it was named for Anthony Eden) celebrated his
91st birthday on November 27, apparently as bale
as when he appeared for the christening of his expressway in October, 1949. He was present also on that
stormy day in December, 1951, when Edens was formaHy opened with a parade of snow plows. Those
present at his 91st birthday part.y in the Press Club
noted that he disposed of the candles on his cake
with one formidable gust.
William Busse, dean of the county board. whose
name is borne by Busse highway, will have his 91st
birthday next month. A public servant for 64 yea~,
52 of them as a member of the Cook County Board of
Commissioners, "Dean" Busse retired when the new
board was organized following the November election.
However, he said, "Just as long as t am able, I'm going
to go on working. U's better for me to keep going."
Fellow members of the board honored him with a
luncheon.
Mr. BURse lives in Mt. Prospect, near the Elk Grove
township farm where his grandparents setued in 1848.

Four Governments Join in Opening Drive Extension

Reprelentiilltlvel of the four government' that pOlrtleipated equally in con,tructlon of the Lake Shore dr.
northward extension cUpped a broad ribbon of holiday red symbolizing opening of the .econd .b.ge of the
project, which cOltrin the drive to Sheridan rd. and Hollywood ave. From lert to right_William N. Erickson.
retiring president of the BOilrd of County Commi"iol'lcrl, althoulI'h remaining iiII member of the board; Joseph W.
Cremin, comml ..loner of the Chicago Par'k District; B. L. Chaney, con.tructlon engineer, IlIlnol. Oivl,ron of
H ighways; Daniel Ryan, newly Inducted president of the County Board, and Mayor M;lrtl" H. Kennelly,

T WAS damp under [oot and the wind was chill

I and biting, but the show went on. With a mass

ribbon cutting- five pairs of shears in action- the

North Lake Shore dr. extension was opened to traffic

at 11:30 the morning of November 27.
Representatives of the four governments that cooperated equally in the improvement clipped the ceremonial ribbon and made brief talks. They emphasized
1) that the project was carried through by good will
among the participating agencies, without need of
any "super government," and 2) that the job was
completed ahead of the original schedule.
What appeared to be tbe ordinary Saturday volume
of tra.lflC entered the new roadway in both directions
immediately after completion of the ribbon rites,
which were held on the Bryn Mawr ave. grade separation structure. There w,as not enough traffic to
cause congestion anywhere along the drive, but there
...were signs of the sort of difficulty that had been
wanticipated by the traffic engineers.
In the year that Bryn Mawr ave. had been the temporary terminus of the extension, motorists wishing
to go west to Ridge ave. or Peterson rd, had become
accustomed to keeping to the left. Now, they must

keep to the right approaching Bryn Mawr and turn

under the ovel'pass. It was noted also that a considerable number of drivel'S with the evident intention
of going west of Sheridan rd., followed the new pavement over the bridge, across Sheridan and then found
slow going in Hollywood ave.
It was recalled at the ribbon program that theI'i!
was confusion and congestion for some days following opening of the temporary connection at Bryn
Mawr, on Nov. 14, 1953. That difficulty was solved
by the motorists themselves when they learned to
use Bryn Mawr as a supplement to Footer ave. Traffic
then became distributed just as the traffic engineers
had predicted. Now that there are three points of
entrance and exit in the north portion of the drive, it
is expected that motorists will accommodate themselves .so that the conditions known far and wide as
"bottleneck" when Foster ave. alone carried the traffic,
will be eliminated .
Paving of both stages of the drive extension, as
well as the light installation, turf shoulders and some
landscaping, was done by Cook County, and it is a
matter of pride t.hat both stages were opened ahead
of the dates first scheduled.

1954 County Road Program Is Summed Up

work brought this project to 80 per cent of completion.
South of that point, work continued on the 6Yz
mile section to Sauk Trail. By next autumn, it is
anticipated, this extension will be completed, th\l.s
affording residents of the south part of the county
a through route into the city. At Sauk Trail, Calumet
will join with the new limited type expressway constructed by the state from Sauk Trail to Steger rd.,
in Will county.
Work was completed this year on the Calumet
expressway grade separation structures at ThorntonLansing rd.) Thorn creek and the relocation of 130th
st. On other structures, the percentage of completion
at end of the season was as follows:
Grand Trunk Western railroads track.s, 85 per cent;
Joe Orr rd., 95; GlenwoodLansing rd.) 95; GlenwoodDyer, 75; Lincoln hwy . 25.

By Will iam J. Mortimer

Superi ntendent,
Cook County Highway Department

OW virtually completed, the 1954 construction

N program of the Cook County Highway Depart.

ment presents these highlights:
First section of Congress st. ex pressway
,llaced in use.
North R.onte Lake Shore dr. extension
pa \"ed. ligh ted 8ml a liened to tra ffi c.
Calumet

eXllressw ay

ad vanced

so

t hat!

olMming to Sa.nk T ra il can be scheduled for

lO55.
Ii' ;nough new pavi ng: a nd r esur f acing put
down to equa,J a 20-foot h igh wa)' fro m Chi

cago to Peo ria.

Altogether, the year's work will amount to more
than $44 million, of which about 532 million rcpreSlluts work on expressways.
Congress st., a dream for more than a generation,
comes to realization in the opening of the section
between Mannheim rd. and 1st. ave., Maywood, which
was constructed by th e county. Although only 2 ,(:!
miles in length and of limited value as a through
route, this section is a token of accomplishment and
furthcrmore will afford motorists an opportunity to
become familiar with the expressway pattern.
It is also a promise of more to come in 1955. It
appears now that the expresswa}'.. between Michigan
and Cicero aves., approximately 6 Vz miles, will b e
ready for use late next year. Included are sections
constructed by county, city and state.

...

B usiest Year 111 P lanning Division

The Planning Division of the department, under
Hug:> .J. Stark, chief engineer, had its bus.iest year
with the preparation of plans, specifications a nd cost
estimates for expressway and pprimary road projects.
The divis:on's duties include surveys, soil analyses,
location and architectural studics, detailed plans for
bridges and grade separations, plans for grading, pavin~,
drainage, utilities, lighting and landscaping.
Plans for approximately 827,900,000 for work reached
final stage of development and wcre completed during
the year.
The ConSfi'uction""Division, under L. J. Ryan. Chief
engineer, consummated 39 road contracts, which covered 57 projects, and had 29 bridges under construction. In addition to work done on the expressways,
the division completed 12 projects on primary roads.
The paving projects included:
Portland cement concrete pavement- Fullerton ave.,
Mannheim rd. to 25th ave., 22-foot pavemcnt, grading.
(Continued on Page 6)

Wor k 0 11 COII~.,.ess St. in 1951

Work done by the county on Congress st. this year
includes grading, paving and incidental COllstruction
between Mannheim rd. and Addison creek, completion of four contracts for removal of a total of 739,182 cubic yards of excavation between Laramie and
Ciccro avcs. and between Kostner and Kedzie aves.,
landscaping completed between Mannheim rd. and
1st ave" work started on a trunk sewer between
County Line and Maple lane, and contract awarded
to complete removal of buildings from the right-ofway between Columbus Park and Sacramento blvd.
In addition, six structures on Congress st. were
completed by the county. These included the elevated
roadway between Canal and Desplaines sts. and grade
separations at the Indiana Harbor Belt railroad
tracks, Wolf rd., Homan ave., Central Park ave. and
Keeler ave.
On other Congress st. grad(' separation structures
under county construction, the percentage of completion at end of the 1954 season is as follows:
Independence blvd.. 90 per cent; Pulaski rd.. 95;
Kedzie ave .. 85; Kostner ave" 90; Laramie ave., 75;
U. S. Rt. 20, 95.

Calumet Ext ensh.m Prog resses

The big job on Calumet expressway is the intricate
grade separation and interchange with Kingery (formerly Tri-State) expres.sway at 171st st. The year's

Front Cove r Picture

The view is west and shows the partly
completed grade separation structure carrying Mannheim rd. over Congress st. expressway. Eventually, there will be a full
cloverleaf. Some land along the south side
of the quarry is needed ancl negotiations
for it are now under way with the Consumers Co. Mannheim rd. is the west end
of the section of the expressway opened to
use this month. Until the interchange is
completed, motorists will use the ramps east
of the structure and also a temporary road
under the bridge. It can be seen curving
to the right, where it connects with Manllheim through a short stretch of Harrison
st. Tbe photo was taken by Elmer Majewski
of the Cook County Highway Department,
who is a flier as well as a photographer.

New Look and the Old on Ashland Avenue

Ashland ave. as viewed from the same spot (near Fulton st. looking north) before and after the resurfacing
done last summer by the Cook County Highway Department.
T he Im provem ent extends from Irving Park
blvd. on the north side to 95th st. on the south. approximately 14Yl miles.
The new surface amount. to
584,410 square yards, the equivalent of 49.81 miles of 20-foot pavement, and the total cost wall $1,104,396.50.

Where Calumet Expressway Crosses Over Kingery

Looking north from the Inter.cetlon of Calumet and King ery (former ly Trl.State) exprellways at 1718t It.
At the end of the 1954 con.tructlon .ealon, the complicated grade lepariltlon and Interchange project stands
80 per cent co mpleted. It I, scheduled for completion In 1955, together with the paving and structures along
the SY2 mile. between 171,t It. and Sauk Trail .

(Continued from Page 4)

drainage and incidental construction.

Bituminous concrete surface on new PCC base or
base widening- Western ave., 54th to 34th ats., Michigan City rd., Cottage Grove ave. to Sibley blvd; Torrence ave., Thornton-Lansing rd. to 176lb sL; 87th
st., Pulaski rd. to Kedzie ave.; Woodside rd.-DesPlaines ave., Longcommon rd. to 23th st.; Forest Way,
Tower rd. to Dundee rd.; Niles Center rd.-Lincoln
ave., Galitz ave. to Cleveland ave.; Oakton st., Cen,tral a~e. to McCormick rd ..
Dunng the year 29 proJects for the resurfacing
of existing pavements were started, completed and
opened to traffic. This work. whicb wss done in both
the city of Chicago and suburbs, amounted to a total
of 1,466,373 square yards of surface-equivalent to

a 20-foot pavement 124.98 miles in length. Total cost

was $2,428,829.70.
The outstanding resurfacing job was Ashland ave.
between Irving Park blvd. on the north and 95th st.
on the south, approximately 14 V2 miles. The new
surface covers abandoned street car tracks and much
badly worn old pavement. It affords a fresh look to
the neighborhoods it traverses and virtually provides
a new tbrough street much needed by north and
south traffic.
'Including 1954 construction, the Construction division reported 47 structures completed on Calumet,
Kingery, Congress st. and Edens expressways since
tbe expressway construction started in 194.6. In tbe
same period, 35 bridges were built on county roads.
(Continued on Next Page)

New Building Record In 1954

Extensive home building operations throughout the
county have added another high record to the annals
of the Building nnd Zoning Bureau of Cook County,

which Is a ttached to the County Highway Department.

The bureau's jurisdiction is the unincorporat ed a r ea
of the COllnt)'.
Total value of all improvements fo r which pennits
were issued in the 12 monLhs ending November 30
was estimated, peDding final tabulation, at $60,374,14.2. This compares witb $53,302,871 in 1953 a nd
$33,388,751 in 1952. Fees collected in 1954 amount
to $232,657. which compares with $190,095.75 in
1953 and $120,386 in 1952.
The 1954 total of 5,187 permits, a gain of 567 over
1953, was issued tor lhe various types of construction
8S follows :
Number of
Permits
Valuation
Residence
3,923
$50,928,410
Accessory buildings
584
545,521
Additions and remodelings
262
1,259,899
Water and sewage
169
336,737
Business
82
2,411.150
Industry
9
593,900
Other
158
4.299.142
5,187
560,374,759
Includes 46 no fees or fa nning ($4,148,370).

Truck Tonnage Up 9.3 Per Cent

Interc ity lonnage lranSl>or ted by motor carrie rs in

1953 was 9,3 per cent more than that tra.nsported in
1952. This was the ninth consecutive year that motor
carricrs have registered a tonnage increase over a
preceding year since the 1950 increase of 25.3 per
cent over 1949. The first three quarters of 1953 were
responsible for the sizeable increase; their gain in the
aggregate was almosl12 per cent. The fourth quarter
decrease of 3,4 per cenl served to bring down lbe
yearly average increase.
Based on lhe reports of 1457 Class 1 Intercity Car
riers of a ll types which transported 216,453,948 tons
of intercity fr eight in 1953 as compared to 198,067,980
tons in 1952, the ATA Truckloading Index, with 1941
as. 100, rose to 270.
Each region of the United States showed an increase
of tonnage carried in 1953 over 1952. The same was
also true for both types of carriage, common and can
tract. The regions experiencing the largest growth
were the Central. 12.8 per cent, and the Rocky Moun
t8ins, 12.4 per cent. Otber gains were as follows:
New Eng land, 6.8 per cent ; Middle AUantic, 9.6 per
cent; Soulbern. 7.2 per cent; Norlbwestern, 7.7 per
cent: Middlewestern, 6.3 per cent; Southwestern, 5,4
per cent; and Pacl6c, 4.2 per cent.
With the exception of building materials, which de
c1ined 4.5 per cent. lber e was an increase in the carriage of all other commodities. Heading the list of
commodities that had the greatest gains was motor
ve hicle carriers with an increase of 31.2 per cent.

Sign Shop"" Has a Busy Season

Tn t he sign shop of the Cook County Highway De

partment, 1954 will go down as a busy season.
One major a ctivity was the replacement on county
roads of old ty pe 24incb but ton STOP signs with 30inch r eDeclive s igna of red color. Approximately
1 ,000 new signs wer e set up during the year. In ad
ditlon, tbe s ig n shop turned out other signs as follows :
24-incb Scotchlite highway signs
4,500
30i n c h " "
1,600
36inch
.,
"
500
18incb
"
,."
250
"by foot Commissioner boa rds
70
28 by 38 inc h "
"
700
24inch Detour signs
3,200
8inch Seot chlite name plates
1,100
other jobs performed by the sign shop crew included
475 miles of center lincs and lane lines and the palnting of 87 pieces of highway equipment.

1954 Road Program(Continued from Page 6)

Bridges on llonexpressway roada completed in 1954
Included .culverts on 171st at. and BOth ave., and the
Steger rd. nod State st. bridges. The $248,000 bridge
over the North Shore channel a t Oakton at. SkokJe,
an important improvement in that busy area, was
opened to use Oet. 30, a lthough some finishing touches
were lacking.
Set:oltdar,v Road M.aintenance
On the secondary roads of the county, whicb include 23.53 miles of portla nd cement concrete pavement. 469.98 miles of bituminous surface and 156.34
miles of crushed stone, lhe following work was dono
In 1954 under supervision of Paul G. Robinson, as
siatant county highway engineer:
BY CONTltACT:
J3ituminous Surface Course . . .. 16.51
Bituminous Seal Coat
10.84.
(Plant Mix) ............. .
BituminousSeal Coat (Liquid &
Treated Aggregate ) ........ . 62.00
Guard Rail Constructed ...... . 30,000

BV ponCE ACCOONT:
Stone Base Construction ... .... 11.95
Liquid $cal .............. .... H.BO
Reconditioning Stone Base for
Con tract Paving ......... __ .
7.00
Crus hed Stone Resurfacing
( Ma.intena nce) .............. 13L35
Shoulde ring & Ditching ........ 36.30
Tar Pa.tching & Crack Filling .. 133.10
Blading & Grading ............ 558.80
Mowing & Weed Cutting ....... 1.832.30
Snow Re moval & Ice Control ... 7,051.00
Road Side & Di tch Cleani~ . . .. 907.90
Dust Preventio n ........... ... 165.45
Sewer & Culvert Construction ..
2.12
Earth Borrow (Placed) ........ 30,080
Permits lnvcstigatcdInspected . .
708
Tree Trimming ,.... . . . . . . . . . . . 5,500

Miles
MileB
Miles
Lin. Ft.
Miles
Milea
Afiles
Miles
Miles
l.liles
Miles
Miles
Miles
Miles
Mile,
Milcs
Yards
Eacb
Man Hrs.

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

LookIng Eut on Congre .. Street, Showing Belt Ry. Grad. Separation lind 25th Ave. Cloverle;1lf

Vol. II

No. 8

JANUARY, 1955

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook County (Dl.) Department of Highways
Unrler Buapices of the Board of County Commissioners
DA NI EL RYAN , P . ....,tnl

l.IIIel r. Ad,.d,.
Fruit alll, yt.h
Ch r . ChpUa

[lIulMn A . Cub),

J l rr), Do'ftul
J.k R J . Dully
Art~ur X. [I,d
WILLIAM J . MORTIMER

Su~erlntenll.nt

01 Hllh .... y.

Published at 130 North Wells Strct, Chicago 6.

1954 Traffic Toll Lighter

UBURBAN Cook county came to the e nd of 1954
with a highway death toll 11.6
under that
S
of 1953. The totals for the two years were 197 as

FRanklin 27544 Extenaion 221

In

Suburban Area

has a fatality rate for 1954 of 1.59 deaths for each

100 miJIion vehicle miles. Even with the 1952 and
1953 fatalities-all of which were determined to have
been caused by driver failure-Edens has a fatality
record of 4.8 for the three years It has been in use.
This compares with 1953 rates (the latest available)
of 7.1 nationwide. 7.2 for all of Illinois, and 7.5 on the
PennsylVania turnpike.
Since the Cook County Traffic Safety Commission
was organized in 1946, the yearly totals of traffic
deaths in the suburban area have been as follows:

per~nt

against 223.
President Daniel Ryan of the county board, who is
ex-officio president of the Cook County Trame Saiety
commiSSion, attributes the improvement to better law
enforcement. and better driving.
"The mayors, village presidents, police chiefs a nd
magistrates of the various s uburbs, a ll of whom are
members of the safety commission, deserve much
cr edit for year around efforts to promote safety,"
said President Ryan. "At the same time, motorists
generally have demonstrated that they can drive
safely when they try.
"The good record made by the mot.oring public is,
in large measure, the result of steady campaigning by
the press. The high point, of course, was Safe Driving
day. It would be a wonderful thing if everyone could
be made as conscious of safety every day of the year.
" In my opinion, it is more important. now tha n ever
before to stress safe driving. The county is planning
extensive expressways, which can be of great. benefit
or can be death tra.ps, depending on whet.her the public
learns to use them properly."
Edens expressway, on which 20 fatal accidents oc
curred in 13 months soon after it was opened in 1951,

1946, 192; 1947, 191; 1948. 192; 1949, 155 ; 1950,

209; 1951, 187; 1952, 218; 1953, 223; 1954, 197.
In that period, motor vehicle registration in Cook
county, including Chicago, has increased more than
half a million, the figures being: 1946, 782,298; 1953,
1,289,804. and 1954, probably 3 per cent more tban
1953.
The safety commission, which is a subsidiary of the
county highway department, endeavors to coordinate
the traffic safety programs of the suburbs and to be
of assistance gene rally in dealing with traffic hazards.
One of its outstanding and successful activities is a
bicycle safety program conducted in suburban public
and parochial schools in cooperalion with school au
thorities. The commission's office is at 130 N. Wells
st., Chicago 6, and the telephone is FRanklin 27544.

lIlG!n VAY TRAFFIO DEATHS IN SUBURBAN OooK OOUl\"TY IN 1954

'"'"

Pede.

trlan

J an.
Feb.

M ....
Apr.
,May
June
July
Aug.
Sept.
Oct.
Nov.

Dec.

2
6
5
3
2
5

52

Auto
Btl'yele

Auto
Auto

1
1
1
1
2
1

6
3

2
5
3

Auto
Truck

1
]

Auto
Tr&ln

Auto
Motor.
c)'r:te

Auto
Bw

'0,

Auto

""'"1
1
3

1
2
2
3

Aulo
Abut
menl

1
1

AUIO

Po"

Auto
Turned
over

20
10

,."

1
1
1

Auto
Build

1
1

5
3

2
1

63

23

]97

1
4
1
1

2
2

17

13

13

20
8
14
17
2.
23
13

8
11
5
3

TOlal

Highway Projects for 1955 Are Listed

construction program for
T
HE 1955
Cook county as
drawn up by the county highway department and
approved by the board of commissioners includes work
on four expressways and 31 projects of various types
on Don-expres8wny streets and highways in Chicng'">
and the suburban area,
The estimated total cosl of expressway work is
$10,793,500. or about one-third of that spent on ex
pressways last year. Less money is available because
the $70 million hond issue approved by the voters in
1946 is exhausted. To meet the need for funds with
which to complete the priority expressway system,

of-way (or Edens expressway from its present temporary terminus at Balmoral ave. to its junction with
Northwest expressway.
Anolher improvement in Edens, which will no doubt
be appreciated by motorists, will be the placing of
street namcs on the various grade separation structures at a total cost of $5,000.
Improvements of various types scheduled on nonexpressway streets snd highways in Chicago and
suburbs, with the cost of each, are as follows:

Projects in Chicago
HALSTED STREET (also partly in Calumet Park
and rural areal-Resurfacing, curb and gutter on
median strip, between Little Calumet river and Vincennes ave.. 5.60 miles, $498,000.
PULASKI ROAD-Resurfacing 50 ft. width between Trving Park rd. and Bryn Mawr ave.. 2 miles,
$1l0,000,
TORRENCE AVENUE (also partly in Calumet
City and Burnham)-Resurfacing two 12.5 ft. lanes
between 154th st. and Sibley blvd., .5 mile, and resurfacing 40 it. width between 140th and 134th sts.,
.75 mile, $55,000.
63d STREET- Resurfacing 40 ft. width between
Central and Cicero aves., 1 mile, $44.000.
87th STREET- land acquisition Cor right-oC-way
between Cicero and Pulaski aves., 1 mile, $50,000.
Paving and Resurfaelng in Suburbs
BARRINGTON ROAD, Barrington aad rural areaWidening from 20 to 24 ft. and res urfacing between
Cook-DuPage county line and Hawthorne rd., 10.78
miles, $148,000.
WOLF ROAD, rural area- Resurfacing 20 ft. width
between Southwest hwy. and H3d st., 3.80 miles,
$84.000.

Calumet CJllpreuway-Southward exten.lon.

County Board President Daniel Ryan has proposed a

$245 million bond issue, which is discussed elsewhere
in this issue.
The non-expressway program is estimated to cost
a total of $4,220,000. It includes 11 resurfacinl{ proj
ects, three portllUld cement concrete paving jobs, six
projects of street widening and resurfacing. six
structures, three storm sewers, two rlghl-i)fway
acquisitions IUld $62,000 for railroad croSSing protection.
Tb@ tot&1 is distributed geographically as follows:
Chicago, $649,000, 16 per cent; north section of the
county, $1,055,000, 25 per cent; west section, $1,242,000,29 per cent; south section, $1,274,000, 30 per cent.
Work on Expressways
On Congress st. expressway, the county program in
eludes right-i)f.way acquiSition and building demoli
tion in the section between Sacramento blvd. and the
Cook-DuPage county line; CTA track supports at
Kastner ave. work on the Belt milway grade separation and paving between Kastner and Cicero aves.
Total estimated cost on Congress st. Is $5,165,000.
Work scheduled on Calumet expressway, estimated
to cost a total of $1,511.500, includes the grade separation over the E. J. & E. and the M. C. R. R. tracks,
drainage, grading and paving between LIncoln hwy.
Wid Sauk Trail. Calumet ~s scheduled to be ready
for use as far as Sauk Trail late thi..s summer.
On Northwest expressway, the county has allotted
$3,112,000 to acquire and clear right-at-way in various areas between Cullom ave., in Chicago, where
Northwest and Edens expressway will join, and
Mannheim rd.. O'Hare air field The program &180
includes $1,000,000 for acquiring a nd clearing right-

Congre . . .t.-Belt R. R. gr.de .eplratlon.

HARLEM-OAK PARK AVENUES, rural areaWidening from 20 to 24. ft. and r esurfacing between
Lincoln hwy. and 183rd st., $54.000.
Wll..LOW ROAD, rural area- Widening from 20 to
24 ft. and resurfacing between Milwaukee and Shenner
aves., 3.20 miles, 540,000.
STATE ROAD, Bedford Park and rural areaPortland cement concrete pavement between Nar
ragansett and Cicero aves .. 2.65 mUes, $353,000.
(Continued on Page 7)

Bonds Proposed to Expedite Expressways

For the Southwest expresswsy, 16.2 miles, $90
million.
There Is now available for the South and Southwest
routes $15 million of City of Chicago bond funds.
Subtracting this sum from the $260 total of the above
items, leaves S24~ million to be raised by the proposed new state bond issue.
Foremost of numerous reasons why it is highly
desirable to complete the ex pressway system quickly
is the public's interest from the viewpoints of convenience, safety and cost Baving. In respect to the
last point, the savings in time, operating costa and
accident prevention afforded by eXpre6SWtly design
can be expressed definitely in terms of money. This
has been the experience on Edens and Calumet as well
as other expressways throughout the country,
The savings which the motoring public may realize
when the expressway system Is completed are estimated by Willlarn J. Mortimer, county highway superintendent. at $60 mi llion 8 year. Thus the saving of
nine years' construction time, which would be possible
with the proposed bond Issue would mean a return
to the citizens of a sum more than twice the amount
of the bonds.

By Dani el Rya n
Pre.lde"t,
BOlrd of Comml"lol'lerl of Cook County

HE PRINClP A L benefit to be had from t.he. $245

million ex presaway bond issue I have sponsored ,is
T
the saving of nine years' lime in completion of tbe

basic expressway system

reaching from the cen
t ral business district of
Chicago oul through the
county in five directions.

The Idea of a bond issue took shape following

Gov. Strat.ton's proposal
to spend 520 million of
state highway funds on

Cook County expressway cOllstruction each

ycnr. If we were to use
this money as it came to
us, doing $20 million
worth of work a year, it would require 12 years to do
the $245 million of construction needed to complete
the system. But by using the same funds to amortize
a 20-year bond isaue, the entire sum would be available at once a nd conalnlction could be pushed to completion in three years or litlle more.
The people of Cook county have seen how bonds
can expedite large acale public Improvements. In 1946
the voters approved a $70 million issue to finance the
county's share of the first expressways. Since then,
14 miles of Edens expr essway has been placed in use;
Calumet expressway has been completed to Its intersection wi th Kingery expressway and later this year
will be opened to Sauk Trail ; Kingery, from its junction with Calumet, reaches to the Indiana line; the
county has a lmost completed its section of the Congress st_ expressway and bas acquired right-of-way
valued at more than $10 million for the Northwest
expressway,
II) HI

Bont! Issue

Urgent Need For Two Rout es

There Is special urgency at this time to construct
the South and Southwest expressways in addition to
the fact that they will complete lbe radial pattern
that includes roUles to the north, northwest and west.
The City of Chicago baa recently completed financing of the Calumet Skyway, wh ich will eonnect the
terminus of the new Indiana turnpike with State st.
at 62d st. South expressway will paraJlel State st, at
that point and when completed wiU accommodate the
heavy traffic Howing into the city over the Skyway
and distribute it without congestion_ To the north,
the South route connects with the Southwest expressway at 26th and Canal sls. and with Congress st,. just
west of the loop. It runs southward to lO3d st. to a
connection with Calumet expressway. The Skyway
project makes quick completion of South expressway
n. " must."
Changing conditions also emphasize the need of
expediting the Southwest expressway, Much new industry has located along the route, which follows the
dry bed of the old Illinois & Michigan canal from 26th
and Canal sla, to the Cook-DuPage county line.
Another need tor this route Is to speed travel to the
Midway airport, which is to continue In operation
after O'Hare International airport is opened.

E ~h n u st cJ

That bond issue is now exhausted except what is

needed to complete the county's share of Congress st.
The opportunity to obtain new funds in adequate
amount is, therefore, most timely.
The proposed bonds would be issued by the State
of lllinoia, backed by its full faith and credit. It is
believed the rate of interest would not exceed 2 3 4
per cent. A table showing how $245 million at this
interest rate would be amorti%CCI over 20 years appears
on page 5. As will be seen, there would be a surplus,
but in fonning my proposal, 1 have set the amount
sought as representing our needs. In arriving at the
total of 245 million, the following Items were included :
For construction of Northwest expre88way (rom the
loop to Cicero ave. and completion of slate sections
of Congress sl-, $60 million.
For the South expressway, 14.6 milcs, SUO million.

Plb GO\'. Stratton's PIIl1l8

When I first proposed the bond issue construction
program to Gov. Stratton, he perceived immediately
t hat it would fit in naturally with the plans of his
state toll road commission, the toll free expressways
radiating (rom the city serving as feeders to the toll
routes. The state commission already had proposed
that Northwest expressway west of Cicero ave. and
Kingery expressway west of Its Intersection with
(Continued on Page 7)

County Civil Defense Has "Smooth Out"

OOK COUNTY Civil Defense went through its

paces Dec. 8 as part of the test exercise arranged

C
by the federal Civil Defense regional office for Illinois
and 12 n eighboring slales.
Designated "Operation Smooth Out," the test was
aimed at uncovering and correcting any deficiencies
in the communications system set up for suburban
Cook county and five other counties in the Chicago
metropolitan area- Kane, DuPage, Will, Lake, and
McHenry.
The county C. D. organization functions as an affiliate of the Cook County Highway Department. 'I'he
president is Daniel Ryan, president of the county
board, and the director is Joseph A. Downey, who also
is mutual aid coordinator for the six counties in the
metropolitan area. Communication headquarters are
in the county highway warehouse and garage at 26th
and Beach sts., LaGrange Park, and it was there that
"Operation Smooth Out" was conducted.
Besides the director and his staff, those who participated in the test were Ch ief Harold Bear, Capt.
Martin W. Boueshel and Lt. Clem Nance of the Cook
County Police Reserve, and Herbert Clark, radio
operator for the LaGrange Park Civil Defense.
During the hours of the test, from 8 A. M. to 4. P. M. ,
68 messages were received by radio and telephone.
Of this total, 18 came from state Civil Defense headquarters, 44 from Chicago Civil Defense and six from
Evanston and Skokie C. D. centers. The nature of
the messages and answers is illustrated by the following:
"11:40 a. m. Message to Mutual Aid Coordinator
Joseph A. Downey, Chicago Mutual Aid area, from
state control center: Mobile support groups are coming
to your assistance as follows-Group No.4 (Rockford)

arrives at Elgin 1:40 p. m. on CD.20, Group 7,

( Decator) a rrives Kankakee 3 p. m. on CD-54., Group
No.8 (Springfield) arrives Plainfield 5 p. m. on CD-66.
Where do you want these groups to go?"
"Answer 11:42 a. m. Message by J oseph A. Downey
to State Control Center: Direct that Group No.4 from
Rockford arriving at Elgin 1 :40 p. m. should proceed
to Maywood race track, River rd. and North ave., Collection and Transfer Point No.2; Group NO.7 from
Decatur arriving at Kankakee at 3 :00 p. m. should
proceed on Illinois highway to Washington Park race
track, 175th and Halsted als., Collection and Transfer Point No.4; Group No.8 from Springfield arriving
at Plainfield at 5 p. m. proceed to Collection and
Transfer Point No.3 at the intersection of highways
4.5 and 66. Distribution will be made from the three
collection and transfer points to the stricken areas
when needed."
In his report, Director Downey stated:
';1 am convinced that in time of emergency, with a
few corrections that will have to be worked out in
the metropolitan area. we can be of great assistance
to Chicago."

Reports have been received from the Civil Defense

directors of the other counties in the area covering
their partiCipation in the exercise. These directors
a rc:
Lake county- Richard C. Willer, Libertyville.
Will county- Stewart Hutchinson. Joliet.
McHenry county-A. J. QUerhammcr, Crystal Lake.
Kane county-Adolph Meisch, Aurora.
DuPage county- Roy C. BlaCkwell, Lombard.

HOW PROPOSED EXPR.ESSWAY HONDS WI.LL PA Y OUT YEAR BY YEAR

Interest Required

ht Year
2nd
3,d
4th

5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
10th
11th
12th
13th
14th
15th
16th
17th
18th
19th
20th

"

"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"

a-l.aturity

Total Requiretl

$ 6.737,500.00
6,4.00.625.00
6,063,750.00
5,726,875.00
5,390,000.00
5,053,125.00
4,716.250.00
4,379,375.00
4,04.2,500.00
3,705,625.00
3,368,750.00
3,031,875.00
2 ,695,000.00
2,358,125.00
2,021,250.00
1,684,375.00
1,347,500.00
1.010,625.00
673,750.00
336,875.00

$ 12,250,000.00
12,250,000.00
12,250,000.00
12,250,000.00
12,250.000.00
12,250,000.00
12,250,000.00
12,250,000.00
12,250,000.00
12,250,000.00
12,250,000.00
12,250,000.00
12,250,000.00
12,250,000.00
12,250,000.00
12,250,000.00
12,250,000.00
12,250,000.00
12,250,000.00
12,250,000.00

$ 18,987,500.00
18.650,625.00
18,313,750.00
17,976,875.00
17,640,000.00
17,303,125.00
16,966,250.00
16,629,375.00
16,292,500.00
15,955,625.00
15.618,750.00
15,281,875.00
14,945,000.00
14,608,125.00
14.271,250.00
13,934,375.00
13,597,500.00
13,260,625.00
12,923,750.00
12,586,875.00

$70,743,750.00

$245,000,000.00

$315.243,750.00

A Backward Glimpse at Chicago's Weather

Chicago In 1820, when Schoolcraft "lilted the lettle ment. from an 18&7 lithograph In the ChlC:ilgo H l,tol"ieill
Society" eo ll ection. On the louth bank I, Fort Deilr born and aero.. the river is the home: of John Kinlle.

People who wonder what wioler was !.ike at the aite

of Chicago l35 years ago may find out by going back
to the "Narrative Journal of Travels through the
Northwestern Regions of The United States Extending
trom Detroit through the Great Chain of American
Lakes to the Sources of the Mississippi River in the
Year 1920" by Henry R. Schoolcraft. A new edition,
(520 pp.) edited by Mentor L. Williams of Winnetka,
TIl. , bas been published recently by Michigan State

College.
After a lour north of prescnt Minneapolis, thence
south to Julien Dubuque's lead mines and from there
back to Grcen Bay, Schoolcraft reduced his party to
16 men in two canoes and paddled down the lake to

Chicago. It took them seven days to reach the settlement, which they found to consist of IFort Dearborn,
with a garrison of 160, and about 60 civilians. The
weather records he included in his journal had been
kept by Dr. Alexander Wolcott during the first quarter
of 1920. Dr. Wolcott, a Yale graduatc, then 30 years
old, was one of carly Chicago's most illustrious citizens. He became Indian agent late in 1920 and married Nell Kinzie. His name is borne by Wolcott st.,
Chicago.
From Dr. Wolcott's records, Schoolcraft made the
following notes, which indicate that Chicago's winters
have changed little in 136 years:

A tmospheric heat

Jan.
Feb.
Mar. to (15th)

Average Temperature
1820 to 9 a. m.

Av. temp.
at2p.m.

Av. t~mp.
at9p.m.

14'
29'

18'
36'
32'

14'
30'

27'

25'

Weather
Jan.
Feb.
Mar. to (ll5th)

Cloudy 6 days
CJoudy 8 days
Cloudy 10

Snow Storms 6
Rain 4.

CJear 19
Clear 17
Clear 4.

County Highway Projects

For 1955 Are Scheduled

Bond Issue Is Proposed

To Expedite Expressways

(Continued from Page 3)

(Continued from Page 4)

55th STREET, Western Springs and HinsdaleWidening to four lanes, resurfacing, curb and gutter
between Cook-DuPage line and LaGrange rd., 2.50
miles, $630,0.00.
OAKTON STREET, rural area-Widening from 20
to 24 ft. and resurfacing between Elmhurst and Mannheim rds., 2.30 miles, $33,000.
GREENWOOD AVENUE, rural area- Resurfacing
20 ft. width between Milwaukee and West Lake aves.,
2.35 miles, $52,000.
McHENRY ROAD, rural area- Resurfacing 20 ft.
width between Lake-Cook county line and Dundee rd.,
1.90 miles, $42,000.
CENTRAL ROAD, Arlington Heights, Mt. Prospect
and rural area- Widening from 18 to 22 ft. and resurfacing between Arlington Heights rd. and Northwest hwy., 1.80 miles, $62,000.
LINCOLN AVENUE, Skokie and Morton Grove-Resurfacing 4.2 ft. width between Ferris and Cleveland
aves., 1.65 miles, $62,000.
GRAND AVENUE, River Grove and Elmwood Park
- Resurfacing 40 ft. width between DesPlaines river
and Westwood ave., 1.45 miles. $72,000.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS ROAD, Arlington Heights
- Resurfacing 40 ft. width between Central rd. and
Northwest hwy., 1.10 miles, $48,000.
STATE STREET, Chicago Heights - P ortland
cement concrete pavement and storm sewer between
Lincoln hwy. and Joe Orr rd., 1 mile, $280.000.
138th STREET, Riverdale-Resurfacing 22 It.
width between Ashland ave. and Halsted st., 1 mile.
$24,000.
EUCLID AVENUE, Arlington Heights-Widening
to four lanes, resurfacing, curb and gutter between
Wilke rd. and Northwest hwy . 0.65 mile. $120,000.

Calumet be made toll roads. If this is done-and I

regard it as a reasonable arrangement- the county
will have to raise $17 Yz million over and above regular
financing to complete the county's share of Northwest
expressway within the three-year limit proposed by
the governor.
In addition to this sum, the county also stands
ready to contribute the services of the County Highway Department's staff of engineers to prepare plans
for the expressways included in the program, acquire
rights-of-way and supcrvise construction.

Bridges and Sewers

EVANSTON- Grade separation at Emerson st.,
Ridge ave. and C. & N. W. R. R. tracks, cost participation on ly, S100,000.
PARK RIDGE--Widening Touhy ave. bridge over
DesPlaines river, $255,000.
APTAKISIC ROAD-Culvert at Buffalo creek,
$31,000.
FLOSSMOOR ROAD-Three bridges between Ridgeland and Central aves., $83,000.
CENTRAL AVENUE-Bridge north of Flossmoor,
$28,000.
RIDGELAND AVENUE--Culvert south of Flossmoor, $30,000.
55th STREET, McCook and rural area-Storm
sewer between LaGrange and Joliet rda., 1.72 miles,
$540,000.
KEDZIE AVENUE, Robbins and rural area-Storm
sewer between C. R. 1. & P. R. R. tracks and Sag
channel, 1 mile, $100,000.
CHICAGO HEIGRTS--Right-of-way for bridge and
grade separation at J oe Orr rd., C. & E. 1. R. R.
tracks and Thorn creek, $30,000.
CHICAGO HEIGHTS, Ashland ave.-Storm sewer
from Joe Orr rd. 1,900 feet south, $100,000.

Quiet j\lotor on the Way

A noise expert recently predicted automobile engines will be so quiet that motorists will have to
check the oil pressure gauge to tell whether they are
running.
The day of virtually noiseless engines was described at the Fifth Annual National Abatement
Symposium held at the Armour Research Foundation
in Chicago, by David C. Apps, head of the noise and
vibration laboratory at General Motors Proving
Grounds, Milford, Michigan.
Apps told some 300 engineers that modern techniques such as acoustical blankets and firewall treatment, can make engines virtua lly silent.
To cut down on other traffic noises produeed by
automobile-such as road rumble, axle noise rl.l1d tire
disturbances- Apps suggested more careful gear and
tire manufacture and the use of more acoustical material. such as rubber, in construction of cars.
Left Turn Highly Dangerous
Turning left is one of the most dangerous maneuvers in the whole field of driving. Last year's nation-wide statistics show 2,200 persons were killed
in accidents involving an automobile which was
making a left turn. This is more than were killed
as a result of skids, and compares with a total of
only 960 fatalities involving vehicles making a right
turn.- Highway Research Abstracts.

lUghwa.ys Base of 10 l\IilUon Jobs

According to the Brookings Institution, highway
transportation as we know it in the United States
is "the greatest single combination of economic activities in man's history." It pays a sixth of t he
nation's taxes an1 provides over 10 million jobs.
More people are employed in all branches of highway
transportation than on all the nation's farms.Traffic Digest and Review.
Accident Cost in Billions
The total of established costs of 1953 motor vehicle
accidents is $4.3 billion. The total includes the $2.7
billion estimated cost of injuries and insurance and
the estimate of $1.6 billion property damage.Accident Facts (1954).

 COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Clul'l. unpolluted .treaml enhance the plellurel or liv ing. See Page 2

Vol. II

No. 9

FEBRUARY, 1955

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook County (n!. ) Department of Highwaya
Untier auspices of the Board of County Conunisaioners
DANIEL RYAN, Pradlllul

1'.0 F. A........
F,.".k B'~b'b
Clll r ies F. CU~I I "
[lip" .... A. C."hy
Jur~ Do'lu l
Joh J. Oull t
Arth ,

Willi... N. Erlth . .
frH A . Fulla

e"'" ...

JIIIN II

1."" A . M.. Ue Jt
Cllylu f . 8 .. 11.
(dw 11 M. Sled
Joh J. T,"~y

X. [I

WILLIAM J MORT IMER

SlIpo,lnundelll of MI".I,.

Published at 130 North Wells Street, Chicago 6.

FRanklin 27644 Extension 221

>

Clean Streams Drive To Restore Natural Beauty

Th e following presentation of tit" "t rcallL
poUution problem was writte n by Rooort lJ Mann,
cotl8ervation editor of the Cook County PorclJt

From President Ryan

PreSC1'1)6 District.
HE pollution of surface waters in the Chicago

T region Is onc of man's most shameful and dangerous crimea against himself. It is ruining one of

The following announcement hIlS been made to

members of the Cook County Clean Str eams committee, a ll of whom ar(' civic leaders In the suburban
area, by the ehairman. Burton H . Atwood:

our basic resou rces by rendering water unfit for

human c.onllumptlon and unsuitable Cor many industrial
or domestic uses. PolJution is particularly a larming
in tbis Chicago area, 88 it is ncar most big cities.
Emptied into rivers and creeks, other communities
feel its effects a hundred o r more mile. downstream.
Even in rural communities, it or iginates 88 wastes
from laundries, dairies, r a ilroa d ya.rda, packing plants,
chemical plan18, refin eries a nd a vaat number of
other industries,
A lot of the pleasure of living is taken away because our streams and lakes are fouled and spoiled
for bathing, boating. 8sbing and othe r recreations.
Further, the health hazard is very real. Unless
such waters are boiled or chlorinated there is danger
from typhoid, dysentery and many other diseases.

"1 am sur e you will be glad to know that I

have received a very cordial leHer from
Daniel Ryan, president of the Board of
County Commissione rs of Cook Coun ly and
also president of the Fores t Preserve Diatrict.,
expressing his very g reat intczceal in Lhe work
of our Clean Streams committee. We anticipate having Mr. Ryan with 1111 a t one of our
meetings in the ncar future and hearing from
him personally.
"We have n new member of our Clean
Strea.ms committee. Mr. Rya n has appointed
Commissioner William N. Erickson to membership on tbe committee. This appointment
is made in view of Commissioner Erickson's
past and continued inlerellt in the activities
of the Clelln Str eams committee.
';There is every reason to expect that with
the wholehearted suppo rt. of President Ryan
and Commissioner Erickson a nd the continuing [ul1 cooperation of the Board of Com
missioners which Mr. Ryan has promised,
we shall continue to make progress in the
e Limination of sewage pollution of Cook
County Streams during 1955."

Sources of Stream Pollutlon

The most common and offens ive effects of pollution
arise from household sewage and w!lSlell from the
processing of foods: packing plants, canneries, distilleries, and the like. This decaying or ganic matter,
as it becomes putrid, stimulatcs an cnormOUIl multiplication of water bacteria and a host of other s mall
plant and animal life which usc it as food. Lilr.e other
living things. malt of these "breathe" and use up
the oxygen di880lved in the water-faater in wann
weather, slowe r in winter-often reducing it to the
point where 8sb, for exa mple, must retreat into
cleaner water o r suffocat e.

prey to flah diseases. Among the s mall a nimal life

there is also a wide range of tolerance to pollut ion :
some very sensitive, otbers hardy. Even when the
oxygen is eompletely exbaust ed, sludge wor ms ( whicb
look like miniature earthworms) may become so numerous t ha t they look like red pile on a gray rug.

Unfortunately, oxygen is but sUghtly soluble in

water, reaching only 7 or S parts per million in summer and somewha t more in cold weather, even in
clean waler. At least. half t.hla a mount is necessary
for the survival of most kinds of gamcfish and panfish,
as well as for the minnows, crayfisb, insect larvae and
other animals on whicb they feed. Flsh like carp,
goldfish, buffaloes, bullheads and gars can live in
polluted water so long as the oxygen does not go too
low, but it may weaken them until even they fall

Sludge !\lay Be Uerno\'cd

A clea r fresh stream, receiving a heavy dosage of

sewage, first becomes tu rbid and murky; then it
bubbles, gives off fou l odors and shows 80ating
(Continued on Page 7)

Expressway Traffic Is Checked and Analyzed

William J, Mortimer, Cook county highway superintendent (right), and Leo G. Wilkie, traffic engineer of the
county highway department, check over the reports resulting from the traffic survey on Edens expressway

and paralle l routes.

The first traffic SlUHJy conducted anywhere in ths country to stuily the effect 0/ a 81tpcriOT facility, S1/Ch as
Edens e:rprC88way, OIl adjac(mt, parallel highways, was started by the Cook. COlmty IIighway Departmen t in1950 and completed lust year. A/ter the large t~k of processing and analysis 1Vas fillished, the principal find111g8 were prc8(J11ted by Mr. Mortimer to the annual meetblg of tM Highway Research Board in W ashhlgton,
D. C., Jrtll. IS. The article taliowillY is the tallG he gave at that time.

UNDREDS of miles of expressways are now in use

and continues northward to the county limits. The

communities, other than the city of Chicago, heing
served by this expressway vary in population from
3,500 to 75,000. Chicago, with a population of
3,865,000, contributes substantially to the traffic on
this expressway.
Nearly 200,000 motorists were interviewed by employees of the Cook County Highway Department on
August 31, September I, and September 2, 1954. Three
hundred men were required for the field work to
secure facts on origins and destinations, which are
compared in this study with the 1950 data, to provide
information as to the influence that a superior highway facility has on parallel roads.
Check On Same Days Each Year
The 1954 follow-up survey was refined as a result
of the experience gained in 1950. The field structure
(Continued on Next Page)

H throughout the United States. Much time and

money has been expended to achieve these superior
highway facilities, However, not enough factual
knowledge is available as to the effectiveness of expressways or their influence on parallel existing highways.
To add to such information, the Cook County Highway Department conducted two road interview traffic
surveys, one in 1950, before Edens expressway was
opened, and the follow-up survey in 1954, after Edens
achieved a stable traffic pattern of substantial
volume.
Edens expressway was opened to traffic late in
December of 1951. [t is one of three expressway
sections of the proposed system of express highways
for Cook county, now in use. Edens, 14% miles in
length, begins near Foster ave. in the city of Chicago

of the survey was established in 1950. This structure

was maintained in the 1954 follow-up with several
field improvements and the addition of interview
stations along Edens expressway, which was not
open to traffic until after the 1950 "before" portion
of this study. In 1950, 117,000 road interviews were
obtained, and 182,000 interviews in 1954.
The surveys in both 1950 and 1954 consisted of
road interview stations across three screen lillcs
culting important routes paralleling Edens. In each
war, the survey was conducted on lhe Tuesday,
Wednesday and Thursday preceding Labor day. The
"A" line stations were operated on Tuesday, the "B"
line stations on Wednesday and the "C" line statipns
on Thursday. All stations were operated for 16 hours,
beginning at 6:00 a. m. and concluding at 10:00 p. m.
In 1950, station "A2" was established to account
for traffic desir;ng to avoid possible delay due to the
road inferviews. Afer several hours of operation, it
was found that there was no avoidance and station
"A-2" was eliminated.
Despite the difficulties encountered in such a large
operation, 74.9% of all the motorists passing through
the J9 stations in 1954 were interviewed.
Volume counts were maintained at all stations
by mechanical counters, registering 15 minutes and
hourly totals. These were constantly inspected and
adjUsted for accuracy.

cago, 85% use Edens and that of all vehicles destined

to Indiana and beyond over 90 %' used Edens.
Edens expressway was opened to full traffic use
in December, 1951. This expressway was located and
designed on the basis of the findings of our 1941
origin-destination traffic survey. In that survey, the
last four digits of the state license plates were noted
by observers at 380 recording stations, 200 of which
were located outside of the City of Chicago. The
observations of this survey were analyzed by business
machinc methods.
From this information, traffic was assigned to
Edens expressway on the basis of optimum timedistance. As the work of traffic assignment progressed,
it became apparent that improvements in techniques
were necessary to achieve slability in traffic assignment results. As a consequence, it was decided to
conduct a before-and-after study to add knowledge
to the field of traffic assignment and its subdivisions.
The commonly accepted principal subject divisions
in traffic assignment are:
1. Traffic diversion
2. Traffic "generation"
3. Normal growth
Traffic diversion as commonly used, denotes the
traffic which is drawn to a new or improved facility
from alternate existing routes. For this study, traffic
diversion was considered to include two aspects:
1. Diversion onto the expressway from within
the subject corridor and
2. Diversion onto the expressway from O1tlside
the subject corridor.

E dens Attract s TraffiC

The map on page 5 shows a total of 35,856 vehicles
crossing "A" screen line stations. Al, A3, M and A5,
in 1950 and 47,409 crossing the same stations, plus
Edens expressway, in 1954. This is an increase of
32.2%. All of the 1950 "A" scr~n line stations
show a decrease in 16 hour volumes in 1954, ranging
from 75.1% for Skokie rd.-most nearly adjacent
to Edens expressway-down to 9.8 % decrease for
Green Bay rd.
The tolal 1950 "B" screen line station 16-hour
volume was 56,147 and the same stations, plus Edens,
increased in 1954 to 77,756 or 38.5%. Three of the
six 1950 "B" stations showed a decrease, with
Skokie rd. decreasing 51.2% in 1954.
"C" screen line stations show the largest 1950-1951
volume increasc. This 62.2 % increase is based on
71,099 total volume for six stations in 1950, compared
to the same stations and Edens expressway for 1954.
Of significance is Milwaukee ave., Station C-1. which
shows a 70.3 % increase compared to a 62.2% increase for all "C" screen line stations. This station
is farthest removed from Edens on the "C" screen
line.
The survey found that 89 % of the traffic originating
northwest out of Cook county, used Edens expressway.
It is significant to note that over 73 % of the traffic
originating in Wisconsin used Edens. Of the total
south bound traffic passing through the "A" line,
nearly 56% used Edens. This represents a volume
of 12,500 vehicles.

Traffi c Divers ion Noted

For the p\lrpose of this paper, only that diversion
obServed at the "B" screen line will be considered.
To determine the volume of the expected traffic
for each of the stations, a normal growth factor had
to be found. After cxamining several approaches.
it was decided to select as a base for normal growth,
the average increase in vehicle registration for all
communities in the subject corridor. This was found
to be 28.8 %. which was a substantially higher index
than any of the others considered. The population
increase for these same communities, was 18.8 %.
Diversion onto the expressway was estimated to be
the difference between the expected 1954 traffic volume
and the actual 1954 traffic VOlume, whenever the
expected volume was greater. The expected 1954
traffic volumes were determined by expanding the
1950 volumes by the normal growth factor of 28.8%.
The following table resulled for the "8" slations:
28.8% Normal growth
2.7% Generation
7.0 % Diversion from outside of the subject
corridor
38.5 %

Total increase at "8" screen line from

1950-1954
Applying these percentages to the total "B" screen
line increase, the following breakdown resulted:
16,163 Normal growth
1,513 Generation
(Continued on Page 7)

Th rougb Traffic Uses Expressway

It is of extreme significance to point out that of
all vehicles through screen line "A" destined to Chi-

K
E

N
I
C

H
I

8
A
N

/9S0
III ./954
T hi, map of the north end of Cook county ,ho"". the structure of the IC:reen line traffic lurvey. mild. In 1950,
before Edens upr.llwo1y Wal In Ule , ;lind in 1954. after Eden, had ;1IC:quired ill trllttie p;llttern. Countl tilke n In
both yurt .re shown I t tleh of the In t erv ie w .tation . On Edens. of cour , the ,tiltlq", did no t c"llt in 1950.

Daily Drivers Save Time On Congress Street

L. ooking weat on Congress st. elC pressway at

th~

morning rush hour. showing parade of east. bound workers.

LITTLE more than a month, the 2% mile section

Congress st. between 1st ave. and Mannheim rd.
Iis ofNproving
to be a traffic clinic of much value to expressway planners. This section, the first of Congress
st. to be placed in use, was constructed by the Cook
County Highway Department.
Outstanding in the records thus far is the fact that
the 24-hour traffic count on the thirtieth day was
more than double that of the first day. Since then,
except for slow down during wintry weather conditions, the daily count has r emained high, indicating
that people who have made a trial run have found
it convenient a nd time-saving to make regular use
of the expressway.
President Daniel Ryan of the County Board, who is
sponsoring a $245 million bond issue to expedite
completion of the basic expressway system, regsrds
the public's readiness to use Congress st. as evidence
of urgent demand for more of such improvements.
"There were many who thought this piece of Congress st. was too short to be of any real use, but in
less than a month it was taking traffic away from
Roosevelt rd., which is U. S. 30 and runs to the
Pacific ocean," said President Ryan. "People definitely will go out of their way to enjoy the safe, continuous travel afforded on an expressway."
The heaviest travel in a single hour has consistently
been between 7 and 8 a. m. east bound and the next
heaviest, between 5 and 6, west bound.
"These are people going to and from work, who
have found it possible to save time on the expressway," sa id William J . Mortimer, county highway
superintendent. "One man who has a business on
Mannheim rd. told me that he saves 15 minutes a day.
With 10,000 motorists, this amounts to 2,500 hours
a day, and time, of course, is money."
Congress st. traffic lanes, like those on Edens and
Calumet expressways, are designed fOr maximum

capacity of 1,500 vehicles an hour, or a potential

total for all six lanes in both directions of 9,000 an
hour, 216,000 in 24 hours. At present, east and west
traffic is carried largely by five parallel streets. These,
with their estimated 24-hour volumes of traffic are:
Cermak rd ...... . ...... .. .. 10,000
Roosevelt rd. ..
. ........ 20,000
. ....... 12,000
M'adison st. ..
Washington blvd. . ......... 8,000
Lake st. . . . . . . . . . . ..... 14,000
When Congress st. is completed, these routes will
be relieved of through traffic, which will enhance their
convenience to shoppers and other purely local users.
The Congress st. section now in use was opened
between 1st and 25th aves. on Wednesday, Dec. 22.
The count that day was 2,813 east bound and 2,676
west, a total of 5,489. On Dec. 31, the pavement between 25th ave. and Mannheim rd. also was opened,
and on Jan. 20, the total was 11,236, more than twice
that of the first day.
Sample traffic counts made from midnight to midnight follow:
East
Bound
Date
Tuesday, Jan. 4 ......... .4,119
Wednesday, Jan. 5 ....... .4,130
Thursday, Jan. 6 ....... .4,835
Friday, Jan. 7 .. .. ........ 5,230
Monday, J an. 10 ......... . 5,034
Tuesday, Jan. 11 .......... 5,420
Wednesday, Jan. 12 ..... .4,697
Thursday, J an. 13 ........ 5,284
Friday, Jan. 14 . .
. .. 5,490
. .... 5,792
Thursday" J an. 20
Monday, Jan. 31
..... 5,022
Tuesday, Feb. 1 ......... .4,998
Wednesday, Feb. 2 .... . ... 5,223
Thursday, F eb. 3 ....... , .. 5,106

West
Bound
3,567
3,309
4,358
4,623
4,576
4,820
4,216
4,671
5,014
5,444

4,856
5,140
5,071
5,251

Total
7,686
7,439
9,193
9,853
9,610
10,240
8,913
9,955
10,454
11,236
9,878
10,138
10,294
10,357

Expressway Traffic Is Checked and Analyzed

3,926

21,609

(Continued from Page 4)

Diversion from outside the subject corridor

Total volume increase at ';8" screen

line [rom 19501954.
Although the components of generation and diversion were separated, the results seemed to show
significant inconsistencies with the theory of generation.
Trip PUlIKlseS Studied
There should be a functional relationship between
generation and percentage of expresBway use. In
the breakdown of the total volume of generated
traffic, such a relationship was not found. It became
apparent 8S the a na lysis progressed, tha t local indices
of growth musl be used if a true component of
generation is to be isolated.
The information gathered in the fi eld for this comparative 1050-1954 road interview type survey, included nol only origin and destination Information,
vehicle types and volumes, but also trip purpose data,
At the "e" screen line work-business trips. which
accounted for 57.7 % of the total passenger car traffic
in 1950. increased to 60% in 1954. This represents a
volume increase of over 26,000 work-business trips.
Of the total 63,000 work-business trips for screen
line "C", almost 16,000 used Edens.
This represents 24.9 % of the total work-business
trips. Cicero avenue, which is most nearly adjacent
to the cxpressway at the "c" line, carried only 18.3 %
of the work-bus iness trips in 1950, indicating that
Edens is not a r eplacement of that road at that point.
At the "A" line, Edens in 1954, for all trip purposes,
carried a relativcly larger volume of traffic t ha n did
Skokie-Cicero highway in 1950. However, at the
"C" line, Edens carried both a smaller percentage and
a smaller volume of shopping trips than did Cicero in
1950.
Few Shoppers U!>e E A'"Pressway
The per cent of shoppers using Edens expressway
shows a progressiVe decrease from screen line "An
to screen line "B" to screen line "C". In spite of the
fact that there exists a tremendous and progressive
increase in total volumes from "A" to "B" to "C"
screen lincs, a progressive volume decrease in shopping
trips was actually experienced from "A" to "B" to
"C" stations on Edens expressway.
The number of s hopping trips at the " A" screen line
was 1,876, of which 31.5 % used Edens exprcssway;
the number of s hopping trips a t the " B" screen line
was 4,965, of which 10.8% used Edens; the number
of shoppers at the "C" line stations was 5,710, of
which only 8.8% used. Edens.
An important finding was th e substantial pcreentage
of heavy t rucks using Edens. Over 36 % of the
heavy trucks passing through the "e" screen line,
were carried by the expressway. This represents a
16 hour volume of over 2,600 heavy trucks.
Percenlagewise, the increase over Cicero avenue,
is even more s ubstantial. Edens today carries 9 %
more heavy trucks than did Cicero in 1950. This is
a voLume increase of 1,500 trucks. Similar relationships were found in the "A" and "B" stations.

Civil Defense Movies

Following is thc complete list of

motion pictures acquired by the
Cook County Civil Defe nse for use
at local Civil Defense meetings:

The Cities Must Fight (10 Min. Sound)

2. Survival Under an Atomic Attack (10 Min.
Sound )
3. Biological Warfare (10 Min. Sound)
4. 'Fire Fighting for Householders (10 Min.
Sound)
Duck and Cover (10 Min. Sound)
6. Self Preservation (28 Min. Sound )
7. Pattern for Survival (26 Min. Sound)
8. The Atom Strikes (29 M.in. Sound)
9. First Aid in Prevention of Shock (30 Min .
Sound)
10. Guarding Against Sabotage (4.5 Min. Sound)
11. Military Police Town P atrolling (31 hUn.
Sound)
12. You N ever Can Tell (28 Min. Sound) '
13. Trapped (26 Min. Sound)
14. Operation Ivy (H-Bomb Color ) (32 Min.
Sound)
l.

The above films are available together with a

speaker for organizations, churches, clubs a nd ass0ciations in the communities of Cook County, at no
cha rge. Write or telephone Cook County Civil Defense
Commission, 130 N. Wells st.; FRanklin 2-754.4.

(Continued from Page 2)

sludge; then, if not further polluted, it slowly improves downstream-finally becoming clear and fresh
again. This process is called natura] purification.
Sewage treatment plants mere1y speed up this natural
a ction a nd remove the sludge so t hat damage to
streams and lakes is held to a minimum. This sludge,
as processed by Milwaukee and the Sanitary District
of Chicago, can be used to improve the soil on
lawns, gardens and fields. Pollution by oil wastes and
by industrial wastes such as acids, cyanides, copper
and arsenic, may poison aquatic Ure directly and
make waters so unsafe for human use that they
require special t reatment.
Unlike the weather, something can be done about
pollution. Let's do il

 COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

More bridge. for Congre .. It. clCprcuway. West of Mannhelm rd., in the vltlllge of HlIl, lde, three structuru ilrc
required wi t hin an area of five atre.. One (top ) carries the IIIlnoll Cel'lt ral tr-ack, over the expressway. Just
back of that bridge I, the 'pan at Railroad ave. The bottom picture I, the local rOlld 'known a. Rout e 6 connection. The Cook Coun t y H ighway Department dulgned the, I.. Uer two bridget and con,tructed all three of them.

Vol. II No. 10

MARCH, 1955

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAH

Published by the Cook County ( Ill.) Department ot Highways
Untier auspices of the Board of County Commillioners

"r..

DANIEL AYAN.

JaNe. F. AUu"..
Fr.ol Bo'",uh
Chrtel F ell&,lI.
ElluMt~ A
Clnby
Jury OlltU I
Jo'" J. DIIII ~
Arthur X. IEIrieI

I~ .. ,

WIlli... N. [.1.....
F"'- .... FuU,

e'rlll A.

J .....
J .... A htU.. , J .

e",,., r.

Sonlll
Eel ..., M. SnHe!
Joh J . Till',

WILLIAM J. MORTIIU!!
0' " 1" ,1

Sa~.r in ltnd"'l

Published at 130 Korth Wells Street. Chicago 6.

FRanklin 27544 Extension 221

,

There Really Is a Lot of Cars In Cook County

Statewide registration of motor vehicles of all
types in 19M was 3,188,849. of which Cook county's
1.401,B:S4 represented 43.9 per cent. Cook county paid
$28,273.602.46 In license fees, which was 42.8 per
cent of the sLate total. License paymcnts from Chicago amounted to $20,042.284.08 and [rom the suburban area. $8,231,318.43.
U the care and trucks in use today had only the
highways of 1946 on which to travel through the
county. congestion would be a serious daily problem.
As it la, the new expressways-Edens in the north
part of the county and Calumet In the 8Outh~are
handJing such volumes that the older highways in
their general localities are relieved of crowding, and
congestion I. seldom experienced except when Sunday
crowds pick the same roads.
The increase in registrations the last nine years
empbaslzes the need of highway planning and construction to care fo r ever growing traffic volumes.
Whjle tbe year-byyear figures give the layman an
understanding of tbe problem, higbway engineers find
their task specialized. It is not enough to know
merely that 68,566 more cars were on the road in
1954 that in 1953.
The planners muat know where the traffic comes
from and where it gocs, and that Is the reason for
(Continued on Page 7)

NYOl\"E WHO HAS driven around Cook County

A regularly In lhe years since the war must have

the impression that there is an awful lot of cars and
trucks on the rood
illusion.

and gelling more 80. This i,s no

With lhe thought that vehicle registration figures

year by year would be of intercst to all who use lhe

roads, COOK COUNTY HIGHWA YS oblained lhem
from the illinois Secretary of State. Including those
for 1954, which have just been broken down, they
are presented In the table below,
Outstanding, of eours!!, is the countywide increase
of vehicles of all tYI>e8, This tota] was 805.873 In
1946 and 1,401,854 in 1954-a numerical gain of
$595,981 and percentagewlse of 74.
As the table shows, prior lo 1951 an Cook County
registrations--Chicago and suburbs- were represented in one lotal. Starting in 1951, the two areas
have been sepnrnted, which permits the observa tion
that the rate of increase has been greater in the sub
urbs than in the city. [n 19M. subu rban registrations
of aU types were little more than one-thi rd of Chicago's. Last year. the increase in the suburbs was 10
per cent, as against the city's 3 per cent, and the total
out in the county approached half of that in Chicago.
The suburban gains were attributable, of course, to
populalion increases since the war.

Year

l"WIIU'nj(cr cal'll

19~G

Tot,,!

n~.6.'\8

H'"
""
H'"
"""
"'"
,,..,

Total

770,22!

H""
"',.
NOl~

Taxi
I.lverr. It
Ambu anN'.

',-

17,761

1 .~2

Motor
Cyde
kootet
'1 .970
6,707

T<Jtlll

.,.,."

g:90UM3

70.180

y,~

."''''

89.1170

11.1m~

7,.MII

10,7~

"',,",

1,820

10,209

"'."
....
.,.

8.19't

6,,,,"

111.93<1

22.362

,,790

9...,

1.067.19.'
1.18!~.17"

117.9ftl

11.06 '1

~7~1

H9.671i

17.169

'.662

915,897

11,710

11(l,673

tl,S21

1.:r.U ...~70

"",396

"'''"

"".

910.737
S."7.:tn
1.267,969

_5,1GO

O.06'~

21.!'\."t9

6.42'1

942.....I
390,,,"

.....

!i.GO'"

s.:J.~~

31.722

1.333.288

6.').319

!i.t So:<.

4.4Hi

97U91
430,263
1.401.M4

"'"

3.48'\0
9.40o::s,

7,""

"'....
......

10.10c;,

Totl\l

U~1-'\1I3

ChleMltu

796.071
__'97.!i7tl
1.119.'\.1;47
794.267

Coun ~
Tota

,,,m

Dealer

"
Tranllt

19.~

7"'"
6,RH

Chreflr:.

Tntller

'20.167

9'21,729

316.9'~

Trailer
Sl'ml

&

Percent or
Incn'!\Se In
iteglHtratlons over
Prevlou.

IOR.'IM

H30.616

Totlll

Chleall')
County
Total

,"'..,
.......
Bu.......

"",600

Totfll

ClIu nly
TollOl

Truro

Numerical
Increame In
Itegl.lra
tlon. OVl!r
l'revlouK
Year

9."
94a

:MI.997

28,&'27

1.111.1

6,199

114.831

831.679
347.993
1.179,eT.!

".97~

"",=
29.874

""
",..

110.129

<7'79

...

1.!i711

"'''''

:J.on

"'....

,,"'"

18,316

urn

ill,,,.

''''''

27.921

,,-

67

"'.......
2.04S

....

Chicago
&'\9.071
<I./I(lt;
tII.).I84
21.::176
1."78
383.M2
n
....90
Count,
TOla
1,:M,2.623
5,8<17
1.1:1.67<1
31,458
1,967
In 1946 and UH7. cllbI and ambulanCC'1 were al"1)Ul,)i!d wllh panen,u can.

9,""
2

:J.8!i9

,....

8,l2!\

,<,632

',,,,",

7,,",

9 .61~

~.673

29, 132

1.31 <;,

3..09"\

""'"

When Pavement Rumbles, Prepare To Stop

Rumble .... ,.h,ee on Wolf rd. alert. molorl't' to , t op ,ign at Plainfield rd. InterJection_

suggestions are invited to commun icate with the Cook

County Highway Department, 130 N. Wells st., Cbicago 6.
Traffic accident records are being kept at the three
locations, although it Is still too early to form conclusions. If the experiment proves successful, It is
possible that similar installations will be made at all
major intersections. bad curves and other danger
spots.

By Andrew V. Plummer
Admini.tratlve Engineer,
Cook Count)' Hlghwa)' Department

he Cook County Highway Department has InT

stalled three experimental rough stretches of
roadway at slop signs. The purpose is to make a
noisy rumble that will cause the motorist to be alert.
It Is carelessness on the pan of most drivers who
pass through stop s igns, and this noise (rom the
rough pavement is forewarning of danger-a stop
sign. The rough surface should also help in stopping.

Highways For Fi shermen

eSJ)e(:ially when there is ice on the road.

With spring at hand. 80 is the fisherman.

A bulletin covering the 1955 angling season in the
str eams, ponds and lakes of Cook County's forest
preserves has just come from the desk of Dr. David
Thompson, the district's well-known authority on fish
and fishing. It coven the few liberal regulations in
force and lists the 16 fishing waters in the preserves,
north, west and south.
In addition to nolUtions of the kind and quaJity of
fish ing. Dr. Thompson gives road directions to each
spot, from which it appears that Cook County's
highways should receive credit for many a tasty pan.

Thus far the most successful installation is coated

!llsg approximately one inch in diameter placed on the
road with hot asphalt. Gravel does not seem to produce as sharp a rumble 8S the slag. The rough surface is the full width of both traffic lanes. It starts
150 feet from the stop sign and continues up to it.
The lest installations have been made at the intersect.ions of Barrington and Palatine rds .. Plainfield
and Wolf rds., and Rt. 83 and Ridgeland ave. In these
widely separated areas, it. will be possible for many
motoristB to test them. Any who may bave inquiries or

Traffic Data Sketches Life

One u'ay of 31%"'9 up the daily life of
County 3ltburb i! afforded. by the Tccent

(I.

a Suburb

northbound Lramc from Northbrook, while lhe "B"

screen line, at East Lake ave., gives the southbound
traffic. Since the northbound traffic has access to
little or none of Edens cxpressway, the e ffect of the
exprcssway at the "A" screen line is negligible, Of
a total volume of 1936 vehicles coming from Northbrook in 1954. and paSlling through the five "A"
screen line stations, only 68 used Edens expreS8way,
a percentage of 3.:5. A total of 1,800 vehicles used
Waukegan rd. and Skokie rd.
Traffic Dh'erted to Eden
At the "8" scrl'{'n line the picture ia changed considernbly, Of a tolal of 3,693 vebicles originating in
Northbrook in 1954, 1,152 used Edens expressway or
a percentage of 31.2. This expl'essway traffic represents mainly diversion from Waukegan rd. Even
with this substantial volume of traffic using the
expressway, there is no indication of any generation
of traffic by th(' expressway. All of the lraffie can
be accounted for In terms of diversion from parallel
routes.
The accompanying ta.ble shows the brcakdown, by
destination of traffic originaLing in Northbrook from
6a.m.tol0p.m.
It is interesting to note that of the 1,152 vehicles
using Edens expressway, 81.8 per cent we.re destined
to Chicago. The remaining 18.2 per cent represents
Intcr-communlty travel. Tn the 1954 survey, the
inter-communJty travel [rom Northbrook showed a
volume of 3,852 vehiclcs of which 94.5 per cent used
routes other than the expreasway. This volume of
3,852 vehicles represents 72.8 pe-r cent of the traffic
coming Crom Northbrook on a typical 1954 week day.
or this volume, 710 were destined to Glehview, of
which none used Edens exprcssway. This lack of
expressway us::age ia aocounted for by the existencc
of Waukegan rd. which runa directly between North
brook and Glenview.
616 Go to t'.!\'Olliiwn
The next largest volume Is that destined to Evans-.
ton- a volume of 616 vehlclea. Eighty-three of
these used Edens expresaway, or a percentage of
13.5. For those people coming from points north of
Dundee rd. and east of Waukegan rd .. Edens is attractive for travel to Evanston, while for those coming from other points in Northbrook the a lte rnate
routes offer more convenience in traveling to
Evanston.
Of the 217 vehicles destined to Skokie, 25.3 percent used Edens, and this also can be explained in
terms of the exact point of origin a nd also the point
or destination, The lack of expressway usage in thc
Lake Forest and Waukegan traffic is covered in the
explanation of northbound traffic.
[n general these figures seem to indicate that the
expreSBWay is most attractive to those people making
relatively long trips. On the shorter trips, the convenience of alternate roules may carry precedence
over the attractiveness of expressway travcl. [n all
ca.8CtI a very important factor is the length of expressway available between origin and destination. Wbere
only a very small portion or the expressway can be
used, motoristll.....are not willi ng to go out of their
way to use the expressway, but prefer to travel via
some alternate route.

Cook

origin-

destination sUTvey conducted in the Hdem! expre..swoy

corridor by the Cook Couuty Highlooy Department.
Et.'MY day~ the 6,000 resident .. 0/ Northbrook go on
5,000 tri])8 oulndc the 't'iUage, by car, truck or motorcycle. They go to \COrle, shoppin9, to school 1Citlt the
children, fishing throl'9h the ice. Some go to Ohicago
(IUd

In

sonw to other suburbs, north, ou:cst and .!outh.

They 1186 the n6W cxpres8way or parallel roods, accordin!! to each one'3 cO"L'eflicrw:e.
The following arHcle, prepared by Robert P. Gran,
aLatMticia" of the highway dcpRt"tmcnt'8 Tragic Engineering Diui8io'l~ ""alyzes the .t1Lrvey in TC3PCCt to
Northbrook. Highlights of the IIIUtley were prcsctlted
be/orr. Ihe HiqhwflV R(!JI('arch Boord at il., annual
meeting in January by William J. JUortim(!T, county
highwfl.V superintendent, and hi$ paper '\00$ pub(itlhcd in COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS last 'm onth.
Other detailed ill.fornwtion obtained in the IIItMJey
wi/!. bc treated in tlti~ 1lubliclItiolt itl conling months.

HE COOK COUNTY Highway Department condueled two orlgin-dcstinalion surveys to determine

T
the effect of Edens expressway on parallel routes.
The fU"!!t was in 1950, before Edena was opened, and
the second in 1954.
It ia intuitively obvious that there will be a substantial volume of traffie diverted to the C!Xpressway
from nearby routes, diminishing 8S distance {rOm
the expressway increases. It Is al80 possible to find
an increase in traffic volume above that expected by
normal growth occurring as {1 result of the expressway constructed. This type of growth is called
traffic generation. Traffic generation may also appear
in a more subOe form as IntensUied land usage resulting from expressway construction.
Thesc studies may be done in a very generalized
form. or caD be pinpointed to particular Ilreas or
communities. This study deals only with the community of Northbrook,
lUore I'M llle, Alore Cars
In 1950, Northbrook had 11 toLaI vehicle registration of 1,240. and in 1954 this had Increased to 2,308.
'fhe corresponding g rowth factor ill 1.861. The population in 1950 was 3,348 and in 1954 was 6.013, giving
a growth factor of 1.796. It should be noted that
the vehicular growth is slightly higher than the
population growth. indicating that there are more
vehicles per person In 1954 than there were In 1950
for Northbrook.
Both vehicle growth and populaliOll growth for
Northbrook were substantially higher than the average growth for au of the north and northwest suburban communities. These averages were 1.288 a nd
1.188 for vehicle growth a nd population g rowth
respectively.
The origin-destinalion survey. were carried out on
three successive days at three different screen lines
(see map), but a study of the first two is adequate
to l>ortray the traffic movement [rom Northbrook.
Because of the location with re&pect to Northbrook,
the "A" screen line, at Lake-Cook rd., give& mostly

~ (W

TMPfIC . .unltG

~---~

"'''''"''

"5~

" . tt.o

...,-

IMT'UICOMMVIoIITY

~-.
,
"""I,J.t.IO

<l

:a

C.lIHC,O[

, WlLJ"IUTIi
O'Nf:!.TOtI

no'"
SKOklt:
, UllCoUi ..... OOD
(MI~ Co,.,. ..... II HORTON ~
GUWIIW
N,lflO,

lbr,or

It

1M" fOA1$f

11 NPntl..O
(.~~

...

'"9

-~

'",.
J"

,...

72"

110

, '

...... S." ""n.

)

..
10.

EDE~
61

172

..'".. .."
..,, ......, .,
'"'",. "..
.. ,,.,.'"'"" .
53

4WI"'~

IS trlw { .... '" ... ~

fofU

N$I:

."

I'I\AIt

",llU

1'/

._ IIOIa'II

... ..

."

111.1

3 Are Killed on Edens, 19 on Skokie rd.

clea r cu t comparison between the hazards of a

A highway with intersections at grade and the

safet y of an expreasway is afforded by Skokie rd.
through Lake county and Edens expressway, which
has largely replaced Skokie south of the LakeCook county line.
When Skokie was constructed 25 years ago, it was
the superhighway of its time. It provided four broa d
traffic la ncs a nd north of the county line, directionally opposed lanes were separated by Il median strip.
All but two intersections, both in Lake county, were
at grade, however, with signal lights where cross
traffic WIlS considerable, There were no safeguards
against margina l interfe rence
pedestria ns.

or

Edens was desi g ned for the utmost in saf et y. There

a r c grade separations at all intersections. Opposing

traffiC lanes a re divided by a median strip, with a
cable on posts just in case some unclassified mena~e
tries a U turn. Extra lanes a t all grade separations
permit cars to enter and leave without disrupting
moving traffic. Edens is lighted throughout with a
modern system that turns on automatically as dark
comes on or during daytime fog. Pedestrians are kept
out of the r igh t -ofway by a woven wire fence.

Death Toll l\lnrk!. the Difference

Most of the kinds of accidents that occur over
a nd over again on Skokie and other similar highways
should not happen on Edens. and would not except for
bad driving on the part of a few motorists, On the
expressway, fo r example. t here should be no headon
collision o r cars rammed from the rear while standing at stop lights. On Skokie such accidents may be
expected because the physical conditions that make
them possible are there.
The wide difference between the two roads, which
form one continuous highway, is marked by their
1954 fatal accident records. On Skokie rd. from the
cnd of Edens to the Wisconsin state line. the re were
15 accidents in which 19 persons were killed. On
Edens t here were three, with three dead.
Edens Is 13.86 miles in length and Skokie rd. 25.92.
Edene, however. carries twice the traffic volume. The
average daily count on Edcns at Winnet.ka rd. last
year was 36,755. The daily average on Skokie, estimated from a series of counts, was placed a t 18,000.
Vehicle miles traveled o n Edens during t he year
amounted to 184.939,870 and on Skokie, 168.739,200.
B ad Drivers Always With Us

The three deaths on Edens were attributable to

driver failure , Two hit abutments of overpasses and
the other ran into a light pole standing eight fed
off the pavement.
On Skokie there we re five collisions between passenger automobiles and fi ve between automobiles and
truck,. In four other accidents, only one car was
involved. These, like the three on Edens, were caused
by bad driving. and probably bear out the s uspicion
that there always will be bad driving on the part of
a few , regardless of the highway. ill addition. the
Skokie death toll included one pedestrian.
roor Edens the fatality rate per 100 ntillion vehicle

miles was 1.62 and fo r S kokie, 11.20. For comparison,

the nationwide rate for 1953, the latest compiled, was
7.1 and for lliinois st atewide. 7.2.
Thus it would a ppea r that it is 6.91 times as dangerous to drive on Skokie, the superhighway of yesterday, as on Edens expressway.

Congress St. Traffic Grows

Traffic on the 2 Y2 mile str etch of Congress st.
expressway between 1st ave, a nd Mannheim rd. continued to increase during the past month.
A new daily high- 15.131- was counted on Friday, March 11. The first day on which the count
reached 12,000 was Feb, 12. In t he following two
weeks, 12.000 was exceeded on 10 days.
The hours of heaviest travel contin ue to be between 7 a nd 8 in the morning east bound and between
5 and 6 west bound in lhe evening, indicating that
those using the expressway do so because it saves
them time on their dally travel to a nd from work .
The section in use is the first of the Cong ress at.
improvement to be opened. Traffic was admitted between 1st a nd 25th aves. on last Dec. 22 a nd between
25th ave. and Mannh eim rd. on Dec. 31. The Dec. 22
count was 5.489. The Ma rch 11 high, reached 79 days
later. is m-:.re than 21 '2 t imes that of thc first day.

EXllre.sway Re\'e nue HiK"

Turne r Tur npike, connecting Oklahoma City and
Tulsa. proved so successful in its first ycar of opera
tion that the 40-year bonds issued to finan ce it can
be retired in less than 25 years . on the basis of
prcsent revenues. It had been estimated that the
88mile. four-lane tUl'npike would be used by
1,311,080 vehicles in t he first year a nd that the
revenue would tota l $1,880.000. Actually, the first
year u-affic cOlml was 1,832.829 and t he revenuetotaled $2,147,OO3.- TRANSPORT TOPICS.
Speeding 1:'1 Ft'C<Iurnt Offcnse
If you get a traffic lieket, it's one out of three it'll

be for speeding. In a survey just completed by the

C3.lifor nia Highway Pat.rol, 33.7 per cenl of all traffic
citations written were issued (or driving too fas t for
existing conditions. Necd of this type of enforcement
is emphasized by thc fact that 34.8 per cent of all
accidents in unincorl>orated areas of tho state were
caused by excessive speed and r eckless driving.CA LIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROLMAN .
Week...end Drhi.ng lIaza rdous
Driving is a full-time job a ny day of the week, but
motorists should be ext ra ea l'eful on Saturdays and
Sundays. Nineteen per cenl of all tratlic fatalities
occur on Saturday an d 21 per cent on Sunday. The
remaining 60 per cent are divided approximately
equally a mong the other days of the wet'k. -MOTORLAND.

Calumet Skyway Recalls Pioneers' Pole Bridge

UCH OF THE early history of higbways in Cook

"On one occasion a woman and a young child cama

along, and just before r eachi ng the bridge encountered
a hornet's nest. The maddened horses dashed over
the crazy, swaying structure at full speed, wh ile the
woman, unable to cbeck them. in some way managPd
to place the child in the bottom of the wagon a nd
holding it down with her feet to save it from being
jolted overboard, clung grimly to the re ins throughout her perilous ride. To the chronicler, it seemed
that a. special Providence must have intervened to save
them from destruction."

county is hoof.printed in the a.rea soon to be

M
lraversed by the soaring Calumet Skyway. Where

the $88 million project will carry rubber tired traffic

from the terminus of the indiana state expressway
in a straight shoot to 62nd and State sts. in Ch icago,
travelers of an earlier day, when ther e was lillie or
no money for road improvement, were fo rced to awing
here or there to find firmer Cooting for their animals.

...

After the Black Hawk war in 1832, settlers bY l the

thousa.nds, with oxen or horses, came around the south
end of the lake heading for the young boom town at
the mouth of Lhe Chicago river. From ancient Urnes
this route, now one of the most heavily traveled in
the world, had been used by Indians, and their trail
close to the lake was followed by the first homefleekE.'1"8
of the 1833 rush.
They wer e at the mercy of the weather. The shore
might be packed firm, affording a fast trip, or the
sand might be dry and loose. One man who made U:e
trip in 1835 wrote: "While we kept at the water'S
edge, with gentle swells rolling in among the horses'
feet. the wheels of our stage would hardly leave a
mark on the wet sand, while fifty feet inland thc dl'y
sand was nearly impassable." Another traveler of
the same era recalled: "After a northwest alorm,
when the sand was packed by the waves, the drive
was just splendid, but when the sand was dry and
loose it was just horrible. A good team would make
the distance (from Michig:m City to Chicago) in six
hours when the way was all rig ht, and it was a good
six days' drive when the way wtUI all wrong."
Milo M. QUaife, author of "Chicago's HighwaysOld and New." surmises that the way was more often
"all wrong" t ban right, for in a few years the route
was moved inland, approaching Chicago by way of
Thornton and Blue Island. On the earlier road. the
Calumet river was forded at its mouth, where a sandbar had been built up out in the lake as the force
of the current was spent. The bar, however, shifted
frequently and so was risky for a stranger.
When the stage road was moved inland from the
lake, about 1837. it crossed the river on a bridge which
Mr. Quaifc describes as being "of sucb wonderous
construction that memories of its passage were
stamped indelibly on the minds of lhe pioneers."
Historically, this span may fairly be regarded 8S the
ancestor of the $88 million dollar skywsy, and as such
the furth er description by MI'. Quaife is of tim'ly
interest:
'The structure WElS over 60 rods long. built of poles
throughout. Cribs we re built of )O les ror piers, poles
were used for s tringers, and small poles a nd split
limbers were laid across these to rorm the Hoor. One
pioneer, familiar with the lake passage around Ule
mouth of the river, bad far more fear of the 'ever-to-berenrembel'ed-by-thosc-who-crosscd-it-bridgc.' The effect produced upon travelers by the first sight of the
structure is 8ufliciently indicated in the simple recl'I',1
that they commonly walked across it rather th a n ride
over it in t he vehicle.

First Cook County Roads

Cook County's highway system will be 124 years
old next month.
At the first session of the Board of Commissioners
of the newly created county, held in Chicago in
March , 1831, three voting precincts were established,
one being Chicago and the others designated as
Hickory Creek and DuPage. At the next meeting,
held in April. the commissioners marked two roads
on the prairie map to connect the ou tlying precincts
with Chicago.
Qne ran to Barney Lawlon's wayside inn at the
present site of Riverside and thence "to the home
of James Walker on tbe DuPage river and so on to
the west line of the county." This route followed the
line of Madison at. and Ogden ave.
The second ran "from the town of Chh;ago, the
nearest and best way, to the home of Widow Brown
on Hickory Creek." The line was generally that of
State st. and Archer ave. Hickory Creek flowed into
the OesPlalnes river a short distance from present
day Joliet.

Cars In Cook Coun ty

(Continued from Page 2 )
the o l'igin-destination surveys such as the one just
completed in the Edens eXjlressway "corridor." When
that information has been acquired and analyzed, it
is possible to locate and design highways with certainty that they will serve the most people in the
best way.
One conclusion lhat may be reached rrom sizing
up the growth in motor vehic le use in the county and
the way it is being accommodated, is that the basic
systcm of expressways as laid out a decade ago admirably meets the needs of loday's traffic. For the
most part, the people of Cook county need expressways to expedite travel bet ween t he suburbs and the
city, and such facilities are provided in all directions
outward from the central business district by the
basic plan.
f<'ILrms Ilave One-Third o f Trucks
One-thjrd of all trucks in the United States are
on farms. Another third are in large metropolitan
area.s.-CALIFOR?HA HIGHWAY PATROLMAN.

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

North branch of the Chicago riyer in the Cook County Fornt Pre,.rve dlltrlct'.

Vol. II No. 11

APRIL, 1955

Northweltern golf coul"'le.

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook County (lll.) Department of Highways
Unn.er auspices of the Board of County Commiasionel'l
Willi... N. [riebe.
r'teI A. FI/II,
C:~'11t A. Jlnlln
J.~" A. MICUor,

CI.ylon F. S .. ltI!
E~w"11 M. s."'~

J.,,"

WILLIAM J. MORTIMER
II HI,'WI,.

J.

Jr,

T. . . ,

all~"ln l ullnl

Published at 130 North Wells Street, Ch.icago 6.

Death Riding High

By Daniel Ryan

FRanklin 27544 Extension 221

In

Suburbs

The National Safety Council estimates tbat traffic

accidents in the United States at present are costing
$14.000 a minute, right around the clock.
In Pennsylvania it has been found thnt motor vehicle accidents in one year cost more than the state
spends on its highway progl'am, and othcr states might
find the Harne situation if they took time to check.
This iuue of COOK COUNTY HlCHWA YS carries
a tabulation of all aceident.s reported (rom Cook
County suburbs and the unincorporated areas laat
year. It 18 worth careful study.
The bare figures are shocking- 239 dead and 10.362
injured, many of them crippled for life.
Much can be deduced from the tabulation 8S to how
and where serious accidents happen. For instance it
isn't always the case that the bigger thf' town, tbe
mrire accidents. Chicago bas fewer accidents per capita lhlln the suburbs. Furthermore. Chicngo has a
lower ratio of fatali ties, which can be Iltlributed to
the fact thal in the city speed is restricted and traffic
Is controlled with signnls at important intersections.
Out in the county, there is less conlrol. speed limH:s
nrc higher and in the rural areas most motorists drive
as fast M they like.
Speed in il8clf, it is argued, is not dangerous. However. the cbronic speeder is also a re<:kless, thoughtless and even lawle88 driver. As analysis of the year's
accident tabulntion will show, the worst accidents in
reapect to fatsJltlca and injmiea, occur where conditions encourage speeding.

Pre.ldent, BOiIrd of Commilliontrl

of Cook County

OR THE nation af! a whole, falal t.rnfJIc accidents

F
in the first two months or this year were 7 per cent
under last yenr in the same period, which seems to
indicate that people are coming to realize the frightful
waate of life and property and are trying to drive
more carefully.
No one will disparage this vie ...... It is what everyone
actively interested in highway safety has been hoping
for over many years. There is, Indeed, no other way
to eliminate the dangers inherent in reckless, inept
driving thun to convince every motorisl that he shares
responsibility.
As president of the Cook County Traffic Safety
Commlsaion, I have a strong and continuing interest
in the accident record compi led month after month
in the suburban area of the county, which Is where
the commission functions. with the cooperation of officials of the various municipalities. At present we do
not appear to be one of those sections contributing to
improvement of the national traffic fatality rate. In
fact, we may be heading for the worst year in the
history ot Cook County.
Last year in the county outside of Chicago there
were 20 traffic deaths in January, 10 in February and
14 in March, a total of 44. This year. there were 16
killed In January, 20 in IFebruary and US in March, a
total of 51-an increase of 16 per cent. If this keeps
up the rest of the year. we will kill 30 more persons
than last year.
Clearly. the score of the first quarter of the year
calls for all-out efforts. Every suburb Is represented
in the cooperative safety programs initiated by the
safet y commission. We have the machinery to promote
safety extensively and intensively. I earnestly urge
all our suburban mayors. village presidents, chiefs of
police and magistrates. to take note of the rising
t.ra.ffic fotality rate and unite actively In all possible
counter measures.
Wbile 1 am pleased to mark the improvement nationwide, I wonder if the re really is cause for congratulation In any betterment that stopa short of eUminating all accidents. The gains accomplished are valuable as demonstrating tbat safety can be achieved if
everyone tries. But the damage 8till going on is far
too high to permit anyone to indulge in complacency.

New Record on Congress Street

Traffic continuC8 to grow on the 21;! mile section
of Congress at. expressway between 1st ave., Mayw~, and Mannhelm rd. Constructed by Cook County,
thiS finlL part of the expressway Lo be completed was
opened last December as a convenience to the publiC.
A new daily bigh-16.096 cars was counted on
March 16, a Wednesday. This was almost three times
the count taken Dec. 22, when traffic was a dmitted
between 1st and 25th aves, The pavement between
25Lh ave. and Mannhelm rd. was opened Dec. 31.
Hcaviest travel continues to be ea8tbound in the
morning and we8tbound in the evening, indicating that
a large number of people who regularly drive to and
(rom work are finding a 8ubstantial time saving by
USing the expressway.

Young Cyclists Learn Safety Rules

Two on 11 bike I, one of the flrlt OON'T. taught in the bicycle lafe ty IlrOllram. Elizabeth Phillips and Wayne
Glelel, pupils ilt Brookpark Ichool in LaGrange Park, arc bicycle ufety club members and know better than
to ride double or to crall a .treet without ,top pmg to look. Here they arc merely putting on "" act, with
reaH.tlc c)(prellionl, to Ihow what could happen.

HE bicycle safely program conducted in suburban

bicycle safety training hss been in a serious accident

in the street. The year before the program was
initiated , 15 children between 8 and 14 were killed
when riding bicycles in Cook eounty,
Pupils who pass the riding test receive cards which
certify their ability to ride a bicycle in traffic and
al!w record their pledge to observe traffic laws and
signs and to be courteous to pedestrians and motorisls.
These who fail to pass the first time through the
test lane, which in most instances happens to younger
children, will have another chance later on. In the
meantime Lhel r parents are advised the child is not
yet ready to venture into street traffic,
This year a new card will be used. It will simulate
R. driver's license to the extent that it will have a
space for punching if the holder violates any safety
law o r principle, The punching will be done by school
authorities.

Tarea grade schools by the Cook County Traffic

Safety Commission is starting its third year.
In the first two years, impressive statistics have
been compiled in this realistic movement to indoctrinate children with the principles of highway safety
and courtesy as welI as to show them how to be safe
when riding their bikes to and from school.

Instruction is given the pupils in two parts. First

therc is n lccture in the school assembly room and
second. a tcst. in an outdoor lane sct up with all the
featurcs of a city street, where the youngsters demonstrate their knowledge of traffic signaJs and their
ability 1.0 handle a bicycle in traffic,
The program has been introduced thus far in 183
public and parochiaJ scbools.
Bicycle safety leeturcs have been given to 74,555
pupils.
A total of 21,355 boys and girls bave passed tbe
safety lane tests.
Thirty-six lIuburbs have been contacted in a movement to bring all local bicycle ordinances up to
date, A model ordinance that conforms to state laws
and the latest In bicycle safety principles has been
prepared by the t.raffic safety commission a nd is
offered to suburbs to adopt in whole or wiLh such
changes as may be desired to meet local condJtions.

School Leaders tJnthuslasUc

From thc beginning, the program has had the
enthusiastic support of Noble J. Puffer, county superintendent of schools, the principals and teachers in
the schools where it has been activated, ParentTeacher groups, village Pblice officers and others interested in traffic safety. Schools where the program
was presented in previouB years are asking now to
have it repeated and some of the lal'ger suburbs that
at first thought the idea was unsuited to them, are
asking to have it brought to thcir schools.
The program is carried on as one of the activities
of !.he Cook County Traffic Safety Commission, which
functions within the Cook County Highway Department. Prcsident Daniel Ryan of the County Board is
president and the mayors, village presidents, police
chiefs and magistrates of aU Cook county suburbs
cooperate in the commission's various programs of
safety. George Glaser, a highway department traffic
supervisor, has been assigned full time to the bicycle
program since it was started.

They're The Drivers of Tomorrow

The slogan of lhe program is:
"Remember, the child behind the handle~ars will
be the adult behind the wheel."
This year or next, some of the eighth graders who
were drilled in traffic safety the first year of the
bicycle program will be old enough to start driving
lhe family car, It will be interesting to observe their
behavior at the wheel in view of lessons learned at
the handlebars. Friends of the bike program are con
6dent that this new generation at the wheel will be
superior, for tbus far no youngster who bas bad

Where All Those Signs Come From

IGNS OF spring are nowhere more abundant than

to finish and has longel wearing qualities, which make

for economy in the end.
On Congress at. expressway, the Cook County
Highway Department is testing a built-up board that
has a masonite core and steel surface lopped over
the edges. The finish is enamel, which i!5 baked on in
the manufacturing plant. The cost is about the same
as aluminum. 1t promises to be much more durable
than the paint applied to the marine plywood boards
erected. on Edens and Calumet. expre!5sways. At the
same time, the enameled aign, beca.use of its reflective
quality, is easier seen and read by motorists at night.
The message may be put on with either scotchlilc
or separate metal leaders sct with reHector buttons
and attached to the board with screws.
For the temporary signs needed to mark detours
and other conditions arising from constl'uetion work,
pin in masonite is used. It can be relettct'cd a.nd used
over nnd over agflin, and if a sign is damaged the
1088 is small.
Twf'nty-ooe men are eml)loyed in the paint shop in
addition to the supervisor, Larry Mariotti. The crew
includes five painters on highway cquipment, three
sign painters, three two-man crews on the sign hang.
ing trucks, two drivers on road striping trucks and
five laborers.

S
shop.

in the Cook County Highway Department'lil sign

This up-lo-date, large scale production c~nter is a

unit of the paint shop. where all the department's
trucks, s now plows, tractors, trailers, loaders, shovels,
mobile cranes, graders, rollers, scrapers, sweepers,
cinder spreaders. saU spreaders, air compressors.
pumps, mowers, jeeps, station wagons, traffic line
markers, gas wagons, concrete mixers, tar ketlles,
tanks-mor'c than 300 pieces in all- are painted
regularly.
Painting trucks is Indoor work for winler. "Hanging" signs, which is shop talk for a1l sign installation,

new or replacement. goes on the year around, but

picks up with a rush when spring comes. The shop
has just finished painting 61 pieces of equipment, 3.
job that also requires de-greasing with steam, and is
about to start a season of hanging that may run as
high as 12,000 signs.
The paint shop is a separate building back of the
highway department's pri.ncipal warehouse-garage, in
LaGrange Park. The s ign shop, which, tor example,
can turn out 100 STOP signs an .bour, is surprisingly
compact. The reason is that modern methods make
it possible to produce on short order, eliminating the
nf-cd of carrying large stocks,

93 Oi fTere.nl Signs ~eetled

Th(' sign shop functions within lhe highway department's division of traffic. eng ineeri ng, which examines
all proposals and requests for signs from thp viewpoint
of enginec.ring.
Counting the various letterings, shapes and sizes,
the shop produces 93 different signs. Three colors
a re used red for all STOP signs, yellow for caution
signs, such as NARROW BRIDGE, ROAD REPAffiS
A H.EA D, BUMP. and white for informative s igns.
including detour markings, boards lo identify counly
construction proiects and the "Sorry to [nconvenience
You" signs originated by tbe Cook County Highway
Department for posting where repair work requjres
motorists to reduce speed or take turns in one-lane
traffic.
The latest idea in highway Sign finish is a reflecting
material with the trade name scotchUle. Jt is applied
directly to the aluminum blanks, which arc delivered
to the s ign shop cut in the desired shapes and sizes.
Seotchlite comes in sheeta with heavy paper backing
and Is applied in an electrically heated box. Lettering
is done with silk screen. Such signs are easily read
at night and are proving to have iongE'r life than signs
with painted background.

30.000 SI~lIs 111 Place

The shop makes a ll signs needed on the 650 miles
of coun ty maintained roads. The county also did all
signi ng on Edens, Calumet and Kingery expr essways
before turning them over to the state for regulation
and maintenance, and on the opened scctlon of Congress st.
The county road system has close to 30,000 permanent signs. Besides keeping these in fresh condition
by repainting and replacing, tbe sign shop puts up
tempomry signs for detours, construction in progress, etc. Altogether, these !'equirementa last year
amounted to more than 11,000 signs, all of which
were made in the shop and hung by the outside crews.
Ninety per cent of aU sign manufacture in the shop
is done by the sik screen process. Screens are kept
in a rack like a giant's fiJe case and when a quantity
of any s ign is needed, two men can produce tbem at
the rate of 100 an hour. One screen will last up
to three years and will do for several thousand signs.
The earliest highway signs wer e made of boards
and painted by hand. Then steel was used, either
painted with a stencil or with the letters embossed on
a die press. Steel signs had two drawbacks: they had
to be primed before palnUng, which increased expense,
and they were subject to rust when chipped or when
a boy with a .22 drilled holes in lbem.

Ollel'Qtioo Is Economical
in addition to thc ability to produce signs in large
qUantities on short not.ice, the sign shop has consistently shown economy of operation. As an example,
a 24 inch scolehlite STOP sign priced commercially at
about $8.50 is made in the shop for $5.75.
The shop also letters the sherilt"'s highway police
cars s nd the vehicles of lhe county health department.
Those agencies provide the paint and the labor is done
as a courtesy extended by the County Board.

Alum illulll HeJ}hlces St eel

Three kinds of sign board mater ial are used in the
shop nt present.
In the last three years, permanent signs on county
highways have been made of a luminum. which is
easily handled and strong enougb to resist damage.
First cost is higher than steel, but it Is Jess costly

The Ilgn Ihop erew. Front row-Meillin SpOUI, Charlel Cook, Harry LIppert, WillIam Daniell. Frank Wareham.
Middle row_Philip Abate, Larry Mariotti, Edward Jaeklon, Dominlek DeBlale, Ray Burke. Philip Ae.tllle.
Rear row-George Stuenkel, Walter Page, Chari III Morrl"ey. John Flore , Hubert Hansman, Jilek Sehnelder,
Frilnk Zlto, Cilrl Shilyer, Bernard RUllo, Dilnlel Heffernan

Thll Itoek raek In the Cook County Highway Depilrtment" Ilgn Ihop Ind ieiltea the lIarietiel of permanent and
temporary ,Ign, In Ule. It 11 pOlllble to operate the 11gn milintenanee program with iI relatillely 'mall Itoek
on hand beeaule large quantltlea of algna ean be produeed on Ihon notlee.

Cook Cou nty'5 1954 Traffic Toll

accid~nt!l

serious enough to require

T
reports occurred in Cook County in 1954 at the
rate of one every 7
minutes, every hour of the 24,
RAFFle

official

1 ::

every day of the year.

A lobulation of t.he year's accident record broken
down as to Chicago. the suburbs and rural area has
just come from the lllinoie State Division of Highways, to which accidents are reported. By law, all
accidents m\UlL be repo r ted in wbich a nyone is kiUed
or injured or !lny of the vehicles involved or other
property is damaged lO the extent of $100 or more.
In all, there were 69,752 rcpqrtable accidents in
the county last ycal', 1.968 more ihan in 1953. In
591 of them, one 01' more persons were killed snd in
27,183, one or more were injured. The remainder,
41,978 were property damage accidents only.
As between the city of Chicago and the rest of
the connty, accident occurrencc was as follows (TA =
tolal nccidents, FA - fatal accidents, lA= injury accidents, PDA = property damage accidents. K = number
of persons killed, J= number of persons injured ) .
TA FA
11\
PDA
Ii
I
Chicago . ...... 53,063 383 20,807 31,873 398 29,5M
Suburban Area. . 16,689 208 6,376 10,105 239 10,362
On the bare figures, the suburb's record looks worse
than the city's. With about five times the population,
Chicago had only 3.2 as many total accidents and in
the city only one in 138 accidents was fatal whereas
out In the county the ratio was one in 80.
Some Small T O\\IIS Suffer
While it appears reasonable to expect accidents in
proportion to population. there are evidently other
factors at work. as may ~ seen in the tabulation.
No doubt the principal reMon why there are fewer
accidents per capita insidE' the city is that speeds arc
limited and tmffic is controlled by signals at intersections. Out in the county, some communities with
small populations have h igh accident rates. because
one or more heavily traveled through routes pass
through the place and out-oC-town speeders contribute
to the accident toll.
As examples, Lincolnwood, which is fifty-fourth in
population, among the 100 subUl'bs listed, stood nineteenth in total accidents, and IitUe Hometown. ninetyninth [n population, was thirty-eighth in accidents.
Both communities are traversed by bU8y arterial
highways.
TIle figure for total deaths in the county outside
Chicago needs explaining because it is higher than
the total of the 12 monthly figures published by the
Cook County Traffic Safety commission. The explanation is simple. Through the year, month by month, tbe
only figures immediately available are for instant
deaths. Those whose injuries are to prove fatal weeks
or even months lateI'I can be listed at the time only
as injured. Now, three months after tbe end of the
year. with time to check b\lck and add those who
died later, the year's death loll rises to 239, or 42
more than the preliminary figure.
Onl y One llll!) No Accide nts
Only one suburb- Homewood Park-went through
the year entirely froo of aceidents. Forty-five had no
fatalities and four had no accidenlS in which anyone
was injured.

&rrington's experience was tragic. Only onc accident was r eported during the entire year, but that
accounted for one person killed and three others
injured.
Alsip, whjch has Cicero and Crawford aves. carrying heavy traffic through its boundaries. had 69 accidents, but four of them were fatal and in addition 59
persons received injuries.
Other suburbs with high proportion of fatalities
to total accidents, clearly reflecting tbe bad resulta of
speeding, were Wheeling, with two fatal accidents out
of a total of ]5, and Richton Park. with one fatal of
[l total of seven.
Following the list of mun icipalities in the tabulation
are two classifications covering the unincorporated
art>as, and both have high toUs. On U. S. and Illinois
highways in rural districla there was a total of 2,187
accidents, of which 68 were fllt.al, and on roads maintained by Cook County, the total was 986. of which
29 were ratal. Since speed is virtually unlimited on
these roads, the accident toll is significant.
Death (o r Dri\'ers
Saudi Arabia has inaugurated the most drastic pr o
gram of motor vehicle accident prevention yet to be
revealed. H an accident occurs as the result of speed
and negligence but does not result in death, the driver
is imprisoned for one year and his driving license iJJ
withdrawn. If tbe accident results in the death of n
passenger and the driver is proved to have been tho
cause, Lhe driver will be executed. Since the law be
came effective. it ift reported, many drivers refuse
10 lise their cars and those who do arc extremely
cautious.
A \'erage S llcf'l1 Uises
Continuing speed studics of the Bureau of Public
Roads in 26 states indicate an average speed of all
vehicles in 1953 of 49.7 mph, 0.2 mph above 1952 and
a new record high. Average speeds were; passenger
cars 51.1 mph, tnlcks 44.9 mph, busses 51.5 mph.
A Year's gas Add ~ UII
Gasoline consumption in 1953 cli.mbed to a record
42 billion gallons, enough to 1m a ditch 40 feet wide
and 10 feet deep from Portland, Afr., to San F ra ncisco
by way of Boston-VIRGINIA mGHWAY USERS
MAGAZINE.

Career Drivers Safer

Drivers of trUCks, buses and taxis are involved in
only about one out of every four accidents, yet they
average four times as many miles per year 8S
passenger car drivers.- MOTORLAND.
$89 Billion S pent 011 Road ~
1t is estimated that at the end of 19M all levels
of government in the United States bad spent almost
$39 billion for highway and street purposes In the last
deeade.- WASHINGTON LEGISLATIVE BULLETIN.

Pa rking J\tet ers Thrive

The average revenue. of one parking met er, according to the National A1,ttomobile Club, is approximately
$70 a year.

Where Accidents Happened

In

The Suburbs

The following table presents the 1954 traffic accident r ecord for each Cook count.y suburb and the unin
corporated area. Initials at t.he heads of columns have meaning as follows: TA, total accidents; l<"A, fatal
accidents; lA, injury accidents; PDA, property damage accidents; K, number of persons killed, and 1, number
of persons injured.

SUBURB

TA

Evanston .. , ... .. . 863

Cicero ............ . 1255
Oak Park .......... 893
Berwyn ....... ..... 684
Maywood ...
518
Chicago Hghts.
391
Harvey ........... 430
Elmwood Pk. ...... 317
Wilmette . . ........ 222
Blue Island
269
Park Ridge ........ 200
Calumet. City ...... 244
Brookfield ......... 141
Des Plaines ........ 277
Forest Park ........ 263
Skokie ............. 546
Melrose Park ....... 424
Winnetka .......... 14-3
LaGrange ... .
.. 217
River Forest ....... 274
Evergreen Pk . ..... . 259
Riverside .......... 101
Summit ............. 184
Franklin Pk. ..
22.
Arlington Hghts. .. . 135
298
Oak Lawn ....
Bellwood .......... 199
Lansing ........... III
P ark Forest ........ 46
Glencoe ............ 63
Western Spgs....... 58
LaGrange Pk ... .... 46
Glenview ........
75
Lyons ....... ' ...
150
Homewood .......
75
Riverdale .......... 101
Dolton ...... . ..
93
Broadview ....
98
River Grove
167
Robbins .......
38
Northlake ...
74
Westchester ........ 102
Palatine .... ....... 65
Mt. Prospect ....... 71
Morton Grove
129
Phoenix ........... 17
Niles .............. 176
Norridge .......
50
Stickney .......
70
Northbrook .....
37
S. Holland ......... 58

FA

IA

PDA

280
438

581
811
551
435
337
232
268
200
144
161
130
158
97
176
165
328
284
104
154
167
145
61
114
143
84
167
121
75
24
38
39
30
50
89
42
69
58
52
96
21
45
57
40
47
68
9
109
20
40
27
37

6
6
2
6
5
5
2
3
3
3
1
2
1
7

1
2
2
2
1
2
3
1
1
1
1
1
3
2
1

1
1
1
1
1

336

247
175
154
157
115
78
105
67
83
43
99
97
211
140
39
63
106
112
40
68
84
50
129
75
36
22
2.
19
16
24
60
32
31
32
46
69
16
2.
45
25
23
60
8
66

30
29
10
20

6
6
2
6
5
7
2
3
3
3
1
2
1
8

1
2

2
4

1
3
4
1
1
2
1
1
4
2
1

1
1
2
1
1

378
661
491
358
252
226

249
179
120
168
101
134
56
169
154
339
207
52
81
175
179
58
114
138
71

208
119
63
34
44

31
28
39
91
55
44

60
76
120
19
46
62
32
32
107
13
113
69
45
13
38

SUBURB
N. Riverside

'J'A

FA

98
33
218
Lincolnwood
Kenilworth . ........ 22
Lemont ............ 22
Markham .......... 55
Calumet Park
57
Tinley Park ........
9

74

1
1

?fidlothian

.........

Hillside ............
S. Chicago Hgts.
Hazel Crest . . . . . 0'
Berkeley ......
Oak Forest . .......
Posen . ....
Flossmoor ..
E. Chicago Hgts. ...
Worth .............
Stone Park . .......
Northfield .. .
Bridgeview
Schiller Park ..

Burnham

. ...

Dixmoor ......
Willow Springs
Alsip ........
Thornton . ...

33
34

25

22
21
19
13
28
25
36
56
33
56
34
42
69
19
21
9
10
3
8
6
17
15
24
50
34
24
9
80
2
33
5
14

Matteson
l\.1errionette Pk.
E. Hazelcrest . .....
Glenwood .......
Orland Park ....
Bartlett ........
Palos Park .........
Wheeling . .......
Justice .. ........
Bedford Park . ...
Crestwood .. .......
Chicago Ridge
Hodgkins ....
McCook
Harwood Heights ...
Forest View ........
Golf .............
Olympia Fields .....
Homewood Park
Richton Park . .....
7
1
Barrington .........
Hometown ......... 38
7
Hickory Hill .. .....
County Roads ..... 986
Rural US & lll. Hy ... 2187

1
1
1
2
2
2

IA

33
12
86
4
4
21
23
3
31
14
14

10
9
8
8
4
12
12
10
29
15
23
11
22
35
11
10
4
3

1
1
1

29
68

2
2

1
1

2
2

4
8
1

10
17
8
7
3
30
11

1
1

63
21
130
18
18
34
34
6
42
18
20
15
12
12
11
15
13
26
25
18
31
21
20
30
8
11
5
7
3
2
4
7
9
14
32
25
16
6
49
2
22
1
6

6
2
10
2

rDA

2
2
4

2
1
1
1
1

53
20
153
4
6
46
36
3
56
29
20
16
20
10
12
4
21
21
10
54
26
43
14
37
59
23
21
7
6
7
5
11
8
19
28
15
10
4
43
23
7
14

1
1
1

21
16
4
3
428
529 35
964 1155 81

4
3
27

3
766
1826

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Where Tower Road Croncs Skokie Lagoon' and Connects With Edens ExprcSlway.

Vol. II No. 12

MAY, 1955

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook 'County (111.) Department of Highways
Lnder auspIces or the Board ot County onimillllionc"
DANIEL RYAN, president

James F. A.hende.,
Frank Bobr)'t<J:ke

William N. Erlck.on
Fred A. Fulle
Chrl,t A. Je nle n
John A. Madde r, Jr.
Clayton F. Smith

Charlu F. Chaplin

El lube th A. Conkey
Jerry Doleu l
Arthur X. Elrod

Edward M. Sneed

John J . Du ffy

Joh n J. T ouhy

William J. Mortimer
Su p.,.lnlendr"t

<I'

IU.rhwIIJa

Publi.llhed at 130 North Wells Street, Chingo 6.

FRanklin 2-7544

Elltension 221

Chicago and Suburbs Sign Mutual Aid Pact

OOK County, the first metropolitan county
the
C
nation to effect a fully organized key personnel
for Civil Defense, has the chance to acquire another

zalion. like the other suburbs, Rond Chicago, in the

mntler of Mulua! Aid, also joins the county-wide team.
Th e objectives of mutual aid 8S slated in the agree
ment arf':
"For the purpose of rendering mutual aid in disaster
emergency- to preserve life and property. r elieve suffering. assist and rehabilitate stricken areas. fight
destructive forces, sssist in transportation and evacustion, to seek economic cooperation in crises, to foster
better understanding and closer union among the
municipaJ!tlcs of Cook County-

in

distinction.
The Mutual Aid A greement by which Chicago and

t he s uburbs pledge to aid one another In suc.h an

emerge ncy as an enemy bomb attack, has been submitted to all the municipalities concerned. The City
of Chicago nnd about one-fourth of the suburbs have
signed. U the rest of the s uburbs will sign promptly,
Cook County will again stand as a modcl to the rest
of the country, t his time as the tint metropolitan
county to present a solid front in mutual aid.
" Th is would alford a fine example," !:laid President
Daniel Ryan of the County BoaJ'd, who is president
of Cook County Civil Defense. "Industrially, we
are the heart of the nation's defense and probably
would be first on tbe enemy's bombing schC!dule. ThC!
need for Civil Defense of ever y type would be great.
The s uburbs not hit would bave to help the bombed
areas with rescue equipment, medicnl aid, food. clothing and shelter , and t hat sort of cooperation is what
is provided by the Mutual Aid Agreement."
" 1 feel sure I am speaking for every citizen when
I express my appreCiation of the pr omptness with
which some suburbs ha ve signed and my hope that the
others wiIJ do so at once."

Re:1d~' to Answe r Cnll " '01' lIe ll)

"We pledge ouroolves to collaborate for ....eclpr ocal
Civil DcfcnSf' a id in the evcnt of disaster too great
to cope with individually and to e ffect a program of
aclion for the common good;
"We fUl'ther promise that if called to assist any
other municipality in Cook County we \1,111 give volun(Continued on Page 7)

15,000 on Congress Street Daily

Week day travel on the 2 1'2 miles of Congress Street
expressway opened to usc by the Cook County Hig hway Depurt.ment last Dec. 31 increased during April to
an IlvC'rage slightly above 15,000 cars.
As has been tbe case since the opening, the heavy
count on week days in April W8.6 eastbound in the
mornings and westbound in lhe evenings. This consistent pattern is evidence that people who drive to
and from work are finding it possible to save time
appreciably by using the expressway.
A new high daily count Wa& made on Thursday,
April 21. when tbe 24hour total [n both di rections was
17,330. The month's total was 434,336.
Daily averages during the month were:
Monday, 14,137: Tuesday, 14,871; Wednesday. 14,849; Thursday, 15,868: Friday, 15.503: Saturday,
13,32~; Sunday. 12,710.
In the four months since the expressway was opened
between lst nvenue aod Mannbelm road as a convenience to the public, the traffic count has nlmost
triplett.

Reminder To Be Sent Out

J oseph A. Downey, Cook County Civil Defense director. will send a reminder to the communities tbat
have not yet returned s igned copies of the agreement.
" The first copies received came in promptly, then
there was a faUi ng off," he said. "We know that all
the suburban olficinls-lhe mayors or village presidents and Lhe local CD directors-are in favor of the
agreement, so it is obvious that wherever there has
been delay in signing alllhat is needed Is a reminder."
The agreement greatly strengthens the Civil De
fense framework in Cook County, for it brings in
t he City of Ch icago a nd Evanston. In most respects,
Chicago functions directly under the state agency_
Evanston. heretofore, a lso reported to the state.
Eva nston is DOW a unit of the Cook County organi-

Expressway Bonds Before Legislature

The /olloll'in9 Iftatemcnt "etti"!1 forih the ad1-'0"'09(,3 0/ the propmed $245 millioK Cook
00""(11 aprC"8tf'(ly bond iuKe 3poMored by
Coun(y BOard Pruidcnt Ryart 1C'ith th(' cooperation 0/ GOl'm'nor StraHon 1M3 pre3ented to the
Rooet" "tid Brld.ge" cOf)17llittec 0/ the state [JOIUC
0/ RcprC3ClIlatil.'cs by WiUia,n J. Mortimer,
Cook cOlmly highway sl~perilltendel'lt, on IJfay 10.

The committee tlolccl 22 to 0 to recommend vassage of le{Jf.'IlatiOll uuthori.;:illg the bO)ld issue .

bond issue will Ix> a full faith and

bond sold
the County of Cook, and retired
THEcreditPROPOSED

by
from Stale of illinOis highway funds. Th~ advantage
of baving large 8ums of money available would make
it possible to place in condemnation a1l the right of

way necessary within a short timt'.

[t

would also

pcnnillhe awarding of larger seeUons of expressways,

which would result in lower priccs and in my opinion
would mor(' I.Il1tll otf'set any increase in construction
cost dllrlng the next five years.

The expressways to be completed Undl'f the proposed plan can be identified IllJ n Priority System
composed of lhc Northwest Exprt>ssway, Edens Expressway, Congress Street. Southw(>St Expressway.
South Routt', Calumet Expressway and the Kingery
Expressway confK'ction to Indiana. This system is
a vital part of thf' Comprehensive Expre8llway System
for Cook County.
The Comprehensive System was adopted by the
state, county. nnd City of Chicago on November 28,
1939, and the Priodly System WIlH C'stablished by an
advisory committee in 1946 as being vital for the
movement of traffic in Cook County and Cor Immediate
construction. The advisory committee, appointed by
the President of the Board oC County Commi8llioners,
is compolK'd of representatives oC the sUlle, city and
county governments. Chicago Regional Planning Association. Auociation of Commerce, Civic Federation.
motor cluba. etc.
Upon their recommendation a $70,000,000 county
bond Issue was adopted April 4. 1946, to cover the
county's share of the Priority System. Due to right
of way difllcultlcs and the inability of t he State of
minoia to make large Bums of money nvailable at one
time construction progress bogged down. 1n the past
nine years construction prices have more than doubled,
with the r'{>8Ull that funds programmed are wholly
inadequate to do the job.
Sp.ti'm to &ne 3.50,000 Ca~ Dall,)
The Priority System will scrve more than 350,000
cans daily. To dtlte there has Ix>cn constructed or
moneys are available lor the completion of Edena Expressway from the north county line to IFoster Avenue,
Congress Street from the. west county line to the
central buslnC8lJ district, Calumet. Exprcatlway from
130th street to the south county Hne, and Kingery
Expressway from Halsted street to the 1ndlana state
line. Fifteen million ($15,000.000) dollan of a city
bond isaue is to bP spent on the South and Southwest
Routea. and Northwest Highway from Armitage avenue to the central business district.

To Sum Up the Bond Issue

H will finish. construction of the Priority System

in three to five years rather than 13 to 25 years.
It will not incr ease rcal estate tnxca nor effect
state, city or county programs.
1n th(' ('vent state money wl.1l not be made
Dval.1able for bond retirement and real estate tax
ia nf."Ce888ry, the estimated cost for a $20,000
hom(' would bP 15 cents per week.
Cost. of retirement bonds (interest) $70,000,000.
Estimated saving to public, expediting program.
mort' than $500,000,000.
Provisions to be made fo r mtlM transportation
facllitl('8 in all proposed routes, which would give
0PI)O rtunlty to C. T. A. to provide faat fixed rail
s('['vic(' to all sections of the city.
South Route would materially aid revenue on
th(' Cillumet Skyway, and also give service to
south aide of Chicago which at present is without
mod('rn bigbway facility.
Bolh airports would be serviced by expressways
in tbrt'e to five years rather lhan 15 years from
now,
Conatruction of the system would stabilize
mt'rehandising in the cen tral business di8tnct by
opening necessary arteries of ouUying areas.
Would 1)J'o vide basic moocrll lntnsportation
faclliLies necessRry if Chicago Is to rema.ln a
metropolitan area.

The only funds available to complete the gap would

20.000,000 programmed annually by the State
of Dlinola Cor expressway construcUon In Cook County.
A88uming construction and real eatatc coata remain
at the present rate. it would take 13 years to complete
the system. If the economic trend continues as it did
in the put nine years it would take 30 year s at
$20,000,000 per year.

be the

Skyway Needs EX llreS!i\\'uy Oullet

SI~ce the Priority System was established, traffic

has mcrealJCd more than 100 per cent, In addition.

Indiana haa constructed a system oC toll roads terminating at l06th street and Indianapolis boulevard,
causing the City of Chicago to start work on the
$88.000,000 CaJumet Skyway, whjcb will terminate at
thE' proposed South Route in the vicInity oC 83rd and
State streets. This can do nothing but add to the
already Intolerable congestion in spite of the excellent
plans made by the city for a system of one-way atreets
to relieve it. Under the present finanCing. either of the
major airports. O'Hare or Midway, cnn not be served
ad('quatl'ly for many yearA.
The advantages of the bond issue are numerous.
First, tbe entire system can be completed from t.hree
to five yeara. No additional funds will be required
from the motorists or from the rea.I property owner.
It will not effect the city's or county's share oC the
(Continued on Page 6)

Where Proposed Bonds Would Be Used

-:.t='..r=,.

'='

.,.
",

t'\

...

CO,."iIIUr;TlON

I'ItIOIIITY

CCIIII"'(ltfJ"'vt

I'IIOG_

SlCflOHS

"

UP,tU I WU

S'f'Sf[ M

UNO[II

,,."000,000 'ONO

.............

=
=

_ . ,...... _n,

1Ssut:

- -.....
......
~

_" co... '..,.,......... _ .......

... ~ ........ ..- - _

"_

I'D M'U S TO BE CO lll n(T(O

'tI1I1I.

~~OQQ,QCKI

I OMI) 15S1.I[

Traffic Estimates On Priority Expressways

..........
<"

,..

_-._-

'"

l ...,'\L
cot.

t'-

COfOISTMIC'1Oft

""'!Gillin
COM ~[~[~

;'

"'IOGII./IIII

""'

I!

'"KC:noff!l

~'S.AT

S"" W

UNOtlil

U.',OOO.OOO IOMO

151U[

- ............
_.
_._...... _...
-- _o
... . . ..........
_.n -- .-

..,.

==

1 CIUt ".0
.J

t~

, 1

'~

AV'PAOl
CIAlU' TlINn: YDUlM(I

DTlIIIA~

It
5

Visiting Highway Officia Is See Expressways

Outlide circle, left to right-A. E. McNeil, O. V. Provart, D. Durbin. A. A. Oold, R. E. Erlck,on, A. N. Buck,
Michael Serblln, J. Flore, Lou l. Quinlan, J. C. Ragsdale, L. Guthrie, H. R, Ab.her, C. J. Schatz, O. B. Oold,
O. H. Sharkey, A. M. Sulll",an. W . Mentzer, F. T. HJltenbrand, G. R. Pratt. In.lde circle, left to right-J. O.
Whitlock, H. A. Kluge , E. Rader, L. A. Lu th, J. M. Weir, T. A. Ko,t, W. F. Light.

PARTY or 24, including a number of down state

members of Ute nUnoia Association of County SuA
perintendents of Highways, were guests of the
Cook County Department of HighwaY8, on a sightseeing tour of the expressway system on Friday, May
6. On behalf of Superintendent William J . Mortimer.
the visitors were escorted by Louis R. Quinlan and
Michael Scrblin.
A vista dome bus left the Sherman botel in the
morning and proceeded along the route of the proposed Northwest Expressway. The size and type of
buildings that have been acquired and must be demolished for the expressway were pointed out to the
visiting superintendents.
The bus carried the visitors over Edens Expressway from the temporary terminus at Foster and Cicero
avenues to the north county line. This afforded a
view of a finisbed expressway with a lighting system
:).nd all the other built-in safety features of a modern
expressway, nnd the visitors were given the opportunity to ask questions.
After leaving Edens, the bus traveled over the
Northwest Expressway route to Route 83 and thence
south to Congress street. Arter a brief stop for lunch,
the lour continued over the Congress street route,
where the construction of grade separation structures,
grading and paving work provided much of interest.
(Continued (rom Page 3)

Expressway Bonds motor fuel tax, and inasmuch as the state hILS pro
posed to spend the $20,000,000 annually whether it
be used [or construction or the retirement of bonds
it will not effect tbe state's program.

The state highway funds refen-ed to are the $20.000,000 proposed to be spenl by the state for expressways in Cook County. The cost of servicing the bonds
will be approximately S70,000 000, but in the opinion
of the highway department. the public will ssve more
than $70,000,000 in thE' first two years of operation of
the Priority SYstem.
$500.000,000 Potential Sin-lugs
In 194.6, alter an exhaustive research study we estimated that it was costing the motorists of Cook
County $50,000,000 a year not. to have expressways.
The 1088 was due to higher accident rates, higher
operating coats, and time lost in using our present inadequate system. Because of the rise in cosls, this
$50,000,000 could easily be increased to $70,000,000
per year. Considering this waste, together with the
possible increased construction costs if the program
were to remain ilt the present rilte, it is highly probable
that in spite o( the $70,000,000 interest on the bond
issue the public would save more than $500,000,000 by
expediting the program.

These highways not only serve the residents of

Cook County. but our vacation visitors, conventioneers,
a nd commercial vehicles. It will undoubtedly produce
a. saving to shippers throughout the state of illinois
hy saving time of the truckers and reducing materially t.heir operating costs in this congested area.
Contrary to the expectations of many people in Cook
County. the construction of expressways has resulted
in higher property values along Edens, Calumet and
the proposed Congress Street Expressways. While
our investigation of these increased valuC's has not
been completed, the impact. of the expressway 'on
property values has been beyond our Wlticipations.

Cars to Roll Where Archimedes Tugged

The Archimedes cruising th e illinois &. Michigan canal, possibly in the vicinity of present day Pulaski 3nd Persh.
ing rds. In 1848, when the waterway lil'lklng the Great Lakes with the Mississippi r i ver was completed, Long

abandoned, the canal bed i5 about to be occupied by a modern expressway.

OMPLETIQN of the Southwest Expressway over

the abandoned right-of-way of the illinois

MichiC
gan canal
add a modern chapter to the history
&

will

of a transportation route important in the growth of

the nation for most of three centuries.
First to perceive that tile Great Lakes could be
connC(:led with the Mississippi by digging a canal
through the Chicago portage, the low ridge dividing
tributaries of the lakes from those of the big river,
was Father Joliet, in 1673. He recommended the
projeet to France. but approval was not forthcoming
and travelers continued to tote their canoes over the
portage.
Now, 282 years later, with canoe and canalboat long
since vanished, the ancient route has regained importance. As a facility to serve the busy industrial area
that has arisen in rccent years southwest of Chicago,
as well as the suburbs in that part of the county, it
stands bigh on President Daniel Ryan's program to
expedite completion of the basic expressway system.
One factor in construction of t.he canal that has
been mentioned by numerous historians was the stout
tug Archimedes which did all kinds of jobs where
power was needed. She was owned by Alfred Gut.hrie
and manned by his sons, Ossian, Samuel and Wardell.
A sketch preserved in the- Chicago Historical society
depicts the boat in a completed portion of t.he canal,
with the principal feat.ures of prairie life of that dayIndians, emigrants and oxen in the background.
The canal's day was short. In the next decade rails
extended out. from Chicago and t.he transition from
canal to railroad took place almost. over night.

Now the pendulum swings again. The higQway returns in the form of a modern expressway on which
automobiles can travel wit.h safety at 60 miles an hour
-six times faster than the stage coach and 20 times
faster t.han the Archimedes. Where Capt. Guthrie
looked out of his pilot house and saw Indians and
prairie flowers, the expressway traveler will see busy
plants that. form part of the greatest. industrial center
in the world.
(Continued from Page 2)

Mu tual Aidtary aid and assistance to the Civil Defense director

or other official in charge in said community, reporting with such assistance as is requested to t.he area
assigned. Mutual aid services as contemplated in this
paragraph include fire fighting, law enforcement, fu'st
aid medical care, other general health services, welfare
and evacust.ion services and engineering;
"We further promise to serve as direct.ed in accordance with t.he suggested mutual aid and mobile
support pact of the Office of the Cook County Civil
Defense and Safety Commission and the Office of Civil
Defense for the State of minois."
"This agreement becomes effective upon its signing
and shall remain for the period of two years.
"Any municipality signing this agreement. is not
to be stripped of equipment for iLs own protection at
any time . . . nor is it subject to answer a call for
assistance if plagued with a disaster in its own community at the same time."

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Home Builder. Choole Exprellway Site. for Convenle.nce and Realty VOillue. See Page 2.

Vol. III No. 1

JUNE, 1955

CO OK COUNTY HIGHWAYS
Published by the Cook County (II!.) Department of FUghwaYII
Under auspices of the Board of Counly Comnliu ione'"
DANIEL RYAN , President

William N. Eric:kson
Fred A. Fulle
Chrllt A. Jensen
John A. M.lc-klu. Jr.
Clayton F. Smith
Edward M. Sneed
John J. Touhy

J,IIIYlel F. ""henden
Frank Bobryt%ke

Charin F. Chaplin
Ellubeth A. Conkey
Jerry Dolezal
Arthur X. Elrod
John J. Duffy

William J. Mortimer
SlIpe.rhuend,"-Dt or IlIl"h .... )' ...

Publiahed at t30 North Wei!. Street. Chicago G.

FRanklin 2-7644

-",
Expressway Desirable Factor

In

E:d enllion 221

Suburban Living

being Bold before completion. Homes along the

expressway may run 80 feet from the right-of-way
and are serviced by frontnge roads.
lJ'uycrs Oh oo"'~ E:OOllrestm'lty Sites
"'Maybe we arcn't pegging the buying public
right.' said Edwa.rd V. Wnlsh. veteran appraiser for
the First Federal Savings & Loan Association of
Chicago, 'People are buying homes along the express
way aa well a.s off of It. They nre making their
choice under no prC88ure in a market offering a
wide choice of locations.'
"Layard G. ThorlX', chief loan guaranty officer for
the Veterans AdminIstration regional office in Chi
cago, said the development along Edens is following
the pattern in other parts of the country, 'Fast ex
pressways are broadening the opportunities for semicountry living,' he said: '

DENS EXPRESSWAY ie helping to open UI) the

E
country [or suburban living. It was noled recently
by Albert Jedlicka, Jr .. rea l estate editor of The
Daily New8.
The picture on the front cover, which shows Edens
at the Caldwell Avenue inter&cclion, illustrates the
trend of development observed by Mr. JedJicka. Instead of being an undesirable feature of Lbe landscape, as some feared when Edens was new, the
expressway has proved to be a welcome convenience
to residents along the right-of.way and also a direct
callS(! of rising property values.
"Builders and realtors In the area arc finding a
strong market for new homet ranging from $19.000
to $40,000," said Mr. Jrdllckn. In his published article. "The building boom haa been accompanied by
a steady upward push In land valuCtl. with acreage
running from $4,500 to 55,000 or more in some
sections.
"Industry sources point out that the growing depletion of vacant building sitell in the established
North Shof'C eommunilies is spurring expansion to
the west.

Starting On Third Year

Time nics. With this issue, COOK COUNTY mGH\VA YS starts Ita third year.
IL is a suitable time for f'Cpcaling expressions of
thanks to thl' daily and WN'kly newspapers of the
County for reprinting artic1es and thus presenting
them to hte public, Tn the immediate future there
will be highway planning and construction on .a large
scale, and it Is hoped that the editors will continue
to help themselves to material in the magazine,
In il.!f short life, the publication has been accorded
recognition of 8ubRtanUaJ nature, By request, it
goes regulal'ly lO all brllneh('s of the Cbicago public
library, lhe libraries of many technical sehools, high.
way engineers snd builders and traffic safety workers
throughout the country. Only recently a request
came from London , 80 \\~ have gone international,

Uettrr Acee,.,. 1'0 1..0011

"'But the Ilew 8u!>crhlghway has definitely
helped the movement,' said Dean Buckmaster. veteran
North Shore appraiser, "rite expressway provides
more rapid acccss to thc Loop as well a.a to the
growing Ilumber of Industrial plants in the north
section of the country.'
"Skoklc, LincolnwoOO, Wilmette and Northbrook
nrc communltiC8 in which building has spurted in
the vicinity of Edens. One at the most active sections is around Lake A venue and Edens in Wilmette,
where t~ major projccts involving several hundred
homes are under way.
.. Tour years ago when 1 went to build my own
house. I turned down this area because of a lack of
adequate transportation: said Vernon V, Sherman.
one of the dc\'clopers, 'Today it is a hot spaL'
"Sherman was one of the first builders in the section
to put in homes fronting on the expressway. Appraisers penalized Lhe property slightly and some
resistance was encountered in sales. Today his new
homes on the other side of the expre88way are

lOO

UlJ::h Cost of Congestion

Traffic congesUon In New York City COfIts $1,082
million every year, the ClUzens' Traffic Board estimates. The biggest item on the bill is $350 million
for wages lost In tm-mc delaYII. The nCXL biggest is
accelerated depreciation of motor vehicles, estimated
at $175 million.

Edens Speeders Risk Much, Save Little

for everyone on the road. but the weavers believe
it is justified as saving time.

USH HOUR on Edens ExpreS8way is higb volume

moving at. high speed some of it too high.

ROntraffic
8 normal y"eek day rt'tenlly, 8 crew o( Cook

n ow Time Sned f1gures Out

As a. matter of fact. the weavera are getting a bad
deal. They should be enlightened.
Edens is 13.85 miles in length. The law-abiding
drive r at 60 miles an hour can make it. in 13.85
minutes. The 70-mi le viola to, does it in 11.87 minutcs. His reward for endangering other motorist.8
and himself over nearly 14 miles of heavily traveled
highway, is exactly 1.98 minutes of time saved, a
bad deal by any standard.
As a means of carrying the safety message to the
many thousands of motorists who will usc Edens
exprC88way dUring the summer peak, the Cook
County Highway Department invited Mr. Len 0Connor, NBC radio and television news commentator,

Speeder, on Ede n, E.pre ........ y get dluPPf"Ov;II' of

William J. Mortimer, Cook Co ... nty highway superin_
tendent ( left ), and Len O'Connor. '"dlo arid TV newa
co mment ator, I I they watch iI radii,. c:heck.

County Highway [)(opa.rt.mcnt traffic counters set up

their observation post on the Winnetka road grade
separation and eounled southbound vehicles from 7
to 10 8. m. In three houJ"8 they tallied 3,387, by Car
the mOSL of them cars bound for the loop.

Then they lurned around aod checked northbound

traffic from 10 until noon. The total was 1,292.
Most of the cars were driven by womeD, presumably
ouL shopping.

The observers had with them an elcclnrmagnetic

speed meter-radar. or the southbound vehicles, 527,
or 15 plus per cent, were going faster than the 60
miles an hour permitted on t.he expressway. Fiftyt.hree, in fact, were hitting it up over 65, including a
sports car [an, a regular morning and evening patron
of Edens, who was doing 85.
Womell Will This Time
Afler the big rush ended, traffie settled into a
smooth flow, with few cars over the limit. Of Lbe
1,292 cheeked in two houra. only 30, or .023 per cent.
were beating 60 and only two were over 65.
So the score that day stood:
Men drivers in Ii rush .. .15 PCI' cent violators
Womcn shoppers. . .....023 per cent violators
In fairness to the men, however, it should be noled
that 2,860 observed the speed limit. 474 bit it up a
bll, p8Jl8ing the 50-mile drl .. crs here and there, and
only 53 really zoomed.
These 53, who were timed at 65 to 85, represent.
the core of the speeding problem. In order to drive
70 on R three-lane highway carrying heavy traffic,
it is necessary to weave in and out almost continuously. This, of course, sharply increases the danger

Aldillr reeorder plaeed at rlllln9 of W innetk a Avenue

S ty lUI reeordl Ipeed. or approaehing ea r.
Ind gr"ph may be produeed In eourt a. evidence.
overpll~

to bring his tape recorder out to Edens and observe

the traffic for an hour. Also present were officenl
(Continued on Page 6)

County Plays Host to City

OOK COUNTY suburbs and the County Board
played the role ot good neighbors when Chicago
C
was "hit" with a five megaton hydrogen bomb June

dropped on Hiroshimo) would wreak devastation on

such a scnle that all the resources of the metropolltan

area would be called on immediately for relief work.
In the exercise It WlL8 assumed that 1,763.000 persons
would flee Chicago. Some would make their way 'beyond the six counties, including Cook, that make up
rlUnoLs Mutual

Aid

Area.

CD Exercise

house-garage on the ouukirta of LaGrange. A special train carried Mayor Daley. members of his cabinet; Anthony J. Mullaney, Chicago Civil Defense
Director, and his staff to LaCrange and back. On a
small 8cale it WBS the 88Ille operation as the transfer
of federal government from Washington .
The highway garage is the control center of the
Cook County Civil Defense Commission. Shortly after
the mayor arrived, Robert M. Woodward. dIrector of
the Illinois State Civil Defense Agency, dropped into
the WBrehouse yard In a helicopter. They were welcomed by WiUiam J. Mortimer, county highway
superintendent, representing President Ryan.

15 as part oC the nationwide Civil Defenlle leal exercise " Operation Alert 1955,"
A five megaton B bomb (equal to 5,000,000 tons
of TNT, 250 times 1L8 powerful D& the A bomb

the Northeastern

In

but

approximately a million would have to be fed, clothed,

sheltered, and given first aid In nearby s uburbs.

S ubu rbs H.,e

M ~ lin g

Countl' 1 ~ Host To OIty Ilnd State

At the climax of the activity In Chicago, the city
government WBA ha.st.Uy removed to a place of safety
from where operations within the slricken city
might be directed. For this purpose, President Daniel
Ryan of the County Board, who is al80 president of
the Cook County Civil Defense Commission, offered
the use of the county hig hway department's ware-

Mutual Aid was discussed at a meeting held in

the Elmwood Park village hall June 9 and attended
by 150 mayora, vil lage preSidents, police chiefs and
local Defense directors. Joseph A. Downey, county
Civit Defense director, introduced President. Ryan,
who praised the Civil Defense volunteers for performing II. patriotic duty t.hat is little recognized by the
general public. President Ryan also read a telegram
from Mayor Daley expre88ing regrets at bls inability
to attend the meeting.
Other speakers included Commissioner MuJlaney,
Pat Kelly, Chicago Civil Defense coordinator; Gen.
J. L. Homer, executive of the State Civil Defense
agency, and Gen. Dabney O. Elliott. director of the
Northeastern Illinois Mutual Aid Area.

Ne w High on Congress Street

May Traffic Toll In Suburbs 19

Travel on the 2 1, milea section oC Congrese St.re.:!t

Expressway between 1st Avcnue, :Maywood , and
Mannheim Road, opened by Cook County lBAt Deeembel" 31 IUl a convenience to the public. set a new higb
record- 18,720 vehicles in both dlrections-()n Friday,
June 3.

Nineteen per.ans were killed in higbway traffic

accidents in Cook County outside Chicago last month.
eight more than In April
Nine, almost half the total dead, were pedestrians.
Tbat Is not as bad as in Chicago, where on the five
year average 1949 to 1953 63.1 of traffic fatalities
were pedestrians, but it Is far too hlgh for tbe less
hazardous conditions of suburbRn streets and higb-

While the tl8&umed attack

WBS

set up as a problem

for the Chicago Civil Defense Corps, a nece8Sary

supplement was the mutual aid that would be required if Ule attack we re real. It WIU! to this phase
of the problem that the SU burban CD officials gave
attention.

The average 24-bour counts during May were as

follows:
Monday, 14.,577; Tuesday, 15,663 : Wednesday,
15,677: Thursday, 16,313: Friday, 16,389; Saturday,
14,263; Sunday, 12,817.
On Edens Expressway, 52,408 vehicles were
counled on Sunday, May 15. and 51,947 on Sunday.
June 5. Daily averages on Edens during May were:
Monday, 40.312: Tueaday, 38.373; Wednesday,
39,448; Thursday, 40,087: F'rlday, 46.052; Saturday.
4.3.450; Sunday. 48,868.
Daily averagcs on Calumet. Expre88way during
May were:
Monday. 33,876; Tuesday. 29,400; Wednesday,
29,816; Thursday. 30,4.58; Friday. 33,195; Saturday,
31,709; Sunday. 30,824.
When the firlt short section ot Congres8 Street WIU!
opened, many thought that it would attract little
traffic except. slghtsee.ra. On tbe contrary, as the
daily figures Indicate, the new expressway has built

w,ays.

Three of the pedeatrians killed out in the county

IBAt month were toddlers, two little girls 3 years old
and a boy of 4. One was a maD of 63.
There we re six deatbs in collisions between automobiles, one In a crash involving two automobiles
and a truck, on in an automobile-trailer collision.
one in a. car that struck a hole in the road and
catapulted, and ODe in an automohile that crashed
into an abutment.
Through May, the total traffic ratalltles in subur
ban Cook county this year was 81, as compared to
76 ror the same months of 1954.
up a regular daily volume oC motorists who have
round it possible to 88ve time and annoyance by
using it to go to and from their work. The days for
sightaee~aturday aod Sunday- are tbe lightest
of the week.

Suburbs Meet on Civil Defense Mutual Aid

Spe~ker. ilt the me eting , left to r ig ht-Gen. J . L. Homer, executIve Of the 1111nol. Stll te Chdl Defe n le Agency;
Ge n. O,.bney D. Elliott, dIrector of the Northealtern 1II1nol. Mutual Aid Area ; JOleph A. Downey, Cook County
Civil Defente d ire ctor: President Dan iel Ay"n of the Coo k COlmly BOlrd: Pit Kelly, coordlnato,. of the Chicago
Civil Defen.. Cor~ Ind Anthony J. Mull,nl,.. Ch ic:.llgo Civil Detenle d irector. Ai" anted 'n,leM thl rallinl!
I, Roy C. Blackwell, 0", Page Count y Civil Defen te dIrector.

Part o f the gltherlnll o f ml)'Orl, village pruident, lind loeal CO dlreelorl ,lit the meeting.

Speeding Bad Bargain

Plant Seed For Safety

(Continued from Page 3)

of the TIlinois State Police, who made two arrests
of speeders noted on Lhe radar during the time Mr.

O'Connor was present.

Mr. O'Connor interviewed William J. Mort.imer,
Cook CounLy highway superintendent, and Leo G.
Wilkie, t raffic e ngineer of the count.y highway depart.
ment. In his broadcast recording, he advised his
radio audience thaL the expressway is intended for
the convenience of all and tbat the few who choose
to ignore the liberal SI>eOO limit should be dealt wi th.

On this point, be had the promise of the state pol~ce

that Edens will be patrolled and speeders bagged as
[nsl 8S the radar needle points them oul.
Curs Oounted tlll d SllCCd Ohecked

The following table gives the traffic counts and the

speed checks for I'!ach of the I5-minute periods of
tbe observations made at Winnetka road:
Time
(A. M.)

1:007:151:301 :46-

7:15
7:30
1:45
8 :00
8:00- 8:15
8:15- 8:30
8:30- 8:45
8:45- 9:00
9 :00- 9 :15
9:15- 9:30
9:30- 9:45
9:45-10:00
10:00-10:15
10:15-10:30
10:30-10:45
10:45-11:00
11:00-11:15
11 :15-11 :30

11:30-11:45
1l :4S-Noon

Direction

Southbound

.."
"
"
"
"
Northbound

"

Sp ....d
Study
Vo lume

Vehide. Vehic:lu
oyer
o ver
60MPH 65 MPH

192
268
303
364
342
321
332
322
252
216
207
170
221
174
182
151
138

3.
76
63
86
68
55
42
3.
27
13

lU

1
2
2

167
118

11

13
10
8
2
2

1
4
2
13
6
5
6
5
6
1
1
3
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0

.New Illeo. For Cur b Parking

Automobile parking spaces along curbs in Los
Angeles are about to undergo a cbange to make
getling in and out en.sicr. Instead of a continuous
line of spaces each 22 feet long, there will be a
pattern of two parking spaces of 20 feet each with
cight-foot red zones between. This wlll give the car
in front in one of the two spaces a chance to move
ahead easily for eight feel a nd then out into the
street; t.he rear car likewise can back out into the
eight feet of red space back of it. It will be illegal
to park in a red zone.
Colo rs Come.ln

Shapes

A color-blind mayor In a little town down south

has solved the problem of reading colored signal
lights. He caU8CS masks to be fitted over the signals

to make green lights square, amber caution lights

diamond shaped and red lights circles-THE CALIFORNIA HlGHWAY PATROLMAN.

Pac ka.ge. of flower leeds carried a Ia.fety mellage

to crowds on the Iidewalki In l everal luburbl on
Arm<ed Forces Day. Staff members of the Cook Count y
Traffic SOIfety Com million pOIlled ou t the pac"'~ge.,
each of which was ItOlpled to 01 card readl"1I "Plant
A Se<ed For Safety" over th e name of Da niel Ryan.
pre,ldent of the County Board. who il al,o pr<e,lde"t
of the ",f<ety commlulon. DI,playlng the Item in
the above picture I, Irene H ayes. drcula tion manager
of COOK COUNTY HIGHWAVS.

Ne w, Improved Headl ights

A new type of automobiJe headlight expected to be
rE'ady for usc this summer is the seventh major im
provemcnt in automotive headlightlng since gas lamps
replaced the flickering oil lamps in 1906, It is noted
by HIGHWAY RESEARCH ABSTRACTS.
"Acetylene lamps produced some 5,000 beam candle
power, but were still messy, undependable and potentially dangerous; and they were still a far cry
from today'a 10,OOO'plus candle power,"...ABSTRACTS
observes.
"Electric lamps came in 1912 with 30.000 candle
power, followed by vacuum filled. bulbs of 4.5,000 in
1915. Then came two-filamcnt bulbs and fixed-focus
and prcfocused units in rapid succession, culminating
in the original sealed-beam lamps of 1939:'
The Dew lamps give as much as 80 feet more seeing
distance along the right side of the roadway and
generally better light. distribution, especially on the
lower beam. They are expected. to appear on new
cars and trucks as soon as the green light is flashed
by legislativ(' action In 22 states which must modify
present laws.

Detours on Cou nty Jobs

Detours necessitated by construction work being
done by the Cook County Highway Department are
in e1Icct. as follows:
STATE ROAD-Closed at Cicero Avenue and at
79th Street: local traffic only; detour marked.
127th STREET---Closed [rom Ashland A venue to
Halsted Street and from Halstcd Street to State
Street; local traffic only; detour marked.
IS3rd STREET-Closed at Cottage Gmve Avenue
nnd at Stony Island Avenue on account of construe
lion on Calumet Expressway; local traffic only; de-

tour marked.
123rd STREET-Closed at 96th Avenue and at
80th A venue; local traffic only; detour marked..
31st STREET--Closed at LaGrange Road and at

11th Avenue; local traffic only: det.our marked.

25th AVENUE-Closed at Lexington Street and
at Roosevelt Road; local traffic only; detour marked.
DEVON AVENUE-Closed at Roule 83 and at.
Elm hurst Road; bridge out.; local traffic only; detour
marked.
WASHINGTON STREET (Glenview)-Closed at
Golf Road and at Central Road; local traffic only;
detour marked.
J OE ORR ROAD-Closcd from Coltage Grove
Avenue to Stony Island Avenue and from Stony
[Sland A venue to Torrence Ave; local traffic only;
detour marked.
l08th A VENUE-Closed from 167th Street to
179tb Street on account of construction of a culvert
alld 2,000 feet of road; local traffic only; detour
marked.
147th STREET-Clo!;led at Cicero Avcnue and
George Brennan Highway; loca! traflic only; detour
marked.
Willow Road-Open (rom Linde r Road to Hibbard Road; closed to through trafllc from Hibbard
Road to Provident Road; local traffic only; detour
marked.
Under Collslructl nn. No Odo urs
The following roads are under construction. but
no detours are required:
FERRIS AVENUE-Dempster Street. to Lincoln
Avenue.
LINCOLN AVENUE-At C. M. S1. P. & P. tracks.
P ULASKI ROAD-Irving Park Boulevard to Bryn
Mawr Avenue.
TORRENCE AVENUE-154th Street to Sibley
&ulevard and HOth Street to 134th St.reet.
138th STREET-Ashland Avenue to Ha1sted
Street.
OAKTON STREET-Elmhurst Road to Lee Street.
HARLEM A VENUE-Lincoln Highway to 183rd
Street.
WILLOW ROAD-Milwaukee Avenue to Shermer
Road.
BARRINGTON ROAD-Lake Street to Hawthorne.
'25th AVENUE (New road through Forest Prese.rve)-22nd Street to 26th Street.
55th STREET-LaGrange Road to 700 feet nort.heast of I ndiana Harbor Belt Railroad (sewer constr uction).
63rd STREET-Cicero Avenue to Central Avenue.
GREENWOOD A VENUE-Mjlwaukee Avenue to
Lake Avenue.

The W h1rligig of Time

Present day plans for expressways to carry large
volumes of traffic in and out of Chicago, through
the adjacent countryside and eventually to form links
in a nationwide system emphasize dramatically the
great change in travel hereabouts in little more than
a century.
Steamboats and stage coaches made Chicagopopulation l4.,OOO- tbe wonder clty of the west by
1845. When the lake was free of ice, four steamboats
arrived and departed daily. Stage coaches ran on
daily or tri-weekly scheduJes to Peoria, Galena,
Detroit and Milwaukee. Their roads were prairie soil
and at times the weather SLopped them, too.
A good idea of stage coach !.ravel in the 1840's is
give.n by Milo M. Quaife in his book "Chicago's Highways Old and New."
"The coach body was painted in shades of green,
yellow or red, and the panels were decorated with
paintings of landscapes. or of noted historical charac
ters. The interiors} too, were attractively painted snd
Ullholstered. while the individual coach bore the name
of some noted statesman or other character.
Grea t to be H. Orher.
"The stage driver was a man of consequence. in the
community. and he ne ve r omitted an opportunity to
impress this fact upon aU with whom he came in
contact. He carried a trumpet with whieh he loudly
blew to announce the arrival of the stage at a tavern.
and both arrival and departure were made with his
fourhorse team lashed into a run. . ..
" We find at this time-1846-there was a daily
stage service between Chicago and Peoria. Tri-weekly
stages ran to Galena by way of Dixon and over the
northern route through Freeport and Rockford.
Between Chicago and Detroit and Chicago and Mil
waukee the stage serviee was modified by the
existence of water transportation. In the season of
open navigation stages ran tn-weekly to Milwaukee;
when navigation closed, a daily schedule was established ....
"On the more important lines the old-time stage,
like the modern steam train, rail day and night. This
involved, of course, the maintenance of relay stations
at intervals of 12 or 115 miles where fresh horses were
in readiness to take the place of the jaded arrivals,
and inns for the accommodation of passengers.
Fare Highe r III Wlnte.r.
"The journey to Peoria, 175 miles, might be made
in two days, the cost to the traveler being $10 in
winter and $8 in summer. The distance to Galena
by the northern route was 160 miles and by the
southern, 170 miles; in both cases the fare was $8
and the time consumed was two days.
Like modern tourists who size up a wayside eating
place by the truc.ks parked there, travelers of the
1840'15 had their methods of appraising a tavern. A
common test, Mr. QuaiCe learned. was to look for
"a fat dog and a well-trodden corral. The latter indicated that the place was patronized by teamsters,
the former that a bountiful table was set, otherwise
there would be nothing left over for the dog."

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Vol. III No. 2

JULY, 1955

C ~ OK COUNTY HIGHWAYS
Published by the Cook County (Ill.) Department of Highways
Under auspices of the Board of County Commissioners
DANIE L RYAN, President
James F. Aahenden
Frank Bobrytzke

William N. Erickson

Charles F. Chaplin
Elizabeth A. Conkey
Jerry Dolezal

Christ A. Jensen

Fred A. Fu ll e
John A . Mae'kler, Jr.

Clayton F. Smith

Arthur X. Elrod

Edward M. Sneed

John J. Duffy

John J. T ouhy
William J. Mortimer
Superintendent of Highway III

Published at 180 North Wells Street, Chicago 6. FRanklin 2-7544

Extension 221

...".365

New High Daily Count

UT ON the west end of Congress Street Expressway. the daily traffic count continues
O
to reach new highs.
The 24-hour tally exceeded 20,000 for the
lirst time on June 17, a Friday. The total lhat
day in both directions was 20,169. On lhe following Thursday, Jun e 23, the count was 20,097 and the next day, the 24th, it was 20,191.
In the three weeks between then and this
writing, the count did not again reach 20,000,
but was above 19,000 several days.
An unexpected variance was the 12,327 count
on Friday, July 1. The apparent explanation
was that the day was the slart of a holiday
weekend, and that many who r egularly use the
expressway traveling to and from work were
already off on their Independence Day outings.
The new high count compares with 5,489 on
last December 22, when the Expressway was
opened between 1st and 17th A venu es, Maywood,
and 11,236 on December 31, when travel was
permitted between 1st Avenu e and Mannheim
Road, 2 1/2 miles.

~...
BOOB under consideration this month is the
THeHE
weaver.
weaves in and out of traffic lanes like the
marble in a pin ball machine.
He passes Car A on th e left and Car B on the
right-or vice versa.
He may appear to be a real HOT SHOT.
Indeed, he may be taken for a model, especially
by th e young.
They, too, can become BOOBS.
All t h ey need do is to hea) Inconsiderate of everybody else.
b) Above traffic laws. regulations and common sense.
c) A Smart Alec in all situations where it is
better to be just smart.
Some times, of course, the weaver gets to the
head of the line.
But some times he doesn't. For instanceEdens Expressway is as safe a highway as can be
built. In 1951 the traffic volume amounted to 184,939,870 vehicle miles. Yet there were only 200
accidents. Of this number, 104 were various types
of coUisions-one car banging another- and 102 of
them were attributable to weaver driv er8.
The weaver's watchword- 44 Wbat's all the fuss
about? I almost made it."

Death Toll Lowest in 8 Years

In lhe number of traffic deaths in suburban Cook
Counly, June was the best month in eight years.
The death toll was 10, which compares with previous ears since organization of the Cook County Traffic Safety Commission as follows:
1953 . . ... 29
1952 ... . . 24
1954 . .... 20
1951 . .... 22
1950 .. .. . 20
1949 ... . . 12
1947 .... . 8
1946 .. . .. 6
1948 ..... 14
The June figure was also lbe lowest monthly total
this ye"r, comparing with 19 in May, 11 in April,
15 in March, 20 in F ebruary and 16 in January.
Apparently the good showing was in the pedestrian
column. Only onc was killed in June compared with
.
nine in May.
One bicyclist was killed by a car. Three persons
were killed in collisions of cars, three in collisions
between passenger automobiles and trucks, one in
an auto-bus collision and one when a truck hit a
curb.

Cooperation Marks Expressway Bonds

Keeler Avenu e Bridge on Coo'k County Section of Congress Street.

was commended for the benefits it will afford the

public.
One question was raised briefly- should not the
proposition be submitted to the voters? The ans wer, provided by several legislators, was in two
parts: 1) th e earliest date on which a referendum
could be held would be in November, 1956, which
would mean at least 16 months delay in express~
way construction, and 2) there is no real need for
an election because the public's desire for early
completion of the expressways is well known.
Thus, the bond issue represents in gratifying degree the cooperation of Governor Stratton, Mayor
Daley, and the legislators in support of Cook County.
In such congenial circumstances, the prospects are
bright for advancing the expressway program.
The new bonds will be sold in blocks as needed,
as was done with the $70 million issue. The first
offerin g, which will be made soon, will be $40 million to $50 million.

By William J. Mortimer
Superi ntendent, Cook County Department
of Highways

E ARLY COMPLETION of the primary system of

expressways reaching from Chicago's central business district into the suburbs was assured when Governor William G. Stratton on July 7 signed the bill
authorizing Cook County to issue $245 million in
bonds. With the governor when he put his pen to
the bill was President Daniel Ryan of the Cook
County Board of Commissioners, who expressed his
appreciation of the governor's extending assistance
of such importance to the county.
It was Governor Stratton's offer of $20 million a
year of state funds for highway construction in
Cook County that became the cornerstone of the
bond issue. Coming just when the county was
about to use the last of the $70 million bond issue
approved by the voters in 1946, the governor's offer
was most welcome.
However, President Ryan perceived that if con-

struction was to be done at the rate of $20 million

a year, it would take at least 12 years to complete
the urgently needed routes embraced in the priority
system. Instea1, he suggested to Governor Stratton that the county be permitted to use the annual
grants to service a $245 million bond issue, which
would immediately provide sufficient funds to push
expressway construction at maximum speed.

Highway Department Gets Busy

Activity is under way in the highway department's
divisions of design and land acquisition. This is in
fulfillment of President Ryan's original proposal to
Governor Stratton, that the county as part of its
contribution would use the staff of the highway
department to acquire rights-of-way and to design
and supervise construction of the expressways to
be built with the bonds.
These routes are:
The Northwest from the loop to Cicero A venue.
Beyond Cicero this route, which will sel've O'Hare

~Iayor, Legislators Cooperab~

Governor StraUon apPl"oved WiUl ent.husiasm and
the bill was introduced with his blessing. Mayor
Richard J . .Daley of Chicago, who ranks expressways as a major need of the community, added his
support. In both houses of the assembly, the bill

(Continued on Page 7)

Litter Drive

a Task For Everyone

people that they, as residents of this progressive
commun ity, have a strong personal interest in keeping it clean. This can he done by example and by
education.

By Dan iel Ryan

President, Board of Commissioners

of Cook County

has been said, arc funny. How else can

PE OPLE,
be explained
they spend large sums of
it

why
money to beautify the countryside and then spoil it
with litter tossed aside
merely to save a few
steps?
The "Keep Cook
County C lean and
Green" program is in
line with the times. We
are abou t to add to the
forest preserves, which
already are the largest
natural r e ere at ion
acreage in any metroWe are
politan area.
also about to build expressways, which will
be landscaped for beauty as well as designed for
speed and safety.
Cook County and Chicago arc entering into an
era of growth that is catching the attention of the
rest of the nation. The spirit of progress is in the
air. ' Big projects such as the forest preserve development and expressways connecting the center of
the city with the suburbs north, south and west
taking shape.
But if we don 't improve our manners, these big
things will he spoiled by little things like bits of
paper, picnic leavings, empty bottles and cans. The
new forest preserves could then be only more acres
of litter.
it

County Will Lead the Way

The Board of County Commissioners, which is also
the Board of Forest Preserve Commissioners, will
lead the way in the unincorporated parts of the
county. Actually, this is nothing new. Maintenance
crews of the County Highway Department have
always picked up trash along the 665 miles of county
maintained roads at a cost of about $45,000 annually.
And in the forest preserves cleaning up, especially
after a big picnic Sunday, is one of the district's
main chores. These efforts will continue. It is to
be hoped that the people who use the facilities will
appreciate the cleanliness afforded them and do
their share to keep them clean.
I have asked Mr. Joseph A. Downey, director of the
Cook County Civil Defense Commission, to head up
the cleanliness program. He is weB-fitted for the
task, being a suburbanite himself, a resident of
Bellwood, and having countywide acquaintance as a
result of his Civil Defense activities.
Suhurbs Asked to Join
He has started the campaign by seeking the cooperation of all suburban mayors and village presi~
dents, township supervisors, civic and improvement
clubs and the like. In the incorporatea communities,
the problem obviously belongs to the local authorities,
and it is not our intention to intrude. Mr. Downey's
appeal is entirely on the basis of everyone joining
hands- the county, the suburbs and the City of
Chicago-in a movement that promises great good
for all.
All the elected county officers have joined in enthusiastica lly. Their first act was to communicate to
their employes the request that they clean up their
own premises, whether in Chicago or in some suburb,
and also to take an active part in any local drives
in their home communities.
Assisting Mr. Downey will be Frisky, the squirrel,
(front cover), whose message HKeep Cook County
Clean and Green" will be heralded far and wide
with attractive poster style signs. These will be
erected in the forest preserves, along the highways
and anywhere else they may be effective.
As a closing thought- Cook county is the largest
county in the nation; 1et's make it the cleanest, too.

Cleanliness a Task for All

Essentially, the cleanliness program requires par~
ticipation hy everybody. That may sound complicated, but it isn't. It means simply that the litter
problem can be tackled successfully if everyone puts
his picniC garbage in the designated receptacles, if
everyone refrains from chucking trash out the car
windows, if everyone disposes of household refuse
properly instead of dumping it in a low place along
a highway.
I believe that people, funny as they may be, in~
stinctively prefer litter~free picnic spots and road~
sides. However, littering seems to be one of those
bad customs that people in large numbers practice
without thinking. Men, women, and even children
who are tidy aTollnd their own premises follow the
mob in public places and leave their trash for the
cleanup gangs.
There are laws everywhere against strewing tr::o.sh.
Some states, including our neighbor Indiana, erect
wayside signs warning of fines. Here in Cook County
we could crack down on offenders and take them into
court. But I believe the results will he longer
lasting and better in every way if we concentrate
on cleanliness for its own sake.
As I see it, our objective is to demonstrate to the

William Busse
William Busse, a member of the Cook County
Board of Commissioners 52 years until his retire~
ment last Decemher, died July 16 at the age of 91.
An early booster for good roads, his name is honored in Busse Highway, in the northwest part of
the county.

Test Signs Erected 0 n Congress Street

OUR OVERHEAD sign structures
F
the Cook County Highway Department.

have been
erected on the Congress Street Expressway by
They serve
the 9th Avenue and 17th Avenue exit ramps for
westbound traffic in the section between First Avenue,
Maywood, and Mannheim Road, which was completed
and opencd by the county last year.
Two of the signs are of the advance warning type;
that is, they give advance notice of exit ramps, so

well as various combinations of these materials. Signs

with only the legend reftectorized will be tested along
with signs which are entirely refiectorized. Some test
signs will have borders; others will not. An article
describing the sign tests will appear soon in COOK
COUNTY IDGHWAYS.
The other advance warning sign is a mast arm type
extending out over the roadway from the median
strip. It is located to serve the 9th Avenue exit ramp.
In size it is 12 feet by 5 feet.

Types of R a mp Signs
The two ramp signs arc of different designs. One
is a mast arm type extending out over the pavement
from the right side of the roadway whcre the ramp
begins. The second ramp sign is .a single post mounted
sign placed in the "nose" formed by the ramp's
branching from the right traffic lane.
The mast type ramp sign is 12 feet by 3 feet and
the nose mounted sign is 11 feet by 3 feet.
With the narrow right-of-way encountered in the
business district on Congress Street Expressway, the
use of overhead signs becomes mandatory. The possibility of missing a sign due to obstruction by a large
vehicle in the right lane is eliminated.

Detours on County Jobs

Detours necessitated by work being done by the
Cook County Highway Department are in effect as
follows. In all instances, detour routes are marked.
STATE ROAD- Closed at Cicero Avenue and 79th
Street; local traffic only.
127th STREET- Closed from Ashland Avenue to
Halsted Street and from Halsted Street to State
Street; local traffic only.
183rd STREET- Closed at Cotlage Grove Avenue
and at Stony Island Avenue on account of Calumet
Expressway construction; local traffic only.
123rd STREET- Closed at 96th Avenue and at
80tb Avenue; local traffic only.
31st STREET- Closed at LaGrange Road and at
17th Avenue; local traffic only.
25th AVENUE-Closed at Lexington Street ani!
at Roosevelt Road; local traffic only.
TOUHY A VENUE-Closed at River Road to Talcott Road and from Talcott Road to Greenwood
Avenue; local traffic only.
DEVON AVENUE-Closed at Route 83 and at
Elmhurst road; bridge out; local traffic only.
WASHINGTON STREET (Glenview)- Closed at
Golf Road and at Central Street; local traffic only.
108th AVENUE-Closed from 167th Street to
179th Street; local traffic only.
147th STREET- Closed at Cicero Avenue and at
George Brennan Highway; local traffic only.
WILLOW ROAD- Open from Linder Road to Hibbard Road; closed to through traffic from Hibbard
Road to Provident Road.

Span type structure to carry sign informing motorists

they are approaching 17th Avenue exit.

that drivers intending to make that maneuver are

channeled into the proper lanes. The other two signs
are located at the ramps and inform the motorist of
the specific maneuver necessary to exit from the ex
pressway.
The Cook County High",ay Department will determine from tests of these four structures the types
of sign structures' to be used for overhead signs at
other expressway locations.
The advance warning sign for the 17th Avenue exit
is on a span type structure which extends 57 feet, 3
inches from the center of the median to a point 12
feet 3 inches from the right edge of the pavemcnt.
The vertical clearance between the bottom of the sign
and the pavement will be 14 feet 3 inches, which is
the same as the minimum clearance of expressway
grade separation structures.
The size of the advance warning sign board to be
mounted on this span is 3 feet by 25 feet 6 inches.
The legend, which is in 12 inch letters, is "17th AVE.
EXIT KEEP RIGHT."

To Test Various J\faterials

The span type structure will also be used by the
Traffic Subcommittee for (}verhead sign tests. Various
reflecting materials will be tested and evaluated as

They Maintain Roads In South Part of County

Dist rict 4, left to rig ht-Elliot Sheen, Carl Steinweg, Peter J. Whalen , L. C , Sibby. Herbe rt Daniels, James Pear80n, Bruno Domb rowski. Ralph Fletcher, Edward Radigan. Fred Polson , Erwin Lucas, James Z ie linski , Edw;:!.rd
Houstot1'; George S itzler, AI Meyer, Fred Powell , Richard Hogan, William Pacini, James Trudden , Oscar Ander8on,
Jonn Barnes, Frank Dunne , T. H. Crist, Andrew Scianna, Elmer Haas, Ben Palermo, John Morek, Erwin Oskier'ko,
Frank Meeh J r., Maurice Dowling, Pat Brown, Edward Walsh , Solomon Graham, Jeue Lovelace , Ralph Coccia,
Frank Unger, Walter Brandau, Tommy Vaughan , Frank Smith, Howard Bush, George Naves, Martin Weiland,
George Fuoco, Joseph Graziano, William Bowser, Erwin Steinhart, George Ho race k, Harold Conway, Oscar
Strand, Oscar As hur, James Flowers

Di st rict 5, left to right-H. Gill , C. Came Ii, D. Jankau ski J. Slavik, L. Meyer, N. Terre . F. D' Angelo, William
Mahler, L. Kamykowski, William Hlavac, J. Verba, T . Palanea, C. Kogut, E. Saari, S. Gordon, N. Mackler, C.
DeProsperia, P . Blakemore, R. AngeilotU, S. Rutyna , E. Pen way, H. Carlson , C. Petrarca , E. Kreidler, L. Komer,
M. Ka lisn ky , C. Martin, G. Turner, William Volz, G. Williams, William Swanson, Frank Scotien, R. Smoots, Frank
Reno, H. Robinson, P. Prince, M. Berwanger, Krank Oem ith, William Wilczynski, William Fah ey, S. Celmer, Frarik
Zeuberls, E. Sander, Will ia m Munsterman , W , Stanek, L. Mauro, M. Stlbolt.

Blue Isla nd Shops and Warehouse, left to right- Pat Hogan, Harry Clarke, M. J . O' Farrell, John Czachna, John
Fitzgerald , W . DeCero, Sylvester Winters, George Davison, Charles Kru.inovskl, Earl Kreidler, George Turner,
Art Mason , Joseph Krska.

All County Workers

As

THE mainspring of President Daniel Ryan's

drive against litter in the Cook County countryside, the active participation of every employe of the
county is sought by Joseph A. Downey, Cook County
Civil Defense Director, who is serving as head of the
cleanup program.
Through the enthusiastic cooperation of all the
elected officials of the county, thousands of copies of
a memorandum have heen posted on bull etin boards
and otherwise distributed to th e employes in all departments. It reads as follows:

J oin With City a nd Nation

"At the request of President Daniel Ryan of the
County Board, I have undertaken to organize in sub
urban Cook County a program of cleanliness sihtilar
to the nationwide campaign Keep America Beautiful
Inc. and the 4Litterbug' drive recently launched in
the Cily of Chicago by Mayor Daley.
"Essentially, any cffort to keep the road-sides,
picnic grounds, vacant lots, streets and alleys free of
litter is a job for everyone. And what better inspiration could be given our fellow citizens than for all the
employes of the county to lead the way in launching
President Ryan's project?

Expressway Bonds
(Conlin ued from Page 3)
Airport, will become part of Governor Stratton's
toll road system.
The South route, which will provide an outlet at
62nd and State Streets for lhe city's Skyway link
with Indiana toll road and also will connect in the
vicinity of 95th and State Streets with the Calumet
Expressway.
The Southwest Expressway. which will follow thc
old Illinois & Michigan canal bed from 26th and
Canal Streets in a line generally parallel to Archer
Avenue to the Cook-DuPage counly line. It will
provide a fast direct route to the Chicago Midway
Airport at 63rd Street and Cicero Avenue and will
serve the rapidly growing industrial area in the
southwest part of the county.
l\[oney Value of EXllressway Benefits
Also to be constructed with the new bonds are part
of the west end of Congress Street Expressway, the
Ohio and Ontario Street I<feeders tl into Nortbwest
Expressway and the link to connect Northwest with
Edens Expressway between Montrose A venue and
the present Edens outlet at Balmoral Avenue.
The Cook Counly Highway Department hopes that
these jobs can be completed and opened to travel
in three years. This would be a saving of nine
years und er the best possible time without the bonds.
Our highway department engineers have calcu1ated
what the new expressway will save the motoring
public in time, operating expenses and the cost of
accidents. They regard $60 million a year as a conservative figure. ThuB, nine years snved in construction time will have a value to the people of $540
million, more than twice lhe total of the bond issue.

In Cleanup
"It is, therefore, my earnest request that every one
of you immediately assume a share of responsibility
in this movement. First of all, you can make sure
that your own premises are sightly, and then you can
be extra careful not to strew paper or other trash
along the highways or in such public places as the
Forest Preserves and the parks.

He lp in Chicago, Too
"Many county workers, it is true, live in Chicago,
but they, too, will be supporting President Ryan's
program by jOining in the general dri ve against
litter. Outside the city, the call to clean up will go
to suburban and township officials, civic and improvement groups throughout the county. In addition to
their personal efforts, it may be that county employees Jiving in the suburbs can lend a hand in group
activities. After all, the one objective is to clean up
the litter and pvprything done in that direction will
count.
"I am confident that the jOint efforts of all county
workers will be an outstanding contribution to this
important community program and I assure you that
both PresIdent Ryan and I will appreciale your partiCipation."
In the meantime, the county is going ahead with
its sections of Congress Street Expressway and the
southward extension of Calumet Expressway.
Progress on Congress Street
On the six county sections of Congress Slreet between Sacramento and Laramie A venue work is in
various stages. There is some grading yet to do,
but on other sections paving gangs are at work and
that job is completed in the section between Kostner
Avenue and Pulaski Road. Rainy weather in June
retarded construction somewhat. However, at the
present rate it is expected that the 3% miles between
Sacramento and Laramie will be completed before
the end of the year.
On Calumet Expressway the complicated traffic
interchange with Kingery F.xpressway will be complcted this year. South of there, paving will be
ready for use at least as far as Lincoln Highway in
Chicago Heighls and Calumet will afford residents
of that vicinity a clear route into Chicago.

Car H as ~Iore Lights Tha n H Ollse

Automobiles today contain more light bulbs lhan
an average five-room home. Current models have an
average of 20 lights and some have as many as 38.
There were only five or six lights in the average 1925
car, about 13 in the 1940 models, and 16 in 1946
cars.- Automotives Industries.
j

Urge Holding Accident Car

The New York City Bar Association has recommended a law which would provide that eve ry automobile involved in an accident involving personal
injury or property damage be impounded, unless the
owner was carrying standard limits insurance.- The
Automobilist.

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

The big cloverleaf I nterchange where Calumet Expressway intersects Kingery Expressway.

Rough grading is com-

pleted and paving is 45 per cent complete. The job will be done thia fall , when it is expected that Calumet will be
opened u far U L.incoln Highway in Chicago Heights. The view is louth

Vol. III No. 3

AUGUST, 1955

COOK COUNTY HIG H WAYS

Published by the Cook County (Ill.) Department of Highways
Under auspices of the Board of County Commissioners
DANIEL RYAN, President

James F. Ashenden

William N. Erickson
Fred A. Fulle
Christ A. Jensen
John A. Mac'kler, Jr.
Ciayto<n F. Smith
Edward M. Sneed

Frank Bobrytz ke
Charles F. Chap lin
Eliza beth A. Conkey
Jerry Dolezal

Arth ur X. Elrod
John J. Duffy

John J. Touhy
William J. Mortimer
Superintendent 01' JllghwllYs

Published at 130 North Wells Street, Chicago 6. FRanklin 2-7544

Extension 221

~3G5

Pertinent Poem

"B OOB
of the Month," introduced in the july issue
of COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS, seems to have
caught on. Numerous community papers reprinted
the squib about the boob who weaves in and out,
bumping and scraping other folks' cars, and one of
them, Northcenter News, brought tbe piece to the
attention of Mrs. Herbert B. Julian, 4203 North Winchester Avenue.
Mrs. Julian writes verses for the fun of it. One,
which was used in The Chicago Tribune some time
ago, jingles along in the same strain as the July Boob
piece and she sent it in thinking it might be of
special interest to readers of this magazine.
Here it is, under the title uTwo Choruses- One
Moral" :
Joe had a sweeet convertible,
With horse power super-high;
Reckless, daring, dashing,
This was his carefree cry-

4t. .

Zig to the left,

Zag to the right,
Zigzag, zigzag, zig!

AREFUL drivers appreciate that stop signs are

installed on engineering data for their safety.
CBut
not the BOOB.

Al drove a battered jallopy,

A souped-up rattletrap;
He raced in surging traffic,
And sang at every lap-

As he sects it, signs are for suckers, and anyway

the people who put them up probably didn't get out
of fourth grade.
When it comes to a rolling stop, th e BOOB is the
slickest number on the road.
But what he doesn't grasp is that every rolling
stop sets the stage for a possible accident.
Says the BOOB as he runs the sign, "Next time I'll
stop twice."
The extent of the hazard is indicated by a survey
made by the Cook County Highway Department at
66 stop sign intersections in the suburban area.
Of the 58,732 drivers checked, 11,653 made rolling
slops- slowed down but kept moving-and 730 went
lhrough without touching the brake pedal.
But for luck and tbe care exercised by other drivers, there could have been 12,383 smash-ups!
In Illinois, a rolling stop is a violation just as much
as complete disregard of a stop s ign. Article 1, Section 19.01 (a), Act Regulating Traffic on Highways:
"8toll- nllen required means comp1ete cessation of
movement. JJ

Zig to the left,

Zag to the righ t,
Zigzag, zigzag, zig!

Joe and Al had never met,

Until one fateful day
They hit each other head-on!
Zigagging does not pay.

Pamphlets for Subdividers

A handy pamphlet containing "regulations designating the minimum requirements for grading, surfacing and drainage of streets in BU bdivisions of
unincorporated areas of Cook County" has been published by the Cook County Highway Department. It
is intended for free distribution to persons with an
interest in that field.

Frisky's "Please" Backed Up By Laws

C OLORFUL placards carrying the message of
Frisky. the squirrel- "Please Keep Cook County
Clean and Green"- will soon be seen wherever one
may tUrn throughout the suburban area.
The firs t of a 3,000 batch of cards produced in
the County Highway Department's sign shop was
delivered to Pres ident Daniel Ryan of the County
Board, sponsor of the countywide drive aga.inst litter. The cards measure 14 by 22 inches. Several
color combinations were tried out and the one with
a lemon yellow ground and chocolate brown letters
was selected.
The first 3,000 cards will be distributed to the
Forest Preserve District, the Highway Department,
the suburbs, township officers and the County building for posting in the corridors. Additional cards
will be ordered and put up until anyone about to
toss a bit of garbage anywhere in the county will
find IFrisky looking him in the eye, said Joseph A .
Downey , Cook County Civil Defense director, who is
heading lhe cleanliness drive.

Offenses Covered By Law

While Frisky's message is a polite "Please,)I people
who persist in deliberately strewing trash in picnic
areas, along the highways or in other public places
may be prosecuted, Downey said. He cited four
measures available for use against litterers: 1) Illinois law regulating garbage dumping, 2) court injunctions, 3) Forest Presorve District ordinances,
and 4) state law forbidding the placing of trash on
a public road.
In a letter to Downey. State's Attorney John
Gutknecht quoted the statutory provision under
which he may act to control garbage disposal in
unincorporated areas. Chapter 38, Section 466a.
Paragraph 221 of the Illinois Revised Statutes 1953
reads as follows:
"It is unlawful for any person to dump or place
any garbage or offens ive substance within the corporate limits of any city, village or incorporated
town other than the city, village or incorporated
town within the corporate limits of which such garbage or other offensive substance shall have originated, nor shaH any garbage or other offensive substance be dumped or placed within one mile of the
corporate limits of any other city, village or incorporated town.
"Any person violating any provision of this section
is guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall
be fined not less than $100.00 nor more than $500.00."
Injunctions Prove Effective
The State's Attorney's letter continued:
uWe have been quite successfu1 in obtaining injunctions preventing the dumping of garbage or
other offensive material in the unincorporated area
of Cook County. Not only is the dumping of garbage or other offensive material a misdemeanor
under the Criminal Code, but it is also a violation
of the Cook County Zoning Ordinance.

P resident Ryan and Frisky

" We believe that the obtaining of a permanent injunction is a permanent cure rather Ulan securing
a fine and permitting the offender to continue his
operation. We therefore favor injunction proceedings
rather than obtaining a fine.
...
"The Cook County Health Department has informed us that there .are numerous 'sneak' operators
who venture into the unincorporated area of Cook
County during the night and dump loads of obnoxious
material in the first dark farm or prairie available.
You may readily understand that catching these
offenders would require a tremendous amount of
police work.
"Another series of complaints by the County
Board of Health is the fact that motorists will throw
paper, fruit and other waste materials from their
cars as they drive along the highway. Probably
the only way to prevent this practice is to appeal
to the citizenry for cooperation in keeping the county
clean and beautiful."
Forest Preserve Ordinances
Forest Preserve District ordinances bearing on
littering are as follows:
"Chapter IV, Section 34---No person shall deposit,
dump, throw, cast, Jay or place, nor cause to be
deposited, dumped, thrown, cast, laid or placed any
ashes, trash, rubbish, paper, garbage, refuse or debris in or upon the property of the Forest Preserve
District, nor in any water course, lake, pond or
slough within said Forest Preserve District."
"Chapter V, Section 39- No person shall drop,
throw or otherwise scatter lighted matches, burning
cigars, Cigarettes, tobacco, paper or other inflammable
(Continued on Page 5)

How Big Outfit Promotes Safe Driving

RIVERS f or the Willett Company, big Chicago trucking firm, urc professionals, with

After the man has completed his interview, and

has successfully passed t his, he is then given a series
of written tests, inc1uding the Scott t est, where we
have minimum standards; then the Siebrecht Attitude
test, a series of psycho~physical tests, and then the
Keyst one Te1ebinocular test so AS to meet Interstate
Commerce Commission r equirements.
From there, he is sent to the company physician
for a physical examination. He must meet I . C. C.
requirements as to his condition. The applicant then
fills out a bond application for our bonding company
and his references ar e checked.
If he has successfully passed this series of tests,
he then returns for an ori entation period, when he
is informed of compa ny policies, history, and procedure. He is also informed r elat ive to his pay
status, his union status, and is given an introdu :tory
tnlk on safety, a10ng with written instructions.

D
pride in their safety records .

Part o[ the company's program to maintain

high standards of driver behav'i or is the annual
driv-ing rodeo open to drivers w ho have had no

accidents in a year. The only exception permitted on a man's record is an accident that occurred when his truck was Zegally parked, which
means that he was standing stilt where he belonged and someone else was 100 pel' cent at
fault.

This year the rodeo was held on the elevated

roadway of t he Congress Street Ex pressway just
west of Canal Street, where the expanse 0/ concrete afforded an arena for intricate feats of
truck handling. Permissi on to use the pavement
was gr(l,nted Teadily by the Cook County Hig hway Department, which constructed that sectian
oJ the expressway. It could prove to be a most
aU8piciou~ occasion-that t h e fir.<Jt use 0/ the
newly completed pavement wa., in the interest

Assigned as a Student

The applicant is t hen given a n ass ignm ent slip to

report to his supervisor, where he is assigned to a
driver instructor for three days. Th e driver instructor follows through on company policics, p ro~
cedures, and drives for the first half day, and th en
rides with the applicant for two-and-a-half days
submitting a report daily, as to the applicant's ability
to hand1e himself and his vehicle on public streets
and highways. At the end of this' training period,
he is put on a probationary period for 30 days,
wherein his supe rior decides if company qualifications
ca n be met by the applica nt after the se ri es of tests
he has taken.
Our drivers are enrolled in the National Safety
Council program with awards being given (01' safe
driving, -depending upon t he number of years he has
s uccessfully done so.
The driver is then assigned to a safety team which
is headed by a team captain and a monthly report
is submitted to all as to their relative standin gs
compared with t he other teams. At 1east twice a
year, each team is brought in for a dinner and discussion period of safe driving, a nd the giving of safe
driving awardS.
If the driver is unfortunate enough to be involved
in an accident regardless of size a nd type, he is
brought in to the Safety Department and the accident thoroughly discussed with bim, t he thought
being that if he is at fault, and can point out his
mistake, he is less likely to have another one. His
entire accident and work history is reviewed with him
if he is a repeater, and a cure is attempted by t his
method. I feel that we have been successful. Causes
which were contributory to the accidents were delved
into and a car eful, logical approach to t he solution
was worked out.

of safe driving.
I n the belief that these professional. can instruct the amateurs in the fundamentals of
accident-free driving, COO K COUNTY HI GHWAY S asked Mr. Louis B. B:linski, director of
safety fo), t h e Will ett Company, to write an
article on how his concern selects and trains

driveTs. The following piece is his contribution:

on the nation's highways must be
SLAUGHTER
m et with a n ea rnest, renewed effor t to cut t his
toll. We at the Willett Company feel that safety
starts befo re th e actual operation and driving of a
vehicle.
In order to do this, we take the most important
factor - the HUMAN factor - and examine it
thoroughly.
A potential driver employee must pass certa in
qualifications before he is initially screened. Number
1, he must be at least 26 years of age. Our statistics
kept over a period of 30 years show that basically,
those in this age group are more likely l1.ot to have
an accident as compared to those below this age
group. Our figures ar e substantiated by figures r e ~
ce nt ly released by a number of insura nce carriers.
National Safety Council figures reveal the same thing.
Number 2, he must have at least six y-ears commercia l driving experience. Our feeling is thR.t a. man
who knows what the trucking industry expects of
him, spends more time in developing a safe driving
record. The one who knows t he location of various
industries, str eets, towns, etc., will spend less ti me
trying to find his way around.
Interviews and Tests
Number 3, our next step, is the personal interview.
We use a patterned in terview to determin e military
status, work experience, lost time from work, outside
interests, traffic violations, offenses, schooling, family
background, financial ma turity, marital status, social
status.

Learns to Check Equipment

It has been the experience that only from 6 per
cent to 8 per cent of vehicles involved in traffic ac ~

Expressway

IS

Arena For Truck Rodeo

On the elevated section of Congress Street Expreaa_

way just west of the main pOltotfiee, driver. of the

Willet Company participate in their annual rodeo.

cidents are du e to vehicle conditions. Again r eferring to safety starting at the beginning, the drive rs
check equipment before leaving the company area:
windshield wipers, headlights, steering, rear view
mirrors, wheel lugs, electrical connections, secured
lond, brakes, cooling system, clutch, transmission,
elc.
The metbod we try to use is the following:
1. Check all water, wiring a nd general observation of the vehic]e; start e ngine, check gauges,
wipers and test tires.

2. Leave cab, check vac uum or ail' pressure; try

brskes.
3. Proceed.

Louis B. B ilinski, Wil/lett company safety director

( left), and Howard L. Willett Jr., with Mr. Willett's
daughter, M iss Nancy Harp, watch the rodeo with
keen interest.

Above all, we use a motto which is on all of our

time cards.- HOtrr company has no business that is
so urgent thnt our drivers must drive in such a
manner as to endanger their Jives and/ or the lives
or property of others!"

FRISKY .
(Continued from Page 3)
mate rial within any property of the Forest Preserve
District. ,f
Downey said that complaints of violations may be
made to his office-130 North Wells Strcet, Chicago
6; telephone FRanklin 2-7544. Those that call for
action by the State's Attorney, wiII be forwarded to
Mr. Gutknecht.

There are many ha.zards when it comes to driving,

and we are awarc of a number of them. But, it is
only through constant practice, alertness, education,
pffort. and desire, that accidents can be prevented.
The general public looks to us, the professionalS,
and we are trying to help lead the way!

They're Busy

In

West Part of County

LaGrange Park shop and warehouse staff-Front row, left to right: Sam Fed ele, Edward Lindenau, Frank J. Krfz,
superintendent of shops and warehouses;

Charles Pankow, John Kirk, George Shula, Edward Bowman. Bob

Schweigert, William OeCero, Louis Carson , Henry McGowan, Benny Maioni, Matt Mazzone, Thomas E. Gordon ,
F. Kunz ; rcar row, A. Matuska, F. Rcithknec:ht, R. Behrle, Joseph Miksovsky, Michael Stleridan, Richard Babo.

Maintenan ce Crew No. 3, working out of LaCrange Park-Front row, left to right: Ralph S ibillo, John Sheehan,
Anthony Maggiore, Vernon Carsello, Abe Murnick, A. Speciale, A. Dicenso, S. Monforti. L. Duarte: second row:
Ferd Holz, C. Michalek, L. Shipper, J. Pingitore, J. McNutly, Bill Klee, M. Silverstein, P. Glessinger, F. O'Donnell ,
E, Lumpp, D. Goldsworthy, J. Jalover, M. Partlplio A. Statland, A. Laterza, J. Leoni , C. Kuprcwicz, A. Triner;
third row: E. Boner, J . Nolan, A. Chabot, E. Well', A. Rench, W . Werer, T. Murphy, H. Duarte, F. Schribl, R .
Brown, J. Shines, J. Considine, M. Plzzoferrato, J. Jakubek , H. Bielecki, E. Dc.mos, W. Cherry ; fourth row: W . Fal.
bor5ki , O. Clifton, J. Clinton, Jr., J . Clinton, E. Chmielewski, A. Zamostny, G. Rinck, R. Quinlan , E. J. Anderson ,
1::. Grace, M. Kennedy. W. Smith, Tom Bourke, J. Fiore.

l""

Safety Gains

In

County

Detours on County Jobs

Detours necessitated by work being done by the
Cook County Highway Departm cnl are in effect as
follows. In all instances detour routes a re marked.
WASHINGTON STREET (Glenview) - Closed at
Golf Road and at Central Street : Local traffic only.
108th A VENUE-Closed from 167th Street. to
179tll Street: Local lraffic only.
1471h STREET- Closed at Cicero Avenue and at
George Brennan Highway: Local traffic only.
WILLOW ROAD- Open from Linder to Providence
Road.
BARRINGTON ROAD- Open to traffic. Under
construction from Route 20 to Dundee Road.
55th STREET- Open to traffic. Under construction from LaGrange Road to County Line Road.
WOLF ROAD-Open to traffic. Under construction
from Southwest Highway to 143rd Street.
LAKE-COOK ROAD- Closed from Waukegan Road
lo Lee Road: Local traffic only. Bridge construction.
STATE ROAD- Closed at Cicero Avenue and 87th
Street: Local traffic only.
127th STREET-Closed from Halsted Street to
State Street: Local traffic only.
138rd STREET-Closed at Cottage Grove A venue
and at Stony Island Avenue on account of Calumet
Expressway construction: Local traffic only.
123rd STREET-Closed at 96th A venue and at 80th
Avenue: Local traffic only.
TOUHY A VENUE-Closed at River Road to Talcott Road: Local traffic only.
DEVON A VENUE- Closed at Route 83, and at
Elmhurst Road: bridge out: Local traffic only.
The Illinois State Division of Highways lists one
detour in Cook County:
ILLINOIS ROUTE 50 (Cicero Avenue)-Closed between Archer Avenue and 55th Street on account of
subw.ay construction; detour via 55th Street, Laramie
Avenue and Archer Avenue; adds 0.9 mile.

HILE highway traffic deaths increased 2 per

cent throughout the nation in the first six
months of 1955 as compared with the same period
of 1954, suburban Cook County scored a reduction
of 4 per cent plus.
Even though the nationwide death toll rose to
16,530 at mid-year, the National Safety Council
noted improvement because of more vehicles on the
road. In the first five months of 1955, the total
mileage traveled on the nation's highways increased
8 per cent, which even with the increased number
of deaths figured oul to a death rate of 5.7 per
100 million vehicle miles, the lowest ever recorded.
In Cook County, where highway USc has increased
also, lhe death total the first six months of 1955
was 92, four less than the 96 recorded in the first
half of 1954. As shown in the table below, reductions
were effected in accidents of virtually every type
except those involving pedestrians, in which there
was an increase from 23 deaths in the first half of
1954 to 33 in 1955.
Starting lhe second half of the year, 15 persons
were killed in July. Six were killed in collisions
between automobiles. three of the dead were pedestrians, two were killed in auto-train collisions and
one each in the following types; au tn-bicycle, autosemi trailer, auto-truck and motorcycle-bicycles.

Reflective Road Should ers

Granite chips which reflect light are used in Massachusetts to delineate shoulders in state highwaysHERE'S HOW.
1\(a Ie D ri \ers
Two-thirds of all United States males over 13 years
of age are drivers, according to the National Automobile Club.

Traffic Fatalities in Suburban Cook County First Half of 1955 and 1954
(Prepared by Cook County Traffic Safety Oommission)
Type of
Ac cident

Jan.
1954

4
1
6
1
4
0
0
0

Feb .

1955

Auto-Pedestrian .. . .............
Auto-Bicycle ............ , . , . _ ..
Auto-Auto .....................
Auto-Truck ....................
Auto-i'rain . ...................
Auto-Bus ........ .. ........ - ...
Auto-Motorcycle ... , . _......... .
Auto-Building ..... . ............
Auto-Tree .................... _
Auto-Abutment ...... _ .... .....
Auto-Pole .. ...................
Auto Overturned ........... _ .
Aulo-Crane ......... . . _... _ ....
Auto-Barricade .................
Auto-Trailer .. .................
Truck-Curb ......... .. ..... .. ..

1
1
1
0
0
0
0

5
0
7
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
0

TOTALS ........ _...... _. .....

20

16

Mar.

Apr.
1954 1955

1954

1955

1954

1955

3
1
3
0
0
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0

14
0
1
2
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
2
0
0

3
1
4
1
1
0
0
0
3
0
0
1
0
0
0
0

3
0
6
3
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0

2
1
2
4
2
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0

10

21

14

15

13

J)

June

May

Totals

1954

1955

1954

1955 1954 1955

3
0
4
2
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0

6
2
5
1
2
0
0
1
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0

7
0
6
2
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
1
0

5
1
3
3
3
0
0
1
1
2
0
1
0
0
0
0

1
1
3
3
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1

23
7
23
10
12
1
1
2
7
4
2
4
0
0
0
0

33
1
26
11
5
1
1
0
1
2
2
4
1
2
1
1

11

19

19

20

10

96

92

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

BOOB

Vol. III No. 4

OF THE

MONTH

SEPTEMBER, 1955

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook County (III.) Department of Highways
Under auspices of the Board of County Commissioners
DANIEL RYAN, President

James F. Aahenden

William N. Erickson

Frank Bobrytzke

Fred A. Futle

Charles F. Chaplin

Elizabeth A. Conkey

Christ A. Jensen
John A . Mackler, Jr.

Jerry Dolezal
Arthur X. Elrod
John J. Duffy

Clayton F. Smith
Edward M. Sneed
John J. Touhy
William J. Mortimer
Superintendent of ][lrhwnYA

Published at 130 North Wells Street, Chicago 6. FRanklin 2-7544

Extension 221

Boob of the Month

Traffic Deaths Up
HE highway traffic fatality score in suburban Cook

TInCounty
has taken a turn for th e worse.
the first six months of the year, deaths in t he

Boob 0/ the Month was introduced in the July . ue

0/ Cool< County Highways with the hope that high-

county outside of Chicago totaled 92, four fewer

than in the first half of 1954. The reduction .~mounted
to 4 per cent plus, and in view of the nationwide 5ncrease of 2 per cent over th e same period appeared to
justify congratulations.
The turn beg'an in July, when 15 deaths were
recorded as against 8 in July, 1954, and continued in
August, with 18 dead as compared with 14 a year ago.
N either monthly figure was out of line with nrev ious
years, but if, as may be the case, they indicate a
rel~ps e H.ftpr six monlhs of improvement , they are
indeed alarming.
Through August, 1955, fatalities amounted to 125,
seven more than in the same period last year. It must
be borne in mind tbat these figures represent only
those who died instantly or within a few hours of the
accident. Later on, the year's total will also include
those who died days, weeks or months alter being
injured. The National Safety Council bas found that
ther e will be pretty close to one delayed death for
every three instant deaths, so that formula may be ap plied at any time to realize the fulJ extent of death on
the highways.
The worst accident months are .iust ahead. Death
tolls in September, October and November in past
years consistently reflect the hazards of eaTly twilight,
making vision difficult at a time when highways and
streets are heavily used, and wet autumn leaves on
the pavement, which every year account for skidding
mishaps. Last yea r, the death totals were: September,
17; October, 26; November, 23.
July, 1953, 13 deaths; July, 1952, 21; August,
1953, 2(); August, 1952, 21.

duct at the wheel would promote the idea that truly

lighting mani/estatio'ns of stupid, inconsiderate nonsmart driving

1,8

safe, courteous driving.

The Boob format includes a sl<etch of composite

boobery, a few trenchant sentences pointing up the

particular sp ecies u11der consideration and a paragraph of solid matter emphasizing the menace.
Numerous newspapers in the COutlty reprintoo, both
the July and August Boob, which was the Speedy
Simpleton who doesn't understand that stop signs ure

engineered installations to safeguard liues, includin1

his. This attentirnt wa."I gratifyi,'tI.g as recognition by the

experts and the reprinting was appreciated also because it broadcast the message to the "cading public.
Starting with this issue, the Boob gets a new depiction, the worl< of B en Cohen, one of the foremost pen
and inl< portrait artists of the day. Tn
0/ interest

mew

shown in the feature} the Boob is given front cover

display.

HE September Boob is the Nonchalant Ninny who

Thasn't
caught on to why lines are painted on
pavements,
The closest he has come is that maybe it's a test of
skill to straddle the stripe.
On two-lane roads he takes his half out of the
middle.
On multiple lane highways he causes ulcers.
It may be news to the Boob that striping is no
mere whim.
The fact is that striping as a means of safely gulding motorists in lanes, separating opposing traffic,
marking danger zones and indicating turn movements
is r egarded as so important by highway authorities
that the painting job rllns to large figures.
The Cook County Highway Department uses 10,()()()
to 12,()()O gallons of striping paint a year. The state
uses 35,000 gallons in Cook County; the City of Chicago and the Chicago Park District, 15,O()O gallons
each,
To add a reOecting quality to the stripes, the painting crews use approximately 270,000 pounds of beads,
probably enough to have purchased all of Cook
County from th~ Indians.

Vehicles Outstrip lIigbways

Since 1940 the total number of motor vehicles in
the United States has increased 81 per cent, from
some 32 million to ov('r 58 million. Meanwhile, total
street and road mileage has grown but a smaH fraction. Ther e has been only a 33 per cent increase
in surfaced road mileage, and annual highway expenditures are below the pre-war ratc, after adjusting for today's higher costs-VIRGINIA TRUCKS.

"Frisky" Spreads Word

Bicycle Safety Program

For Clean, Green County

Is Saving Young Lives

By John J. McCleverty
Executive Secre ta ry

Cook County Traffic Safety Commission

HE many thousands of grade school pupils in

T
suburban Cook County who ride their bicycles to
school give a daily demonstration of one of the most
effective and fastest growing safety programs in the
country.
Now in its third year, the movement instituted by
the Cook County Traffic Safety Commission to instill
highway safety ideas generally in the young minds and
specifically to teach the youngsters how to handle
their bikes in streets carrying traffic regulated by
signals and signs, has definitely proved its value.
The outstanding accomplishment is that s ince the
program was launched in the spring of 1953, not one
of lhe 50,000 children who have passed the bicycle
safety test has lost his life in a highway accident. In
the year before the safety movement was started, 15
children between 8 and 14 were killed when riding
their bicycles in Cook County.
School authorities, Parent~Teacher associations and
community groups have approved the idea so enthusiastically that the schedule of school lectures and
tests has been filled for all of this school year and
the book contains some dates in 1957. In response to
demand, a second team of instructors has been
organized.

FrIsky on parade . P ro moti ng the county-wide c lean Ii,ness program , this float was a f eatur e of Maywood's
Bataa n Da y, 'September 11, I'm An Am erica n Day in
Oak Forest September 18, Girl Scouts' day in Harvey
September 18 and Roundup Day In Oak L awn St: ptembel" 24. It was designed by Richard Gleason , superin_
tendent of equipment for the Forest Preserv e D istrict.

HE campaign to stop the strewing of litter in Cook

T
County Forest Preserves, parks and school
grounds, along the highways and in suburban streets
and alleys is gaining momentum.
"Frisky". the perky little squirrel, with his message.
"Keep Cook County Clean a nd Green," is getting to be
a familiar sight. Colorful "Frisky" placards-yellow
and brown and 14 by 22 inches in size-have been
distributed to the suburbs to help with local cleanliness programs. Earl B. Padrick, chairman of the
Western Passenger association, has taken a bundle to
be displayed in the suburban passenger stations of aU
railroads entering Chkago. The placards also have
been put in the County bttilding, in tbe Forest
Preserves and on county trucks.
County School Superintendent Noble J. PuJl'cr bas
lined up teachers and pupils. A piece in his current
bulletin requests a special effort to keep school yards
tidy and points out that a first grade pupil can put
rubbis h in a rubbish can just as well as a mayor can.
Two firms have each contributed 100 oil drums to be
used for burning rubbish in the F orest Preserve picinic
areas. The donors were Trilla Cooperage Inc. and the
Sherwin-Williams Paint Company. The drums were
taken to the Forest Preserve shops and converted to
use as incinerators.
"I am very much pleased with the way the idea is
catching on," said President Daniel Ryan of the
County Board. "I have always believed that most
people wouhl rather have their parks, streets and
countryside clean than littered. And I think that
with most people it's enough to say 'please,' as
'Frisky' does.
"Wc have mndc a good start. Cook County is
keeping pace with Chicago's 'Litterbug' drive and is
(Continued on Page 7)

Ryan , Puffer Boost Program

President Daniel Ryan of the County Board, who is
also president of the Traffic Safety Commissi.on, has
dire cted that th e bicycle safety program be carried
out to the fullest extent possible. Another leader in
county affa irs who also is a strong supporter of the
idea is Noble J. Puffer, county school superintendent,
and also a mernber of the Trame Safety Commission.
The program is open to parochial schools as well as
public schools, and the Catholic and Lutheran school
authorities likewise have given their hearty approval.
Under the slogan, "The child behind th e handlebars
will be the adult behind the wheel," the program approaches the children with the idea that they, as well
as the grownups, can participate in the general safety
effort that is so important to everyone in the nation.
They are iustructed in the meaning of traffic s igns and
signals, the regulations and courtesies governing street
traffic and, above all, in the need for every cyclist and
motorist to assume a proper share of res ponsibility.
First step h; ;:t classroom lecture, wn en the principles
and objectives of the program are explained. Then
comes the riding test in a meandering lane outlined
with tape in the school yard or on a blocked-off street.
It is a test of ability to control a bicycle around turns
a nd at stop signs without wobbling. The pupil is required to recognize the various traffic signs by t heir
shapes and to know the state laws and local ordinances
covering bicycle riding.
(Continued on Page 4)

Record Home Building Year Indicated

come the realization that the new type of highway
adds landscaped beauty, is not unduly noisy and,
above all, affords a means of reac hing downtown
Chicago with such time saving that a city worker
may live much farther out than formerly.

By Andrew V . Pl ummer
Administrative Eng ineer
Cook Cou nty Highway Department

extent of building construction activity in the

THE
rural area of the county is indicated by the August
figures for permits issued by the Building and Zoning
Bureau of Cook County.

Bicycle Safety-

Altogether, the permits represent construction va lued at $9,310,501, classified as follows; Residential ,
$8,349,479; industrial, $157,000; business, $326,000 ;
miscellaneous (garages and other accessory buildings,
additions, remodelings, etc.), $271,696; other construction (water and septic systems, signs, dirt removal), $206,090.
It appears certain that the 1955 total will again set
a record. Last year's total was $60,374,759, which included $50,928,410 residential. The 1953 total was
$53,302,871 and the 1952 total, $33,388,751.
The Building and Zoning Bureau, which functions
as a unit of t he Cook County Highway Department,
h as jurisdiction over the unincorporated area of the
county. P arts of 24 townships are included.

(Continued from Page 3)

Pupils

ship in the Bicycle Safety Cl ub and are required to

sign pledges to obey the safety rules and the laws.
If a pupil fails the test, which in virtually every
instance is because he is too you ng to control his
bike, t he par ents are notified and advised to keep the
child out of traffic until he acquires proficiency.
'I'hjs year parents are being placed in a more responsible position than formerly. They have been
asked to keep track of the child's riding and to report
infractions of safety rules or even to pick up t he
membership CA rd .
Twelve Ru les Of Safety

Northfield and Schaumburg townships, both northwest of Chicago, were virtually tied for first place in
August residential permits, Northfield with $1,132,344
and Schaumburg with $1,130,860. Schaumburg permit$ also included 176,32() for a sewer, $3,000 for
business and $5,820 for miscellaneous construction.
Northfield permits included $15,500 for miscellaneous
and other construction.
The following table gives the August permit figures
for each of the 24 townships.
Townsh ip
Proviso .........
H a n ovC'r
Barrington .... ... .. .
Bloom ..........................
Rich
Thornto~ ...... .... ............
Orland ......

P e rmits
4
6
5
8
8

.... , .............
Lemont
schaumti'.i"rg", ..... ..............
Mnlne .. . .........
Worth
....................
Elk Gro~e

Leyden
, Bremen

Palatine

~orwood

Wh eeling

..

... ............

~~r~" e'iCi'::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
T otals .............

82,706
102.440
46,780
65,020
95,696
]99,933

189,428

Other
S 89.350

1.300

1.760
23,800

8,650
7,050

123,360
4,9()0
185,140

1,130,860

33

13,()50
22._
289,126

70

412,193
385.000
168,435
278.768
423.247
665,581
947,864
:191,704
827,752
289,897
1,132,344

706

$8,349,479

3961,022

24

29

Pari( .......

27
43

101

37
62
38

523,687

The safety code includes twelve rules and they are

printed on the back of a folded card that is both pledge
and certificate of membership. The rules are;
1. Keep to tbe-right and ride in single file with
traffic.
2. Observe a ll traffic r egulations, stop lights, signs,
etc.
3. Neve r carry other riders or stunt ride.
4. Give pedestrians the right of way, avoid sidewa lks, otherwise use extra care.
5. Have a white light at t he front of your bike
and a rcd light at the rear, both visible at least 500
fect. Also wear white or light colored clothing at
night.
6. Always use proper hand signals for turning and
stopping. Park your bike in a safe place .
7. Do not weave in and out of traffic or swerve
from side to side.
8. Look out for ca rs pulling out into traffic. Keep
a sharp lookout for sudden opening of auto doors .
9. Keep both hands on the handlebars except to
signal.
10. Always keep your bicycle in good mechanical
condition.
11. Have satisfactory signal device to warn of
approach.
12. Be alert for traffic in all directions.

All

77
45

i'55

.................

Pulos
Stl('kne~;' ......

10
,2
12

Itcsldc.ntln.1

ign Safety P ledge

Boys and girls who pass are given cards of member-

18,_
13,250
26.940

8,780

49.136
20,670
21,190
21,620
15,050

Obviously, the permits issued by the county bureau

emphasize the movement from city to suburbs that
has been increasing year by year since the end of the
war. Subdivisions offering houses of a wide range of
prices a re under development in all parts of th e countryside.

Until th e opening of this school t erm, the program

was conductcd single handed by George Glaser, a
county highway departm ent traffic supervisor. Three
others, members of the Traffic Safety Commission
staff, have also been assigned to carry out President
Ryan's wish that the program be made available to all
schools requesting it. They are Fred Mulhau.en, Ted
Kelavos and Marshall Peterson.

Ma ny of the new homes are being built adjacent to

t he expressways already in use and along the rightsof-way of the other routes in the county-wide system
that soon will be under construction. In place of
earlier apprehension t hat expressways would have an
undesirable effect on residential communities has

Congress Street Bridges Entered

In

Beauty Contest

I. H. B. RR-TWo spans 59 feet 3 inches, two 48 feet

6 inches, two 47 feet 10 inches; price $1,062,048.

Keeler Avenue- Three spans 66 feet 9 inches; road

way 44 feet; two 8-foot sidewalks; price $320,948.

Central Park Av enue-Three spans 66 feet 9 inches;

Pulaski Avenue-Three 'pans 66 (eet 9 inches ; roadway 51 feet; two 8-foot sidewalk,; price $472,096.

roadway 44 feet; two 8.100t walks; price $238,898.

Independence Boule vard-Two identical bridges eaeh

three 1ipans &6 feet 9 inches; roadway 42 feet 6 inches,

one 11foot walk, one 4.100t; pri ce $851 ,924.

SIXstructures
Congress Street Expressway grade separation
designed and built by Cook County
Highway De partment have been entered in the annual
prize competition conducted by the American Insti tute
of Steel Construction Inc. to select the most beautiful
bridge of the year.
Five of them- those spanning the expressway at
Pulaski Avenue, Keeler Avenue, Central Park Avenue
and Independence Boulevard and the one on which
the expressway crosses Wolf Road- were designed entirely by lhe county cepartment. On the other, the
massive six-span structure carrying the four tracks
of tb e Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad over the expressway, the county collaborated with the New York Central Railroad syslem, which includes lhe 1. H. B.
The six. were selected as. being good examples of
the relatively new conception among bridge designers
of combining beauty with function. Each is different
to meet conditions at its site. They combine grace
with strength and the proportions are pleasing as
well as structurally sound. The individuality of each
bridge is expressed in the hand rails and wing wall
facings with ornamentation in the modern style.

Wolf Road-Two end spans 50 feet 1 inch , center span

64 feet 1 inch; two roadways eac h 37 feet width; 18.
foot median strip; two 4(00t walks ; price $197,356 ,

The competition includes four classes of bridges

according to size and cost. The I. H. B. RR bridge is
in class 11, costing over $500,000 bul under 400 f eet
in length. The five others are in class Ill, less than
$500,000 in cost.
The 1950 class 111 first prize was awarded to the
Caldwell Avenue bridge over Edens Expressway,
which also was designed and built by the County
highway department. An honorable mention that year
was conferred on the 159tb Street bridge over Calumet Expressway.
Cost figures in the subcaptions of the bridge pic
tures include in each instance the cost of paving the
approaches and relocating und e rground utilities.
When constructing the railroad viaduct, it was necessary to build a temporary trestle to permit operation
of a busy stretch of track without interruption. Cost
of the trestle is included in the total cost given.
Roadway measurements given are from curb face
to curb face.

Students spend their vaca tions counting traffic

Summer traffic counters for Cook County Highway Department, Including students who spent their vacations work.
ing-Front row, left to right: Sladek, McConnaughey. Barblno, Welsh, Boulahanis, Wilfinger (In 'rcntL Magleri,

Schur, Colin, Gilbert. Second row, Paulos, Moorc, Laurine , Sperling, McCormick, Peterson, Robin, O'Keefe , Op.
penheime r, Solomon, Helfer, Oeufcl, Cronin, Scannell, Crawford, Davl ., Layden. Third row, Hartigan, Edward
Smith, Miller, O'Toole, Gomberg, Cohen, Rush , Tuite, Gorman , Grebenor, Jacobson, Houlihan. Back row, Cook, FroIIch, Schultz, Auth , Cernick, Kahn, Shannon , Treacy, Thompson, Downes, Ray Smith , Nashaiman, Tobin, Butle r.

ORTY-FOUR young men-college and high school

F
students and, in two instances, teachers-spent
their summer v.acations as employes of the Cook
County Highway Department under its engineer
trainee program.
This year the trainees worked at traffic counting
along with regular employes, who carryon the
job the year around. Use of the students makes it
possible to do a large amount of checking with hand
counters in addition to that done with machines.
A hand counter crew consists of 16 men. Working
in two shifts, they make a 12-hour check of the number of vehicles of all types passing through an
intersection in each direction and the number making
left and right turns. Trucks with extra axles are
listed separately.
About 75 per cent of the trainee work was done
in Chicago and the rest in the suburbs and unincorporated area. Data obtained is used principally in plan
ning state aid highway routes.

The trainees and their schools are:

George Houlihan, teacher, Raymond Elementary
School, Chicago; Edward J. Tobin, teacher, Parker
High School, Chicago.
James F. Shannon, Ronald Schultz, Malcolm Sperling, Pat Tuite, Raymond Gomberg, Sidney Robin,
Richard T. Rush, and Patrick Welsh, University of
Illinois.
Mike Butler, Martin Conley, Tom D. Gorman, Bob
Doherty, Edward Smith, Paul Moore, and William
O'Keefe, Loyola University.
Alex Paulos, and Ray Smith, Northwestern Univcrsity,

Dan Deufel, Purdue University; Paul H. Miller,

University of Michigan; Sanford Jacobson, Drake
University; Larry Oppenheimer, Notre Dame University; Neil Hartigan, Georgetown University; Arnold
Gernik, Miami University; Jack Downes, John Carroll
University; Erwin Helfer, Tulane University; Dave
Treacy, DePauw University; Frank Nashalnan,
Roosevelt University.
Joseph L. Cook Jr., Chicago Teachers College; Waiter E. Peterson, St. Mary's College; Charles McCormick, St. Norbert College; Harry Crawford, St. Joseph College; Larry Scannell, Wilson Jr. College;
Arnold Solomon and Arnold Zoot, both of Wright
Junior College.
Lawrence Fahey, Our Lady Seminary; Jerry Gribenar, St. Augustine Seminary ; James V. Laurine,
Crane High School; James O'Toole, St. Ignatius High
School; J erry Cronin, Tilden Technical High School,
Joseph Auth, St. George High School; Mike Thompson, Evanston High School; and Michael Kohn , Latin
High School.
The following also were employed on traffic counting during the summer:
Arthur J. Balek, Samuel J . Blowitz, Harry Boulahanis, S. Cohen, Allan Davis, Alfred FroIich, Bertrand
Haynes, Charles Klopp Jr., Michael Layden, Walter
Michaels, Edward J. McKenna, Robert M. Needham,
Edmund Reidl, Jack 1. Schwartz and Bernard Schur.
The traffic counting was directed by Frank Wi!finger, highway engineer in charge of field data.
Full time employes who worked with the stUdents
included Victor Sladek, Merle McConnaughey, Anthony Barbino, Mario Magleri, Robert Colin and
Irwin Gilbert.

Detours

In

Effect

Detours necessitated by work being done by the

Cook County Highway Department are in effect as
follows. In all instances detour routes are marked.
WASHINGTON STREET (Glenvlew)-Closed at Galt Roa.d
and Central Street.
l08th AVENUE-Closed trom 167th Street to 179th Street.
55th STREET- Open to tran'lc; under construction LaGrange Road to County LIne Road.
LAKE-COOK ROAD-Closed Waukegan Road to

brIdge construction.

L~

Road'
J

STATE ROAD-CIosed at Cicero Avenue and 87th Street.

183rd STREET--CloSed at Cottage Grove Avenue and at

Stony Island Avenue.

123rd STREET-Closed at 9th A venue and at BOth A venue.

TOUHY AVENUE-Closed River Road to Talcott Road.
DEVON AVENUE-Closed at Route 83 and at Elmhu 8t
Road; bridge out.
BURNHAM AVENUE--Closed BraInard Avenue to 147th

Street; bridge COllstrucl!on.

EUCLID AVENUE-Closed Wilke Road to NorthWest IIIgh.
way.

Frisky(Continued from Page 3)

playing a part in the nationwide 'Keep America
Beautiful' movement. However, I hope the public
doesn't get the idea that once over is enough. This is
not to be a temporary drive but a r egular thing. Let's
make sure that we not only get the place picked up,
but that we keep it clean from now on."
Joseph A. Downey, Cook County Civil Defense
director, who is promoting the cleanliness drive at the
request of President Ryan, said that his office standI!!
ready to lend a hand to any suburb or township. Any
who wish placards or assistance are invited to write
or telephone him at 130 N. Wells st., Chicago 6;
FRanklin 27544.

Subdivision Street Pamphlet

Many copies of the newly printed pamphlet containing the Cook County Highway Department'.
requirements for street grading, surfacing and drainage in subdivisions in wtincorporated areas of the
county have been distributed to individuals and firms
who saw the notice printed in the August issue of
COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS. The pamphlet is free and
may be had by writing to the Cook County Highway
Department, 130 North WeIls Street, Chicago 6, or
by telephoning, FRanklin 2-7544. Written requests
should be addressed with the notation "Room 1503"
and persons who phone should ask for extension 221.

They Dril'e to Work

Of all workers living 10 or more miles from their
jobs, 85 per cent depend on private cars for their
transportation- HIGHWAY. TRAFFIC.

Accidents in Fair Weather

Three out of every four traffic accidents occur in
clear weather and on dry pavement, says the California State Automobile Association.

The Blue Island Plank Road

years ago highway traffic into ChiA HUNDRED
cago consisted of broad-tired wagons and herds
of livestock, who shared the roads as best they could.
Fanners coming from the south and heading for
the Chicago markets found it convenient to go through
Blue Island and from there use a prairie road that followed the general line of Western Avenue. This was
the last of the six plank roads that radiated north,
south and west from Chicago in the 1850's. Besides
their historical interest, there is the fact that they
were located very close to the locations of the expressway system at present under development. Then as
now, highway traffic required direct, through routes
into the business center of the city on the lake front,
and the cofncidence of the plank roads and the expressways is evidence that the routes were natural
channels of commerce.
Construction of the Blue Island plank road was
completed in 1854. It extended from the village of
Blue Island on the present line of Western Avenue to
Blue Island Avenue, which then was the southwest
corner of the city. There, the road turned northeast
and continued into the heart of the city.
The length was 13 miles. At that time the cost of
a planked road in the Chicago area was about $2,000
a mile, or about 1 / 1000 the cost of a modern expressway.
The Blue Island job may have been less costly than
other plank roads, for the grade was provided by
drainage authorities who cut ditches along the rightof-way and piled the dirt suitable for a roadway. In an
editorial, the Chicago Tribune hailed it as a project of
great promise for Chicago and particularly the
settlement of Brighton, which then was a village on
its own at \Vestern and Blue Island, but outside the
city.
"By this road, cattle can be driven to the city without danger of fright from locomotiv.es/' the editor
said, Hand as two of the principal roads entering the
city meet at Brighton, with abundant water at all
times and pasture and meadow lands in almost unlimited quantities beyond, no one can doubt its favorable position for becoming the principal cattle market
of Chicago."
As it turned out, the principal cattle market not
only of Chicago but of the world grew up two miles
from Brighton and the little village has long since
become part of Chicago.

Traffic Death Payments

To translate the 1954 highway death toll into dollars-.and-cents language, the Institute of Life Insurance reported that highway fatalities resulted in
39,000 life insurance death claims, representing aggregate death payments of $75 million.- Mississippi
Highways.

Speeding Kills 13,870

Speeding on streets and highways last year kill ed
13,870 and injured nearly 700,000 men, women and
children in the United States-Louisiana Municipal
Review.

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

BOOB

Vol. III No. 5

OF THE

MONTH

OCTOBER, 1955

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook County (Ill.) Department of Highways
Under auspices of the Board of County Commissioners
DANIEL RYAN, Prelident
James F. Ashenden
Frank Bobrytzke

William N. Erickson

Charles F. Chaplin
Elizabeth A. Conkey
Jerry Dolezal
Arthur X. Elrod
John J. Duffy

Christ A. Jensen

Fred A. Fulle
John A. Mac'kler, Jr.
Clayton F. Smith
Edward M. Sneed

John J. Touhy
William J, Mortimer
Superintendent of HI,hwuys

Published at 130 North Wells Street, Chicago 6. FRanklin 2-7544

Extension 221

Boob of the Month

Bouquets

T HIS IS Inattentive Irma.

She thinks the new cars are just too, too, tooNot merely two tone, but so relaxing to drive.
For her, 50 years of mechanical progresss means
nothing except that she can steer with one finger.
Like other drivers who use 10 per cent of the
digits, she also has only 10 per cent of the gray
cells working.
Smart motorists appreciate the features that make
the new cars simpler and easier to drive.
But, more important, they realize that the need to
give their complete attention to the job of driving is
just as great if not greater than ever.
_Actually,-Irrna.....is no w:orse...than...Haphazard...lioIQeJ',
who was detected with his nose in the paper-bound
IICorpse Under The Overpass" while doing 60 mph
on Edens Expressway.
Lest the women rise up in a body, let it be noted that
on the whole they have a better record than man
drivers; for instance, a recent speed check on Edens
showed only .023 per cent of women exceeding the
limit as against .15 per cent men.
The regrettable thing is that both the Irmas and
the Homers could be good drivers with little eftort.
All they need is proper respect for the horsepower
in their hands, enough fingers on the wheel for constant control and their eyes on the road ahead.

UMERous compliments bave been received from

N state highway officials and others on the printed

report of the study made by the Cook County Highway Department to determine the influence of an
expressway on parallel roads. Some of the comments:

Ward Goodman, chief engineer, Arkansas Highway

Commission-uA cursory reading indicates you have
come up with a most worth while publication,"
Don Kennedy, president, Portland Cement Association-"You bave rendered a valuable service to the
highway engineering profession in making this report available. While the data apply to only one
area, the principles involved and the methods used
are applicable to many areas. n

Norman M. Pritchett, chief engineer, Maryland

State Roads Commission- "The conclusions and observations in the study are most enlightening."
L. D. Wilson, chief highway engineer, New Mexico
State Highway Commission-"We are sure this will
he of benefit to us and will he referred to often."
John W. Johnson, superintendent, State of New
York Department of Public Works-"We are glad
to have it in our library for future reference."
Earl Campbell, engineer of economics, finance and
administration, Highway Research Board, Washington, D. C.- IIThis is the most comprehensive study
so far undertaken to discover the effects of expressway development, and you are to be congratulated on
an excellent piece of work which incorporates a
number of unique ideas."

E. H. Thornton Jr., chairman, Texas State Highway

Commission-"That data contained therein are most
interesting and the report has been referred to our
staff for their information and study."
L. F. Schaeublin l first assistant director, Ohio Department of Highways- HVery interesting and well
presented."
H. B. Glaisyer, secretary, Oregon State Highway
Commission-IIA valuable addition to our library."
Newman E. Argraves l Connecticut State Highway
Commissioner-"We are glad indeed to have a copy."
Light B. Yost, director, Field Operations Section
Distribution Staff, General Motors Corporation-"A
most welcome addition to our technicial library. "
Richard G. Fencl, traffic engineer, Chicago Park
District-"I have found it replete with many interesting facts, and know it will be very useful."

E. H. Holmes, deputy commissioner, Bureau of

Public Roads, Washington, D. C.-"This is certainly
an excellent report, well prepared and very effectively
presented. It represents a substantial contribution to
our knowledge of expressway traffic."
Rex M. Whitton, chief engineer, Missouri State
Higbway Commission- HI have studied this report
and find that it contains a great amount of up-todate
and reliable information on diverted and generated
traffic trends. It seems that you have done a very
thorough job and are to be complimented on this
fine report. We shall find it a very ready reference."

Schools Compete for Bicycle Safety Award

County Board Prealdent Oaniel Ryan, who is also president of the Cook County Traffic Safety Commission, displays a new idea in the commission's bi cyc le safety program in suburban schools. The attractive placa r d, framed
under glass, will be presented to the school in each of the 138 suburban school districts whose pupils record

the best performance on their bikes during the current school ycar. Awards will be made next June. To equalize matters among schoots whose enrollments vary in size, the commission members will judge on the basis of
mileage pedaled by the pupils. 0" this basis, the winner in each district will be the school that has had the
fewest violations of rulu sct forth in the program, the fewest accidents and that has gener-ally maintained
the standards of safety and courtesy embodied in the program.

Study of Traffic

In

Metropolitan Area Is Started

SURVEY that will go on for three years, cost

$1,600,000 and produce everything useful to

A
know about highway traffic and transportation generally in the Chicago metropolitan area got under way
this month.
Sponsors are the federal government, which meets
half the cost, and th e State of Dlinois, City of Chicago
and Cook County, which share the other half. The
four governments are represented on the Survey Committee as follows:
R. H. Harrison, division engineer, Bureau of Public
Roads; Ralph Bartelsmeyer, chief engineer, Illinois
State Division of Highways ; George DeMent, Chicago

commissioner of public works, and William J. Mortimer , Cook County highway superintendent.
The project will be directed by J. Douglas Car
rolI, a 38-year-old city planner with a doctor's degree
in his profession from Harvard University. His staff
of specialists came to Chicago the first of October
from Detroit, where he recently completed a similar
survey, set up headquarters in the state building at
LaSalle and Randolph Streets and began laying out
the work schedule in detail.
A Technical Committee had been formed by the
Survey Committee to work with Dr. Carroll and POB[ Continued On page 7]

"L" Ma kes

Problem on

Five bents were located within the new expressway

pavement areas and required underpinning and new
supports clearing the expressway pavements. (Figures
1 and 2)
Four bents cleared the pavements, but the foundations were above the new grade line. (Figure 1).
One bent obstructed the area required for the new
tracks in the median and required underpinning and
new supports in the median, clearing the proposed
tracks. (Figures 1 and 2)

By Milton F. Page
Bridge Engineer
Cook County Highway Department

NE OF THE most complicated problems

the
construction of the Congress Street Expressway
O
was the underpinning of the Chicago Transit Authorin

ity two-track Garfield Park elevated structure. This

structure was bum before the turn of the century
and is composed of longitudinal deck plate girders
supported on laced channel columns b.:.aring on concrete pedestal foundations without piling. Train movements are heavy. amounting to 374 trains a day.
At a point west of Kostner A venue the two fourlane pavements of the expressway separated by a 79foot median, cross under the existing elevated
structure. The 79-foot median will, when the expressway is compLeted, contain the tracks, but until that
time the existing elevated structure had to be kept
in operation while the expressway and new tracks
were constructed. (Figure 1)
The problem was further complicated by the pronounced skew between the elevated structure and the
expressway and the fact that the new pavements and
tracks would be four to eight feet below the footings
of the existing elevated structure.
Ten bents of the elevated structure became involved, extending over a distance of approximately
500 feet.

Beams Phwed at Skew Angle

In work of this nature it is usual to place the
needle beams at right angles to the axis of the structure to be underpinned. This method was considered,
but due to the large skew angle between the expressway pavements and elevated structure was abandoned because of the excessive spans required for
thc needle beams. The beams were therefore placed
approximately at right angles to the expressway pavement and skewed to the elevated. This somewhat
complicated the design and construction, but was
considered basically beneficial by reducing spans and
increasing lateral stability.
The five bents which interfered with the new pavements were underpinned and resupported in the following manner:

[~- -

If;1J

---~

",,---ONGITUDINt4L

Congress Street

S~CTION

Figure 1-P lan and longitudinal section.

Figure 2-Lodking west from Kostner Avenue grade separation. Westbound pavement to be under girders at
right; east.bound pavement under girders at left; C. T. A. tracks to be laid under girder in center of picture.

Plate girder needle beams 5 feet deep varying in

lengths from 62'-0 to 78'-0 were placed, one on each
side of each elevated bent and supported on driven
and well braced minimum 22-ton capacity H pile
clusters. The piles were driven in holes pre-drilled
to new grade. The double plate girder needle beams
were braced in both vertical and horizontal planes.
Lacing bars wcre removed from the elevated bent
columns and new brackets were riveted on the columns
in line with the tops of jacking beams between the
needle beams. An inverted U shape yoke (Figure 3)
was then bolted to the brackets and 50-ton jacks were
inserted to bear on the jacking beams between the
needle beams and the top of the yokes. (Figure 4)
Two jacks were used on each of the two columns of
each bent.
Load Transferred To Beams
The four jacks were extended simultaneously and
transferred the loading from the column bases to the
needle beams, at which time steel shim plates were
installed between the brackets and the needle beams
and bolted in place. The dead load and live load dellections were calculated in advance and shim plates
were provided to fill the gaps between the brackets
and the needle beams, which were the result of the
dellections of the needle beams due to the elevated
structure load. The shim plates varied in thickness
at each column between 5/ 16" and 13/ 16" and this
amount of jacking was sufficient to lift the column
bases free of the old foundations. (Figures 5 and 6)
The jacking yokes were left in place for a period
of 24 hours While the n'eedle beams were checked
for possible settlements, after which the yokes were
removed and reused on the next bent. The old concrete foundations were then removed.
The four bents which cleared the pavements but
whose. foundations did not extend deep enough, were
handied in a different manner. The problem in this

Figure 3-Yokes In place, bolted to brackets.

case was to support the elevated columns while the

old foundations were removed and new and deeper
foundations were installed. This was done by erecting frames adjacent to each of the elevated bents.
These temporary frames were composed of 33" wide
flange beams for the top beams and 10" wide flange
columns. The frames were braced and founded on
mud sills. The jacking operation was the same as for
the long plate girder spans except that the columns
were lifted Bufficiently to clear the bases in live load
deflcction.
'ew Foundations Installed
After jacking and transferring the elevated 16M to
the temporary frames, the old concrete foundations
[Continued on page 6 J

Needle Beams Support " L" During Paving Job

[Continued from pag e 5]

were removed and the new and deeper foundations

installed, after which th e jacks were released and the
loads put back on the new concrete foundations. The
temporary frames were reused on the various bents.
The bent which interfer ed with the placement of
the new tracks in the median was underpinned and
resupported in exactly the same manner as the plate
girder spans. The only difference being that due to
the short span of th e needle beams, 36N wide flange
beams were used in lieu of plate girders.
After all of the elevated structure was underpinned
and resupported the paving contractor immediately
moved in to complete the excavation f or the expressway and place the pavements.
n is expected that th e expressway pavements will
be open to trallic this year and that the present elevated structure may continue in operation for one
or two years before the tracks in the med ian are
completed and trains operated thereon. The existing
elevated structure and underpinning will be removed
at that time.
Figure 5--Column base before jacking.

Note pencil

mark on unthreaded portion of an ch or bolt.

Figure 4-Jack In position, bearing on jacking beam

below and yoke. above. Note shim plates in place
.,n"~r Pfii:c~et

flange angle.

F igure &-Co lumn base while jacking. Note dimln .

'ehlng di,tanc:e to pencil mark 9'l an-;hQr polt,

Detours in Effect

County Building Permits

ONSTRUCTION jobs under way by the Cook County Highway Department that require detouring or
C
one-way travel at this time are as follows. Where

P $9,735,882 were issued in September by the Cook

County Building and Zoning Bureau, which has juris

roads are closed detours are marked at the location.

HARRISON STREET (Chicago)-Closed between
Kedzie and Homan Avenues on account of Congress
Street Expressway construction; detour over Congress
Street north frontage road.
108th A VENUE-Closed between 1671h and 179th
Streets.
55th STREET-Under construction between LaGrange and County Line Roads; open to traffic.
LAKE-COOK ROAD-Closed between Waukegan
and Lee Roads; bridge construction.
STATE ROAD-Closed at Cicero Avenue and 87th
Street.
183rd STREET-Closed at Cottage Grove Avenue
and at Stony Island A venue.
123rd STREET-Closed at 9th A venue and at 80th
Avenue.
'rOUHY AVENUE-Closed between River and Talcott Roads; bridge construction.
DEVON AVENUE-Closed at Roule 83 and at
Elmhurst Road; bridge construction.
BURNHAM AVENUE- Closed between Brainard
A venue and 147th Street; bridge construction.
EUCLID A VENUE-Closed between Wilke Road
and Northwest Highway.
HALSTED STREET-Und er construction between
107th and 129th Streets; open to traffic.
BUFFALO GROVE ROAD-Closed between Palatine and Hin tz Roads.
BRINKER ROAD-Und er construction between
Otis and Algonquin Roads; open to traffic.
WAGNER ROAD-U nd er construction between
Lake and Winnetka Avenues; open to traffic.
BATEMAN ROAD-Closed between Penny Road
and Route 63.
QUINTENS ROAD-Under construction between
Route 68 and Lake-Cook Road; open to traffic.
The Illinois State Division of Highways has the
following projects under way in Cook County:
CICERO AVENUE-Closed between Archer Avenue and 55th Street; subway construction.
ROUTE 62-Under construction beween Wolf Road
and Route 72; open to traffic.

diction in the unincorporated area of the county.

Due to issuance of th e permit for the $4,000,000
plant of the Ford Motor Company to be erected in
Bloom township, the September total topped the
August figure by $425,381. Otherwise, September was
lighter, r eOecting thc seasonal falling off in the building industry.
September permits totaled 501, or 205 fewer than
in August. September residential permits were valued
at $5,234,538, which compared with $8,349,479 in
August.
The total valuation of industrial permits in Scptcmber was $4,040,000; business, $332,700; miscellaneous
(garages, additions, etc.), $126,864, and other construction (-signs, wells, septic systems, dirt removal,
etc.), $1,780.
By townships, the number of September permits
and the valuations were as follows. Under the heading
"all other" is lumped industrial, business, miscellaneous and other construction.
Permits
Residential
All Other
Townshil)
Barrington
3
$ 75,000
$4,010,030
Bloom
17
199,045
18,940
Bremen
152,832
17
Elk Grove
14
158,700
13,660
Hanover
4
7,100
41,600
121 ,150
950
Lemont
7
42
221,900
49.200
Leyden
291,122
52
660,030
Lyons
172,000
17
47,980
Maine
70,000
New Trier
4
40,070
Northfield
39
448,300
41
547,540
26,610
Norwood Park
134,800
2,340
Orland
10
192,340
22,900
Palatine
22
25
334,021
37,100
Palos
49,700
6,420
7
Proviso
113,200
4,600
Rich
11
29,200
3,400
Schaumburg
5
769,500
44,910
Stickney
81
18,960
7,460
5
Thornton
505,100
44.280
35
Wheeling
40
219,600
70,564
Worth

Survey - - [Continued from page 31

sibly to suggest from time to time steps to obtain
information especially desired by any of thc sponsorjog agencies. On this committee arc:
T. D. Peppard, engineer, Bureau of Public Roads;
Frank Houska, research engineer, TIlinois State Division of Highways; Edward A. Carozza, Civil Engineer, City Bureau of Engineering, and L. G. Wilkie,
traffic engineer, Cook Couoty Highway Department.
Thc survcy will cover all of Cook County and will
extend into adjoining counties as far as traffic movements can be detected that affect traffic in and around
Chicago.
Information will be obtained by inlerviews conducted in some 70,000 homes. Some interviewing will
also be done on the highways.

ERMITS FOR building construction of the value of

Totals

501

$5,234,538

$4,501,344.

Death Toll Still Over '54

For the third straight month, the death toll on
suburban Cook County highways has upset the good
record made in the first six months of 1955.
At the end of June, the 1955 total of death. was 92,
as compared with 96 in the first half of 1954. This 4
per cent reduction compared with a nationwide 2 per
cent increase in deaths over the same period.
The July death total was 15. seven more than 1954,
and August deaths were 18, four more than 1954.
September saw 17 deaths, the same as last year. The
1955 total to date stands at 141 as against 135 for
the first nine months of 1954.

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

SAFE DRIVING DAY

Demands that
Every Motorist
And Pedestrian
Perform the
Civic and Moral
Responsibilities of
American Citizenship

Safe Drivin g Day score board is displayed at annual me eting of Cook County
Traffic Safety Commission (see pages 4 and 5), Left to right-Captain
Michael J. Ahern , chief of Chicago Police Traffic Di vision; State's Attorn ey
John Gutknecht, Superior Judge Richard B. Austin , General George C.
Stewart of National Safety CounCil, and Pre.ldent Daniel Ryan of County

Board.

Vol. III No. 6

NOVEMBER, 1955

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook County (Ill.) Department of Highways
Under auspices of the Board of County Commissioners
DANIEL RYAN , Pres ident

James F. A,hendcn
Frank Bobrytzke

William N. Erickson

Fred A. Fulle
Christ A. Jensen

Charles F. Chaplin
Elizabeth A. Conkey

John A. Mac'kler, Jr.

Clayton F. Smith
Edward M. Sneed
John J. Touhy

Jerry Dolezal

Arthur X. Elrod
John J. Duffy

William J, MortImer
Superlntendent of HII'hway.

Published at 130 North Wells Street, Chicago 6.

FRanklin 2-7644

Extension 221

"Rumble" Passes Test

YEAR'S TEST of urumble" pavement to alert
motorists at stop sign approaches has proved
A
satisfactory that the Cook County Highway Depart-

SO

ment plans to apply the idea to approximately a hundred intersections.

It was believed that a roughened stretch of road
would assure better perfonnance at stop signs, thereby reducing accidents, and also would improve braking
and eliminate skids when the highway was icy. From
observation by department engineers and from many
favorable comments by others, the "rumble" has
scored high in all respects.
The installation consists of a granular material
spread on the pavement and bound with hot-asphalt.- _ __
Botb gravel and coated slag were tested. Slag pro!!!!l!!I!I!II!!I!I!II!!!!!
duced a sharper noise and was therefore selected for
BOOB OF THE MONTH
the test applications. It was spread one inch in thickness over the pavement starting 150 feet f rom the
stop sign and continuing up to the stop line.
T HIS MONTH it's Sightseeing Sylvester.
Sylvester enjoys motoring, whether in city or counThree intersections in widely separated parts of the
county were choscn for the tcsts. They werc at Bartryside, because there is always so much to delight
rington and Palatine Roads, Plainfield and Wolf
the eye:
Roads, and Ridgeland Avenue and Route 83.
(1) Quaint old houses.
Additional installations will be made also at sharp
(2) Brand new ranch houses.
curves. At the end of the rumble stretch, the motor(3) Cuties on corners.
ist, looking for the meaning of the noise under his
(4) Burros.
tires, will see a wayside sign cautioning him to slow
(5) Ete_
down for the curve.
Sylvester's relationship to traffic is purely personal
and free of care; in short, careless.
Up until now he has been classed merely as a nonsubscriber to the general belief that driving a car
calls for care.
October Death Toll lighter
But from now on he is a subject of scientific reSeventeen persons were killed in highway traffic
search.
accidents in suburban Cook County in October. This
In the report of a special committee of the Ameriwas the same number as in September, but was nine
can College of Surgeons submittcd in Chicago Novemfewer than in October last year.
ber 1, Sylvester and his ilk are branded "America's
The total for the first ten months of the year standa
Sixth Column."
at 158. Last year at the' same time it was 161.
They are worse than drunken drivers, the committee
said, because they are in possession of their senses
Five of those killed last month were pedestrians.
but don't use them.
Six were killed in collisions between automobiJes, two
in auto-truck co11isions, one in an auto-train crasb and
The committee intends to come to grips with sightone in a car that ran off the road out of control. One
seers and careless drivers of other bents.
was killed in an accident involving three cars and one
Good luck with Sylvester, Doc.
in a three-way crash involving two -cars and a truck.
He's about all the Boob one man can be.

County Builds First Precast Bridge

Seams are quickly swung into place.

New Cantilever on oU abutment visible at left.

By Hugo J. Stark
Chief Engineer of Planning

Cook County Highway Department

precast and prestressed concrete bridge

THEto beFmST
constructed by the Cook County Highway
Department has been completed on Lake-Cook Road
at the Middle Fork of the North Branch of the Chicago
River.
It replaces one of the many through concrete girder
bridges built in the county in the 'teens and '20's when
the hard roads movement was developing. At that
time, this type of bridge was considered economical
and functional, but developments in speed and size of
cars and trucks have made it obsolete.
The large concrete girders were usually placed quite
close to the edge of the pavement and they extended
vertically several feet above the pavement. The narrow roadway, with the barrier girders alongside, have
become dangerous for modern traffic.
Since the two girders carry the load of the structure,
it is impossible to widen the roadways across the
bridges. Whenever approach pavements are required

to be widened, the usual practice has been to remove

the bridge and replace it with some new type of wider
deck structure.
The Lake-Cook bridge at the Middle Fork was constructed by the Cook County Highway Department in
1923. The clear roadway of the bridge was 20 feet
between girders and the bridge had a clear span of
44'-10" between abutments. So narrow a roadway was
inadequate for present-day traffic and it was hazardous for vehicles to pass on the structure.
When the decision was made to remove the old
narrow brIdge and replace it with one of adequate
roadway, studies were made to determine the economical way to do so.

Inspection showed that the abutments were in good

condition, and inasmuch as they constitute a large
portion of the cost of a new bridge, considerable savings would result in their reuse. Further it was found
that the heavy through concrete girder span could be
replaced with a lighter type of construction, thereby
providing a wider roadway bridge without increasing
the loading on the old abutments. Since Lake-Cook
[Oontinued on page 7]

Safety Forces Rall y for S-D Day

The speakers' table and part of the 423 who ;tttended the dinner meeting. At the table, left to right, were: John
J . Mccreverty. executive secrctary, Cook County Traffic Safety Comml8llon; Joseph A. Downey. Cook County
Civil Oefense director; H. Hayward Hirsch, director of community developmc.nt, Chicago Association of Com.
merce and Industry; Noble J. Puffer, Cook County school superintendent; Lieutenant Robert Hesse, Cook
County Highway Police; Superior Judge Richard B. Austin, general chairman of the safety commission; Presi.

dent Daniel Ryan (standing), William J. Mortimer, county highway superintendent; General George C. Stewart,
execu t ive vice president, National Safety Council; State's Attorney John Gutknecht, Capt. Michael J. Ahern,
chief of the Chicago traffic division; Leslie J. Sorenson, traffic engineer, City of Chicago; Oavid M. Baldwin ,
director of traffic and transportation, National Safety Council; Matthew C. Sielski, director of safety and traffic
engineering Chicago Motor Club; Joseph F. Stech, manager and secretary, Greater Chicago Safety Council.

height on which to record the S-D day score was

displayed al the dinner and removed the next day
to the County Building to remain throughout the
Safe Driving period. This covers 31 days-15 days
before December 1 and 15 days after. Two thermometer-like tubes will indicate the number of accidents
reported day by day during the first nation-wide
S-D effort last year and the number on corresponding
days this year. [Front Cover].
President Daniel Ryan of the County Board, who
is president of t.he Safety Commission, was introduced
by County Highway Superintendent William J.
Mortimer, whose department has embraced the commission since its organization in 1946. President Ryan
introduced the commission's new general chairman, Superior Judge Richard B. Austin, and Judge Austin introduced the members of the commission and the two
invitPd t:;ppR.kers-Genera.l George C. Stewart, executive vice president of the National Safety Council, and

CAUSE of safety on the highways can be sold

THEto the
public.
Speakers at the annual dinner meeting of the Cook
County Traffic Safety Commission emphasized that
it is possible to persuade people that safety is the
direct responsibility of everyone who drives or walks.
And they declared thal unless lbe safely record is
improved, the grandchildren of this generation will
live in a very dangerous era.
The dinner was held the night of November 15
in Louis XVI room of the Sherman Hotel and was
attended by 423. They included members of the
commission, mpmbers of the Board of County Commissioners, mayors, village preSidents, police chiefs,
magistrates and Civil Defense directors of Cook
County suburbs.
Central idea of the meeting was Safe-Driving Day,
December 1. An eye-catching structure 15 feet in

Charles E. Irvin, assistant professor of speech and

communications at Michigan State College, who appeared through the courtesy of General Motors.
How S-D Day can be made a succeas in Cook County
was set forth by the four speakers.
Public Learns Safety On Edens
President Ryan-"That safe driving can be achieved
by direct appeals to the motoring public was demonstarted by our early experience on Edens Expressway.
In the first 13 months, 21 persons were killed on Edens.
The public clamored that we had built a death trap.
Mr. Mortimer assigned his traffic engineers to study
these accidents and they reported back that in eve ry
instance human failure was the cause. The expressway was safe; it was the drivers that needed changing.
"The engineers' findings were made available to the
press and the editors joined us in a campaign of education. The lesson to be taught was that expressways
are wonderful improvements if properly used.
"The results of this campaign to date have been
spectaculRr. During the bad 13 months, the death rate
was 10.5 for each 100 million vehicle miles. The rate
is now running only slightly above 1.5, wbich probably
makes Edens the safest rural highway in the nation.
"Now we are making the same appeal to motorists
on the occasion of S-D Day. This commission is ideally
suited to promote such an activity because we here
represent every part of Cook Counly. With the aid of
you gentlemen we can confidently look to an S-D Day
without a single death either in the city or tbe suburbs.
And then, of course, we hope to persuade the public
that every day should see everyone driving safely."
Rigid, Uniform, 1I0nest Enforcement
Judge Austin-"We need to promote respect for the
traffic laws. Enforcement must be rigid, uniform and
honest. For one thing we should avoid overzealous
enforcement. We must recognize that there are accidents that do not warrant court appearance. Two
drivers wbo rub bumpers and are willing to settle it between tbemselves should not get tickets. Some speed
llmits are so unreasonable tbey breed disrespect and
should be corrected.
uThe main problem is the driver who is just plain
careless. He backs out of alleys without looking,
wanders over the center stripe, lets his gaze roam,
carries on back seat conversations and so on. We have
tried education but it hasn't worked. The time has
come to crack down. Hit the careless driver where
it hurts most- in the pocketbook. If you can't educate him, bankrupt him.
"This meeting contains a tremendous potential.
It represents law enforcing agencies in every part
of the cbunty. Get the word around that Cook County
is organized for safety on the higbways, and good
results will be seen immediately."
Deatb Totals RemaIn High
General Stewart- Wby is S-D Day neceasary? In
1935, 35,369 persons were kUled in automobile accidents in the United States. The rate was 15.9 deatbs
per 100 million vehicle miles. In 1954, tbis rate was
down to 6.4, but because of more vehicles on the
road, tbe total of deaths was about the same. There
is no real satisfaction in seeing the rate reduced
wben we still bave 36,000 dead on the highways.
The rate must go down. If it does not, in 1965 we
will kill 47,000.

"Our purpose on S-D Day is to show motorists and

pedestrians that they can reduce accidents by their
own actions. It was a success last year. Now we
nre better organized. We are trying to demonstrate
that when citizens perform their moral and civic
responsibilities accidents can be prevented.
"I support Judge Austin. Honest, strict, impartial law enforcement does immediately reduce deaths
and accidents. We have got to do something, and
we've got to stop being sissy about it."
Arouse Every Citizen
Dr. Irvin- uAn ancient philosopher was asked
when crime would be eliminated and he said that
would take place only when everyone became as incensed at crime as those who were a.ffected by it.
We will eliminate accidents only when every driver
becomes as aroused as those who have suffered from
accidents.
"Let us not relax and say that S-D Day alone will do
the job. S-D Day is a wonderful idea, but it will
not make every driver safe any more than Christmas
makes everyone unselfish.
uSafety has to be sold. The primary factor in
accidents is the human factor. We have to malee
pooplc safety minded, sUpplant the ideas they now
have with better ones- responsibility and respecVfor
law- so that we won't have to c()ntend with,..a"'demon
when he has his hands on a plasti'
el and his
foot on a bit of rubber."

Roads Closed For Work

Construction jobs under way by the Cook County
Highway Department require detours or restrictions
as follows:
APTAIOSIC ROAD-Under construction between
Buffalo Grove Road and McHenry Road; closed to
travel.
BUFFALO GROVE ROAD-Under conslruction between Palatine Road and Hintz Road; travel at your
own risk.
BRINKER ROAD- Work going on between Otis
Road and Algonquin Road; travel at your own risk.
BATEMAN ROA
Work going on between Penny
Road and Route 63; travel at your own risk.
QUINTENS ROAD- Work going on between Route
68 and Lake-Cook Road; travel at your own risk.
WAGNER ROAD- Work going on between Lake
Avenue and Winnetka Rond; travel at your own risk.
TOUHY AVENUE-Closed between River Road and
Talcott Road for bridge construction; local lraffic only.
183rd STREET- Closed at Cottage Grove Avenue
and at Stony Island Avenue on account of Calumet
Expreasway construction; local traffic only.
HALSTED STREET- Closed between lO7tb Street
and 129th Street.
HARRISON STREET- Closed between Kedzie Avenue and Homan Avenue; use north frontage road
of Congress Street Expressway.
Cicero Avenue between Archer Avenue and 55th
Street is again open to travel following completion of
a subway constructed by the State Divilsion of Highways.

They Maintain Roads

In

Northwest Area

Maintenance c r ews working out of the Cook County Highway Department'., warehouse-garage a t OcsPl a in esFront row, left to right: Henry Engel , John McManus, Herb Koles'ky, Andy Krautter, AI Steil, Joe Butzen, J oe Armentano, Frank Costa , Steve Fagiano, Frank Trenholm , Charles Elberding, Milto n Levy. Joseph Bonk, Andy Szc zerbowski. Second r ow:
Clarence Wilson, Steve Agenlian , Joseph Hanlon, Ted Mierzyski, Henry Schu ltz, Corv in
Wagner, Willard Lundgren , Earl Schilling , Flor ian Pogorzelski , Paul Kloss, Joseph Vi c t or ine, Sa m Giambron e, Har_
old Roe, George Conrad, Casimir Kozowicz, Meyer Ette l son .

Third row:

John Rusch , William MacSteven, super-

visor of employment District No. 2; Robert O'Shea, Ray Hallen , William Schilling, Ne lSOn Ya e ger, Frank S oem mel , Joe Reff, George Weimer, Kenneth Sc hrambeck, Hugh P . McAniff, superv is ing eng in ee r, District No.2 ; John
Brumm, C. Carlson , John Loibl. Fourth row: Clarenee Jorgenson , Ernie Sonderman, Martin Ba tryn, Fr ed Blaul,
Joseph Leelal re , Frank Bracciavent l (forehead only showing).

DeaPlaines shop and warehouse crew-Left to right: Henry Zapler, Rei nhardt Wolf, Henry Engel, Albert Dav is,
Emil W . Bergman, Fred W . Scharrlnghausen, Oliver Brown, Albert K r unfus, Carl Maim , Ehler Kath. Not in the
pieture: Ted Reinewald, Fred Domin, Earl Polzin .

CREWS have just completed their usual

PATROL
busy s eason of general repair and maintenance

By Force Account
Ston e Base COnstru ction

hl~':,I~dl~~Jlrig Sto'i..:e BaSe tor " Coii~

a nd now, with a weather eye cocked on the sky, ar e

read y for whatever win ter ma y brin g in th e way of
snow drifts and ice.

tract Paving ...................................... ..

S~w(' 1" lint! CUlvprt CnnAl.ru(' tlnn
Crushed Stone Resurfacing (Maintena nce) .
....................
Shou ldering & DItchIng ...............
Patching and Crack FlIllng ..... "
Blading &: Grading .......................
:M owlng & Weed Cu t ting .............
Snow Removal & I ce Control ...
Road Side & DItch Cleaning
~~~ P:r;~::\~~n .. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::. :
Earth Borrow (PI aced) ........................
PennlLs I n v~!'IlIKlI.tt!tl-Inspected ......

The Maintenance Division of the Cook County Highway Department oper ates in five districts. Twentyseven crews, including those pictured above, patrol and
maintain 649 miles of roa ds of various types.
Work done in the 1955 season is summarized as
follows:
By Contract:
Bituminous Surface Course ................
Bituminous Seal Coat (Plan t Mix) ..
Bituminous Seal Coat (LiquId &:
Tr~a.ted Aggregate) ......., ....... , ......... .

7.26

8.24

Washou ts Repaired .......... ....... ........ .......

Tree Trimming ........... ................... ........

Bv Con t ract for the TownShips
Bituminous Surface Course,
Sub-class A-3 ................... .
Bituminous Surta,<:e Course,
.Sub-class A-l ....... ............... .
Gravel o r Crushed Stone
Surface Course. Type B .....
Gravel or Crushcd Sfone

l\m es

"

69.23

~,,~

QQ\1r

e ,.. "................................. ..

10.75

19.15
2.30
] .00

Miles
jj

"

133
27

226
521

2.463
4.473
758

jgg

32,000

1,078
26

5,528

18.84
0.29
3.64

1.87

"

Yards
Each
Each
Man Hours
MtIes

Precast Bridge Replaces Ancient Hazard

[Continued from page

"l

normal, induced the necessary compression in the

concrete.
The beams were shipped by truck from Springfield,
lllinois, where they were made, to the brIdge site and
lifted directly from the trucks to their permanent
locations. The operation of placing the beams required
only two days as opposed to the several weeks which
would have been required had conventional cast in
place concrete been used.
On projects of this type it is possible to complete
the approach pavements prior to placing the precast
and prestressed beams. It is also possible to open the
bridge to traffic as soon as the beams are in place.
While the s ize of the Lake-Cook Road bridge does
not rate it as a large structure, it is important as the
first precast and prestressed concrete bridge in Cook
County and suggests an economical way to eliminate
other ex isting narrow and hazardous through concrete
girder bridges.

Road i. a rather heavily traveled highway the period

of closure had to be kept to a minimwn.
Precast and prestressed concrete beams fulfilled all
the required conditions and it was decided to use this
new type of construction for the first time by the
Cook County Highway Department.
T he beams for the Lake-Cook Road bridge were
prestressed, or put in initial compression, by stretching 33 ~8 " 7-strand cables per beam until they were
stressed up to 135,000 Ibs. per square inch. The cables
were fastened to anchorages at the ends of the casting
beds. After the cables were stretched, forms were
placed around the cables and the concrete poured to
make the beams. When the concrete had attained the
required strength, the cables were released from their
anchorages and in their attempt to shrink back to

-{ I

N E W 5 TFtU C TURE

30 '-2" OU T TO

OLD ,S TR UCTU R E

.- -

'.0. .... () h
<

~.

"' .... :' .; .

I
I

1
I

3 '- 0

)I-I " NEW

OLO DEC K 'sTRUCTURE

I :
-

2'-1" 1-

r--'

. -.

3'-0"

2 4 - 3 " OU T T O OUT
'
20' - O R O ADWAY

'Z'-I'h"

r--'I

n:

au T

2 4' -2" RO AD W AY

3'-0

.- ."

r\

HEW PAtSTAE$SED BtAIwI5

1
&ITUIr.IINOUS WEAAtNG 5URFAC.E j

"';..;.i'w

'

.,

.,.... ..

;'1 } .' ,('.

~ '- !

... _
d 'CJL~O

2-.[{ ]. ..

cu r .ACK 0 ' OLD AeUTMENT

I.- .... .-

I".
.

I
I

NEW R[IN', C ON e . CAP FOR A8UTMENT

S.... " NEW

2 4 '- OO LO ABU T MENT

AN TlL [V ER

CANT ILE V[

,
TYPICAL CROSS SECTION SHOWING OLD AND NEW COND I TIONS FOR
LAKE- COOK ROAD BRIDGE OVER MIDDLE FORK-NORTH BRANCH CHICAGO RI VER

 COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

A Winter N ight In the Forest Preserves.

Vol III No. 7

DECEMBER, 1955

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook County (Ill.) Department of Highways
Under auspices of the Board of County Commissioners
DANIEL RYAN , President
Jamee F. Aahenden
FrAnk Bobrytzke
Charlea F. Chaplin
Elizabet h A. Conkey
Jerry Dolezal
Arthur X. Elrod

Christ A. Jensen
John A, Mac'k ler, Jr,

John J. DUffy

John J. Touhy

William N. Erickson

Fred A. Fulle

Clayton F. Smith
Edward M. Sneed

William J. Mortimer
Superintendent of IIIl"hway.

Published at 130 North Wells Street, Chicago 6. FRanklin 2-7544

Extension 221

New Daily High in Maywood

HE CONGRESS Street expressway section between

1st Avenue, Maywood, and Mannheim Road,

T
opened to travel December 31, 1954, will complete its

first year of use with unexpectedly high records for

both the volume of traffic and the extent to which it
has attracted motorists.
At the time the section was opened, there were
many who expressed skepticism. Who, it was asked,

would go out of his way to use an expressway only

2'12 miles in length? The motorists themselves have
given the answer. By the end of this year, the daily
counts will add up to approximately 5,000,000 vehicles.
In the first week of use last January, the 24-hour
counts in both directions ran between 7,000 and 9,000.
Since then the gain has been steady. The highest
daily tally has been 24,909, which was on Friday, Novemher 19. The first day more than 20,000 were
counted was also a Friday. June 17. In recent weeks
20,000 has been exceeded numerous times. The daily
count Monday through Friday has averaged close
to 19,000; the Saturday count about 17,000 and the
Sunday count, 13,000.

BOOB or THE MONTH

OVABLE Lilibeth is a Boob of the Second Degree.

L That is, she is once removed from the First Dcgree Boobs, who start all the trouble.

From the first it has been apparent that most of

the people driving the section are regulars; that is
a growing number are finding the expressway a convenience for daily travel to and from their places of
work. This pattern is seen consistently in the morning
and evening rush hour counts.

She is the potential victim of the Primary Boobs,

hut she needn't be.
What Lilibeth needs is smartening up.
Her faith in humanity is such that she trusts every
motorist to stop at stop signs and slow down at stow
signs, signal turDS, keep in line, dim bright Lights,
yield to the first car at an intersection, wait to pull
out of parking until the road is clear, get in the
proper lane to make a turn, obey the rule in nopassing zones.
She believes that all pedestrians mind the lights,
that everyone who drives is a model of courtesy, and
every goose a swan.
Liliheth cherishes these beliefs hecause-up to
now- she hasn't been in an accident.
Neither has she grasped the hard fact that every
day peopl
and lovable folks at that- are buried as
a consequence of their first accident.
Too late she may learn that driving with hlind trust
in everyone else on the road isn't smart driving.
When the gongs and sirens converge at the scene,
it should be the First Degree Boob who gets arrested,
but it could be Lilibeth who gets put into the ambulance through the back door.

The Cook County Highway Department, which constructed the section, is tabulating results of a fourday origin-destination survey conducted recently at
the six eastbound and the three westbound entranc~
ramps. Complete findings will be available soon, but
it is already apparent that motorists will go out of
their way considerable distances to enjoy the con.
venience of expressway driving.

Every fourth car entering the expressway was

stopped and the driver asked what route be formerly
followed and how far he Iiad gone out of a straight
line to reacb Congress Street. Some said they had
come from 8S far north 8S North Avenue and 8S far
south as 39th Street. Some even came on at 5th
Avenue and drove the quarter of a mile to 1st Avenue.
Altogether, the 30 men assigned to the survey
interviewed about 6,000 motorists.

Cold Fingers Clip Congress St. Ribbon

A big tarpaulin was a little-very little-protection again.t the blasta that roared through the Laramie Avenue
wind tunnel. Manfully striving to appear unaffected were, left to right: E . A. Rosenstone, .ta te director of
public works; William J. Mortimer, Cook County highway superintendent; Governor William G. Stratton, Mayor

Richard J. Daley and President Daniel Ryan.

The spectator., too, had their collars uP. ear flapa down and hand. in pocket . On the stand, left to right: The
Rev. Thomas Bynne of Old St. Patrick's Church, Ralph E. Bartelsmyer, chi ef highway engineer for the atate;
Director Rosenstone, Superintendent Mortimer, GovernOr Stratton, Mayor Daley and President Ryan.

WERE made the day the first Chicago

HEROES
sections of Congress Street Expressway were

then the official party and the others prescnt, with an

impressive police escort, drove eastward to Paulina
Street. In the wake of the procession, motorists who
had been awaiting the moment, rolled down the vari
QllS entrance ramps, and the dream became reality.

opened-December 15
In sheltered places the mercury was not too far
above zero. Under the Larllmie Avenue overpass it
was just as cold and in addition the cavity was suggestive of a wind tunnel.
Nevertheless, all the officials programmed for the
occasion were present on time and with them some
200 well-bundled well-wishers come to mark realization of a dream held by Chicago for forty years. The
speaking and ribbon cutting went off on schedule and

Speakers and ribbon cutters included Governor

William G. Stratton, Mayor Richard J . Daley and
President Daniel RylUl of the Board of Cook County
Commissioners, the three governments that, with fed
era! aid, are constructing Congress Street. County
Highway Superintendent Wimam J . Mortimer was
master of ceremonies.

1955 Constru ction Season

By William J. Mortimer

IS

Reviewed

Paving has been completed except for 3.87 miles,

Super inte ndent of Highways

which will be done next year. Also to be completed

Cook County

in 1956 is the structure carrying the expressway over

the tracks of the Michigan Central and Elgin, Joliet
& Eastern railroads. By next summer it is expected
that Calumet will be in use over its entire length
from 130th Street to Sauk Trail, where it will connect
with the expressway constructed by the state extending south to Steger Road and thence curving west to
junction with Illinois Route No. 1.

OMPLETION of the first section of Congress Street

Expressway inside the City of Chicago was a high
point of the Cook County Highway Department's 1955

construction program.
This section, between Laramie and Sacramento
Avenues, 2.75 miles, was opened to travel December
15. At the same time, the Illinois State Division of
Highways admitted traffic to its section between Sacramento and Ashland Avenues, an additional 1.75 miles.

CongrcES Street looking east.

Kostner Avenue over.

pa53 and Garfield Park elevated in foreground.

Another major event of the year was action of the

State Legislatur~ approving a $245 million Cook
County bond issue to expedite completion of the basic
expressway system. The bond issue was proposed by
President Daniel Ryan of the Board of Cook County
Commissioners as a means of making th e most efficient use of a $20 million annual allotment of state
highway funds tendered to the County by Governor
Stratton. The bonds will make it possible to complete
the sorely needed Northwest, South and Southwest
Expressway routes in about [our years, or one-third
of the time required if construction proceeded at the
rate of $20 million a year.

Year's lVork On COn b'l'CSs Street

Work done by Cook County on Congress Street Expressway during the year amounted to $6,645,743.91,
of which $5,417,123.91 was for paving the LaramieSacramento section, $1,165,000 for grade separation
structures and $63,620 for demolition of huildings between Austin Boulevard and Des Plaines A venue.
Grade separation structures were completed at
Independence BoUlevard, Pulaski Road, Kedzie A venue, Kostner Avenue, Cicero Avenu e, Laramie Avenu e and U. S. Route 20.
A notable construction feat was the underpinning
of the Garfield Park elevated railroad structure at
Kostner Avenue. It was necessary to support the
structure and at the same time remove the pillars from
the area to be paved. This was done with needle
beams varying in length from 62 to 78 feet. They
will remain in place until the tracks are placed in
the expressway median strip and the elevated structure removed.
For a time delayed delivery of the ncpdlp beams
threatened to interfere with opening the expressway

Bond Projects Under \ \Tay

Immediately upon approval of the bonds, the Cook

County Highway Department began the studies and
designs preliminary to building the South and Southwest routes. On the Northwest route, which will extend from downtown Chicago to Edens Expressway at
Montrose Avenue, the county virtually completed
acquisition of Jand during the year.
Early in the year it was .anticipated that the extension of Calumet Expressway southward from its
intersection with Kingery Expressway would be ready
for use as far as Lincoln Highway by the end of the
year. Construction proceeded on schedule until late
in the year, when the cement shortage that has
plagued road builders in other parts of the country
caught up with the paving contractors.

Congress Street. Twin bridges a t I ndependence Boulevard. CT A tracks In median strip.

section this year. To meet this threat, the county

offered to pay the fabricating and erecting contractors
for overtime work. This resulted in saving 30 working
days time, at a cost of $7,200, and made it possible
to open the expressway section as planned.
Two Congress Street structures under county contract were unfinished at the end of the year. These

are tbe Cbicago & Western Indiana railroad grade

separation, which was 65 per cent completed , and the
Hillside underpass, 50 per cent.
Big Cloverleaf Completed
On Calumet Expressway, work done by Cook County
in 1955 included grading and paving in tb e grand total
of $2,896,688.07 and grade separation structures,
$912,000. Structures completed during the year were
the elaborate cloverleaf interchange with Kingery
Expressway. The Lincoln Highway interchange and
overpasses at the Grand Trunk Western railroad, Joe
Orr Road, Glenwood-Lansing Road and GlenwoodDyer Road. The overpass at the M. C. and E. J. & E .
tracks was brought to 75 per cent of completion.

Congress Street.
Keeler Avenue ilnd Pulaski Road
br idges. L andscap ing completed here.

STREET between Harlem and Nagle Avenues, bituminous surface under one contract, $115,988.20.
DES PLAINES A VENUE between Roosevelt Road
and Randolph Street, SACRAMENTO BOULEVARD
between Roosevelt Road and Carroll Avenue and 31st
STREET between Cook-DuPage county line and La
Grange Road, bituminous surface under one contract,
$122,983.55.
WOODSIDE ROAD-DES PLAINES AVENUE between Longcommon Road and 25th Street, bituminous
surface on PCC base, $224,748.40.
87TH STREET between Pulaski Road and Kedzie
Avenue bituminous surface on PCC base, $171,945.00.
TORRENCE-COLFAX-ANTHONY between 100th
Street and 87th STREET between Damcn Avenue and
Eggleston Avenue, bituminous surface, one contract,
$232,769.55.
147th Street Wide ned, Paved
147th STREET between Cicero Avenue and Dixie
Highway, widened on PCC base to 40 feet, bituminous
surface, $649,933.46.
25TH AVENUE between Roosevelt Road and Lexington Street, widened on PCC ba se to 44 feet, bituminous surface, $60,506.15.
WILLOW ROAD between Linder and Provident
A venues. widened on PCC base to 42 f eet, bituminous
surface, $322,966.83.
31ST S'1'RF:ET between LaGra nge Road and Maple
A yen ue, wid ened on PCC base to 40 feet, bituminous
surface, $199,438.65.
TO UHY AVENUE between Des Plaines River Road
and Western Avenue (Park Ridge), widening on PCC
base to 40 feet, bituminous surface, $188,184.55.
127TH STREET between Ashland Avenu e a nd State
Street, widened on PCC base to 42 feet, bituminous
surface, 347,615.64.

Along with expressway construction, the department carried out a program of pr~mary road improvement and secondary road maintenance. Altogether,
including expressways, the grand total of road surfacing of all types done during the year amounted to
1,780,414 square yards, tbe eq uivalent of a higbway
20 feet in width from Chicago to Bloomington, Illinois,
and 20 miles beyond.
Among th e more important non-expressway road
projects were the construction of State Road between
87th Street and Cicero Avenue, widening and paving
of 147th Street between Cicero A venue and Dixie
Highway, and widening and surfacing of Barrington
Road between Lake Street (U. S. Rt. 20) and Dundee
Road and th e widening and surfacing of 127t11 Street
between Ashland Avenue and State Street.

Work Done In City and Suburbs

Work of various types was done in the City of
Chicago and in virtually every part of the suburban
area. The c::>mplete list of projects completed during
the year, with the contract price of each, follows:
FULLERTON AVENUE, between Mannheim Road
and 25th Avenue, PCC [Portland Cement Concrete]
pavement, $170,949.05.
.
FOREST WAY, between Tower and Dundee Roads,
bituminous surface on PCC base, $169,626.20.
ELMHURST ROAD, between Devon Avenue and
Oakton Street , OAKTON STREET between Mannheim
and River Roads, MONTROSE A VENUE between
Narragansett and Central Avenues, and GUNNISON

Calumet Ex pressway exteneion.

Thorn Creek bridge

at Kingery Expressway interchange.

STATE ROAD between 87th Street and Cicero Avenue, P CC pavement and grading, $309,581.45.
Barrington Road Widened
BARRINGTON ROAD between Lake Street (U. S.
Rt. 20) and Dundee Road, widened on PCC base to
24 feet, bituminous surface, $390,113.00.
OAKTON STREET between Elmburst Road and
Lee Street, widened on PCC base to 24 feet, $95,842.30.
(Continued on Page 7)

County Highway Crews

In

Palatine Vicinity

Maintenance crews at the Cook County Highway Department's warehcuse-garage near Palatine-Front row , left
to right: J. Blinkensop Doc, Robert Dunklow, Art Nichols, Harry Glometti , Philip Patti , Albert Gualtier, Vincent
Pinto, Alfred Geistfeld; second row: George Morris, Dick Schultz, Orville Senne, Ted Stark, Joe Poremba, Ray
Nebel, Ray Holtze , Carl Schwank, Sam White, Carl Zinser, William Buelow, Joe Bonozkowski , Ed McNabb, Joe
CeJmer; third row:
Robert Saukub, Charlea Tonneman, Han'k Schoeffer, Gua Galski, Ed Grewa, Ed Z inkel , Nick
Mastro (hidden), Lewis Redeker, Jay Jackson, Walter Lyons , Jerry Kalal.

November Bui lding Permits

UILDING construction in the unincorporated areas

B of Cook County continues on a high level, it is

indicated by permits issued in November by lhe Cook
County Building a nd Zoning Bureau.
Permits issued for all types of construction
amounted to 281, and the total dollar value was $4,265,918. Of this total, $3,360,800 was reside ntial construction, $50,788 for additions to buildings, S94,670
for garages, 78,000 for industrial construction, 176,
900 for business buildings, $1,300 for wells a nd $503,MIN AND ...... IT

I y LIdtty

Shop men at Palatine- Left to right, William Oatdick,

George Wiess, Lewis Giles, Fred Sterbenz, Paul Kraft,
Jack Clark, Otto Marten .

460 for miscellaneous projects, the largest of whicb

was an old people's home in Norwood Park townShip.
The number of permits issued for each township.
with the total value, follows:
Value
Township
Number
Bloom
3
$ 56,400
56,100
Bremen
11
183,600
Elk Grove
12
Hanover
12,100
1
118,200
Leyden
15
34,950
Lyons
9
Maine
379,300
19
Northfield
202,410
15
1,060,900
Norwood Park
40
New Trier
2
121,500
Orland
1
350
Palatine
8
113,700
Palos
7
72,609
Rich
1
1,500
22
Stickney
214,340
Schaumburg
75
1,305,000
Thornton
2
2,000
i
Wheeling
45,050
31 ..
Worth
284,100

"It's disc0tK09i"9. men! ... Erery t_we .;;;~,;;,;;,:,,;r;;;';';i:7'

the auto people starl moking tMir cc
(Courtesy Chlcal'o Sun-Time. Syndlcate)

fl

1955 Highway Construction Seasbn Reviewed

(Continued from Page 5)
WILLOW ROAD between Milwaukee Avenue and
Shermer Road, widened on PCC base to 24 feet, bituminous surface, $121,618.75.
HARLEM AVENUE-OAK PARK AVENUE between Lincoln Highway and 183rd Street, widened on
PCC base to 24 feet, bituminous surface, $136,473.10.
ARLlNGTON HEIGHTS ROAD between Central
Road and C. & N. W. railroad tracks, bituminous SU f face, $57,868.00.
WOLF ROAD between Southwest Highway and
143rd Street, bituminous surface, $96,666.00.
GREENWOOD ROAD between Milwaukee and West
Lake Avenues, bituminous surface, $53,037.50.
PULASKI ROAD between Ir ving Park Boulevard
and Bryn Mawr Avenue, bituminous surface, $110.088.50.
MC HENRY ROAD between county line and Dundee Road, bituminous surface, $41,909.75.
GRAND AVENUE between Des Plaines River Road
and C. M. St. P. P. & P. railroad tracks, bituminous
surface, $62,518.50
63RD STREET between Central and Cicero Avenues,
bituminous surface, $57,445.00.
EUCLID AVENUE between Wilke Road and Northwest Highway, widened to 40 feet on PCC base, bituminous surface, $148,835.25.
TORRENCE A VENUE between 154th Street an<l
Sibley Boulevard, TORRENCE AVENUE between
140th and 134th Streets, and 138tb STREET between
Ashland Avenue and Halsted Street, bituminous surface, one contract, $61,499.05.
LINCOLN AVENUE between Ferris and Cleveland
Avenues, and FERRIS AVENUE between Dempster
Street and Lincoln Avenue, bituminous surface, one
contract, $77,153.00.

Lake-Cook Road bridge reco ns tr ucted with

bea ms, first such job in the county.

precast

Lake-Cook Road bridge over Middle Fork North

Branch Chicago River, $31,000, 95 per cent completed.
Touhy Avenue bridge widening, $196,000, 75 per
cent completed.
Lawrence Avenue subway repairs, $35,000, 35 per
cent completed.
Irving Park Road subway repairs, $28,000, 35 per
cent completed.
Aptakisie Road culvert, $33,000, 75 per cent completed.
Sewers and RR Crossings
Drainage projects were completed on Cenlral A venue between 50th and 47tb Streets and on 47th Street
between Central and Laramie Avenues. Both were
done under one contract, $27,181.80.
Automatic flasher lights and gates were installed
at the following railroad crossings:
Gross Point Road, Skokie, Chicago, North Shore &
Milwaukee and Chicago & North Western.
Sunset Ridge Road. Northbrook, Chicago, North
Shore & Milwaukee and Chicago & North Western.
Stephen Street, Lemont, Gulf, Mobile & Ohio.

County Road Bridge Jobs

In addition to the grade separation structures constructed on expressways, the bridge division completed
six bridges and one adjacent paving job on county
roads and began work on seven other bridges. Among
them was tbe first bridge in the county to be reconstructed with the use of precast, prestressed concrete
beams for the 1'loor.
The total value of these 14 projects was $1 ,035,000
and of work done in 1955, $503,000.
Jobs completed this year 'included:
25th Avenue bridge over Salt Creek, $166,000.
25th Avenue paved between 26th and 22nd Streets,
vicinity of new Salt Creek bridge, $80,000.
25th Avenue bridge over Addison Creek, $147,000.
82nd Avenue bridge over Tinley Creek, $37,000.
Oakton Street bridge over North Sbore Channel,
$248,000.
Palmer Street bridge over Silver Creek, $13,000.
Culverts over Marley Cr"eek at 104th and 108th
Avenues, $72,000.
Jobs stiU under construction at the end of the year:
Union No. 1 drainage ditch culvert at Ridgeland
Avenue, $27,000, 85 per cent completed.
Union No.1 drainage ditch culverts at Central Avenue and TIossmoor Road, $84,000, 85 per cent completed.

Year's Death Toll Lowered

Nineteen persons were killed in highway traffic accidents in suburban Cook County in November. The
figure compared witb 23 in November, 1954, and was
morc encouraging because for the second straight
month the toll was under last year.
Due to improvement in November and October and
a September figure the same as last year, the 1955
toll at the end of 11 months was 178 as compared to
184 for the same period of 1954. Figures given for
both years represent instant deaths. Later, deaths
that occurred days or weeks after injury will be added.
Last year, delayed deaths raiscd the year's toll from
197 to 239.
Of tbe 19 killed last month, six were pedestrians.
Five were killed in auto-truck, three in auto-auto and
one in auto-train collisions. Two were killed in cars
that struck abutments, one in a car that hit a tree
and one in a car that went into a ditch .

..,

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

A, It wa, In 1924, before Sheridan ROild around Calvary Cemetery wu widened and divided. ( See Piilge 4)

Vol. III No. 8

JANUARY, 1956

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook County (Ill.) Department ot Hiihways
Under auspices of the Board of County Commissioners
DANIEL RYAN, Pruldent
Jamu F. A,henden
Frank Bobryt;~ke
Charln F. Chaplin
Elltabeth A. Conkey
Jerry Dolezal
Arthur X. Elrod
John J . Duffy

William N. Er lc:kson
Fred A. Fulle
Christ A. Jensen
John A. Mac:'kler, Jr.
Clayton F. Smith
Edward M. Sneed
John J. Touhy
William J. Mortimer
Superintendent ot II I.. hwoy.

Publiahed at 130 North Well.;; Street, Chicago 6. FRanklin 2-7544

Extension 221

~38S

December Building Permits

ERMITS for building construction valued at $2.972,966.00 were issued last month by the Cook
P
Zoning Bureau. The bureau has
County Building
&

BOOB

OF THE

jurisdiction over all unincorporated parts of the

county.
As in all other recent months, residential building
accounted for most of the total. There were 115 per
mits issued for homes of a total value of $2,371,692.00.
Permits for other types of buildings and appurtenances were issued during December as follows:
Additions, 16 permits
$ 39,060.00
Garages, 43 permits
76,664.00
Industrial, 1 permit
120,000.00
Business, 3 permits
309,000.00
Schools and churches. 2 permits
50,000.00
Septic system, 1 permit
350.00
5,000.00
Wells. 8 permits
Miscellaneous, 7 permits
1.200.00
Twenty-one townships were represented by the
December permits as follows:
Total Va lue
Perm its
Townshi p
S 47,000.00
Barrington
2
268,400.00
16
Bloom
42,460.00
6
Bremen
302,106.00
13
Elk Grove
24,000.00
3
Hanover
13,100.00
2
Lemont
335,360.00
16
Leyden
13,056.00
8
Lyons
76,060.00
9
Maine
49,000.00
1
New Trier
311,900.00
16
Northfield
356,100.00
16
Norwood Park
52,100.00
4
Orland
170,800.00
7
Palatine
158,600.00
Palos
9
4
64,700.00
Rich
66,100.00
Schaumburg
5
106,242.00
Stickney
17
2
17.900.00)
Thornton
287,950.00
20
Wheeling
20
150,088.00
Worth

MONTH

UPPER Y SAM knows about ice.

Its to pul in highballs.
If he didn't drive a car he could get along on that
store of knowledge.
But for people who drive the important thing about
ice is that it gets on streets and highways in the
winter lime.
ley pavements demand the utmost in careful driving.
Is this know-how, know-why and wherefore difficult
to obtain?
Difficult? Sam, it's difficult to see how you've
dodged it.
Year after year. Mr. Ned Dearborn of the National
Safety Council, Mr. Franklin D. Sturdy of the Citizens
Traffic Safety Board of Metropolitan Chicago, Mr. Mat~
Sielski of the Chicago Motor Club, Mr. Ralpb Bartelsmyer of the n1inois Division of Highways. Mr. William
J . Mortimer of the Cook County Department of Highways sound the alarm and lay down the principles of
safe winter driving.
Such as?
Take a good look at the road before you start out.
Drive slow, adjusting your speed to road conditions.
Try your brakes and then kccp a safe stopping distance from cars ahead.
Don't jam your brakes, pump them.

And if it's reany slippery, Sam. leave your car at

home and ride Mr. Virgil Gunlock's CTA.
rs that all?
Start practicing, Sam.
Please pass the ice cubes.

'-'

County's New Striper Highly Efficient

gallon capacity, carrying yellow, white and black

paint. A heavy duty paint transfer pump is located
below tbe deck in one of the side compartments and
is hooked into the complete paint pipe system so that
paint may be taken from the supply source and pumped
into any of the three lanks or transferred from one
tank to snother. The pump will also circulate solvent
for cleaning the pipe system.

NEW highway striper embodying numerous ideas

advanced by the Cook County H ighway DepartA

ment has just been delivered to the department's paint

shop in La Grange Park.

The machine was constructed by the M-B Corporation of New Holstein, Wis., using a White 3000 series
lill cab truck as the base of the unit. This model

was selected by the department because it affords the

driver the visibility needed, particularly when re-

lIij:::h Ca pacity Air Compressor

tracing old lines. The department also called for large

capacity paint tanks and air compressor and specified
other feat ures for convenience and speed of oper ation.
The new striper will be highly useful on new expressways. Using outriggers, it can do all the striping on
a three or fo ur-lane expressway at one pass. On conventional four- lane highways the machine can put
down t he double yellow center lines a nd one or both
white stripes if it is possible to close off the road during the job. Otherwise, one line at a time will be
painted to prevent blocking traffic.

Each paint tank is equipped with paddle agitators

driven by air motors. All of the paint piping, which is
arranged under the truck deck for easy cleaning,
terminates at the resr of the tr uck bed in a row of
master valves.
At the forward end of the truck is an Ingersoll
Rand Gyro-Flow rotary air compressor of 125 cubic
feet per minute capacity. It will provide needed
pressure for the paint guns a nd also operate the paddle
motors. The three paint tanks occupy the center of
the truck bed and the container for glass beads is
placed a t the rear.
The trailer carries four paint guns, two being in
line on the center line and the other two on either
side to lay down the yellow no-passing barrier lines.
Immediately behind the paint guns are three mechanical bead dispensers.

Puts Down Refl ect or Beads

It is possible to I)aint a center line and ai the same
time spread an even coat of glass beads for night time
reflectivity. When using one paint gun on a stripe,
the machine will ol)Crate at a speed of eight to ten
miles an hour; when two guns are used, the speed can
be increased to 16.
The control center of the machine is a marker
tmiler which is towed close behind the truck and is
located to align the guns with the truck driver and the
retractable guide pole out front. A two-way inter-com
makes it possible for the driver to warn the trailer
operator of any change coming up in the road paltern
or to pass any other information back and forth.
Mounted on the specially constructed truck platform
are two 250-gallon paint tanks and one of 150-

Cont rol Is Aut-oma tlc

The two center Hne guns and the center line bead
dispenser are all automatically coordinated by means
of the M-B Corporation's latest type center line timer.
When the timer is turned on by the operator it takes
over control of center line marking and leaves tbe
operator free to control the guns for the yellow lines.
(Continued on Page 7)

'--"

1924 Road Study Diagnosed Basic Problem

N 1924 the Cook County Department of Highways ,
Imensions.
then 10 years old , faced problems of historic diSince the end of World War 1 the number

county bond issue. Within an estimated four years'

time the South, Southwest and Northwest routes will
be added to Congress Street, Edens and CalumetKingery Expressways, affording rapid travel to and
from Chicago and all parts of suburban Cook County.
Although Maj. Quinlan and Mr. MacDonald were,
later on, among the first to promote expressways, thc
most advanced design contemplated in their 1925
recommendations was the four-lane "superhighway."
Today the best type of highway known in 1925 is
obsolete as a heavy traffic artery, but it was historically important as marking departure from the nar
row, sectionline horse and buggy road.

of motor vehicles in use had increased sharply and

steadily and the need for morc miles of improved highways had become correspondingly pressing. Continuous routes especially designed for automobiles were
lacking in both the City of Chicago and the suburban
areas of the county. City streets and country roads
ran as they had for years, good enough for short
local trips hut affording nothing like a coordinated
system for countywide t ravel. It was plainly to be
seen that the lime had come to recognize requirements of the motor age as vastly different from those
of the horse and buggy era and to make plans for the
future on a large scale.

I\lore Cars a nd !\lore Mileage

The relatively short span of time between the superhighway and the modern expressway has seen the
demand for more and better roads in Cook County
increased over and over again. Not only has there
been a numerical increase of about four times the 1924
vehicle registration, but for many reasons people
use their cars more today.
For use in this article, an effort was made to find
a figure representing the increase in use of the average
family car. Numerous agencies in the automotive
field keep records nowadays from which an average
annual use figure may be calculated, but the only one
found that would venture an estimate as to 1924 was
the Automotive Safety Foundation of Washington,
D. C., which gave 6,000 miles as a nationwide average.
It was suggested, however, that in the Chicago area,
where many then rode the public transportation lines,
the average was probably somewhat lower.

If planning was to be done intelligently and the

public given full value for the large sums spent, much
detailed, accurate information had to be .gathered. It
was essential first of all to know the points of origin
and destination of sizeable volumes of r egular travel.
For this purpose a countywide survey was organized
and carried ou t in 1924 by Maj. George A. Quinlan,
then county highway superintendent, with the cooperation of the United States Bureau of Public Roads,
of which Thomas H. MacDonald was then chief.

.New Highways Result From Survey

The findings and conclusions of this pioneer study
were presented the following year in a 96-page book
illustrated with photographs, maps, charts and tables.
Surviving copies are treasured for the sound value of
the contents as well as the funny pictures of cars with
running boards a nd side curtains.

Many Considerations Im'ohred

The comparable figure is 10,000 miles, in the opinion of the Automotive Safety Foundation and other

Traffic was checked at 14 selected points in Chicago

and 94 out in the county, covering all parts of the
suburban area. (A table presenting some of these
1924 counts together with recent checks at the same
points, is appended to this articie.) On the basis of
these tallies and interviews, specific recommendations
were made for new roads and improvements to existing roads amounting in all to 270 projects, with a
total mileage of 838, twice the total county highway
mileage of 1924. This program has been 95 per cent
completed.

Ghosts of the Highway

There were fewer cars Ol~ the road in 192i, but
many more varieties tha11 now.
A typical report sheet tU'rned in by one of the
workers in the 192i traffic study in Cook County
ltsts 31 cars checked ill an hOllr. They represented 16 manufacturers, only five of which-Buick, Chevrolet, Ford, Nash (md Packard-are
still in business.
The 11 others on the sheet were:
Chandler, Davi3, Elgin, Essex, Haynes, H1tpmObile, Jewett, Marmon, R-ickenbacker, Wills St .
Clair, and WiUys.Knight.
That was a period of transition in body styles.
The "closed car," fONnerly for the nabobs, 1t1aS
becoming available to all alld the " open" job with
side curtai118 was on the way out. On the survey
sheet there was a coltt1nn for checking the two
types and it shows an almost even split, with 15
"open" and 16 "closed!'

In addition to these recommendations, Maj. QUinlan

and Mr. MacDonald expressed their views of the geneml nature of Cook County's transportation pattern.
Most important of these was the conclusion that the
problem is countywide, to be solved only with a coordinated highway system that meets the needs of
both the city and the suburbs. The fundamental need
- then as now- was for adequate through routes over
which motorists could travel easily from one part of
the city to another, from the city out into the suburbs
and from the suburbs into the center of Chicago.
The need for countywide through routes pointed
out in the 1924 survey is being met today with Construction of the comprehensive expressway system.
Completion will be expedited with the $245 million

T his photo , lifted from th e 1924 traffic st udy report, .hows the narrow pave m ent that wa. standard in that era.
But the motorl.ts had fun on pleatant Sundays Just riding around In their late mode l job. with 'oneman" top.,
wooden spoke wh e t I. and running boards like a hook and ladde r truck , things see n today only in museum .

authorities as well. The Cook County average may

well be higher because Chicago Traction 1\uthority
figures show a steady decline in patronage during a
period of population growth and the only explanation
is that a great many more people are using cars for
daily travel.
Other statistics bearing on automobile use also in
dicate that t.he average car in Cook County is used
at least twice a nd possibly three times as much as in
1924. The search for the use factor involved so
many considerations and turned up so many interesting figures that a separate article on the study is
being prepared for printing in COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS in an early issue.
Vehicle registration in Cook County in 1924 is
estimated at 355,736. At that time the Secretary of
Stale did not list the number of licenses by counties,
only t he amount of lIcense fees paid. Exact figures,
however, are available for the City of Chicago, which
issued 309,336 1924 licenses. The population of the
county outside Chicago was then approximately 15
per cent of the city's and t hat ratio was used to reach
a county total.

The use factor of 2 makes the problem eight times

as extensive and a factor of 3, which can be supported, raises it to twelve times. The large seale
planning launched with the 1925 report is morc than
justified. It opened the way to const ruction of the
expressway system, which, in its first stages of completion, has proved to bc the most exciting public
improvement of this generation and the only means of
handling today's t raffic.

Traffi c Counts Compared

The following tabulation compares some of the traffic counts made in 1924 with recent counts at the same
points. The figures indicate the growth of total traffic
volume and also show how traffic moves from onl:
route to a nothel" when more convenience is offered.
For instance, the 24-hour travel over the Michigan
boulevard bridge is markedly less t ha n in 1924, which
is due, of course, to construction of Lake Shore Drive.
The same influence on parallel routes has been exerted
by Edens a nd Calumet expressways a nd the portions
of Congress Street Expressway that have been opened.

How t he Problem lias Grown

This formula gave the suburban total in 1924 as
46,400. The comparable totals fOI" 1954, the latest
year fOI" which complete figures are available, al"c
1,401,850 in the entire county, 971,591 in Chicago and
430,263 in the fast growing suburban area.
II is anticipated that the 1955 totals when finall y
tabulated will be 3 per cent higher than 1954, so it is
apparent that merely in terms of ears and trucks on
the r oad, Cook County's highway problems have in
creased four times since 1924.

Completion of the expressway system will not only

provide entirely new through routes for rapid, convenient travel, but at the same time will relieve nearby
street s of high speed through traffic. Such streets
will be restored to use as service routes for the convenience of people residing along them.
(Continued on Page 6)

They Also Had Traffic Jams Back

1924

In

ll1H

... aunl

1924

TRr).Jo~F I C

STUDY

State st. south

o r 138th st.
Vermont ave. between
Western and Halsted
Sta te st. between
147th and Margaret
182d st. west ot
Indiana line
LIncoln hwy. west
o r indiana line
Lincoln ave. north
or city limits
1ilth st. west
at Western ave.
t471h st. at
Rldl'eland ave.
Ridgeland a\e.
north 01 183d st.
J47th It. east
or Cicero !lVe.
Linco ln hwy. east
or Har lem ave.
1471h st. west
or Halsted SI .
147th st. "est
at Indlnna line
Western ave.
nOIth of 93th at.
Weslern ave. between
llllh and ]27th SUI.
Western ave. south

(Continued from Page 5)

For some of the checking stationa listed below, the
only figure put down in 1924 was for a 24-hour average count; at others a maximum count was also given.
In the column headed " Latest Count" the year when
the count was made is given in parenthesis.
LOCAT ION
MichIgan ave. bridge

,tu

l.ates t

1'10111
Or mlnu J

avo :!6,199

count
43,583

Sherid an rd. betw een

Howard and Hogers
MlrhlR8n ave.

av, 16,814

1~.677

_ 1,] 37

(1955)
21.233

JacklOn blvd.
I I ~OOO weill
Washington blvd.

ltV. 13,072

22J.926

+ 9,&;01

av. 18,8tS6

28,002

Garneld blvd .

avo

17.7~

r19~

Mllwllukee ave.
at 1792 north

IIV.

6.964

13.983

Western ave.

avo

:1,842

~90

+20,748

Halated north DC

avo

6,431

av.

3,630

av.

at

~fh

st.

at 5100 west

cut of Oamen

north. of North a ,'c.

CBItQ RR bridge

lI ali ted lit. north

<:oun!

/lV.

~,144

(1~ )

(19:1l)

(l:I:S:S)
(l~)

(1953)
(195'1)

- 12.616

3.911

9,196

+1M27
7,019

I) r 147lh st.

1S.GOO

27.262

+23,632

(19~)

DIxie hwy. north

ot county line

9.169

of Vermont /lve.
Halated It. SOUlh

max:. 7,670

(1953)

or 1471h at.

max:. 6,690

3,1~

4J.'!~
(I::I'>'i)

+ 1.~70

Dixie nwy. n orth

ot LinCOln hwy.

av. 6,~97
max. 14,810

(~

IIIgglnl rd.
at llnrJem ave.

(fm

av. 2,417
rna;,:. 15,180
avo 1,400
rna;,:. 2,830

(l953)

;~

~9~

m:~: l~Wo

t~

m:i:
U\.

rna;,:.

1,864
4 ,160

av. 2,235
rna;,:. ~,970
avo
570
rnax. 1,280
Ill'.

529
1,090
avo 1,M4
ma.'{. 8.340
a V. 1,831

rna;,:.

max.

nv.

max,
avo
max.
av,
max.
nv,

max.

Il l'.

3,010
1,772
3.125
1,772
3,12:\
15.275
34,490
8.568
19.130
4,485
iI,370
5,216

max.
avo
max. 11,660
avo 3,1)4.'S

max.

lnllng Park blvd.

cast of River rd.
Crand an'. west
ot Harlem ave.

3,083

rn:;: l;2&i

l ..ate6t

COIunt

6,690
3,932
max. 8,750
avo 2,4!W

avo

max.

5,260

3.157

(19M)
2,7~

9,782
(1953)

740
1,358

+10,008

+ 7,918
+14,561

9,881

7.646

~~1!!1

1,101

(l 53)
(~)

185
(1953)
SolS7
(l9S3)

JJ.'!.'!6

(~)

13,869
(1954)
4,582
(195<1)
31,992
(19M)
14J.~

34.

+
+

S,S13
3,J()5:

+1~,097

2,328

+lS,n7

+
+

~, 786

(1:::r.>'1)
:J.211
(1954)
8.661

+ 3,445

10,004

(1953)

(1954)
10.463

(19M)
19512

(1954)

(Continued on next page)

+
+

',726

7,649

+ G,~1
+ 17,056

December Traffic Toll

Congress Street Traffic

WENTY-ONE persons we re killed in highway accidents in suburban Cook County last month. The
figure compa red with 13 in December 1954, 28 in December 1953 s nd 24. in December 1952.
December deaths brought the 1955 total t o 199,
which compared wit h 197 in 1954., a nd 223 in 1953.
Seven of those killed in December we re pedestrians.
Seven we re killcd in collisions between automobiles,
th ree in collisions between automobiles and t rucks and
one in a n a uto-trailer collision. One was killed when
a car hit a tre<!, one when a car rammed an abutment
a nd one when a car went into a ditch.
Over the year 1955, pedestrians killed, most of
them children or elderly persons, constituted almost
one-third of the tota l fatalities-60 to be exact. Autoa uto collisions a ccounted for 59 deaths; auto-truck,
20 ; auto-train, 11. Three bicycle riders were killed.
The other accidents included a wide variety of
types. Automobiles ran into trees, ditches, poles,
barrica des, vla duc18, curbs, abutments and construction machinery a nd overturned in wayside fields. One
horse rider was killed by an automobile and one was
killed by fa lling from a car and being run over by a
passing vehicle.

N THE firs t mont h of t ravel on the Ashland-

I Laramie section of Congress Street ExpresswayDecember 15 t o Ja nuary I 5-i t was used by a total

of 1,473,668 vehicles.
The hig hest day's count was 55,639, on Frida y, J a nuary 13. On 11 other days, 50,000 was exceeded.
The following counts taken on J a nuary 13 a t t he
various on a nd off ramps indicate the pattern of
t raffic:
Eastbound, 15,192 vehicles entered t he expressway
at Laramie Avenue, 6,605 came on a t Kostner Avenue,
4,336 a t Independence Boulevard, 2,545 at Homan Avenue, 1,543 at California Avenue.
Of the eastbound traffic that day, 3,001 vehicles left
the expressway a t Independence Boulevard, 3,633 at
Sacramento Boulevard, 4,181 a t Western Avenue. 16,542 at Paulina Street.
Westbound, 11,980 entered a t Ashland Avenue, 3,843
a t Damen Avenue, 1, 335 a t West ern Avenue, 4,373 at
Sacr amento Bouleva rd , 4,427 at Independence Boulevard.
Westbound, 2,623 left at Homan Avenue, 2,935 at
Independence Bouleva rd, 6, 164 at Kostner Avenue,
16,301 a t Lara mie Avenue.
Tra ffic on the Congress Street section between First
Avenue, Maywood, a nd Ma nnheim Roa d, continues to
run a bout 22,000 daily Monday throug h Friday a nd
slig htly lower on week ends.

N ew CD Equ ipment
Four Cook County suburbs, the Forest Preserve Dist rict a nd t he City of Chicago purchased Civil Defense
equipment under the federal ma tching funds program
during 1955. The l ot a l expended of which the municipalit ies supplied half and the federal government
ha lf, was $119,000.62.
The Forest P reserve District a cquired two-way radio
for two f orcst ranger cars a t a total cost of $872.44.
These cars are on the sheriff's highway police radio.
At the first a larm of approa ching enemy air forces
they would be available for Civil Defense duty. The
County Hig hwa y Department's trucks and cars also
a re listed for use in the event of an air attack or
other emergency.
Radio equipment was purchased also by Forest Park,
$7,000 ; Tinley Pa rk , $1,420.98, and Lansing, $940.64.
Park Forest expended $1 ,084.10 of matching funds on
a training progra m for its 64 auxiliary police.
Chica go a cquired radio equipment and warning devices a t a total cos t of $107 ,682.46.

1924 TRAFFIC STUD Y

<Continued from Page 6)

192-1

(' vun.

LOCATIO N

Lake st. between

DuPage et y. line
ll nd Kane (;ty. !lne
Lake st. between
DuP'lf,e ety. line
and Iver )d.
Hoosevelt rd.
ea6 t or cou nly Une
Roas('vel l rd.
('a Bt Qr Hlver rd.
0fden ave. east
o t'(l unt y Une
Orden a \'e. ealt
o River rd .
95th . L welt
o r Western ave.
Wa bash ave.
at L542 to ut h
Elston ave. between
La.~ nee a nd Kastner
Waukelran rd.
north of Dundee rd.
Waukegan rd. between
Dundee rd. and Lake
Waukelan rd. south
or Glenview rd.
Milwaukee ave.
sout h or Dundee rd.
MlIwa ukee ave.
north or Dempster
Milwa ukee a ve.
at city IImlt~
River NI. north
o r Rand rd .
River rd. betwee n
HIggi ns end lrvlnr Park
~lh ave.' River rd .
north Of Lake li t .
LontOOmmon.Rlver rd.
nort or Olde n ave.

",

Lates t
I'ouut

1'1118
Or

mlnu~

',085
4.721)

7.001
(]953)

a vo ;;,043
max. 14,850

22,249
(l954)

+1:1.007

max. 10,780

IIV.

4. 862

14~

+ 1),702

."

5.:171

2t'g271

+20. 700

max.

.. ",.,

max. 12,440
,

max. 8,910
.V,

9.:110

" ,

(1 :13)
]~1.82

5,516

+ l:l,12:1

$'

22,520

+13,010

mall". 20,'720

(1953)

3,570
max. 7 990
avo 15,177

80.464

+ 26,894

"

+ 3.325

",
.V,

."'"

.v, 5,098
mall". 11,370
.V,

max.
.v,
max.
,v,
max.
av,
max.
nv.
max.
av,
max.
av,
max.
avo
max.
av,
max ,

(1~

(1953)
30."

(1953)

S~

+ 24,425

+ 4,1.'}i

4.927
]0.930
5.13!5

(1954)
9""

]J,I80

11.915
(1953)

t~
_7171
2,814

U~
15,358

+ 12,.l41

7.066

m66

+ 15.100

...

U063

+ 3,092

13,818
(1953)

1:1,~

2.671
6.QlO

"

9,880
5.602
12,630
3.734
7,950

fl~)

(1953)

(1953 )

9382

(i954)
3.498

(1SM)

COUNT\, GETS NEW STR IPER

+ 1,809

(Continued from Page 3)

Since r etracing old lines is the most difficult job
in highway striping, t he intennittent center line time r
is so conSlI'Ucted tha t when in motion adjus tments can
be ma de to register the new line on t he old. Anothel'
a id to accurate line production is a steering mechanism
t hat ena bles the operator us ing a fast turning crank ,
to s hift t he trailer from s ide to s ide.
The new machine will be used on all county striping
work, which runs to a bout 600 miles a season. The
machine formerly used for s triping will be assigned
to painting guard rails.

+ 6,780

9,806

9,454

+ 3.1 80

""
7

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Blaek and White In Late Winter Along the Del PI.lnn Rlyer Near Chicago Avenue.

Vol, III No. 9

FEBRUARY, 1956

COO K COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook County (Ill.) Department of Hiehwaya
Under auspices ot the Board of County Commissioners
DANIEL RYAN, Pre.ldent
Jamea F. A.henden
Frank Bobrytzke
Cha r les F. Chaplin
Elizabeth A. Conkey
Jerry Dolezal
Arthur X. Elrod
John J. Duffy

William N. Erlck.on
Fred A. Fulle

Christ A. Jenlen
John A. Mackler, Jr.
Clayton F. Smith
Edward M. Sneed
John J. Touh)'

William J. Mortimer
SU!l'erlntendent ot JllKhway.
Publi~hed

at 130 :Korth Wells Street, Chicago 6.

FRanklin 27644

Extension 221

Gentleman of the Month

Cook County Highway Department, Andrew
INV.THE
Plummer, assistant to the superintendent, is
known as the man always ready to take on one more
job with cheerful aplomb. So it was no surprise to
his associates when they recognized his automobile
license in the following story of the anonymous gentleman in the Chicago Daily News February 4:
"A reporter who found the Loop filled with cheer
before Christmas made a new investigation to see
whether the cheer is still there.
"It is.
"The reporter tried his best to be a nuisance. but
found only one grouch- a cab driver.
"First stop was Washington and Michigan, where
the reporter's car suddenly conked out. (He had
turned off the ignition on purpose.)
"While the reporter got out and opened the car
hood, other cars stopped behind him. Nobody honked
or hollered.
"I'll give you a push," a gentleman in a large, shiny
Buick with license plates 323-019 said cheerfully.
"And he did.
"The car of course started."

BOOB

OF THE

MONTH

Month Club is open to all.

BOOBMe ofFirstthe Merton
got in this month hy racing
Homer the Honk two miles on the outer drive to be
first at a stop light.
Merton won the race, but when he turned to gloat,
Homer was missing.
Homer had turned off a block hack, and all that
happened was that Merton's new two-tone job
smacked a car standing at the stop light.

Des Plaines or Desp lai nes?

The Club deems Merton an outstanding acquisition.

Few Boobs are as boobish as those who permit
themselves to be irritated by other Boobs.

In both forms, the name appears on Congress

Street Expressway plans, and one may well
wonder why.
The early French called the river Des Plaines
and that form has been retained for the stream,
for the suburb and for the avenue running north
and south th rough Forest Park.
The name of the Chicago street running north
and south at 700 west is Desplaines, and the
search for an explanation leads back to 1830,
when surveyor James Thompson platted the settlement of Chicago. It occupied one of the sections of land granted by Congress to the lllinois
state commission constructing the Dlinois &
Michigan Canal, which, by the way, is now about
to be converted to an expressway route.

Thompson subdivided that part of the section

between Madison and Kinzie Streets and State
and Desplaines Streets and gave the various
stroets the names they still bear. At that time
Desplaines street was part of the regular route
between the settlement called Des Plaines and
Chicago, and the name seemed appropriate for
the new street.
Apparently Thompson or an assistant lettering
the plat made it Desplaines, and thus it has
remained 136 years. Probably it's too late now
to have it changed.

Lawrence

1. Rya n

January Building Permits

ERMlTS for building construction valued at $4,-

P 521,510 were issued in January by the Cook County Building and Zoning Bureau, which has jurisdiction

over the Unincorporated area of the counly.

Residential permits led the classifications, lhere
being 134 with a lotal valuation of $2.541.750. No-fee
permits. which are issued for schools. churches and
the like, represented a valuation of $1,228,022. Permits wer e issued for 24 additions, $537,720; 35 garages, $61,498; two business buildings, $10,500: one
septic system. $350; seven welJs, $5,500, and nine
miscellaneous projects, $136,170.
By townships, fee pennits were issued as follows:
Town ~ hip

Bloom
Bremen
Elk Grove
Hanover
Lemont
Leyden
Lyons
Maine
Northfield
Norwood Park
Orland
Palatine
Palos
Rich
Stickney
Thornton
Wheeling
Worth

J. RYAN, chief engineer of construcLAWRENCE

tion of the Cook County Highway Department,
died February 15 in Orlando, Florida, following an
operation. He had gone to Miami for the convention
of the American Road Builders association and had
stayed over for a vacation.
He had been an engineer for the highway deparl
ment since 1916, two years after the department was
organized . As chief engineer of construction he supervised construction of Edens, Calumet and Congress
Street Expressways and the north extension of Lake
Shore Drive. He was also responsible for all work
done by the county cach year on non-expressway
streets and roads. Before joining the department he
was a constrllction engineer for the Rock Island railroad and during World War II he served the navy
as a civilian adviser in construction of airports.

P ermits
10
10

22
2
1
14

22
5
18

23
4
18
15
1
15

2
1.
10

Total Value
$188,200
133,950
350,500
33,070
16,000
461,500
262,830
60,200
306,600
34.0,4.00
40,600
230,470
228.500
10,500
177,800
19,000
337,300
73,568

Of the no-fee permits, th ree, with a total valuation

of $737,000, were taken out in Norwood Park townsh ip. One was issued in each of the following townships:
Bloom, $3,800; Bremen, $1,000; Lyons, $18,250;
Palatine, $17,300; Palos, $24,292; Proviso, $263,180;
Rich, $3,200; Schaumburg, $80,000; Worth, $80,000.

Mr. Ryan was born in Chicago Augusl 7, 1887. He

was a son of the late Daniel B. Ityan, a former president of the Board of Cook County Commissioners,
and a brother of the present presidenl of the board,
Daniel Ryan. He is surv ived by five children-Daniel
J., Charles J. and Lawrence J. Ryan Jr. ; Mrs. Thomas
Hosty and Mrs. Fred Litwin- and 20 grandchildren.
He was a member of the Illinois SOciety of Professional Engineers, the Irish Fellowship Club and the
Groundhog Club.

January Traffic Toll

Six persons were killed in highway traffic accidents

in suburban Cook County in J anuary. In only three
previous months since the Cook County Traffic Safety
Commission was organized, in 1946, has the toll been
so low.
Six deaths were recorded in June 1946, January
1951 and J anuary 1952. The toll for December 1955
was 21. In J anuary 1955 it was 16, January 1954,
20; and January 1953, 11.
Low as it was, last month's figure reflected tragedy.
for four of the six killed were pedestrians. The two
others lost their lives in auto-auto collisions.

New 100,000 Mile Tire

A lire is now being developed that should be available to the American motorist in three or four years
that will wear for 100,000 miles and can be had in
colors to match the car.-Mass Transportation.

Traffic Estimators Use Moving Car Method

IELD TESTS of the moving car method of estimatF
ing traffic volumes and speeds conducted recenUy
by the Cook County Highway Department have dem-

CONDENSATION OF THE TEXT

onstrated that this relat i ve ly new procedure

has a potential of timesaving, economy and
accuracy.
The survey unit is a
car a nd driver carrying
an observer equipped
with stop walch and
data sheet. As the car
moves over a designated
~O\'lSG "EDlm MI.1'II01J
section of road, the observer counts the vehiclea coming from the
opposite direction, those
he overtakes and those
that overtake his car. Distance traveled, the time of
the trip a nd the num ber of ca rs observed become
components in mathematical fonnulas that yield the
estimates BOught.
Trial runs were made in the area bounded by Tauhy
Avenue on the south, Dempster Street on the north.
Crawford Avenue ( Pulaski Road) on the west and
California-Dodge Avenue on the cast. Ten sections
werc marked off, affording a va riety of conditions.
Mechanical vehicle counters were used as controls.

The main objective of this study is to test t he feasibility of a method of estimating traffic volumes on
ur ban streets by use of extremely short counts laken
from a moving vehicle. This study is an extension of
work first done by John WardroJl a nd George Charlesworth and presented before the Institute of Civil Engineers, London, England.
The moving car method under study here requires
the use of a car, a driver and one or more observers.
The number of observers is dependent on the deta!ls
sought. In this study it was found that one obscrver
was sufficient as no breakdown of vehicular types wa.s
attempted.
Included in this study were 10 road sections. In
selecting this network of sections an attempt was
made to include a variety of road types containing a
s ig nificant difference in t raffic volumes and land use.
Each car contained a driver a nd one recorder.
(Two recorders were used in preliminary tests:
one was found sufficient for the particular details
desired). As the car entered a section, the recorder
actuated the s top watch and began the count of:
1- The oncoming vehicles.
2- The vehicles overtaking the test car.
3- The vehicles passed by the lest car.
No special inslructions were given the driver other
than to observe traffic rules and regulations. At the
end of lhe designated road section, the observer ceases
to count and records on his dala sheet the section
traveled, its length, the direction traveled, time of
day, time of travel over the section. and the number
of cars in each of the t hree categories listed above.
To avoid loss in vehicles counted, the counting was
done from the center of the intersecting streets at
each end of the section.

Res ults ill Book Form

Results of Lhe t ests have been published in an
attr active book containing text, formulas, charts a nd
aiagrams. In a for eword, Superintendent William J .
Mortimer states the purpose of the study:
" Techniques in traffic engineering are constantly
being improved. Each such improvement adds to the
collection of tools for establishing sound highway
programs. No new technique is of real value unless
it features significant advantages over the o ld .
"Traffic volumes for use in highway planning are
obviously important. To realize such infonnation
quickly and economically is of equa l importa nce.
"The moving car method is offered as a means of
estimating traffic volumes and speeds quickly, economically and accurately."

Count at Railroad Crossing

One of the sections contained a railroad crossing at
g r ade. The recorders were instructed to keep the .stop
watch running while a waiting the crossing of train.s
a nd then to coun t the accumulated vehicles. Failure
to keep time running would heavily bias the estimated
volume if the accumulated cars were then counted.
During the test period, the mechanical traffic counting machines were maintained to an accuracy of plus
or minus 3 per cent by regula rly scheduled I S minute
manual counts. For each five-hour test period there
was a minimum of four such 15-minute checks for
each machine.
Each car sta rting at an opposite end of the test
grid traveled through each of the 10 sections nine
times during each of the five test days. This resulted
in 90 vehicle runs per section, or a total of 900 runs
for the 10 sections.
These runs were made between the hours of 10
a. m. and 3 p. m. This period was selected on the
hypothesis t ha t traffic flow on urban streets during

Pre!iented to Convention
The book was edited by four mem bers of the
department staff- Andrew V. Plummer, assistant to
the superintendent; Leo G. Wilkie, traffic engineer :
Robert F. Gran, statistiCian, and John Baker, artist.
The study was presented by Mr. Wilkie to the annual meeting of the Highway Research Board meeting in Washington, D. C., January 17-20. Copies of
the text are available. They may be had by writing
to William J. Mortimer, Superintendent, Cook County
Highway Department. 130 North Wells Street, Chicago 6, lilinois.
For this article, t he text has been abridged.

'-'
conclusively that the hypothesis of Poisson distribut ion could reasonably be accepted.
(T he Poisson theory

0/

distr4bution was developed

by Simeon Denis POisson , a F'rench mathematician,

who lived from. 1181-18~O. )
AnalJ'sis of Volume Data
The field data we re gathered over a five-day period
between the hours of 10 a. m. a nd 3 p. m. for each
of the 10 road sections. This gave a lotal of 18 runs
Iler day for each of the 10 sections, nine for each day
for each direction. The estimates of five-hour, two
directional volumes were obtained from the formula

V= 300 M + ( O-P)

t
Where V= .5-hour estimated volume
M= veh icJes met from opposite direction
O,,-,vehicles overtaking the test car
P ="Vehicles passed by the test car
t= time of the run
If the directional flows for any given section are
equal. then as litUe as one run in either direction can
be used for estimating the volume. In the 10 sections
under study for the five off-peak hours the directional
flows were found to be not significantly different.

Three_dimensional model displayed by Superintendent

Mortimer portrays functional relationship between
relatlve standard error, sampling time and five-four
traffic volume. Error Is least in the foreground, which
represents maximum sampling. The mod el was used
at the Washington convention.

Application of the above fonnula to the data from

one run in either direction was found to give an unbiased estimate of the five hour two-directional
volume. This obviously would not be true when the
directional flows differed, and if total two-way volume
were desired in such a case an equal number of runs
wou ld have to be made in each direction and the
estimate made from the combined total.

these off-peak hours is uniform and distributed in

time as the Poisson distribution.
The data obtained from the above described technique is sufficient for estimating both traffic volume
and speed for the section.
Use of Poisson Distri butiOIl

Data Studied In Combinations

The five-houl' period from 10 a. m. to 3 p. m.

was chosen for this study, as previously stated, because the traffic fl ow in that period is generally quantitatively uniform. There is a direct relationship
between these five-hour traffic volumes and the total
24-hour volumes. ]n the study area these five off-peak
hour volumes were found to be approximately onefourth of the 24-hour totals. Expansion to 24-hour
volumes on the basis of this relationship introduces
additional random errors, so that for this study only
the five-hour estimates were used.

Since it was found possible to obtain unbiased estimates from all volume classes under study, the bulk
of the analysiS centered around a study of the efficiency of the method under varying volumes and
sample times. For each of the 10 sections, random
combinations were made of the 18 daily observations,
a nd for each such combination the five hour estimate
was computed.
For each day's data the following combinations were
used:
1) 18 l run observations
2)
9 2-run observations
3)
6 3-run observations
4) 3 6-run observations
5)
2 9-run observations
6)
1 l8-run observation
For all such groupings the mean and standard
errors were computed. From these a study was made
of the functional relationship between volume, sample
time and standard error. In no section were t he means
fou nd to differ significantly between groupings.
For the 10 combined sections, with a total volume
of about 22,000 vehicles, the following table indicates
for each of the given number of runs per section, the

It seemed likely that the flow of traffic in this period

was Poisson distributed so that the volume in any
given sized time interval would have a mean and
variance equal to n t
where
n=-average volume per minute
t=minutes of time inlerval
This conformity to the Poisson distribution was
tested for 15-minute intervals by the use of Cbi
square; for each section the five hours were dividcd
into 20 l5-minute periods, with mean equal to
5-houl' volume ;

20
for each mean 15-minute volume a P oisson series was
detennined; the observed frequencies were then paired
with the expected P oisson frequencies and the value
of Chi squared detennined. The results indicated quite

(Con tinued on next page)

.....- '...---.,- ---

standard error of the sum of the estimated volumes

and the proportion of the standard error to the total
volume, This estimate of total volume would be of
use mainly in determining total vehie1e miles traveled,
Number of runs ( R) per section and average total
time (t) in minutes,
Total volume equals 22,000 vehie1es,
R ........... .... 1

II t:SC H I lO T I ti l'll' 0 .' St:(;T I ONS

,....

18

. ... ... .. . .. . . 13.4 26.4 39.7 79.8 119.4 239.1

Standard error .. 2813 1994 1661 1025 987 871
ReI. stand. e rror .128 .091 .075 .047 .045 .040

'.'

"

It can be seen from studying this table that as the

number of runs is increased from six to 18, the relative standard error diminishes very slowly. There is
clearly some point beyond which the further reduction
in error is not worth the added cost and time spent.
This point would have to be determined in each case
a nd would depend primarily on the use to be made of
the data.
Allll lysis

or S).eed

Data.

Suppose it is required to estimate the average speed

of traffic for both directions on a given section of road.
The average time required to drive through the section in each direction must first be computed.
This is found to be
tr= t1 + t2-(OI + 02-PL-p2)
V

Where tr=driving time for a round trip

V=driving time for one direction
t 2'=1lriving time for other direction
0 1 & 02_=vehic1es overtaking test car while traveling in directions 1 and 2 respectively.
pI & P'l ,-=vehicles passed by test car while traveling in dircetions 1 and 2 respectively.
V lwodirectional estimate of traffic flow
per minute
It is a simple matter to convert the driving time
to speed. One dir ectional speed can also be studied by
use of this method, but for this study the uni-directional speeds were assumed equal. This assumption
was tested over the 10 sections and found acceptable.
The average speed of traffic for use as a contra:
was found by two methods:
1) The radar tested speed across a given point.
2) The time required for a vehicle to travel the
entire acction as measured by standing observers at
each end o[ the section using synchronized stop
watches. A 20 per cent sample was taken and vehicle
identification was accomplished by the license plate
method,

..

.-

.. .'

.. ".
'.'

~-

...

..........,'

.........

..........

'-"

'-"

." '.-

.... " " ' - .... l J

.~-

.- .

-. ........

__m

.~

,~.

N.l.

,~

N.T.

0 ."

0 ."

'.'

Q) ."

CD ."

U"

CD ."

.~

"

...........

..". .........

.
.- .
.........
...-. .
.- .-

.~

..

standard deviation equal to 1.8 mph. On the basis of

these figures alone, the hypotheSis of zero average
error could not reasonably be rejected. However, in
all 10 sections the estimated speed was found to be
an underestimate of the control speed. A sign test
would be highly significant and lead to the rejection
of the hypothesis that the estimate was as likely to
be above as below the control speed. For the 10 sections under study, tile latter test seems more indicative of the technique.
Referring to the formula for average time required
to drive a round trip on the section
tr t l + t 2 (Ot + 0 2-P L-p2 )
V

it i8 seen that if the t est car drives the run at

average speed of all cars driving the run, then
only factor inftuencing the estimate of speed is
number of overtaking and passed vehicles. These
assumed to balance in the long run.

the
the
the
are

Radar SIK!eti Tests lligher

Test Unit Passes More Cars

The radar tested speed, as might be suspected,

tendcd to be higher than the speed computed by the
other method. Since the travel time for the section included stopping at the end of the section, the second
method was used as the control.
The average speed for the 10 sections was 27.4
mph and the average estimated speed was 24.5 mph.
'rhe averas-e error of estimate was - 2.9 mph, with

However, in this study there was a marked tendency

for the number of vehicles passed by the test car
to be greater than the number overtaking it. The
explanation for this seems to lie in the nature of the
road sections studied. In a residential. suburban or
business area there is a tendency for vehicles to slow
down to turn, park, etc. This tendency would increase
the probability of the test car passing a vehicle and

hence upset the balance assumed to exist between

vehicles overtaking and vehicles passed by the test
car.

Slow Pok e Mena ce

Where the number of passed vehicles is small relative to the estimated flow. the effect of this imbalance
may be negligible, but where it is large (especially
noticeable on low volume sections) the effect is significant and will produce an under-estimate of speed
as measured by the standing observers at each end
of the section. It must be pointed out that only the
through traffic passes both observers within a useful
comparative time period so that the observer method
almost certainly produces an overestimate of the true
average speed of a ll traffic on the section. In any
event, on high volume sections or on sections where
tur ning and stopping are minimized, the moving car
technique should give an unbiased estimate of speed.

NE OF THE problems of modern highway traffic

is the slow driver, one who travels at less than

O
the normal speed of traffic and occupies the inside or

fast lanes of a multi-lane thoroughfare.

The law in California provides that a driver going
slower than the general traffic movement must get
over into the right-hand lane. even though he thinks
he is going as fast as the law allows. The following
are the exact words of the Vehicle Code, Section
525.1:
"Notwithstanding the prima facie speed limits. upon
al! highways any vehicle proceeding in a d irection at
less than the normal speed of traffic in such direction
at such time shall be driven in the right-hand lane
for traffic or as close as practicable to the right-hand
edge of the curb, except when overtaking and passing another vehicle proceeding in the same direction
or when preparing for a left turn at an intersection
or into a private road or driveway."

AII(Jlicutioll a nd S ummar)'
Volume counts on a street system are now secured
by machine or manual counts. These eXisting methods
require machines and manpower in various proport ions. Any extensive counting program might require
the use of a substantial number of men and machines
not readily available.
The technique in this paper will provide a method
of volume counting which will require a bare minimum
of manpower and equipment, It offers a means of
securing economically and quickly a blanket volume
count of all streets in a given area.

To this the California Slate Automobile Association

adds: " Maximum driving safety for all highway users
will only be realized when a proper driving attitude
is maintained. The slow driver who does not keep to
the right lane is demonstrating a discourteous and
improper attitude by disregarding the rights of others
and is also breaking the law. As a matter of fact.
because the slow poke driver is an obstinate and self
centered law breaker, he is a serious highway menace."

Such information as vehicle miles of travel on a

road network, volumes over this road network, vehicle classifications and vehicular sPeeds may be realized from this technique.
Comparative operating time and cost of this method
over current methods will vary with specific problems.
but appear to be substantially lower in many cases.
For example. a 100-mile network of roads would be
covered once by this method in less than five hours
with one car and two men.
Table Shows

F~X ll ec te tl

Accidents are caused by lots of different thingsand high speed is only one of them. Unreasonably
low speed is another, but the average driver hears
little about it.

Error

method is listed below along with the time required

to obtain volume estimates for computing total vehicle
miles traveled on a 100 mile network of roads (2
miles square with 25x25 grid of streets).
1) A six-minute manual traffic count eight times
a day in each block= 1650 total man hours.
2) A one-hour manual count at every other intersection=- 312 man hours plus travel time.
3) Mecha nical non-recording counts at approximately every five blocks .100 man hours plus 6000
machine hours.
Assume that the individual sections have 5 hour
volumes of 250 vehicles or a combined total o{ 50,000
vehicles for 200 onehalf mile sections. Then the moving car method would require 11 runs or about 96
man hours, to insure against errors exceeding plus or
minus 5 per cent bul for errors plus or minus 10 per
cent only three runs would be necessary, or a total of
26 man hours.
If toe individual sections have as much as 2,500
vehicleS per five-hour interval, then one run or less
than 9 man hours would insure against errors exceeding 5.2 per cent.

For varying tolal volumes of a given network, the

following table indicates the standard error expected
in estimating the sum of the volumes of the individual
sections. This is on the basis of one covering of the
network:
Sum of the volumes
of the individual
halfmile sections
50,000
100.000
200,000
300,000
500,000
1,000,000

Expected
Standard
Error

Relative
Standard
Error

4.157
5,896
8.327
10,203
13.170
18,630

,083
.059
.042
.034
.026
.019

This table emphasizes t he potential of the moving

car method for blanketing road systems quickly. economically and accurately.
Com ll8rison Wit h Oth er

~[eth od s

Three methods for obtaining total vehicle miles

traveled were suggested in a previous paper. Each

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

On COO'\( County" 1958 Highway Con.tructlon Progr-am_Oouble Bucule Bridge over North Branch of the River,
which will urry feeder Janel between Michigan Boulevard lind Northwett Expre .. way In the vicinity of Hal.ted Street.

Vol. III No. 10

MARCH, 1956

COO K COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook County (Ill.) Department ot Highways
Under auspices of the Board of County Commissioners
DANIEL RYAN , PruJdent

Jamu F. Ashenden
Frank Bobrytzke
CharlU F. Chaplin
Eliubeth A. Conkey
Jerry Doleul

William N. Erickson

Fred A. Fulle
Christ A. Jenlen
John A. Mackler. Jr.
Clayton F. Smith
Edward M. Sneed
John J. Touhy

Arthur X. Elrod
John J. Duffy

William J. Mortimer
Supulnlendent of IIlghwRY,

Publis.hed at 130 North Wells Street, Chicago 6.

A New One On Edens

FRanklin 2-7544

Extension 221

I 1~_B_o_o_b_o_f_t_he_M_o_n_t_h--:

IDING over Edens expressway, Cook County High-

R way Superintendent William J. Mortimer has observed motorists reading books, shaving, lounging
and otherwise relaxing at 60 mph, but he never
expected to see horses at. play. Now it's in the record
book.
Two steeds. truant from a nearby riding academy
were romping in the median strip as the superintendent's car. wit.h Jerry Kalal at the wheel, topped
the Route 58 overpass. Traffic in aU lanes had
stopped and was fast piling up in a jam.
Mortimer and Kalal took charge. While the superintendent flagged down approaching cars. Jerry, a
farm boy at heart, advanced toward the horses with
soothing words. Both beasts wore blankets, just
as they had got out of bed, and were haltered.
Jerry got them by the handles and e ntrusted one to
a volunteer while the other was being led off the
pavement and tethered. The volunteer managed to
let go, and Jerry had that one to catch allover again.
;'This had all the makings of a terrific mess, " said
Superintendent Mortimer. "The horses had been on
the pavement and might have darted back any instar.t. Just imagine what could happen with two
hOr5CS mixed into three lanes of heavy, fast moving
traffic. A whole lot of people were lucky that morning."
Edcns right-of-way is fenced and it was supposed
the horses had to scale the steep embankment at the
Route 58 overpass. Soon after they were captured,
a stable swipe, came for them. He said he couldn't
remember who owned them.

TEADY EDDIE is the March Selection.

S
His distinctive feature is a fixation that a steady
40 mph everywhere and all the t ime is masterful
driving.
He is akin to the fellow who needs only one suitblue serge--and the lad who always orders the sameroast beef medium.
Eddie is earnest as can be, but seldom right..
In zones posted for 15, 20, 25. 30, and 35 miles an
hour he is a speeder and on the open road and modern
expressways, a slow poke.
Illinois bas laws dealing with unreasonably slow
drivers as well 3S speeders.
Uniform Act Regulating Tmfiic on Highways, Article VIT, Section 5 (b):
"Upon all roadways, any vehicle proceeding at less
than the nonnal speed of traffic at the time and place
and under the conditions then existing shall be driven
in the righthand lane available for traffic or as close
as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the
roadway, except when overtaking and passing another
vehicle proceeding in the same direction or when
preparing for a left turn at an inte.rsection or into
a private road or driveway. Amended by Act approved
July 15, 1953."
That's what Eddie needs-amending.

February Traffic Toll

Traffic deaths last month on streets and highways
in suburban Cook County were the highest of any
February since the Cook County Traffic Safety Commission started keeping records in 1946.
The month's total was 21. This was one more death
than in February last year, but it was 14 more than
in January this year,

Expert Sees Advantages

New Sign

By Z. A. Faulkner
City T raffic Engineer

Evanlston. Illinois

HE LAST session of the Illinois Legislature passed

an amendment to the Unifonn Act for the Regulation of Traffic, to permit the use of the YIELD
RIGHT OF WAY sign in Illinois. This amendment
defines the right of way rule when approaching the
sign. It also states that if two vehicles traveling at
right angles to each other should collide in the intersection, it would be prima facie evidence that the one
which had passed the YIELD sign was guilty of
failure to y ield the right of way. This phrase really
put teeth in it.
We now have YIELD signs at eight locations in
Evanston. These are all isolated intersections in various parts of the city. Previous to their installation,
we were having two, three or four accidents a year
at each location. They were not bad enough to warrant STOP signs, yet they have been trouble spots.
We t ried SLOW signs, but as we all know, SLOW
means a different speed to nearly everyone, so such
signs are practically worthless,

Accident Rate Is Lowe red

In the six months use of YIELD signs at the eight
locations, we have had only two accidents. We have
had convictions in both cases, I estimate from past
eXperience that we would have had at least 16 accidents at these eight locations in the period of time
without the use of Y1ELD signs, SO I believe it is
safe to say we have prevented at least 14 accidents in
t he past six months at these isolated trouble spots.
We have not, as of this date, replaced STOP with
YIELD signs. We are planning, however, to do so at
isolated locations only. I seriously doubt that we want
t o use the YIELD sign on through streets or through
ro utes.
Dril'ers Resllect New Sign
It is interesting to note that quite a number of
people I have talked to admit they have more respect
for the YIELD sign t han they do for the STOP sign,
probably because of the fear of the prima facie rule
in connection with the YIELD sign. I do not have a
set of warrants for the use of the YIELD sign. However, I have set up the following rules of my own:
1. STOP signs must not be warranted.
2. At least two angle collisions in 12 months.
3. Not over five angle collisions in 12 months, be
cause then STOP signs are warranted.
4. Must be an isolated inter section.
5. No view obstructions that can be eliminated.
6. Do not use them merely because we have a
complaint about the intersection.
In other words, the YIELD sign, like a ll traffic control devices, should be used only where it is absolutely
needed.
As you can infer from the above. I am sold on the
YIELD sign. It can and will do a job if used wisely.
Another article on the 1tse of the Yield 8ign, written by Harry H. Harri807t, Engineer 0/ Traffic, nlinoi8

Mr. Faulkner

Congress Street Traffic

Travel on Congress Street Expressway between
Ashland and Laram ie Avenues reached a daily average
of 49,185 during February.
Total count for the month was 1,442,644 vehicles,
of which 865,361 were eastbound and 577,283 westbound. February's tally brought the total count between last December 15, when the Ashland-Laramie
sections were opened, and March 1 to 3,710,230. Of
t his total. 2,094,009 were eastbound and 1,616,221
westbound.
February daily averages were:

Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
TOTAL

Total

Ea..,tbound

Westbound

27,312
28,903
29,662
30,022
32,264
28,023
21,036

20,487
21,260
21,165
21,329
22,776
21,101
18,953

47,799
50,163
50,827
51,351
55,040
49,124
39,989

197,222

147,071

344,293

No February day exceeded the record high set on

Friday, January 27, 58,050 vehicles.

State Divi8ion 0/ Highways, will appear in the A pril

WSlte.

$87,276,000

In

1956 Highway Program

Pedestrian bridges at Albany, Kildare, Springfield
and La Vergne Avenues. These are intended primarily
for the use of school children.
Lighting installations on the Howard A venue-Mannheim Road section, the Laramie Avenue-Sacramento
Avenue section and the Desplaincs Street-Canal Street
section.
lieu"), Jobs To Be Started
There is much heavy work to be done on Congress
Street between Laramie and 1st Avenues that cannot
be completed this season. All of the structures and
other items will, however, be under contract this year.
They include:
Construction of a bridge for the expressway over
the Des Plaines river and relocation of the Chicago,
Aurora & Elgin railroad bridge over the river.
Grade separations over the expressway at Des
Plaines, Circle, Harlem, Oak Park, East and Ridgeland
Avenues and A ustin Boulevard.

By William J. Mortimer
Superintendent of Highways
Cook County

OOK COUNTY's 1956 highway program carries the

C "ccoro total of $87,276,000.

For expressways, appropriations amount to $77,

864.000. The remaining $9,412.000 is for non-expressway street and road improvements to be carried out
this year in all parts of the county, including the City
of Chicago, and for acquisition of rights-ot-way for
1957 construction.
or the expressway total, $52,610,000 will be used to
continue work on Congress Street, start construction
on the Northwest Expressway and its feeder and to
complete the extension of Calumet Expressway. The
remainder is programmed to I)U rchase right-of-way
for new expressways, principally the South Route and
Southwest Route, both of which are urgenliy needed
to meet the needs of rapidly developing areas.
The greater part of the 1956 expressway program
will be financed with proceeds of the $245 million
bond issue initiated by County Board President Daniel
Ryan. First of these bonds a block of $40 mil1ion~
were sold last November and another offering will
be made soon. The new bond issue will provide
$72.764,000 for this year's program. The rest of the
total app ropri ated~ S5,100,OOO~wil! exhaust the $70
million expressway bond issue of 1947.
All Parts of County Benefi t

Funds for the non-expressway program come from

the county's share of state motor fuel taxes. The
$9,412,000 total includes 58,747,000 for work to be
done this year and $665,000 to acquire rights-of-way
for 1957 construction. As allocated by the Board of
County Commissioners, the total will benefit the various areas of the county as follows:
North suburban area, 52,300,000; West Buburban,
$2,335,000; South suburban, $2,362,000; City of Chicago,--$2,415,000.

ExprealWilY at
A structure carrying C, T. A. and B. & O. C. T.
tracks over the expressway.
A structure carrying the expressway over Central
Avenue.
Relocation of B. & O. C. T. tracks between Austin
Boulevard and Des Plaines Avenue and relocation of
C. A. & E. tracks from Des Plaines Avenue to west
of the Des Plaines river.
North retaining wall and frontage road between
Austin and Lathrop Avenues; retaining wall between
Harlem Avenue and Beloit Avenue and between East
Avenue and Austin Boulevard: B. & O. C. T. and
C. T. A. grading and retaining walls between Central
Avenue and Austin Boulevard; C. T. A. tunnel and
retaining wall in the median strip east of Central
Avenue.
Railroad excavation between Austin Boulevard and
Beloit Avenue.
Work 011 Northwest ExpresswlI)'
The 1956 program for Northwest Expressway,
which will connect with Edens Expressway in the
vicinity of Montrose Avenue just east of Cicero
Avenue, includes the following items:
Grade sepsrations carrying Foster, Elston, Lawrence and Wilson Avenues, and the C. & N. W. tracks
over Edens, southbound Eden lanes over northbound
Northwest lanes, Montrose Avenue over Northwest
and Edens Expressways.
Grade separations on the Northwest route at Kostner a nd Keeler A venues, Irving Park Road and Pulaski

Listed for 1956 work are 63.80 miles of city and

suburban streets and rural highways to be paved.
widened, resurfaced or otherwise improved; six grade
separations, two storm sewers, one bridge approach
to he realigned, one blidge to be demolished and numerous railroad crossing protection installations. The
total right-of-way to be purchased this year is 41.15
miles.
Expenditures on the various expressways undel'
construction this season are programmed: Congress
Street, 520,878,000; Northwest, 521,772,000; Northwest feeder, $9,135.000; Calumet, $825.000.
Congress Street l'roJ.{ram
Work on County sections of Congress street to be
completed this year includes the following:
Paving from Mannheim Road to Howard Avenue,
in Hillside, where the expressway will connect with
the state toll road system. Some right-of-way is to
be acquired from the Consumers Company and a
grade separation constructed at the company's quarry.

Auguslu Boulevllrd_ Resurfacing betWeen Noble Street and

Grand Avenu~, 2.37 miles.
79th StrHI-Resurfaelng lind Inter.ectlon ImVrovements beIween ctceru and Weslem A\'cnUes, 3 miles.
COttage Gro\'e Avenue-Resurfacing betw('('n 95th Str('('t and
SQuth Chicago A\'enue, 3 miles.
Cottage Grove Avenue- Widening an(1 resur facing betwe('n
Iillth and 9Mh Sireets, 2.~ miles.
Stony lalanll Avenue-Lllke Shore Drlve-Englnloerlng study of
proposal 10 make a Ihrough route or Siony Island north or
9lSlh Street continuing In Lake Short' Drive 10 47th Street.

Road, Hamlin Avenue, Addison Street, Kimball,

Kedzie-Belmont, Sacramento, Crosstown, Diversey and
California Avenues, Logan Boulevard, Western, Fullerton, Damen and Webster Avenues.
Drainage system, including four pumping stations.
Rh'e r Bridge On Program

North Suburban Area

On the Northwest feeder route, which connects

Northwest Expressway with Miehigan Avenue aiong
Ohio and Ontario Streets, the 1956 program incl udes
the bascuJe bridge over the Chicago River, grade separation at Halsted Street and the C. & N. W. tracks,
right-of-way acquisition and building demolition between Orleans and Halsted Streets.

Dundce l{oad_ Wldenlng to 20 and 2'1 feet and r""urrudng

i}('tween Skokie and Des Plaines RIver Hoads ( unlnCOrll,orated,
Northhrook) 3.7~ mil .....
East Lake Avenue-Widening to tour lanes and resurfacln~
beh"t'en Waukegan RORd and Edens ExpresswllY (Gle nview and
Wllmelle ) 2.20 miles.
Des Plaines River RO>Id - Resurtllrlng from .llI mil .. ~outh
at Galt Roud to Milwaukee Avenue (unincorporated) 3.75 mil....
Central Road- Widening 10 tour lanes and I"@surtaclng i}('tween Arlington Helghls ROlld and Northwest Highway f unln
l"Orporated, Arlington HelghU and MI. Prospect) 1.80 miles.
Euclid Avenue-Portland cemenl ronrrele paving 24 f('('1 In
width betw('('n Wilkie lind IIIcks ROllds (Arlington Heights) 1.50
miles.
Wlnnetku Avenue __ Hesurtuclng between ChlCa!o lind North
Western tracks a nd Sherldlln Road (Winnetka ant KenJlwnrth)
0.60 mile.
Touhy Ayenue--ReeonstrurUon 10 four lanes belwe.-n
Western and Greenwood Avenues (Pllrk Ridge ) O.~ mile.
Touhy Avenue-Resurfarlng between Gl"@enwO()d Avenue and
Northwest IIIghway (Park RIdge) 0.60 mile.
I.lncoln Avenue-Resurfacing and channelizing for lert lurn ~
rrom 1.100 reet southeast or CIcero Ayenue ( LfnCOlnwOOd) to
Peter~n Road (Chicago) 2.65 miles.
Forest Preserve Drh'e--Wldenlnl!: to tour lanel and resurfac_
Ing betw('('n liarlem lind Narragansell Avenues (unlncorpO'
rated) 1.llI miles.
l\Iontro~e Avenue-Widening to four lanes lind re~urtuclng i}('tween Forest Pruerve Drlye IIml NUl"ragllnsell Avenue (uninCOrpOrated ) OAO mile.

Expressway right-of-way appropriations include

$22,061,000 for the South Route, Roosevelt Road to
107th Street snd Doty Avenue; $2,193,000 for the
Southwest Route between Ashland Avenue and 716t
Street and Joliet Road, a nd $1,000,000 for Kingery
Expressway between Vincennes Avenue and the B. &
O. C. T. Railroad.

West Suburban Area

Maple Avenue-Resurtaclng i}('tween 471h and 31St Streets
(Brooklleld) 2.03 miles.
Wllshlngton Boulevard- Resurfacing belw('('n lst a nd t.llthrop
Avenuu (RiYer Fores t ) I mile.
47th Street- Widening 10 four lanes and resurfacing be
tween LaGrange and Willow SprIngs Road . (LaGrange) I mill'.
East Ayenue-Wldenlng 10 rour lanes belw('('n Jollel Road
and 47th StTfft (LltGrange, McCOOk. unlncorporlllCd) 1.~ mile!.
261h StTfft Widening to rour Illnes between Des PJlllnes alld
Harlem Avenu es (RIverside and Norlh Hlverslde) 1 mile.
wolr Road- Widening to tour lanes lind resurfac in g between
I~OO8evelt Road and Harrison StrHt ( HillSide) O.:W> mile.
31st Street---<:rade separallon over Belt Railway of Chicago
(ctcere and Chicago); lotal cost. $1,100.000; 1956 counly liP'
proprlllUon $200,000.
25lh AYenue--Gradc separation at illinOis Cenlral trllcks
(BrOadview).
Wolr Roud---<:rade ~eparaUon at illinoIs Central tracks and
approaches between lIarrl.son StrHI and Butterneld Road.

CAlumet Expreesway over Grand Trunk track .

Oalumet To Be Comilleted
The extension of Calumet Expressway will be completed under contracts awarded in 1955. It is expeeted
to be opened this summer to Sauk Trail, where it
will join the expressway built last year by the state
extending to Steger Road, in Will County, and a connection with llIinois highway No.1.
Landscaping of Calumet from 167th Street to Sauk
Trail is included in the 1956 program. There also is
appropriation fo r revising the interchange at 159th
Street, U. S. No.6.

South Suburban Area

Burnham Avenue-Widening to tour Innes nnd r('~urrllclnll
183rd and 160th Slreels (LanSing and Calumet City)

belw~n

8 miles.

Burnham Avenue-Reall!nment ot norih approach 10 "Iaduet

at 143rd Street (Burnham.
Wentworth Avenue--Resurfaclng betw('('n 1671h and State
Sireets (Clilumet Clly).
Wenlworth Avenue_ Widening lind resurtuclng belween
171st lind 167th Stree t$ ( Lnn$lng) .4~ mile.
SOuth ParkMorgllnHalsled-R~urf/lcing hetwccn 155lh
SITfft and Calumet &utevnrd (Harvey ) 1.40 mill'S.
Stevens-McCarthy Road_Resurtacing between I \lh nnd DJ
vl~lon Strc<!ts ( unincorporated, Lemont) 1.45 miles.
Slale Slreet-Portland o"!eme nt concrele pavemcnt between
SlIuk Trail and Lin col n Highway (unl ncOrpOrllle<!, South
Chlcugo Heights and Chlcllgo J-fe1ghh) 1.6 mILl'S.
State Strool-Portland eemenl concrete paving and storm
sewer betw('('n Lincoln Uighway and Joe Orr Road (unl ncor
porated. Chleago Helghll) I mill'.
87th Street-WidenIng 10 tour IlInCl with median strip and
resurfacing belween Cicero and Crawrord Avenues ( Hometown
and ChIcago) I mile.
Torrence Avcnue--Grade separation fit Michigan Cenlrfll railroad (Burnham).
Kedzle Avenue--Storm sewer between Rock Islllnd railroad
and Sag Channel ( unIncorporated) 1 mile.
Joe Orr Road-Storm sewer rrom Wood Str('('t to east or
Ashland Avenue (UnlnCOTIlOrated. Ch1cago Height.) 0.36 mIle.
l04th Street-Demolition at brldae over Sag channel ( unlncorporated ).

Other Roads and Streets

Non-expressway projects on the 1956 program are
listed below. Locations of those in suburban areas
are given in parentheses.

City of Chicago
Pul aski RoatJ Resurf(lclng belw('('n Belmont Avenue and
Cermak Road, 6 miles.
lrvlng Park Boulevard-Resurfacing between ' PUIIlSkl Road
and Lake Shore Drl\'e, 4.20 mill'S.
NobleErlc Sireet~ Resurfal"lng Noble betw('('n Erie and
Augusta Boulevard and Erie between Noble and Halsted Streets,
1.1,5 miles.

L.IN-SP-:-:-~-R:-OCf-t-,~-~,-~u-'~o-n-tf-o:-:-~_:-o~_lc-ou- ,J

L.I--;;:;;;:S;::::ta;::::r::k=:1;n;;;;;;N
;;;;;eiiiW
" PiiO
iiiSiiit__--,

Highway Department on March 16 completed the

second year of a school of instruction. The class
compr ised 240 men.
Highway Superintendent William J . Mortimer directed in the summer of 1954 that a school for inspector personnel be organized for the offconstruction
months of each year. This period normally extends
through December, January, February and mosl of
Ma r ch, when construction slows to a walk , and is
admirably Buited to school activity. with minimum
interference to construction and survey work. December later was ruled out because of interference of
the holidays and the fact that in mild seasons construction work sometimes hangs into the middle of
t he month.
Accordingly a schedule of classes was worked out
for a term beginning J anuary 18, 1955, and carrying
through March 18. The subjects covered were surveys,
construction of roads, construction of bridges, and
plant inspection and materials. The class rooms were
adapted from such space as was available in departmental garages located at Blue Island, La Grange
Park and Dcs Plaines.
School Runs Two Days A Week
Each subject was covered in two days on a rotating
schedule covering two complete rounds of TuesdayThursday courses. The two rounds were provided in
order that vital or priority activity, surveyor construction, might continue; and to afford a make-up
opportunity for personnel unavoidably, or otherwise,
abaent.
Instructors were drswn from engineer personnel
s taffing the divisions s nd bureaus concerned. Training aids in the form of films and slides were supplied
by cement and asphalt associations. Emphasis was
given to the fundamentals of location and construction
surveys, road and bridge construction and inspection
of materials; and, notwithstanding a heavy turnover
of personnel, 156 men completed the course.
The department learned some things, too, from its
School of 1955_ As a result, in 1956 the schedule
provided for consecutive week-days (Thursdays and
Fridays) beginning January 12 and carrying through
March 16. It was found that this scheduling was
less disruptive to construction and survey work and
more satisfactory from the instructor-student viewpoint.
Furthe r ImprO\'ement, Seen
The department continues to learn, and further
cbanges a nd innovations will be made in 1957. The
instructors were more experienced this year, although
their performance last year was excellent. By maintaining the same stan', each year will show improvement.
The Instruction staff, with the courses they teach,
includes:
Su rveys- Walter Kinnucan and Henry ReidL
Construction, roads- Frank Speidel (South), Edward Riordan ( West) , and Ransom Kennicott (North).
Construction, bridges- Dan Cohn a nd Sam Potash.
Plant inspection and materials- John Fitzgerald,
portland cement concrete ; John McTigue, bituminous.

UGO J. STARK, chief engineer, planning, of the

H
Cook County Highway Department since December, 1952, was on March 1 given the additional responsibilities of supervising construction, and was designated chief engineer of the department.
Mr, Stark started with the department in 1929 and
worked in various divisions until he entered military
service in May, 1941. He served as commander of A
company, 7th Engineer Combat Battalion, la ter as
executive officer and commanding officer of the battalion and as division engineer of the 5th Infantry
Division in General Patton's Third Army, He was
awarded the bronze star and the silver star, In September, 1945, he went on inactive status with the
rank of colonel.
In Cha rge of Expressway Planning
On his return to the department in 1945 he was
appointed assistant chief engineer in charge of planning for expressways and in December, 1952, was
appointed chief engineer, planning, for both expr essways and the primary road system. The planning division, which is responsible for plans, specifications and
estimates for expressways and primary roads in the
county, produced the plans for Edens, Calumet, King.
ery and Congress Street Expressways.
The division comprises several sections, including
surveys. soils, architectural, location bridge design,
road design, drainage, utilities, landscaping and estimating. In his new post he will also supervise construction of roadways and structures on both expressways and non-expressway roads.
Resident of La. Grange
Mr. Stark, who lives in La Grange, was graduated
from Tilden Technical High School in Chicago and the
University of illinois, with a B. S. degree in civil
engineering, He is a member of the American Society
of Engineers, the Illinois Society of Professional Engineers, and the Highway Research Board,

Girl Scouts Give Civil Defense a Boost

In

Suburl

Girl Scout. of Western Spril'lgl made Civil

Defenle their project for Girl Scout Week, March 12. T hey
di,t,.louted CD literature to homel and with the aid of village official. and an anonymous .dum my
demon.trated life Silvlng technIques In ill .tore window. In the pIcture, left to right, Girl Scout. Joann Mayor
and Pill Kavanaugh, Flrem;lln W;IIlter Mayor, who I, Joann's father; Police Chief Charles Peterson, Fire Chief
W ... ldo Erlcklon; M,.... George Sterba, Girl Scout leader, and JOleph A. Downey, Cook County C. D. Director.

Hanover
Leyden
Lyons
Maine
Northfield
Norwood Park
Orland
Palatine
Palos
Proviso
Rich
Schaumburg
Stickney
Thornton
Wheeling
Worth

February Building Permits

ERMlTS r epresenting construction valued at $3,906,183 were issued in February by the Building
a nd Zoning Bu reau of Cook County which has juris,
diction over all unincorporated parts of the county.

There were 162 residential permits, with a total

value of $3,019,350; eight business buildings, $441,200;
16 alterations and additions. $52.950; 16 accessory
buildings, $25,300; 13 water supply. $162,208; 11
miscellaneous, $1,675, and two no fee permits issued
for sanitary sewers in Leyden township, $203,500.
By Townships, permits were issued as follows:

Townships
Bloom
Bremen
Elk Grove

Number
2

8
4

Value

1
21

I.
9

4
4

4
25
15
1

43
23

225,000
160,450
275,300
54,600
39,300
56,800
102,800
351,950
372,500
152,708
46,775
74.7,500
292,400

500

28

542,300
108,350

11

or the residences represented in the month's permits, 86 will have septic systema and the remaining
76 will be connected with sanitary sewers. Six of the
eight busineas buildinga also will have septic systems.

S 1,750
110,500
51,200

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Expre .. WIY Light. Bloom on an Eyenlng In Spring_Eden. Ellpr... way North from County Line Road OverpUI.

Vol. III No. 11

APRIL, 1956

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook County (Ill.) Department of Web"a)'.
Under aUl'IpiC1!s of the Board of County Commissioners
DANIEL. RVAN, Pre.rdent
Jamu F. A.henden
Frank Bobr)'bke.
Charln F. Chaplin
Elizabeth A. Conkey
Jerry Dolezal
Arthur X. Elrod
John J. Ouy

WillIam N. E rlck,on
Fred A. Fulle
Chrl.t A. Jenlen
John A. Mackler. Jr.

Clayton F. Smith
Edw .. rd M. Sneed
John J. Touhy
William J. MortImer
"upulnlendent or JU lhl\'II,""

J>ubll~hed

at 130 :\orth Wells Street, Chicago 6.

FRanklin 2-7544

EXlemlion 216

Boob of the Month

Congress Street Traffic

TRAVEL ON

Congress Street Expressway between

Laramie and Ashland Avenues reached new peaks
in March.
A new one day record-68,129 veh.icles--w88 sel

on Friday, March 2.
The total count for the month was 1,891,011. and it

brought the accumulated lolal to 5,601,241 since the

secllon was opened, last December 15.
Westbound traftic increased during the month at a
greater rate than eastbound. Through February, the
accumulated totals were: eastbound, 2,094,009; westbound, 1.616.221: total, 3,710,230. March figures
wen!: eastbound, 930,703; westbound, 940,308; t01.8.I,
1,891,011.
Dally averages in March :
Day
Eastbound Westbound
Total
Monday
32,254
63.149
30,895
Tuesday
32,816
30,790
63,606
31,]80
63,772
Wednesday
32,592
63,886
Thursday
32,15,
31,729
32,525
65,613
Friday
33,088
Saturday
28,845
30,009
58,854
Sunday
22,401
24,383
46,784
Weekly
average
214,L53
211.511
425,664Mon.-Fri.
162.907
157,119
320,026
The March total- l,891,Oll. compares with 1,473.668 between December 15 and January 15. the first
month the section of exprcssway wss in use. The
daily high that month wss 55,639, on Friday, January

HE SELECTION tor April is the Muscular Moron.

T A lad of 16 learning to drive under the tutelage

o[ his Uncle James observed that numerous motorists
wore the left arm out the window, bent uJlward at
the elbow, with the palm adhered to the car roof.
These forearms were bra ....1ly indeed, some bearing
fur of nesr commercial quality.
"Uncle Jamcs," said the stripling one day, "I fear
that, after all, I do not have what it takes to drive,"
"How is that, my boy?"
"1 do not have the strength to support the top."
"Db," Uncle James replied, "that is really not
necessary. Cars nowadays are built of steel and hold
together very well. These big, strong primates, who
are known sa Muscular Morons. do not savvy."

13,

March Traffic Fatalities

Twenty-one persons met deatb on highways and
streets in suburban Cook County last month. The
total wa.s six: higher than the toll of March, 19M, and
W8S the second bight'St for March since the Cook
County Traffic Safety Commisaion was organized in
1946. The highest was 22, in March of 1952.
Fatalitit"s occurred last month in the various typea
of accidents 8S follows:
Auto-auto, 7: autotrain, 7 ; aulo-pedestrian, 3;
auto-truck. 1: autoabutment, 1; auto-school bus, 1;
auto-embankment. 1.
Fatalities In the suburban area for the first quarter
totaled 48. as compared to 51 in the same period of
19M.

TralJic salety authorities are

co7l~itlg

to take a

seriou.s view 01 One-OMll drivers. Within the last year,

tho National Safety Council reports, police in some

areas have made arrests, the charge beiny "failure to
have car u1tder proper cOtltrol,"

Road Builders Aid Garden for Blind

Perlpeet!vt of Frilgr"nce Carden ilt Chlc:ago Lighthoule for the Blind.

HE BULLDOZER BOYS-about the last you'd ex

T
pect to find in posy subject- are lending helping
hand with Chicago's newest, and nicest. flower
8

bed.

This is the Fragrance Garden of the Chicago Light

house for the Blind. On a plot of an acre and a half,
there will be shade trees, shrubs and flowers, sweet
to ameli or soft to touch 80 the blind may know them.
I t adjoins the Lighthouse, at 1850 West Roo8('velt
Road, in lhe west side medical center , and will be an
important training ground as well as a pleuanl place
of relaxation and recreation.
The idea was conceived by the Chicago Horticul
tural Society and is being carried out. by its women's
board, of which Mrs. C. Kenneth Hunter of Cuba
Road, Barrington, is president. At first the project
appeared dismaying. The site was an uneven depres
sion in which rubble and rubbish had accumulated
for years. The job of cleani.ng and grading, she de
cided was strictly one for men to tackle.
t~as t Workers Ta ke lI old
So she turned to the minois Road Builders Association. of whicb N. B. Bederman of Areole Mldweat
Corporation of Evanston is president a nd Taylor G.
Soper is exeeuUve Becrelary. Its members are the
contract.ors who do the beavy excavating, grading,
paving and bridge building for the Cook County
Highway Dep8.rtment a.nd other road building
agencies. They can dig out an expressway section
or bring it up to grade faster thAn a hand gardener
can put in a patch of potatoes.
Their response to Mrs. Hunter's request was In
stantaneous. Six Chicago area contractors took on

the job, uBing their own labor and equipment.

They

were Robert R. Anderson Company, Areale Midwest

Corporation. Robert A. Black, tne" Thomas McQueen.
Frenzel Brothers Company and W. J. Sheppard &
Company. The work was completed in three days.
"We were all very happy to bave the opportunity
to take part in such B worth while project:' said
Mr. Soper.
W li lks Guide Fool-.tep"

While there are several other Fragrance gardens in

the country designed for sightless persons, this said
Mrs. Hunler will be the first 80 located that it may be
used for training them to find their way about. A
special feature will be walks of granite chips. 80 the
blind may guide their footsteps, and the recreation
space in the center will be surfaced with the same
material. The Idea was suggested by Harold Klopp,
landscape architect. who planned the plantings.
Benches will be placed in shaded spots and it is in
tended that those receiving training will use them
when reading or doing handwork 8S well as when
resting. A woven wire fence will enclose the entire
garden.
T ruck Mileap.e IlI rrell...e ... .\101)t.

Between 1940 and 1954, the total mileage driven

by trucks and truck combinations increased at a much
greater rate than that for paRSenger cars and buses.
Truck travel was up 112 per cent, passenger cars 81
per cent. and buses 65 per cent.- BUREAU OF PUBLIC ROADS release.

New "Yield" Sign on Divided Highways

An article by Z. A. Faulkller, E uomton city
traffic engineer, tening 0/ that ~lLburb'3 fauorable

At certain other locations the old Merging Traffic

signs may simply be replaced by the new triangular
YIELD signs. YIELD signs will be used at locations
whel't'ver the separate turning roadway approaches
the divided major highway at a Hal angle, but where
the constructed lanes an' Inadequate for a merging
maneuver.
Reduce S peed lit YI.E L I) SIKII
At this point it is well LO note that when passing
a YIELD sign the law reqUires drivers to slow down
to 20 m. p. h. or leas, to yield to vehicles on the major
roadway, and to accept responsibility in case of mis'
hap. Failure of drivers to interpret and observe the
new sign prol>crly, will csusc Its use to bt- narrowly
reatricted.
It is anticipated timt U8CS of the YTELD sign for
counties and cities will be specified in the official Uli
nois Sign Manual in the next revision, which may be
published within a year. Should this eventuate, thcre
will no doubt be some YIELD signs erected where
there were no signs of any kind before. Such a location would be at an intcr&cction which has a light
traffic volume hut where heavier amounts of traffic
flow at intervals on one or the streel.8. UIK'd in this
\.\'ay. the YIELD sign would place a new restriction
upon the motorist entering the main slreet.
The statutory requirement for drivers facing a
YIELD sign is as follows:
"The driver of a vehicl<, in obedience to a yield
right-of.way sign shall reduce the speed of his
vehicle to not more than 20 miles per hour and
shall yield the right-of.way to other vehicles
which haV(~ entered th~ Intersecting highway
either fTom lhe right or left or which are approaching so dosel}' on said intersecting highway
as to constitute an Immediate hazard; but said
driver having so yielded may proceed al such time
as a safe interval occurs.
" If a driver is involved in a colliaion at an Intersection or interferea with the movement of other
vehicles after driving past a yield right-of-way
sign. such collision or interference shall be
deemed prima faoie evidence of the driver's {all
ure to yield right-of-way."
Obser va ncf' of th e YI ELD Sign
T hc use of the YIELD sign should be regarded more
in the light of a trial than 8S something permanently
catablished, for it cannot be predicted how the Illinois
motorist will react to it. Whenever any innovation is
made relating to motor traffic there is nearly always
a lurking suspicion that it might be followed by the
occurrence of more, rather than fewer, accidents.
However, the YIELD sign In Illinois confonns to
standards of color, size, shape. IUld message which
have been adopted nationally. Use of the sign In other
states has produced a varied experience. hut jn general, where It has becn properly used, It has been
found beneficial.
If drivers in Illinois ha\'e difficulty at YIELD signs
it will probably be after they bave reduced to 20
m. p. h. and yielded to other drivers. Their main
(Continued on Page 5)

cxperictlce lrith. the new Yield Right-O/-Way

.!igM, tca3 printed la.!t mo"th. I n the following

piece, "nother traffic expert di.!Jcuuu the

l'IELD 8iyn.'l on ",ral IItate higlucay.!.

IUt:

of

By Harry H Hamson
Enginee r of T rJ.trlc
IIlInol. State Dlvl.lon of H ighway.

public interest is bound to be genCONSLDERABLE

erated by the new triangular Yield Right-oC-Way
signs that have lately been placed in divided highways.
The message oC the sign is so cleaT thal very lilUe
confusion is expected in its ob8ervance by motorists.
However, few persons are aware of the reasons for
the adoption of the sign and the statutory provision
covering ita observance.
One of the most Impelling reaaona for instituting
this sign ha.s been the recent large increase in the
mileage of divided highwaya in DJinois. Extensive
construclion along Routc U. S. 66 has brought the
length of divided highways in the state to a point
weU over 300 miles. Before adoption of the YIELD
sign. it was necessary to make two stops--one for
each roadway when crossing a divided highway. Under the present arrangement, a motorist crossing a
divided highway must stop for the STOP sign before
crossing. When the way Is clear, he proceeds to the
median. where he was formerly confronted vdth an
other STOP sign but now (aces a YIELD sign, and
may proceed without stopping if the way Is clear.
This usc of the YIELD algn is an unusual example
of a regulatory sign aUowlng a motorist more, rather
t.han less, freedom. This Is especially worth wbile in
view of the fact thst the reeent history of motoring
has been one of annusl increases in population, vehicles, and miles of t.ravel all of which have a tendency
to place increased restrictions upon the motoriat.
Locat ions for \rl .~ L D S igns
During the early stages of the use of this sign the
specifications a8 to where it may be placed are rather
narrow. They will be located at all public highway
crossovers or median openinga faCing traffic entering
the second roadway of a divided highway. This specification applies where the median is more than 15
feet but less than 50 feet wide. When t he median is
more than 50 feet in width STOP signs are to be
used as in the past.
YIELD signs are also specified at a few scattered
locations where their Ullf' is appropriate. Examples of
these are on rumps oC highway Interchanges and at a
few two--Iane highway intersections where the design is
such that the YIELD is preferable to merging control.
Some intersections in the past have been marked
with a Merging Traffic sign in combination with a
rectangular Yield Rightof-Way Sign. This practice has
been discontinued. At these Intersections where the
convergence of the roadways is such as to facilitate
merging of traffic, the Merging Traffic signs will be
retained and the I'eClrulglliar Yield signs will be removed. Drivers on both roadways are required to
adjust their speed and lateral positions so as to l'lVold
collisions with other vehicles.

March Building Permits

The 1955 Traffic Toll

ERMITS representing a value of $4,981.836 for

building construction in the unincorporated area
P
of Cook County were issued in March by the Cook

OOK COUNTY traffic accident reports for 1955,

just completed by the State Division of Highways,
show:
Total accidents countywide increased from 69,752
In 1954 to 76,220.
Total deaths decreased from 638 to 637.
In Chicago the number of fatal accidents increased
6.53 per cenl and lhe number of deaths increased
4.n per cent.
In the suburban area. the number of fatal accidents
decreased 4.33 per cent and the number of dealhs de
creased 7.53 per cenL
Except fatalities, however. the suburbs and ruml
areas had a worse year than the city, total accidents
increasing 15.17 per cent, as against 7.42 for the city.
All accidents must be reported in which there is
death or injury or property damage of 100 or more.
A comparison of the two ycars' figures follows (TA,
total accidents: FA. fatal accidents: lAo injury accidents; PDA, property damage accidents; K. killed;
I, injured);
ENTIRE COUNTY

County Building and Zoning Bureau. The total was

nearly 2 million above the preceding month, which
was S3,019,350.
In the various classifications. the number of permits and the valuations represented by each type
were:
Residential (septic systems)
$2.107.425
Residential (sanitary sewers)
1,592.762
Business (septic systems)
337,000
Business (sanitary sewers)
113,160
Industrial (septic systems)
Industrial (sanitary sewers)
501,000
AddiUona and alterations

252,259

Accessory buildings
66,280
Wat('f supply (wells)
1,450
Miscellaneous
10,500
By townshil)s. pennils were issued in March as
follows:
Township
Number
Value
Barrington
4
$ 61,887
Bloom
5
65,400
Bremen
13
]80,926
Elk Grov('
33
597,996
Hanover
1
25,665
Lemont
1
13,880
Leyden
26
163,750
Lyons
18
288,150
Maine
23
335,710
New Trier
2
55,514
Northfield
29
524,501
17
228,290
Norwood Park
Orland
3
29,100
Palatine
12
262.278
Palos
15
204,427
Rich
1
15,288
Schaumburg
4
45.322
Stickney
35
487,420
Thornton
1
2,744
Wheeling
27
602,026
Worth
19
788,562
The March figures bring the number of pennlts
issued by the bureau in the first quarter of 1956 to
709 and the total valuation to $10,542.936. exclusive
of "no fee" permits.

TA
1955
1954

76,220
69,752

!ncr.
Pct.

6,448
9.29

1955

56,999
53,063

TA
1954
Iocr.

Pet.

1955
1954

FA

IA

PDA

607 30,537 45.076 638 44,783

591 27.183 41.974 637 39,866
16
2.7

3,354
12.34
emCAGa

FA

IA

3.102
1
7.39 0.16

PDA

4,917
12.33
I

408 23,528 33,333 417 32,930

383 20.807 31,873 398 29,504

3,936
25 2,721
1,460 19
7.42 6.83
4.58 4.77
13.08
SUBURBAN

TA

FA

IA

PDA

19,221
16,689

199
208

7,279
6,376

11,743
10,105

3.426
11.61
I

221 11,853
239 10,362

2,352
-9
903
1,638 - 18 1,491
Pct.
15.17 4..33
14.16
16.21 7.53
14.39
Tabulation by the State Division of Highways lists
Chicago and 99 suburban communities as scenes of
accidents and in addition, county, state, and U. S.
roads in rural areas. In 43 of the communities, there
were no fatalities during the year. One of them.
Homewood Park , which went without a single reportable acc.ident in 1954, had only one last year. but it
was fatal to the drher. (The 1955 record of each
com munity appears on page 7)
The total of dealhs in the stale's tabulation include
thos{' that occ.urred days or weeks after the accident
as well as those persons who we~ killPd instantly.
The monthly totals compiled by the Cook County
Traffic Safety Commission and published in COOK
COUNTY mGHWAYS are necessarily limited to in
stant deaths. Thus the total for the year as tabulated
hy the state two months after the year'a end is
221 as against the 199 instant deaths recorded by the
county safety commission.

New YIELD Sign ..

(Continued from Page 'I)
problem may be to judge the time at ..... hlch a safe
interval in traffic permits them to proceed. This has
proved increasingly difficult for motorists who have
stopped in obedience to STOP signs. This suggests
that a molorist who cannot judge a safe interval in
traffic after stopping, may not do as well when trav
cling up to 20 m. p. h. al 8 YIELD sign. On the other
hand, the momentum of a vehicle at 20 m. p. h. may
be sufficient to carry a drive r safely across, whereas
a vehicle starting from a standing stop might be
struck.
It will require considerable time and experience to
resolve ijOme of these doubts abollt the YIELD sign.

Cost of Ol.erating Car

The American Automobile Association says It costs
$1.55 8 day plus 31 .~ cents a mile to operate a private
car.

Quizzers Start Transportation Survey

CHICAGO Area Transportation Survey, the
THElargest
scale study of its type ever undertaken
anywhere,

entered

the

important stage of collecting information on

April 16, when a corps

of 68 trained interviewers started calling on

60,000 householders.
The survey will go on
fer three years and will
casl 51,850,000, of which
the U. S. Deparlment of
Commerce, Bureau of
Public Roads, will contribute 50 per cent, the
Director Carroll
State of Dlinois. 25 per
cenl and Cook County and the City of Chicago, 12.5
per cent each.
Informalion in detail bearing on the travel habits
of 5,000,000 persons living and working in 1,400
square miles will be gathered and studied so that
future planning of highways and mass transportation
can be done accurately, While the 68 interviewers
are inquiring about the daily comings and goings oC
families, whether by automobile. train, bus or on foot,
other teams In the field will get dat.a [rom 10,000
truck and taxi owners and still another crew will
obtain information from 200,000 truck drivers passing designated control points.

Once a bank. then ill night club and now the

Chicago Area TranlSportatlon Study'lS Office.

ment surplus desks fill the main floor and mezzanine

of the lofty, ornate central room. which has been
made over with concrete block partitions. In the
ba.aement are thc e lect ronic computers and numerous
other modern machines [or fast operation.
Ili formatio ll to He Kel)t. Up.to-date

"The study will provide a complete inventory of

travcl information that can regularly be kept up to
date," said Carroll. "Traffic [acts will always be read
ily acccssible to all public agencies. This means tha.L
this is not a 'one shot' s urvey, but is designed lo be
permanently useful as a means toward sound public
planning of future transportation facilities in Metropolitan Chicago."

QuC!stions For Families

All the field WOrk is to be done by October 31 this

year. The multitude of Cacts will then be coded,
checked and rechecked by the study staff. This stage
is to be done by the end o[ the year. Preliminary
reports will be issued stsrting next spring and final
reports, containing long range plans, will be com
pleted in 1958.

Families participating in the study will be asked

about trips made by each member on the preceding
day. Data sought include the kind of dwelling- single
famit y, apartment, hotel or motd, rooming house,
institution, trailer, or other type---the race, sex and
age of an who traveled that day, purpose of the trip,
mode of travel, what kind of parking was required
and whether any driving was on an expressway,
All the families to be interviewed were notified by
letter before the interviewing started. They were
sssured that no names will be used and they were
told the callers would carry proper identification.
The 60,000 selected for interviewing r epresent approx.imately one in 30 families in the survey area. The
list covers virtually every residential block In Chicago
and every suburban neighborhood.
The policy committee overseeing the survey consists of R. R. Banelsmeyer, Chief Enginl'!<!:r o[ the
Dlinois State Division of Highways ; William J. Mortimer, Superintendent, Cook County Department of
Highways; George DeMent. Chicago Commissioner
of Public Works, and R. H. Harrison, Division Engineer, Bureau of Public Roads, J, Douglas Carroll Is
the director.

Drive Faster at N ight

The Kansas State Highway Commission recently
got 10,113 answers to the question of how [sst motorists drive on a straight. open stretch of rural highway,
but not from the drivers. The commission got its
information from the passing cars with the aid of a
radar speedmeter. The average speed of all vehicles
was 58.5 miles an hour, almost two miles an hour
faster than was recorded at the same location a year
ago.

SUrl'ey Office .ormer Bank

Night speed checks wcre made at only two of lhe

fifteen stations. Resulls at esch spot were the same-traffic was moving about two miles an hour [aster
at night than in daylight hours. The daytime average
was a little more than 57 mph.

CarrolJ and his office force occupy the building at

4812 West Madison Street, which before the dcpres
sion was the home of a bank and later madc elegant
quarten! for a prohibition era night club. Govern

Two years ago, 15 per cent o[ all vehicles were

traveling faster than 63 miles an hour. In 1955, 15
per cent WCI'C cxceeding 68 mph.- IDGHWAY HIGH
LIGHTS (Kansas State Highway Commission.)

1955 Traffic Accidents

In

Chicago and Suburbs

(TA- total aCcidents; FA- falSI accidents; LA- injury accidents; PDA- property damage accidents: K - number of persons killed; lA- number of persons injured.)

TA
Chicago

Evanston
Cil"ero
Oll.k Park
Berwyn
Maywood

"~A

56,999
1,003
1,287

905

7:12
532

408
3
2
4
2

:lln

307

2
6
Ii
Ii

247

1
2

2:16
Calumet ety. 307
Rrookfield
lIHi
Des Plaines
281
Forest Park
299
Skokie
665
Melrol;e Pk.
418

2
G

Chgo. Hghts.
Han-ey
Elmwood I'k.
Wilmette
Blue bland
Park Ridj:e

Winnetka

.142
&12

29.

:Wfi
aO1
118
191
2:1:l

Bellwood

:1l5
21-1

Lan.<;ing

Park Forest

Glencoe
8'
We<it.. S)Jringll
La Gr'ge Pk.
79
Glellview
108
Lyoll!!'
Homewood
104
Rh'erdale
123
Dollon
97
Broad.iew
103
Uh', Gnn-!!
216
Hobbins
39
Northlake
92
Westchester
104
Palatine
'0
Mi. Prospect
72
Morton Gr.
155
Phoenix
18
Niles
230
Norridge
62
Stickney
71i
Northbrook
S. Holland

"

19,

"'-,

186

lIa

88
90

81
104
"
98

9,

259

1/j6

"

10()
1

:l
2

127
114
35
6:i

82

78

15/j

'8
59

16,)

IUS

La GranKe
nh', Forest
F,v'green Ilk.
Riversilie
Summit
Fr'klin Pk.

Ar!. fights.
Oak Lawn

21

LA
23,258
307
440
33r.
279
197

129

7U
22
25

'"
2
1
1

1
1

19
211
30

80
34

I'DA

33,333

417

56i'i

2
4
2
2

603
845

451
333
272
320
188
226

!J

7
7
6
1

llifi

153

197
106
181

6
1
2

2115
401

259
149
199

178
188
82

4
2

"

!if;
8G

46
38
28
84

76
68
Hi
132

11

'8

14'
128
lao

l7G
72

10'
138

444

62
93

..'"
.,

77
70

"

2
1

13

411

"

31

"12
93

"

29
25

2
2

22

HI
33
-is

60
G
88

:w

,)0

29

11

2:-1
af,
51
41
22
lIodgkins
22
McCook
96
II"wood HA'hU!. 9
Forest Vw.
3ii
Golr
II
Olymp. Fda.
34
Hm ..... d. Pk.
I
Richton I~k.
9

56
G6

91
11
152

and Ill.

high .....ays.

36

TOTALS

I
1
1

18

161

10
1
1
1
1

29

a')

11
77

28
4
58
33
24
15
1:1
20
20
,
16
18
45

32

46

31
42
2:

28
21
24

:1

65

40

20

42

la

17

23

15
13
8

9
,
9
3

7
li'i

15
14

17
22
10

29
46
40
27

12
58
3
21
1
20

15
68
7
17
IS
23

2C1

3
2
3

1
1

28

489

588

29

2,8:15

59

1,204

1.482

73

2,481

'10,220

607

30,5:17

45,076

638

44,783

Rural U. S.

47
33

2:

8
17
27
18
13
10
a8
6
13
10
1a

79

22

16
8
20
35

S
57
868

Honletown
72
County Rds. 1,105

45

31
15

PuJOl! Purk

Wheeling
Justice
B'rom Pk.
Crestwood
Ch/ro. Ridge

10
126

133

58

Bartlett

Glenwood
Orland Pk.

37

(i3

151
20
16
36

25

Matteson
M'nette Pk.
~. Huel Cr.

lOG
31i

40
20

9
IOU
8
8
40
20
4

14
11
10
12
12
2
10
9
21
24
Hi
5fl
1:3
fi8
2:
.1 G
33
13
8):j:H1
29
12
22
7
16
3
13
I)
7
I
II
4
'I
1

Thornton

114
210

32

1
2

POA
56
19

70
24

AIs.ip

13U

fA
.)6

42
18

Burnham
nixmoor
Willow SPA's.

182

FA

Calumet Pk.
51
Tinley Pk.
19
Hillside
113
S. Chgo. Hghts.43
Hazel Cre&t
39
Berkeley
33
Oak FOre!lL
)6
Posen
41
Flossmoor
28
E. Chgo. HJ:hts. II
Worth
30
Stone Park
44
Northfield
53
Bridgevie.....
56
Schiller rk.
47

;\:1

3
I
1
I
1

TA
101
29
253
28
25
77

~Iarkham

275
228
302
179

75

Ilfi
69

<I,

168
188

2
1

54
70

193

221

2
1

Midlothian
Lincolnwood
Kenilworth
Lemont

626

6
3

12G
J5U
'i7
HI:!
112

N. Riverside

32,930
427

30

6
36

ered by the bond, during which the tank must funeUon satisfactorily. remains two years.
Regulation or septic t.ankB was assumed by the
county in September, 1955, when the County Board,
by resolution, set up the bond requirement and standards for installation. The new regulations were
adopted by the board 8S amendments to that resolution.
At first builders were apprehensive of obtaining
bonds, but the bureau reports that fourteen bond
companies are now writing them. and that 65 per
cent of homes being built in the bureau'a jurisdiction
have tanks.
Pennlts for tanks mUBt be obtained and the bonds
posted when house penn Its are issued.

New Septic Tank Code

EW REGULATIONS governing installation of
N
septic tanks in the unincorporated area of Cook
County were made effective by the county Building
and Zoning Bureau on April 30.
Requirements for tank capacity are increased. The
previous minimum was 500 gallons. plus 65 gallons
for each occupant of the house in excess of four. New
minimums are 750 gallons for a two bedroom house
and 1,000 gallons for one of three bedrooms.
The perfonnance bond required of builders hu
been reduced from $2.500 to $1,000. The period cov

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

'Roil ing Country. lde. Tree . Flowe .... Bird., S.rn, ,nd Smooth BI.c:ktop Free of Huvy
Tr.rtlc Malt, Plainfield Road Attractl .... for iI Sunday Drive Oft' the But,n Path, Suo p. 4

Vol. III No. 12

MAY, 1956

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook County (111.) Department of Hiahwaya
Under auspices of the Board of County Commissioners
DANIE L RYAN. Pruldent
J;IImu F. A'henden
Frank Bo bryU ke
Ch.rln F. Chaplin
Elinbeth A. Conkey
Jerry Dol nal
Arthur X. E lrod
John J . Duffy

WlIlI;IIm N. Er lck,o n
Fred A. Fulle
Chrl't A. Jen'en
Jo hn A. Mae'kler, Jr.
Cl;IIyton F. Smith
Edward M. Sneed
John J . T ouhy
William J. Mortimer
Superlnlendent of HlJlhwM).

Published at 130 North Wells Street, Chicago 6.

FRanklin 2-;544

RItension 216

Bo ob of t he Month

Congress Street Traffic

RAVEL ON the County section of Congress Street
T
Expressway reached a new high 24-hour count78,82Z---on April 4. Total vehicles for the month2,066.450-was over 40 per cent above the March
total. The accumulated total between last December
15, when the Laramie-Sacramento Avenue section was
opened. through April was 7,667.69l.
More tha n ever, the April counts indicate that many
people are finding Congress Street a convenience to
go to and from their daily work. On the lirat five
days of the week, the tallies averaged in excess of
72,000; on Saturdays and Sundays, the counts wen!:
lower. At the same time, on the rural expresswaya.
Edens and Calumel week end travel has increased,
due to motorists on pleasure trips.
The April daily average counts on the County
seetlOD of Congress Slreet were:
Monday-Eastbound. 35.609; westbound. 36.535:
total, 72,1.
Tuesday-Eastbound, 35,994; weslbound. 36,184:
total 72.178.
Wednesday- Eastbound, 35,514; westbound, 36,786;
total , 72,300.
Thursday-Eastbound, 36,550; westbound, 37,403;
total, 73,953.
Friday-Eastbou nd, 37,331; westbound, 38,898;
total, 76,229.
Saturday- Eastbound, 32,773; westbound, 32,015 ;
total, 64.748.
Sunday-Eastbound, 24,941; westbound, 28.578;
total, 53,619.

SELECTION for May is Getaway Gus, your

fender mender's friend.
THEfriendly
When you are atanding at a stop light on a street
lined with parked cars, be's the Big Zip who swings
around to the right.
As the Ught changes to a mber , Gus takes off, shooting ahead into your lane.
Frequently he makes It, but sometimes it's a fender.
millOM Laws Relating to Motor Vehicles (aTticle
VII, Section 57) plJrmit ouertaking aM pasring on
the right 011 tlco-way road8 only when (a) the oth er
t'chicle is "makillg 01' about to make a left tUTn" and
(bl "on (l roadu;ay with unob"tructed pavemetlt 01
sufficient width lor foul' 01' more linu 01 moving
traffic when /tile'" mocement ('fHJUing) can be made
in safety!'

April Highway Fatalities

Twenty-two persons were killed in highway traffic
accidents in suburban Cook County in April. It was
the worst April in the eleven yesr r ecords of the
Cook County Traific Safety Commlsalon.
Even more discouraging are the fact that the death
toll is rising month by month and also the possibility
that 19M, after a favorable start, may be the blackest
year In the books.
Six were killed in January, the same as in June 1946.
In February, however, the total was 21 and it W8.8

21 again in March. April brought the total for the

first (our months of the year lo 70.
Three pedestrians were killed in April, whicb compares Wilh four In January, five in February and
three in March. Seven were killed in collisions between
automobiles and three in auto-lrnck crashes. Four
were killed by trains at railroad crossings. Two were
killed when Cflrs left the road snd hit t r ees and one
each in the following types of accidents-aulo-bus,
auto-pole, and aulo-culvert.

Citizens Urged to Combat Rising Death Toll

FoUowing is tlie te:d of the talk made by Presid(mt
Daniel Ryan 0/ tlte Boord of Cool~ COIwty Com1llis
sioner3 at the fifth. allttllal meeting of th e Citizetl3
Traffic Safety Board 0/ Ch.icago, held May 7.

prevented if the drivers involved bad practiced the

elementary, common sense principles of safe driving.
We are apt to think of bad accidents as caused by
bad weather- rain and slippery pavements. But 90
per cent of the April fatalities were on dry roads.
More than one-third of them occurred between midnight and 6 a. m. There were indications that at
least two drivers were asleep when their cars shot
off' the road and crashed.
From reports of witnesses, two drivers were in the
wrong lane when they rut other cars headon. One
went through a stop sign and one went through a
red light.
Four persons were killed at railroad grade crossings protected by lights, bells snd gates. At this
point I would like to mention that previous to these
accidents, the county highway department had al
ready started 11 survey of the 308 rsilroad grade
crossings in the county to determine where separation
structures are most needed.
F';xllressway Safe, Drivers F all
Two were killed in April on Edens Expressway.
This flne road incorporates the most advanced ideas
of safety design and has carried heavy traffic with
the lowest rate of deaths per 100 million miles of
any rural expressway in the country. But the best
engineering can't overcome driver failure. In each
of these deaths there was evidence that the driver
had lost control of his car. One happened at 3 :36
a. m. and the other, at 4 :05 a. m.
These fscts-and more---shouJd get the sober attention of the people in each community who want to
stop death on the highway. There Isn't a suburb in
the county that doesn't need improvement in traffic
regulations. Women shoppers park double and force
traffic into tbe wrong lane. I know of one suburb lhat
provided a shopping d.istrict free parking tot-and
still they park double in the street.
Every day, drivers by the hundreds pull into traffic
without looking, make badly timed turns or go through
stop signs and red Lights without paying enough attention to notice. Every so often somebody geta killed.
It's Russian roulette on the highway.
E\"cl'yone [( as Resllonslbtllty
Safe driving is the direct responsibility of everyone
who drives. Most. people can be educated. Those,
too dumb or too smart a1ecky to learn will have to
be dealt with.
The time to act is here. And I mean, all the way
down the line. A citizen's group in every town, like
the one that bas got such good results in Chicago,
is the best first step I know of. Make sure tbat the
people in these groups are in earnest and willing to
put in some hard work. Thcir drive should be carried
door to door. for after all . the answer to the whole
problem lies in the hands of the driver.
It may be that Cook County Traffic Safety Commission, which is embodied in the county highway department, can be of some assistance in organizing these
local councils. I assure the people of the suburbs that
this help, or any otber kind of belp the county may
render, will be given moat willingly.

AT thiB moment, the trallie accident program

RIGHT
in suburban Cook County is at a cross roads, or
want to call it. I hope
it will not turn out to
be 8 STOP sign.
We can'( kid ourselves
any longer. Last January, we thought we were
doing aU right Only six
p<!rsons were killed out
in thc county. That was
the lowcst of any month
since 1946. Now it looks
as if that was just plain
luck. For in February
lhe death toU was 21 and
it was also 21 in March.
You might trunk people
pruldent Rya"
would take notice and
lhat everyone driving a
car would be more careful. But in April, we had 22
dealha, twice as many as in April of ]955.
If this keeps up, 1956 will be the blackest year in
the records.
It looks worse than ever when we see what is
being done in Chicago. The big city, which has plenty
of traffic problems, was able to show the best April
in 26 years. Furthermore. the city's death toU in the
first four mont.hs of the year was 16.7 per cent under
last year, wheress out in the county we had a 10
percent increase in the same months.
a milepost, or whatever

yOll

Oltlzens' Program A lUodel

Chicago doesn't rely on luck. In Chicago deaths
have been reduced 88 the result of well-organized
effort. The program there is an active drive in which
both citizens and the police participate. The Citizens
Traffic Safety Board, organized by community leaders
determined to check the frighUul waste of lives and
money. has come to be a model in its field. The staft'
of this organization know what is going on and, having the facts, can determine what should be done to
crack down on traffic law violations. They have also
been able to obtain the finest cooperation on the part
of the police.
This model operation could be copied in all of our
suburbs. And I believe it should be witbout a day's
delay.
I strongly urge now that every municipality in
Cook county organize for traffic safety. It is a cha.!
lenge deserving the besl efforts of the besl men in
the community.
Death Records Sig nifican t
Looking over the detailed records of the fatal accidents in April in the suburban area, I find several
significant factors. Altogether, they show plainly
enough that &11 of these tragedies could have been

Back Roads Offer Scenic, Restful Motor Tour

By Paul G. Robinson

Secondary roads serve all partA of the county and

are the only means of resching many interesting
back areas. In places they foUow trails used by Indians and pioneers. They run over hill and dale to
remote seetions where early settlers built their fann
steads and elsewhere they wind through woodlands
occupied by country estates.

Milintenllllce Engineer

Cook County Hlllhway Department

UNDAY DRIVING
the Cook County countryside
S
can be a pleasant, relaxing diversion- but off the
heavily traveled main highways,
in

Few people in Chicago or the suburbs seem to be

familiar with the opportunity for an interesting day's
jaunt on the black top and crushed rock roads. On
balmy Sundays, when the four-lane highways are

Picnic Spots along the Way

Throughout the county the secondary roads interseet primary roads. and thus are readily accessible.
With a little planning, a Sunday tour can be laid out
starting on a main road, branching off into a loop
of secondary roads and then back onto the main highway for the trip home. If the family wishes to have
a picnic dinner, attractive spots in the county's 42,000
acres of forest. preserve are never loo far away.
As a means of acquainting motorists with scenes
of interest along the black tops, the supervisors of
the various maintenance districts have selected loops
that afford a pleasant day's outing. These suggestions,
which cover various areas of the county. follow:
N orthwest-A 45-mile tour over back roads may be
started at the junction of Camp McDonald Road. and
the DesPlaines River Road, just south of where the

crowded with slow moving traffic, the byways are

open snd clear. You may drive at your own speed,

enjoying the change of landscape as you leisurely
roll aJong. or pull off the road to admire wild flowers
or watch for birds without creating a traffic jam.
Total mileage of the county's secondary road system is 650. There are 470 miles of bituminous surface,
156 miles of crushed rock and 24 miles of concrete
pavement. These roads are maintained the year
around by the county highway department. In winter
they are kept clear of snow and ice; in other seasons
crews working out of the maintenance district quarters make repairs, cut weeds, keep drainage open and
on the crushed rock roads apply dust palliatives.

,
o

, ,

,J

..
R

L .._

Northwelt and North areas of the county. Secondilry roads maIntained by the county are Ihown In heavy black
IdentIfied by letterl. U. S. and ltate routes are Identified by numbera. Unmarked light IInel are lecondary roads
maIntained by the Itate. As filr al the motorllt Is conccrned, there II no dIfference between these sectlonl and the
county'l. Where more thiln one road il listed for one lener, the first montloned is the farthest north or west.
A_ Bateman Rd.
B-Conlee Rd .
C-Sutton Rd._Otl. Rd.
O-Brlnker Rd.
E-Palatlne Rd.
F_Briidwelt Rd._Baldwin Rd ,
G-Qulntens Rd.
H_El a Rd.PilJiltlne Rd.
I_Baldwin Rd._Rohlwlng Rd~Palatine Rd.
J-Schoenbeck Rd .. Camp McConald Rd.

K_Hlntz Rd~Wheeling Rd . Palatlne Rd,

L- Techny Rd.
M_ Landwehr Rd.
N_ Lee Rd .
O-VolU Rd.-Happ Rd.
P_Rohrlon Rd._Shoe Factory Rd.
Q-Penny Rd.Bartlett Rd.
R-Schaumburg Rd.
S-Nerge Rd .
T _Bleaterfleld Rd . Arllngton Helghu Ad.

Blacktops Lead to Scenes of Natural Beauty

Ellcept the Improved Surfllce, Donlta Road, Wlndlnq Through Flower Strewn Wood. In the Northwut Part of the
County, I,
It Was When Early Settle ... JOllged Over It to Co to Market.

ii'

CookOuPage Road, Wolf Road and Brainard Av

enue lead southward through rolling, wooded country.
Wolf Road cresaea Flag Creek at two points. Brainard
pasaes through Cantlgny Woods, once an Indian camp
ground, All three lead to the Wentworth Avenue
bridge over the DesPlaines, the Sanitary CanaJ and
the abandoned historic Illinois and Michigan Canal.

River Road joins Milwaukee Avenue (nJinois 21).

This starting point may be reached eitber by the
Rh'er Road, Milwaukee Avenue, or Wesl Lake Avenue.
T hrough Roiling Counl ryslde

The roule is a loop. as may be seen on the map.

It leads lhrough rolling countryside. partly wooded,

Pa lo .. IlIlis Scenic. Region

past modem dairy [anna and estates, country clubs,

lakes, district schools and old churches and cemeteries.
The loop ends at Arlington Heights Road and Higgins
Road (illinois i2), on the east edge of Busse Forest
Preserve. Two other preservcs. Deer Creek and Allison Woods, also lie along the way. All bave well
equipped picnic areas.

&l ulhwest-Just south or the Wentworth Avenue

bridge are the Palos Hills, one of the most scenic
regions in Northern nUnols, Most. of the area is Cook
County Forest Preserve, with picnic spots, winter
sports facilities and lakes and sloughs stocked with
fish. Nearby Is the Argonne National laboratory for
atomic energy deveJopment. Flavin road (state main
talned) joins with l04lh Avenue (county maintained)
and the continuous route leads through the center
o[ the hills.

The tour may. of course, be started in the other

direction, or tbe motorist may select any other route
to sult himself. The sections of main highways con
m~cting the back roads at a few points are short and
do not detract from the pleasant sensation of being
off the beaten path.
North-Landwehr Road, Techny Road, Voltz and
Rapp Roads afford a tour of approximately &even
miles through an arC&. that contains picturesque
church buildings and Interesting new homes. Land
wehr may be entered from Weat Lake Avenue and
Hap!> Road from Willow ROlld. just west of Winnetka.
[~I.p

South- Numerous 8e'COndary roads in all directions

run through a region of natural beauty and historical
inleresL Forest preserves in this part of the county
include Sauk Trail Woods, Steger Woods, Tinley Creek
Woods, Bachelor Grove Woods, Mascoutin Woods,
Gl~nwood Woods, Jorg~nson Woods and Gurdon S.
Hubbard Forest. Sauk Trill! was once the main line
of travel for Indians going between Rock Island and
the lralIs leading to ChIcago and Detroit. Two ancient
camping places lie along Cottage Grove Avenue In the
vicinity of 183rd treet.

Qr \Vut, southwMt Ilnd SOuth road, on parI! 81

West-Between Ogden Avenue and the DesPlaines

River Rnd the parallel Sanitary Canal. five and onehalf miles to the south, are a number of secondary
roads that are attractive for a tour of 15 miles or
so. Or they may serve as the starting polnt of a
full day's travel into back areas in the south part o[
the county, Ogden Avenue in this area runs along
the south boundaries or Bemis Woods and Salt Creek
Woods Forest Preserves,

The network of back roads in the BOuth county

region is easy to reach Crom main highways- Harlem
A venue, Cicero A venue, llIinois No, 54 or the Dixie
Highway. for example, Calumet expressway, which
will be completed this sununer south to Steger Road,
will be a most convenient route to and from the city
and the south end of the county.

o
Rustic Routes

South and West of County

West, South welt and South areal of the c:ounty. Secondary ro,d, maintained by the

c:ounty are shown In heav), bhu::k Identified by letter. U. S. ilnd atate route. ;!Ire Iden
tlfled by numbera. UnmOllrked Ught lines are .tletlon, of .econdary rOld, mOl lntai ned by
the .tate. A. fou I I the motor!1t I, c:oncemed, theN! I, no difference between these
netio", and the county acction . Where more thiln one road I, lilted for one letter,
the flr.t mentioned I. the farthut north or weat.

A_Co ok _DuPage Rd.

B-Wolf RdAI',t Sl.
C-79th st.

D-German Chureh Rd .
E_Brainard Ave.
F-5th AvC!.

G-Plainfleld Rd .
H--87th St.. Robert. Rd .
I_Wolf Rd .. ISln St..1G4th Ave.
J_167th St.94th AV8,_171. t St.
K - Ridgel.nd Ave.
L-CentrOiI A ve.

M_161th St.
N-175th St.
O_Vollmer Rd.
P-Sa uk Trail. Hilriem Ave.
Q-Kedzle Ave Maln St.
R-Flo .. moor Rd .. Holbrook Rd.
&-Greenwood Rd .
T-Miehlga n City Rd.
U_Lan.inll Rd .
V-State St._Glenwood Lan,lng Rd ..
Wentw orth Ave.
W-Cottage Grove Ave.
X_Tor-rence Ave.
V_Burnham Ave.
Z_Steger Rd.

(~

1\
M

I.

J
N

L+- .. _1- . _.. _

N

Country Area Building at $85,361,851

In

'55

The year covered in the report is the county's

fiscal year, which starts on December 1. By months,
pennits were issued as follows:
l\(onth
Permits
Valuation
December 1954.
422
$ 4,761,073
January 1955
181
2,903,600
3,657,420
February
243
4,974,262
March
292
April
665
10,576,239
11,283,306
May
776
10,383,632
June
636
6,435,681
July
518
9,266,797
August
703
10,241,919
September
536
5,284,175
October
455
4,451,198
November
298

HE RAPIDLY increasing rate of building construcT

tion in the unincorporated
of the county is
r eflected in the 1955 report of the Cook County Buildarea

ing and Zoning Bureau.

In all, 5,725 fee permits were issued by the bureau,
representing a total valuation of $84,219.302. The
total amount of fees received was $384,150.55.
In addition, 33 permits were issued in the "no fee"
classification , which includes fsrm houses and other
farm buildings, churches and schools. The total valuation of this construction was $,1.142,549. making a
grand total for the year of $85,361,851.
The total of fee pennits--$84,219,302--c.ompares
with $60,307,275 in 1954, $53,302,871 in 1953, and
$33,388,751 in 195!.
The bureau's figures, of course, do not include lUly
construction within the limits of the incorporated
suburbs.

Classes of Construction
The summary of pennits by clssaill.cation follows:
Otasslflcatlon
Permits
Val ulltlon
Residential (septic s ystem)
2,518
$46,378.090
Residential (sanitary sewer)
1.450
23,292.992
Business (septic system )
54
1,724,287
45
1,502.454
Business (sanitary sewer)
Industrial (septic system )
16
2.773.448
Industrial (sanitary sewer )
15
5,342.800
Add'ns and alterations
434
1,152,797
Accessory buildings
883
1.338.887
New septic system permits
27
130,175
Water supply (wells)
98
128,317
185
455.055
Miscellaneous (signs. etc.)

Permits Issued

In

April

A total of 552 permits for construction valued at

$9,405,298 was issued by tbe Cook County Building
and Zoning Bureau In April. By classification, they
were summarized as foUows:
Permits
Clas.!dficatloll
Vallie
175
Residential (septic systems)
$3,868,315
4,283,393
237
Residential (sanitary sewera)
2
Business (septic systems)
125,000
414,400
4
Business (sanitary sewers)
2
Industrial (septic systems)
138,000
40,000
1
Industrial (sanitary sewers)
39
Additions and alterations
349,495
52
Accessory buildings
94,800
Water supply (wells)
7,700
13
84,195
27
Mlscellaneous
Permits were issued by townships 88 follows:
Township
Permits
Valuation
Barrington
3
$ 98,942
96,050
Bloom
8
Bremen
41
625,874
Elk Grove
61
1,064,678
Hanover
6
113,4.00
Lemont
5
82,550
Leyden
16
154,210
Lyons
65
981,253
Maine
28
435,614
New Trier
2
76,700
58
1,239,277
Northfield
Norwood. Park
23
324,507
Orland
6
62,650
Palatine
13
204,504
Palos
25
397,016
Proviso
1
No value
Rich
7
68,800
Schaumburg
71
1,175,450
Stickney
37
758,84.8
Thornton
4
23,760
Wheeling
44
840,329
Worth
26
536,386
In addition to the permits listed above, three no-fee
permits also were issued representing II total valua
tion of S347,3OO.

Pennl~ By TO\\"IlSblps
By townships, the number of permits IUld total
valuations were 8S follows:
Valuation
Township
Pennits
42
$ 877,845
Barrington
6,174,679
Bloom
153
2,097,313
Bremen
203
30.000
1
Calumet
2,666,004
162
Elk Grove
880,161
Hanover
61
975,304
66
Lemont
4,084.386
Leyden
418
5.789,822
418
Lyons
4,736,861
Maine
327
17
747.852
New Trier
4
264,400
Niles
9,678,787
628
Nortbfield
7,294,462
480
Norwood. Park
1,244,512
Orland
87
5,976,805
Palatine
47.
4,116,364
273
Palos
992.892
Proviso
3'
619,287
Rich
67
4,225,065
Schaumburg
257
6,645,171
Stickney
621
571,565
Thornton
60
8,756,918
481
Wheeling
4,672,847
Worth
386

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

"

Form. Set for PO\lrlng the Concrete Deck of the

C~lumet

Expre"wly Bridge over the E. J. 4. E. and

N . Y. C. trick, bruk lunHght into I putern of light and ,h.de to IUrict the roving tamer,. mo.".

Vol. IV No.1

JUNE, 1956

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook County (UI.) Department of B l~h "ay.
Under BUlpice. of the Board of County Commissionel'1l
DANIE L R Y A.N , Presiden t
James F . A.henden

WIlliam N. Er lc: kl on
Fred A. Fulle
Chrln A . Jenlen

F rank Bo br)'u ke
Charin F. Cha plin
Ellubeth A. Conke y
Jerry Dolen 1
Arthur X. E lrod
John J . Ouffy

John A. M ackl er, Jr.

Clayton F. Smith
Edward M. Sneed
John J. Touhy

William J. Mortimer
Sllfl~lntendenl

ot H I.. hwU,..

Publishf!!d at 130 Nortn Well. Street, Chicago 6.

FRanklin 2-7644

Extens.ion 216

Boob of the Month

Enforcement Needed
A Y DEATH statinica indicate that existing
HIGHW
appeals bave been ineffective. per haps because

I KNOW WHERE

HES BEEN . BUT

the approach had been too mild. People need to be

shocked. Instead of tolerating the driver who boasts
of his daring and hair-breadth escapes. we should
tHat him as a sneak thief and publicize his bad driving practices as the mark of a cbeating, weak-minded,
dumb, or disloyal character,

Incentives can be used to promote we driving.

Many states have approveJ a 10 per cent reduction in
private car premiums where the driver under 25
YEars of age has completed successfuUy an endorsed
dl1ver training COUM3e. In Massachusetts. reconBiden.tion of Its demerit plan has been proposed with
the idea at providing preff:.rential premium rates for
good driving records.
Law enforcement is a positive and efl'eclive medium
for changing people's attitudes quickly. and some outstanding achievements are on record. In Washington
stote, for example. all-out war on traffic killers has
shown what can be done. In 1942-1952, an averagi!
oi 7.9 persons were killed on Washington highways
for every 100 million miles driven. In 1954 t.hc average dropped to 4.4, and in the first six months of 1955
it fell off to 3.B. Cost of equipment and manpower
for this program has been just under S10,OOO.-Ralph
J. Crosby, SAE Journal

BRIGHT new vacation season dawns, and TourA ing

Tom and family will soon be en route.
After the first fifty miles you can chart their course
by the stickenl on the rear window.
Tom and hie wife and alJ the kiddies dole on these
as signifying cultureAnimal farms. bad lands, cacti, caves, dancing indians, eats palaces, fish hatcheries, freaks of nature,
garbage-eating bears, ghost towns, imitation castles,
lover's leaps, mountain tops, nudist camps, old houses,
reptile r anches, state capitols, waterfalls, zoos, etc.
in a full range of color.
When the rear window is covered they go to work
on the side windows and windshield, lcaving a porthole
rllr the driver but no space for a safety sticker.

May Traffic Fatalities

Thirtecn persons were killed in highway traffic accidents in suburban Cook County last month, which
compared favorably with the 22 deaths in April. It
was the best May since 1953, when the taU WDB 11.
Six werc killed in collisions between passenger automobiles, three were pedestrians.
One was killed in each of the following types of
accidents; Semi-trailer and truck collision, auto
tl'8i1er and truck collision, auto striking utility pole
a110 a uto running into culvert.

On their return they have seen the sigbts. but they

can no longer see can behind or alongside.

The lUi/wi.., Uniform Act Reg ulating Traffic on

Highways (Article XV Section 108 ) siates: "No per.'>011 shall drive any motor cehicle fOHn allY Bign,
post61' or other tlon-transparent material Ilpon the
front windshield, aidewings, "ide or rear wi ndow" of
such vehicle which. obstructa 1M drfuer'a rear view/'

TV Promises Magic

In

Traffic Control

"

Although 'Ill mUu away, traffie on Conllre .. Str"C!et E.(prellway I, obterved by Daniel Ryan . presIdent of the
Board of COllk County Comml .. loncrl (l eft ) ilnd WilHam J. Mortimer, Cook County Highway Superintendent, In a
demon.tr.nlon of what the future hold. In benefits to motorlsta on the expre .. waYI.

early this month. County Board PresO NEidentDAYDanieJ

Ryan and County Highway Super-

movements from certain lanes to others and similar

aojustments.
Inte nded to Aid Motorist
County highway traffic engineers already speak
fnmillarly of the new development as ETC, and in
their opinion its potc.nLialitics to maintain smooth
Howing travel at maximum speed with elimination of
hazards natural to heavy traffic, are virtually unI:mited.
Television monitoring of expressways has the
objective of benefiting motorists rather than merely
detecting law violations. It will afford constant observation of traffic at all points. It will give the mo
torist aasistance on his immediate trip and also indicn~ future needs.
For the driver rolling aJong Congress Street, Edens,
Northwest. Calumet. South o r Southwest expressways,
ETC, as presently discussed, can be sheer magic.
Although it is still in the future, the time may be
rC'latively near at hand and the details of what it is
possible to do with equipment already developed are
taking shape.
Central Control Tower
It Is anticipated that mOnitoring wHl be done at a
central control tower. Cameras mounted aD roadside
masts at frequent intervals along the expressways
(Continued on Page 6)

Intendent William J. MorUmer sat in a room In the

Ct,unty Highway Department quarters and observed
P'e How of traffic on Congre88 Street Expressway six
miles distant as clearly as if they had been on top
of a building alongside the highway.
The picture came to lhem over micro wave teIe-VIsion, with the camera catching the stream of cars
and trucks in all lanes of the expre88way at Laranlie Avenue. A transmitting disc placed close to
tile camera on the roof of a three-story flat building
fsced a similar disc on the roof of the 23-story building at 130 North Wells Street. From the rete1V1ng
dISC, a cable carried the picture to a TV set in a
t1,irteenth floor room,
Demonstration Shows Possibilities
The ceCQsion was a manufacturer's demonstration
of remote traffic control that has spectacular posstbllitiea, By the time the comprehensive system of
expressways radiating from Chicago into the suburban area la completed, it Is anticipated that Electronic Traffic Control will make it possible to keep
every motorist on the expressways Informed at all
Urnes of conditions that require change in speed.

Ca lumet Expressway Completed August 1

Calumet Expre .. way Looking North T oward the Traffic Intercha"ge with Kingery.

FOR the opening of Calumet Expressway

DATES
extension from the Kingery expressway inter-

chr;nge at 167th St. south to Sauk Trail are announced

b~' the Cook County highway departmenL
The new pavement as far as the interchange with
til{' Glenwood Oyer rd. (Illinois Rt. 83) will be opened
with ceremonies on July 2, In time for use by motorists on Fourth of July outings. This stretch is three
and one-quarter miles and will afford a short cut over
tnree miles of 83 to eastbound Lincoln Highway.
The remaining three and one-quarter miles of Calu
IT.et, extending to Sauk Trail, will be ready for use
August 1. At Sauk Trail. Calumet jOins the modi
fied expressway newly constntctcd by the stale, which
connects with Illinois Route No.1 near Crete.
Ribbon Cutting ami Parade
Opening of the tint section, to route 83, will be abaCI vcd by the traditional dbbon cutting at the Calumet-Kingery traffic interchange, at 11 A.}.L July 2.
Speakers will include Pre81dent Daniel Ryan of the
county board, who is host for the occasion, Gov.
William G. Stratton, Mayor Daley and representatives
of the Bureau of Public Roads. The expressway was
designed by the Cook County highway department
and the slate and federal govennenLs contributed to
its cost.
Following the ribbon cutting, all present will get
in their cars and travel over the new pavement. The
route will be down beyond U. S. 30 to the expressway
bridge over the tracks of the E. J. & E. and the New
York Central and back on the northbound lanes.
The public generally. said President Ryan, Is invited to attend the exerctsea and to be first to ride
over the extension. The barrier that has stood at
16ilh st., where the new pavement begins, will then
bp removed.
Se<:tlOn.i Open When Reath'
"We are opening the exte.ns.lon In two sectiona because President Ryan believC8 the public should be
permitted to use it without delay," said County HighWllY Superintendent William J. Mortimer. "The open
ing on July 2 will add three and a quarter miles and
will be useful to the large number of motorists wishing to go east on Lincoln Highway. They will Icave
the expressway over a right tum ramp and enter 83,
which passes over Calumet.

"Turning right into 83, this traffic will enter Calumd III the same interchange and may then proceed
into Chicago or may get hfick on 83 by using the Intl:'rchang(' at 1471h st. The advantage in this movement is that a difficult stretch of 83 between Calumet
end 147tb st. in Harvey will be by-passed."
45 If P II at Present
While the pavement is laid all the way to the E. J.
&. E. bridge approach, Mortimer said that the extension is still regarded a construction area and the customr.ry speed for such conditions, 45 miles an hour. will
Ix> posted. On the sections of CalumeL and Kingery
that have been in use sincl:' 1950, the limit Is 60, and
that will be the speed on the extension when th last
stages of construction end.
County traffic engineers Rre placing signs along the
e..'Ctension directing motorists at 167th 81. and at tht>
roule 83 outlet. Signs pointing the way to the ex
pressWBy will also be placed on Lincoln Highway east
0' its intersection with 83.
The Picture 10 the Right
The newly conltructed extenllon of Calumet Expru.
way louthward 'rom Ihe traffic Interchang e w1th
Kingery Exprellway Iuds throullh plulilnl, wooded
countrYlide. The View Is louth. In the forellround
il the 167th Street grade separation, then the Kingery
Interchanlle. La"" curving to the left carry trdfic:
Into eastbound Kingery, which c:onnects at the lute
line with the Indiana expre ..way. At prell nt, Kingery
In the oPPollte dlrecton endl JUlt to the ""ht of the
doverleaf: eventually It will be c:onti"ued al an il linois
Itate toll road. BeYOl'ld the Interchange, Calumet pa ..e.
over the Grand Trunk railroad trackl and the Michigan
Clty-Lanllng rOi1ld. The diamond Ihi1lped figure In the
distance I, the Interc:hi1lnge with Route 83, the end of
the IIctlon t o be opened July 2.

Flying photog
The fine aerial on the opposite page, the interesting
composition on the front cover and the other pictures
in this Issue were made by the Cook County HIgbway
Department's photographer, Elmer Majewski. He supp!lcd the cover picture for the first issue of the maga
zme, June, 1953, and haa produced handsomely for
(,Rch number since then, An Air Force veteran of
World War n, he now holds a pilot's license, although
when going UI) for pictures he uscs a chartered plane.

New Expressway in Attractive Setting

Motoring With Electronic Aid Foreseen

(Continued from Page 3)
will transmit pictures to the tower, giving at all times
a view of what is taking place everywhere.
For instant communication with the motorist, two
methods are being cODsidE'red, both of which would
be in use all the time. One is a series of roadside
panels on which warning to reduce speed would be
flashed at the push of a button in the control tower.
The exact speed ordered-40. 20 or 10 miles an hour,
for example-would appear in lighted figures. The

other method uses the radio in the car.

Radio to Bring lnfonnation

When entering an expressway, it is contemplated.

tht motorist will see a large sign asking h im to tune
i.r! on a given wave length. From then on be will
hE:8r the control operator continuously. If a car is
stalled ahead, he will be advised in time to get out
of that lane. He will be told of weather conditions
that affect driving. It may be, if everything is moving
smoothly at the moment, that the operator will give
a brief, timely talk on safe driving practices. perhaps
a}Jplying his remarks to a recent accidenl. Or he
may even put on a reeording of "Highways are Happy
Ways."
The wayside panels and the car radio. one or the
other or both together, would enable all on the ex
pressways to learn of unusual conditions on the pave
ment and thus avoid contributing to a jam or an
accident. This, of course, can be appreciated by every
one who has been hung up on the outer drive when
a car blew a tire in the rush hour.
The installation demonstrated to President Ryan
and Mr. Mortimer was micro wave, using no cables
between camera and receiver. The system contemplated would have cable between the numerous
c.::Lmeraa and the control tower. Micro wave, how
ever, would also be UBed in a supplementary way, b~
iug valuable because of its flexibility. In case of cable
f2ilure, micro wave could be used to an extent for the
main operation snd because of its mobility it could
be taken to the scene of a major disaster.

Camera End of the telt, William McNamara aimIng.

May Building Permits

BuUding permits for construction valued at 59,835.5"{t! were issued in ?o.lay by the Cook County Building

am! Zoning Bureau, which has jurisdiction in the

unincorporated area. In addition. $765,000 worth of
building in the no fee category, which includes farm
buildings. churches and schools. was authorized,
bringing the month's total to $10,600,578.
There were 232 residential permits, total value
SR,525,476; 14 business buildings, $648,384; two in dUl'-trial, $55.000; 74 alterations and additions, $393,
U8; 103 sccessory buildings. 5193,550; 10 wells, $9,
700. and 16 miscellaneous. $9.350.
By townships, permits were issued as follows:

Congress Street Traffic

TO" "'lhl p

Traffic counts taken on the County seetion of Con

greS2 Street Expressway sbowed a steady increase in
travel during May and a new high tally--85,859 v~
hides on Friday, May 25.
The month 's total was 2,251,233, which brought the
accumulated total to 9,918,924 since the expressway
was open between Laramie and Ashland Avenues
lust Deeember 15. The April total was 2,066,450.
Daily averages in May were as foUo ws:

Barrington

Bloom
Bremen
Elk Grovl'
Hano,'er
~monl
~yi,l('n

LYOIll!

Maine
New Trier
Northn ... 1i,I
Norw(>O(1 Park
Orland
PalllUne
PalOs
PtfIvlao

Monday-Ea"lbollndJ 36.MS; westbound , 37,884: l Ol a!. 74.397.

Tuelday-Ealtbouno. 87.324; wl.'$lOOund. 39.t87; lOtal. 76,461.
Wednesday-EUlbound. !W,~U : wutbound, 37.709: lOlal.
72@4.
Thuraday_ Ea,lbound. 88,71::1; westbound. 88.994: tOlal.
n.709.
Frlda}_Eutbound. 40.886: westbound. 40.967; total. 8l.t153.
satUrdllY- Ea,lbound S:297~: w('llbound. 86,389: tOlal. 69.364_
Sunday-EaUboundi 27.240; westbound. 26.9::19: total. 54.199,
Wook- Eanbound :.148.168; wl'stbound. 2So8.039: tolal . .506.21n.
MOndaY-F'rtday- Eastbound , 187.9&3; westbound; 1901.691;
total. 382,644.

.,""

Sdlaumburll:
Stickney
Thornt')n
Wheeling
Worth

rermlt.

"",
,.,
.,'"
77

'S

8
41

<0

"""

"al"l1

...

$ 37.400

".

....MO

443.2Oti

"800
88.000
16:5.800

78:i.1J.10

"'.""

106.500
T.l9.010

"..."'-

129.200
682.132
7l6,700

".800

97.600
7:il.100
710.250

84.400

116

974.850
624.900

"

New Signs, Refuse Bags

In Clean County Program

County Sewer Job Shows

New Construction Trend

RISKY, the tidy squirrel, is launching the 1956

Fdrive against litter with some new ideas for

spreading the message "Keep Cook County Clean and

Green."
This year there are waste bags for foresl preserve
picnic parties, bandy bags to catch refuse in cars,
bumper strips of br ight reflective material, Frisky
Figns in the suburbs and alongside forest preserves,
decalcomanias on picnic tables, roadside penally signs
and an attractive Boat for community parades.
"In one way or another, the idea should get acroS9
to everyone that a cleanliness movement is under
way and everybody is invited to take part," said
Counly Board President Daniel Ryan. "I believe this
year we are doing everything practicable to promote
the drive. All we need is public cooperation."
President Ryan's countywide cleanliness committee,
which is headed by Josepb A. Downey of Bellwood,
bas obtained 10,000 heavy paper bags of 50-pound
capacity and 10,000 smaller bags with handles to
hang in cars. The big bags will be supplied to picnic
groups by forest preserve rangers on the grounds.
Anyone may obtain a car bag and a bumper strip
by sending a postcard to Mr. Downey at 130 North
Wells Street, Chicago 6.
Downey said the litter problem out In the county
is bad in two areas-the forest preserves and tbe
highways. Last year the cost of handling trash in
tile forest preserves was more than $40.000 and the
cost to the county of picking up and hauling away
rubbish from the 650 miles of county maintained
ronds was $97,871.27.

.-

.. f'.

.~:

,_,._,,,' ;. )~,,..- (:..-~..JiZ'~ ~~..........

Deep In the Open Cut Sewer o n the West End of
CongruB Street Ex pressway, Photographic Durin"
Construction.

LONG THE western end of Congress Street Ex-

A pressway, at depths aa great as 50 feet below

the surface, lies 4,600 feet of 84incb diameter stann
sewer lhat was put in place in a manner considered
revolutionary in drainage engineering.
Heretofore, 25 feet down was considered the limit
practicable for open cut work. At greater depths,
engineers generally favored tunneling as more e~
nomical. In this particular area, however, the Cook
County Highway Department believed the open cut
method would save costs. The soil was firm clay
and being in open country there were no utility in
stallations to avoid. The job has now been completed
at a figure approximately hal! a million dollars under
lhe estimate for tunneling.
This section of sewer will drain the expressway from
west of Mannheim Road to County Line Road, the
Cook County boundary. It is joined by a 72-inch
storm sewer draining the Lake Street connection from
North Avenue to CongreBB Street. At the county
!me, the 84-inch increases 10 96inch and empties into
Sail Creek. This portion, designed by the Cook
County Highway Department, will be constructed by
tb> D1inois Division of Highways.

Mot or Vehicle ins urance

Insurance premiums paid by motor vehicle ownetil
exceed $4,165,000,000 annually.-TRAFFIC DIGEST
AND REVIEW.

After completion of the 84-inch sewer, it was in

spected by county and state highway engineers, who
walked through its entire length. B. L. Chaney, the
state district engineer of construction, (laid that in
his opinion it was the best sewer the county has
constructed.

School Buses
More than one out of four children now depend on
the school bus to get to snd from the classroom.-BUS
TRANSPORTATION.

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

--,

.""=-"'=""1.
t

Seven

Conllrn. Street E)Cprellw.ay, from La,..mle Ayenue t o Michl; .. " Boulevard, r cheduled for ul e
Th l. aerial view I. t.ut from .above the Ci cero Avenue overp.,. .. and In the foreground
I. th e .ectlon fr!;!m Lilram ie to A,hland A... e nue thilt wa. ope ned I.. t December.

Vol. IV No. 2

JULY, 1956

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook County (m.) Department of BlrhwaYI
Under auspices of the Board of County Commlalonen
DANIEL RVAN, Prnldent
WUII.ilm N. Erlcklon

JOIme. F. Alhenden
Frank Bobryuke
Chuln F. Chaplin
Eliubeth A. Conkey
Jerry Doletal
John J. Duffy
Arthur X. Elrod

Fred A. Fulle

Chrllt A. Jenlen
John A. Mackler, Jr.
Clilyton F. SmIth
Edward M. Sneed
John J. Touhy
William J. Mortimer
Superlnlendent 01 IIICb .... ,..

Published at 130 North Weill Street, Chicago G.

FRankUn 2-7544

Extension 216

Boob of the Month

June Traffic Fatalities

EATH RODE thf hjghways in suburban Cook

D County in June.

The month's toll, 28 Iivcs, was the seeond highest

in the 126 months in the records of the Cook County
Traffic Safety Commission. June 1953 saw 29 killed.
Last month's 28 compared with 10 in June 1955.
almost three times Il8 many.

The June figuJ"(' brought the total for the first half
or the year to 111. Last year in the same period the
total was 91.
Three pedestria.ns and three bicycle riders were
killed on highways last month. Nine were kiUed in
collisions between automobllcs, seven in crashes between automobiles and trucks and two when a car
struck a wayside pole, One was killed in each of
the following types of accidcnt- u-aln-truck, trucktruck. auto-motorcycle and auto-tree.

comes in family size-Papa Boob, Mama

THISBoobTYPE
and Junior Boobs.

Congress Street Opening

For them, highways have two uses-the pavement

to ride on and the roadside for rubbish.
Papa Boob ftings beer cans and now and then an
old tire; Mama Boob tOASCIJ picnic garbage in a sack
that bursts on impact; tbe Junior Boobs practice the
art with candy wrappers and pop botUes.
Who picks up the litter?
Not that the Boobs give it a thought. but it Is
done with taxpayers' money that might otherwise be
used for highway Improvements.
Illinois statutes prohibit throwing trash on highways,

Congrcss Street Ex!)ressway between Ashland Avenu(> and Michigan Boulevard is scheduled for opening
by August 1. Added to the seclions between Laramie
and Ashland Avenues. opened last. December. the new
pavement will provide seven mlles of continuous expressway.
Congress Slreet is a joint project of the State, City
of Chicago and Cook County. The County constructed
lhe seclion between Laramie and Sacramento Av('nues. and the elevated roadway between Desplaines
and Canal Su-eets; the State constructed the SacramentoHalstPd St.reet ac.ction and the city, the section
betwl..-en Halsted and Desplaines and that from Canal
Street to Michigan Boulevard, including the twin
bridges o\'er lhe Chicago River,

Only Roatb Sen e 25,000 Towns

There an! more than 215,000 United States communiLies depending entirely upon highways because they
have no more dependable transportation, Twenty-nine
stales have entire counties with no railway service at
all. in cities under 50,000, 83 percent of the people
travel by car, Missouri Municipal Review (0 56)

The counly also built the expressway between Fir.lt

Avenue. Maywood. and Mannheim Road, which was
opened to travel Deccmber 31, 1954. Work is now
proceeding belween Laramie and First Avenues and
wesl of Mannhelm Road, to the Cook County line.

Ribbon Cutting and Parade Open Expressway

All Together, Snip! And C.lu me t Expre .. way Exten,ion i, opened. Left to rlght-Col.lnty Comml .. loner John
Mackler J r., P re,rdent Oanle l Ryan. Gove rn or Wlltlam J , S tratton. Cou n ty H ighway Superi n tendent Wl1llam J.
Morti m er, Cou nt y Co mm l .. lontr J ohn J. Duffy nd E. A. Ao.en.tone, State Director of P ublic: Woric. .

EXPRESSWAY south to Its interchange

CALUMET
with OI inois Rotlte 83 was opened July 2 in

William J. Mortimer, Cook County highway super

intendent, who introduced Governor Strauon and
President Ryan, said:
"This expreuw.ay wss the work of msny handsthe slate and federal highway authorities, our own
staff of engineers and many others. On a job such
as this, the man who puddles the concretc is just WI
important as the chief engineer."
Notabl es ilL Ce remollY
Also on the speakers' platform were County Commissioners Clayton P. Smith and William N . Erickson,
both former Board preaidents; Commissioners John
J . Du.lfy, John Mackler Jr., Fred Fulle and Frank
Bobrytzke; E. A. Roseostone, state director of public
works, and Ralph Bartelsmeyer, chief e.ngineer, Illinois Division of Highways.
In attendance were numerous mayors and village
presidents of south county suburbs, civic aDd business
leaders. A sizeable turnout from Chicago Heights
was led by Commissioner Mackler,
Speaking and ribbon cutting took place at the cresl
of the rise just south of the Calumet-Kingery interchange. From this spot. motorists have a fine vi('w
of the new pavement running through an attractive
woodland.
The three and onc-quaner miles opened July 2 hlU!
outlet and inlet at the four-way interchange at Route
83, which is known locally ss the Glenwood-Dyer
Road. The pavement between Route 83 and the state.
section of Calumet al Sauk Trail is scheduled for use
August 1.

auspicious circumstances. The weather was fair and

temperate (faUowlng Chicago's hottet!lt July 1), a long
line of motorists was on hand to cheer the ribbon
cu tting and to be first over the new pavement, and

the speakers made it ao occasion to tell of the bright

future ot expressv.ay construction in the metropolitan
area.

Said Governor William C. Stratton:

"Tbe highway we are dedicating today WIl8 made
possible by a fine spirit of co-operalion Bmong the
governments joining in its construction. There has
been no thought of any political party taking credit.
The only objective haa been to benefit the public.
"Today we are advancing another step In a pro..
gram that will provide the best access roads to a big
city to be found anywhere in the country. 1 hope to
meet with Presiden t Ryan before the end of the month
and work out plans to use newly authorized feder al
road funds."
Country 's

.~In est

lIIJ:hway

ystenl

P resident Daniel Ryan of the Board of County Commissioners said:

"Calumet Expressway waa constructed with proceeds of the $70 million bond issue with ..... hlch the
county financed Ita share of work on Edens and Congress Street as well as Calumet. The county at present
Is financing construction with lhe $245 million bond
issue approved by the legislature last year. Soon we
shall have federal ald. As Governor Stratton said,
we expect to meet soon and make plans for use of
lhis allolment. When we get through we shaJl have
the finest hlghwsy system in the whole country,"

Produce lIa uled by Tnlck

At 20 of America's major wholeaah." markets, 51
percent of all fruil..8 and vegetables .arrive by truck.
rNTERMOUNTAlN INDUSTRY (C 56)

Clean Streams Campaig n Shows Fine Gains

THECleanMANY
accomplishments of the Cook County
Streams Committee in sLopping pollution
r,f the county's natural water tOUn3eS were praised
by President Daniel Ryan at a recent meeting of the
committee.
"The Board of County Commissioners and the Board
of Porest Preserve Commissioners know of the excel
l~nl progress you are making toward eradicsUng
sourc(>S rof poUution that have made open sewers of
our once attractive streams," he aaid.
"There arc more than 125 miles of streams in Cook
County that have forest preserves along one or both
banks.

Many thousands of our citizens enjoy these

prcserves each year. Picnicking can be. much more

enjo.vlIblc along the banks of a dean stream. Game
fish will thrive aft er pollution has been eliminated.
I am told that they are now coming back in the
upper r eaches of the Des Plaines river."
Turning to specific instances of pollution abatement
brought about lhe committee in its three years of
existencc, President Ryan said:

pollution problems in the rivers of southern Cook

County."

New Sewe r;: in \\'Ieeling

Selltic T a nks a Problem

"Along the Des Plaines. the Village of Wheeling,

which was cited in 1934 by the Attorney General for
polluting the stream, has practically completed a new
sewerage system and disposal plant. A large industry
in Dcs Plaines has connected to an intercepting sewer
and no longer sends pickling liquor into the river.
"Orchard Place. Orchard Place school and a large
trailer park have organized a sanitary district which
Is arranging for sewers and connection to the Metro
polilan Sanitary District of Greater Chicago.
"The Village of Northlake has abandoned septic
tanks and has installed sewers with connection to
the North Avenue interceptor sewer.
"Two railroads and two Industries fonnerly dis
charged waste oil into the river. Oil separators have
now been insta lled and these serious sources of elim
inatlon have been eliminated.

Another source of stream pollution that has occu

pled the attention of the County Commissioners. the
President said. are the septic tanks widely used for
residences, busine88 and Industrial buildings in the
unincorporated area of the county. where sanitary
sewers a r e not readily availabll:!.
"Out in rural areas where there il!l ample room for
seepage systems and ..... here the soil is sufficienUy
porollS to absorb the liquids. septic tanks serve 8
useful purpose." he said. "However. they are not
satisfactory in areas where the lots are small and
the soiJ is an impervious clay. Under such conditions
the liquids rise to the surface and flow to the nearest
stream. Cleanings Crom septic lanks can also cauS('
stream pollution if not properly disposed of.
"The Board of County Commissioners last April
passt'(! a resolution that provides for more stringent
control of the installation of septic tanks. A bond in
the amount of $1,000 is now required to assure saUs
factory operation oC the septic lank. during a period
of two years.

A Cleilln Strum. CenterpIece gf Natul"lIl 8nuty

Xorth Brllnch Clea ned Up

"The North Branch of the Chicago River is on the
way to becoming a respectable stream. Late in 1957
it is expected that an intercepUng sewer and a sewag",
treatment plant will have bec.n completed by the
North Shore Sanitary District of Lake County. These
improvements wilJ eliminate most ot the pollution now
cntering the Skokie River and the Skokie lagoons.
Fishing in the lagoons will become even more populR.r.
"The Village of Deerfi eld has recently completed a
sewerage system and sewage disposal plant that elim
inate pollution in the North Branch. The Sanitary
District of Chicago is now Installing new interceptor
sewers that will eliminate pollution nortb of Howard
Street and in the vicinity of Niles.
"Bloom township Sanitary Dlslrict, in the soulh end
of Cook County. has completed enlargement of its
sewage plant.. This means eradication of many sewage
problems in the vicinity of Chicago Helghta The eon
slruction of olher interceptor &ewers by the Chicago
Sanitary Diatrict is aiding greatly to eliminate various

H OIII Cl>

U..e More Wa te r

"The increased use of water in the home. caused

by modern convenlcnces such as dish washers, gar
bage grinders. automatic clothes wasbers and driers
and air conditioning. rl'quirell larger septic tanks and
seepage fields. The nc-w specifications caU fo r a 150
gallon tank for a two bedroom home and a 1,000
gallon tank, with 690 square feet of trench for a
three bedroom home. More seepage trench Is necl'S
sary if percolation tcetll show a poor soil abllorption
of the liquids.
" This is not the final answer to BC"ft'age problems
in new subdivisions in lhc Chicago Metropolitan area.
Some more satisfactory method of sewage collection
and treatment is required.
"The work of tbe Clean Streams Committee is based
primarily on the efforts of the members of Ule wllter

Health and Natural Beauty are Objectives

"The attorney for the committee, Theodore Stone,
has stated that the laws of Ulinois are adequate, if
enforced. to prevent pollution of the streams in our
county. It is the duty of this committee to keep on
pressuring the law enforcement authorities until the
desired action is obtained.
"The splendid accomplishments of the Clean
Streams Committee benefit not only the present citizens of Cook County, but also generations of citizens
still unborn_ I hope you will persist in your efforts
with untiring zeal."
T hose at t he Meeting
Members of the Clean Streams Committee in attendance were:
Burton Atwood, chairman; Howard R. Olson. vice
chairman; Lewis I. Birdsall, executive secretary; The
odore Stone, legal advisor; William O'Malley, informationa1 representative, Roland Eisenbeis, Forest Preserve District ; Ed. Malloy, Lower Chicago River Committee; Gene Hirschberg, Upper Des Plaines Committee; Duke Reed, Lower Des Plaines-Salt Creek Committee ; Michael De Laurentia, TinJey Creek Committee; Franklin C. Wray, Dea Plaines Valley Misquito
Abatement District; A. J . Boulahanis, South Cook
County Misquito Abatement District; Benn J. Leland,
Cook County Department of Public Health ; Lee L.
Bradish , Metropolitan Sanitary District of Greater
Chicago, and Martin Handleman, State's Attorney's
office.
Others present, besides PresidC!nt Ryan, were:
Charles G. Sallers, general superintendent, Forest
Preserve District : Fred Kohlman, Tinley Creek Committee; E. E. Fetzer, South Cook County Misquito
Abatement District ; Louis L. Andrea, Lower Chicago
River Committee: Mrs. George W. Anderson, Mrs.
William Schau, a nd Mrs. Robert M. Kline, Thorn
Creek-Calumet Committee and Merlin Elrod, Lower
Des Plaines Committee.

In the Foreat Where the Des Pliliinea Aun s Clear

shed groups who unselfishly devote their time to

searching out and reporting sources of pollution. Then
the public agenc:ies-State Sanitary Water Board,
Metropolitan Sanitary District of Greater Chicago,
Cook County Department of Public Health, and the
Stale's Attorney's office, take over enforcement of
the laws 80 as to bring about abatement of the
pollution.
Neigh bo r Coun ties

"~ight

Pollutio n

"The monthly meetings of the General Committee

are notable because they bring together, around a
conference table, the chairmen of the watershed
groups and representatives of the various law e nforcing agencies. This gives opportunity for questions
and (ull discussion of the case of stream pollution
under investigation.
"The source of the North Branch of the Chicago
River is in Lake County, west of Waukegan. Thf!
Des Plaines River rises in Southern Wisconsin, west
of Kenosha. Both rivers flow from the north into
Cook County. Salt Creek has its source in the northwestern part of Cook County, flows through Du Page
County a nd back into Cook County, where it enters
the Des Plaines at Riverside. The Grand Calumet and
the Little Calumet Rivers enter Cook County from
Indiana. Thorn Creek, Deer Creek, and Tinley Creek
flow northerly into Cook County from Will County.
"Fortunately, Du Page and Will Counties have
Clean Streams Committees which are functioning
admirably. Lake County does not have a similar committee but close contact is had with the North Shore
Sanitary District, which is spending more than 87
million to clean up the Skokie River. The Stream
Pollution Control Board of Indiana ia co-operating
very effectively.

Detours on County Jobs

Work currently under way by the Cook County
Highway Department requires detours 8S follows:
STATE STREET be t wet'n LinCOln Hlllhwa)' and J~ Orr
Road, concre te paving: northbound Iralne detour ean to Cottage Grove A,'enue and north to Joe Orr ROad; 5()uthbOund,
reyer.e order
I~H STRr:ET at CAI.U~U_"" EXPRESSWAY; eas t bound
ttame (lelltlng to enler the expressway must go to Torrenre
Avenue Interchangc.

Traffic is permitted while work proceeds on the

following named roads in the suburban area:
l30TH STRr:ET, bet~~n In(llana and Torrence Avenues,
Wldcnlnf and rClurfaClnll.
~TI STREET, between Mannnelm and COunty Line Roadl,
widening lind resurrarlng.
WE:o<TWORTH AVENUE. between l67th Slret'l and SIHtC
Strrt't. Calumet City, resurfacing.
DVNDEE ROAD. I>t'lween Defiplll.lnes river and Skoklc IIIJrhWit)', widening Rnd Te5urfaclng.
W[NNlc."TKi\ ROAD, WUlon Str('(!t to Sh('rlrla n ROAd, r ....
aurCae!ng

Mosquito Abaters lI el ))

The foll owing Chicago slreets are opc.n during

work:

"The Clean Streams Committee is receiving excellent co--operation from the three Mosquito Abatement
Districts now operating in Cook County. Any new
source of stream pollution ohserved by them are
reported promptly to tile committee.

PULASKI ROAD, Belmont Avenue to Cermak Road, reo

iurfllcl n g
HALSTED STR~:~::T. Vincennes Avcnue to Lillie Calumet
rlYer reBurlllring
i:X.ri-TAGE CROVE AVEI\.'1J E, ~th Str('(!t to SOuth ChlcaJro
Avcnue. I'(!lurfllclng.
rRVINC PARK l'tOAO. Pulaski Road to Marine Drive, resurf.dnil

Survey to Learn Why Folks Ride as They Do

HEN A resident
Cook County bas a choice of
several means of local travel-train, bUB, streetW
car. elevated or his own car-why does he prefer one
oC

over the others?

As far 8S the whole population is concerned, the

answer Is now unknown. But when a study begun this

month by the Cook County Highway department is

completed. the tabulations will nol only show the

percenlages of people using their cars for trips of all

kinds and of those who usc mass transportation regularly, but also the reasons wby they travel as they do.
Many who live in the county, including Chicago,
have no practical choice. The 6,000 bouseholds
selected for the study however, were picked for being
80 located that the family members might use one
of several means, depending upon considerations of
comfort, convenience, time sa.ving, cost and the like.
Coordi na ted S;rstem Needed
"Our purpose is to learn how travel by private car
is related to travel by mass transportation," said
William J. Mortimer, county highway superintendent.
"There is no intention of trying to persuade people to
use one or the other against their own preference.
ffighways and mass transportation are both essential
in a coordinated countywide system.
" fn order to plan intelligently for coordination, to
serve all the people to their best advantage. it is
necessary to know how and why they ride on their
dally trips to work, business and shopping. It is especially important to know why they have found one
way better than others."
The study will be directed by Leo G. Wilkie, traffic
engineer of the county highway department , tII,lng 44
college students working during vacation. Each SIUDmer tor several years pasl the departnlr:nt has employed sludenls living in Cook County for special
projects.
Deta iled In fo rma ti on Sought
Families to be intervicwed have received letters askIng their cooperation. No names are to be used. The
nlnc-page form to be present.ed by t.he interviewer
seeks infonnalion of travel habits by all family members 16 and older.
Employed persons will be asked wbether they ride
to and from work in their own cars or by public
transit. such details as the distance, time of trip and
the route followed, and whether an alternate means
would be as satisfactory. The final question:
"What single specific factor delermined your choice
of means of travel-c08l is less, comfort. less lime
required for trip, less waJking required, adequate
parking facilities not available, adequate parking facilities too coaUy, ear nece888.1'}' for work, car necessary
for return trip, convenience, other reasons?"
Similar questions will be Rsked of shoppers. both
as to trips in their neighborhood and into downtown
Chicago. Those who use streetcar, bus, elevated or
flub-way will be 88ked whether they were able to get
a seat Rnd h'lw many times it was necessary to
transfer.
Infonnation gained, Mortimer said, will be made
available to the Chicago Transit Authority and to
city and state highway officials.

M~. B. Sheedy
4826 Potom ..e Averlur:, Tell. Inter.
viewer Flober-t N. Prendergalt How She Goe. to Shop

June Building Permits

Pennita for 601 building construction projects in
the unincorporated area of LIte county were issued in
June by the Cook County Building and Zoning Bureau. The total valuation represented was 8,798,510.
By lownships, permits we.re issued as follows:
T,m " .. hlp
Bllrrln,um
Bloom
Bremen
Elk Gn)\"t'
II.ho\"l'r
t.l'mnnl
l.('y,ll'n
I.y"n~

" .. In ..
Trl"r
Xurlhnl'ltl
:orwood Park
Qrlllncl
!'>I'W

f>t,l/1l1ne

Pliol
Pn,\h!..
Ht.-lt

Sf-hliumbUl"I
SlIckm.'y
Thornton
Whl.'elln,
WnrTh

",
,
""
,

I'ermlh

..

,~

<9
6
3"

'",,
"'"
'"'"
6

,'.hl"

74,~OO

",,328.150
224,700

m.800

","""
"'"
....,800
,,,.,,..

...

~.4:1O

...."'"

1.014,070

76.600
471,900

037,"'"

,....,.

11.400

437,910

96.000
1.35201:10
7~9,360

There also wcre four permits for a total valuation

of $245.500 issued in the no-fee class, which includes
churches, schools and farm buildings.

Exprsssway Meets History

County CD Workers Rally

CALUMET Expressway I. opened Lo Sauk

Trail August 1, Cook County's newest modern
W HEN
highway will meet one of its oldest.
Long before the white man came. the- Great Sauk

trail was the main line of Indilln tr8V(~1 between the

Mississippi at Rock Island and Detroit. Later it WIlS
traveled by explorers of fOUr nalions. Soon the wind
ing remnant across the south end of the county will
be important as a means of access to to expressway.
Taking the opening of Calumet as a timely occasion
to recall history. Roberts Mann, conservation editor
of the Cook County Fort'st Preserve District, has
prepared a special bulletin on Sank Trail. In part,
it follows:
Why Sauk Trail Is Crooked
"For centuries, banda of red mcn travei('d it in
single Die, on missions of peace or war, until tiley
had beaten a Darrow pathway deep in the soil. The
Indian traveling overland, picked Lhe shortest, safest
rouLe for easy trolling, often following paths worn
by deer or buffalo. He was partial to low ridges but
went around hills. Iskes, swamps and places thick
with thorny underbrush. That Is why Sauk Trail is
so crooked.
';When the while men came they followed ilLa Salle and other explorers, fur traders. missionaries,
and parties of soldiers. The early settlers traveled It
on horseback. Eventually it became a road used by
stage coaches, buggies, farm wagons a nd now. finally,
by a uLomobiles.
"The Sauk Trail crossed several very Important In
dian trails and many others joined it at various points.
It crossed what became Huhbard's Trace and the Vin
cennes road at South Chicago Heights (Brown's
Comer).
Trn\'eled by J..tl Salle
"Some hisLorians believe that La Salle made at least
one trip over the Sauk Trail to Fort Miami, which h('
and Tonty had buill in 1678 ncar the mouth of the
Sl. J oseph river In Michigan. I t undoubtedly was
used by the French after 1697 when they built Fort
St. Joseph at Niles. A few miles south of there, at
a place they called Pare aux Vachea (the 'cow p<'n'
or 'huffalo yard'), was wher(' Sauk Trail crossed
the SL Joseph river and several important trails
radiated from that crossing.
"The Sauk (or Sac) and Fox Indians, like the
Lroquoifll, hated the French and sided \\;th the British.
That alliance continued during the Revolutionary War
and the War of 1812. The British made them an an
nual payment of goods at Fort Malden. Canada, near
Detroit. Later the United States government. in ex
change for lands, annually paid $600 to the Sauk and
$400 to the Fox in goods delivered at Fort Detroit.
" In 1781 an expedition of Spanish soldiers came
up the Illinois river, east on Sauk Trail, .seized ,i'ort
St. Joseph, fiew their flag over it for 24 hours. and
hutily retreated to St. Louis. In 1803 a company of
American soldiers marched over it from Detroit to
La Porte and thence to Chicago, where they built Fort
Dearborn. About 1838 the Potawatomi in Mic.big:ln,
indiana and lllinoifil sadly traveled it to the Mississippi
and their new homes farther WCtlt.

At the Civil Defente Rally. Left to right-General

J L. Homer, General Robert Woodward, JOleph A,
Downey, President DiII"lel Ryan, WlIllilim Harper, and
Anthony J, Mullaney, Chlugo CO Director.

5mENS
ON village hails and factories throughout
suburban Cook County sounded the "alert.. and
"all clear" on July 20 88 a realistic participation in
the natlonwidc Civil Defense test "Operation Alert
1956,"
On the follOwing duy, the local suburban C. D.
organizations carried out on paper various rescue
and shelter funclions they would be called on to per
form if bombs actually fell on Cbicago.
The exercise program was presented to suburban
mayors, village presidenlB, Civil Defenae directors and
police and fire chiefs at a meeting in the Berwyn city
hail on Monday night preeeding lhe tesL The high
Interest in Civil Defense maintained in the suburban
area was reflected in an attendance that filled the
seals and stood around the walls of the spacious city
council chambcr.
President Daniel Ryan of the Board of Cook County
CommiSSioners, first to be inlroduced by County C. D.
Director Joseph A. Downey. thanked the volunteers
for their devotion to the Civil Defense Program. General J. L. Homer, executive of the state Civil Defense
organization, explained the exercise, which supposed
two bombs equivalent to 20 million tons of TNT each
to be dropped on Chicago and required mutua] aid on
the part of the suburbs.
Other speakers were General Robert Woodward,
state Civil Defense director; Mayor William J . Krit
of Ek!rwyn, Colonel James Mitchell, commander of
lhe Civil Air Patrol , and William Harper, county C. D.
radio officer, who cxlliained the wave lengths and
other details of the radio network set up for the
several hundred amateur operators who have volunteered for Civil Defen$(> duty.
"Like the Cumberland, Santa Fe and Oregon trails,
th(' Great Sauk Trail made history, Four Hags have
been carried over It: French, Spanish, English Rnd
American. The Indians had no flags,"

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Mld.ummer Day', DreOlm. On the Bank. of t he De. P lai n"

Vol. IV No. 3

In the Foreat P re-trYe Near Oam No.4.

AUGUST, 1956

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook County (m. ) Department of HiK'hwBYI
Under auspices of the Board of County Commissioners
DANIEL RYAN, President

James F. A.henden
Charles F. Chaplin
Elizabeth A. Conkey

William N. Erickson
Fred A. Fulle
Chrilt A. Jenlen
John A, M;u;:kler, Jr,

Jerry Dolezal

Clayton F. Smith

John J. Duffy
Arthur X. Elrod

John J. Tcuhy

Frank Bobrytzke

Edward M. Sneed

William J, Mortimer
Superlntendenl of HJl"hwRH

Published at 130 North Wells Slreet, Chicago 6.

FRanklin 2-7544

Extension 216

Boob of the Month

July Traffic Fatalities

H IGHWAY TRAFFIC FATALITIES in suburban
Cook County. as weU as in the City of Chicago,
were reduced sharply in July.

.\~

")

""

The death total out in the county was 15, which

COm)lfLred with 28 in June. In Chicago Lhere were 11
deaths in July and 38 in June.

-'i

I~
/

I,

';;;!j} = ~~):,,~, 'r"

~,~~~
':~~d"
~
- ~' ~.

Improvement In the suburbs, however, must continue or the loll for the year will be one of the worst
in the records. Through July this year, the total was
126 dead, 20 more than in the same months of last
year. The July figure. while looking good compared
to June',;, was exactly the same as July 1955.
Nine of those killed last month were riding in cars
tbut coUided with other cars. Two met death when
their car struck a roadside post. One was a pedestrian. Of the other dead, one was killed in each of
the following types of accident; Autoobject, auto
truck, truck-truck.

<$J'B~,

~"

/J:~ ~I1./.,
' ~.~\ ""~
;}="'~"~n
.

j{ .,,-

' ~-\
If}} /'\.~,

_~
'-

Fatal Fallacies

~,~

'"

DICK drives all over- all over City streets,

MHeOPEY
exprcssways and country roads.
always has a destination, but it's a miracle he

Safety Is more than a slogan. It is an attitude of

mind and a way of life. And as the road of all virtues
is strewn with temptations, so is the path of safety.
We call them fatal fallacies. The following are a few
of the deadliest:
Pitting speed of reflexes against the modern automobile's super-horsepower.
Feeling free to "pour it on" on the straightaway,
no matter how clear the day, how dry the road, how
straight or wide the highway.
Driving while intoxicated or weary in the vain hope
lbat the homing instinct will assure safe arrival.
Reliance on built-in safety to compensate for lack
of care.
Believing, with the supreme confidence born or experience, that rules of the road are meant for beginners.
These are just some of the fatal fallscles which
caused grievoUB death IlDd injury on the highways of
America in 1955. More than 80 per cent of aU casualties occurred in accidents where there was some
driving violaUon.
This leads to the inescapable conclusion that accidents do not "jusl happen". And lO believe that avoid
ance in the past means immunity in the rutur!' is the
most fatal (aUaey of aU,- Magic Circle.

ever arrives.
When he decides to turn, hc's in Ule wrong lane.
OD expressways he doesn't figure fsr enough ahead
to exit properly.
So be cuts over, flapping his flipper at the last
moment.
Most of the time other drivers are courteous, or
scared, and leL him through.
Expressways are waters too deep for M0I>CY Dick.
For the safety of himself and others he should stay
In the shallows until he learns that anticipating turns
and exits is a vital principle of driving in heavy trn.ffic.

Ohicago

becl. SlglI Damage

In the City of Chicago, approximau-Iy 20,000 of the

city's 200.000 traffic signa are damaged or stolen an
nually. The loss aggregates about $340,000 a year
since a sign and its installation cosl the city an
average of about $17. Most of the damage comes
when cars or trucks back into signs. Thefts were
attributed to persons wanting to hang the signs in
their bomes. -PUBLIC WORKS ENGINEERING
l'.'EWSLETTER (D 56)

More Pavement Opened on Two Expressways

,
Congress Street Opening Parade AUllult 10 Moving Ea,tward Through Milln Po.totrlce on New Section Re;!lchinll Michigan

Boulevard.

SECTIONS OF Congress Street and

ADDITIONAL
Calumet Expreaw8Ys were opened to travel on

August 10 opening. This is about 15,000 above the

previous tally.
Counts taken at. the Paulina Street. exit for eastbound traffic and the Ashland Avenue entran(:c to
t.he westbound lanes indicate that more than half the
cars are using the new pavement into the loop. The
Paulina Street exit count is about halJ the previous
tallies and at Ashland Avenue the number of cars
entering to go weSL has decreased about 75 per cent.
On Calumet. daily travel increased shout 2.000.
Par example. on Sunday. July 29, when Calumet south
of Kingery was open only at Glenwood-Dyer Road
and Lincoln Highway. the 24hour count in both
directions was 7,449. On Sunday. August 12. two
days after the pavement south of Lincoln Highway
to Sauk Trail was put in use. it rose to 9.609.
Also opened on August 10 was the new ramp constructed by the county at the west terminus of Congress Street. This is a temporary ouUet intended to
relieve congestion at Laramie Avenue by permitt.ing
west-north traffic to go one block west of Laramie
and exit into Lockwood Avenue.

August 10.

On Congress Street, the City of Chicago eeremonjollsly dedicated the sectiona it has constructed east
of Ashland Avenue.

Tbere was a parade of cars,

including some antiques, from Laramie Avenue to

Michigan Boulevard and a program of speaking in
the Congress Street plaza.
Congress Street now affords seven miles of continuous expressway. The county-buill section between
Laramie and Sacramento Avenues and the state-built
section between Sacramento and Ashland Avenues
were opened last December 15. Another piece of
county construction-the elevated roadway between
Desplaines and Canal Streets- was put into use AuguslI08S the city sections to th' west and east were
opened.
An immediate increase in travel on both Congress
Street and Calumet hM been noted.
On Congress Street the average 24-hour count, both
directions, exceeded 100,000 the first week after the

County Bonds Freed for New Expressways

SOUTH

ROUTE

CONNeCTION

--

STONY ISLAND AVE.

EXA

oVI!>.

A
I>

:1}"

~/

1'~(Z

rI

~>fJt
,
6

r"!I
c;.

Following i8 text 0/ the Jetter submitted to the

Board 0/ Cook County Commia.!rlOneT" ia.,1 month by
William J. Morhmer. COU?lty Highway SIIPfTintelidetit.
ill which he recommend fielD e:rpre33way~ to be COIl'
struded I('ilk the $SH million e:cprea$1I.:ay bond., "01('

a.'

Itim to prcpure a

L:l!I

rP

/G~I~"

New Expressways Suggested

Expressway projects recommended by SUJl("t'intendent Mortimer as meriting conalderaljnn in
new plans for the county'S $245 million bond
i&8ue are:
Northwest Roul>-Toll Section
(Cicero to Airport)
S 35,OOO.OO()
Slony Island- 79th to lonh ,
30.000,000
Cro88Town Route(North-South Expressway) 7 1 ~ M..
60,000,000
Franklin A venue-Congre1J8 to 26lh--3 M.
60.000,000
55th Street--5tony Island
to Cieer0-8 M.
90,000.000

that /t'deral ,.wlls u:ill be araiable to complete the

priority "1Jstem Of expreMways. Tile CommiSIliotler8
approl'ed. and

Mr. Mortimer requested, directed

line Itrith hi8 ideas.

lICW pl(lll ill

OF federal legislation providing

THEfundsPASSAGE
for construction of the interstate system
will materiaUy alter and affect the purposes of your
honornble body's $24ts,OOO,OOO bond issue. This bond
Issue was created to expedite the conaLn1cUon of the
South, Southwest, Weal and Northwest routes of the
priority expressway system. Inasmuch as all of these
routes are part of the interstate system, the State
Highway Department has informed us that they desire
to complete the aforementioned projects with federal
funds, therehy relieving your honorable body of using
bond funds.
A number of conferences have been held with highway officials of the state snd the City of Chicago seek
ing to develop a plan allocating sections of the interstate system to be designed and constructed by each
of the participating agenciea. A tent..a.tive plan haa
been developed providing for the county to construct
sections or the system estimated to cost $150,000,000.
The federal legislation requires a participation of 10
per cent hy the local agency. This would require your
honorable body to appropriate $15,000,000 to match
the ft'deral funds. We have on hand $2,500,000 and the
appropriation each year for five yean of $2,500,000
out of the county's share of the gas tax would not
curtail the present five-year non-expre&8way program.

$275,000,000
Othe r EX I)ressWIl)'S Needed

I wish to call to your attention that the federal

highway bill will not expedite the construction of the
IJriority s:y1ltem. It will, howe\'er, relieve Cook County
of the obligation to spend the $245.000,000 on that
system. This will provide an unprecede nted opportunity to construct some of the many net>ded expressway facilities , other than the priority system,
It makes possible the construction of the Northwest
Expre1J8way from Cicero A venue to lhe O'Hsre Airport a8 a free road rather than a toll.
In the opinion of the highway agencies it is neccssary to construct an expressv.'ay facility on Stony
Island from 107th and Doty Avenue northerly, to
( Continued on Page 7)

(J

C
~

Stony Island Avenue

I 11>:'--' '---'

L.-..J L----::.. -............/

LPt=r"E:tii
~~~H~~ [-=:J
C:::J CJ c::::J
i" __1I
[=::J c::::J
L-:J c::J L::J c:::J

0-4')t'

IS

First to Be OK'd

L-I L-.J

L---....J

iO= ~I==:J

----..J .

'::=:~~~Lj
r

C:::J C:::J C:::J c:::::::J c::::J c-J g

c:::::J c::::J c:::::J c:::::::J c::::J c::::J CJ

0 00 =

~.---2 ~S,2 ~ S~
Indiana toll road system at looth Street and Indianapolis Boulevard.
The median strip between the two dJvi.ded roadways,
of Stony Island, formerly occupied by surface line
tracks. Is approxJmately 200 feet in width, ample for
the expressway development.
Link to Oute r Drive Pla nned
Improvement of Stony Island north of 79th Street
to 8 connection with Lake Shore Drive in Jackson
Park also is planned. A study of this improvement is
under way in the County Highway Department as
part of the 1956 development pr ogram.
The $30 million allocated for the Stony lsland Expressway comes from proceeds of the 5245 mlllion
bond issue of 1955, which was originally intended tor
completion of the county's share of the basic expressway syste.m. Newly provided federal funds wilJ now
bear 90 per cent of the cost of these primary expressways, leaving the county free to use its bond funds
on additional routes, as explal.ned by County Hjghway
Superintendent William J . Mortimer on page 4 .

NEW EXPRESSWAY link to serve the far south

A
side of Chicago has been authorized by the Board
of Cook County Commissioners and $30 million has
been allocated for construction.
Jt will be a depressed highway occupying the center
strip of Stony Island Avenue, where street cars used
to run, and wi.lJ extend from 79th Street to l07lh
Street. a distance of three and one-half miles. At the
south end it will connect with Doty Avenue, a modified type of expressway, which In turn connects with
Calumet Expressway at 130th Street. The east leg
of the South Expressway will join Doty Avenue at
the same poinL
A study of the area and its t.rafflc

n~

ha.a been

slarted by the Cook County Highway Department.

which will design and construct the improvemcnL A
primary concern is which streets shall be continued
across the expressway section on ,bridges and which of
these shall have ramps connecting with the expressway.
.\11 St reeb. to Ihwe A Cf'e....

The 1\1811 Wh o Didn't l'\'eed II Book

Streets not carried over the exprcssway will continue to have access to two existing roadways of Stony
Island. These wiD in elfect become frontage roads,
like those along Edens, CaJumet and Congress Street
ExpreSliways, on which tra.ffic can move locally or
to the nearest expre88way entranCe.
The plan reproduced above shows the location of the
expressway from the busy three-way Intersection of
79th Street and Stony Island and South Chicago Av_
eDUCS to Its connection with Doty, At 79th Street, as
shown on the plan, Stony lsland wUJ be crossed by
the Calumet Sky Way, whicb wHl connect the South
Expressway at about 65th and State Streets wilh the

We are of the opinion that the majority of motorisLs

will obey motor vehicle laws when faced with severe
penalties. strict enrorcement, and education.
Education, howC!,'er. is a nebulous factor. We are
reminded of the quaint tale about the book salesman
who tried to sell the farme r a new book on modern
farming.
The farmer replied with "Son, 1 don't need that
book. Right now I'm not fanning half 88 good as I
know how."
Most motorists today are not driving "half as good"
8S they know how.-Tbe Highway Magazine,

Test Roses as Expressway Safety Factor

A MEA.VS of enhancing the safety, comfort and
As pleasure
of motorists using the expressways, the

Cook County Highway Department lIS planning to set

out 80me rose bushes-31.470 of them, to be exact.
They will be placed In the center of the median strip
of Calumel Expressway between the Kingery Express.
way traffic intercbange and Sauk Trail, 8 distance of
approximately six miles. The planting will be an e~
penment that will go on until after the bushes attain
full growth. about three years hence. At th(> same
tJme. the Illinois Division of Highways intends to try
out the idea on short stretches of Calumet, Edens
and Kingery Expressways.
The principal purpose of the planting is salety.
Teats have demonstrated that 8 thicket of raac
bushes will catch a car run off the road 8S if in a
safety net, without injury to passengers or serious
damage to the car.
Other advantages anticipated Include:

Reduce Glare and Noise

Telt C .. ,. I. Stopped Harmle"ly After R .. mmlng Into
Barrier or Shrubbery .. t Speed or 30 Mile. an Hour.

When fully grown, six feet in height, tbe bushes will

reduce headlight glare (rom opposing traffic.
In a 40foot median, as on CalUmet, they will serve
as snow fences.
Traffic noiscs will be reduced.
The impenetrable line of bushes will eliminate the
need of barrier cables now Installed in expressway
medians to prevent U turns.
Bloomlng all summer long. they will add beauty to
the parklike rights-of-way.
Some dlaadvantages may develop as lhe experimenls proceed. At the outsct, Ralph R:. Bartelsmey.er,
chief highway engineer ot the state, IS apprehenSive
that the bushes will bloom also ....ith deaning tissue
and other scraps tossed from passing cars. As it is,
he saM, the state removes eight truck loads of paper
trom Edens Expressway every week. Whether people
will learn manners in the esthetic atmosphere of
blooming roses remains to be seen.

"The vehicle employed was 8 Willys 1953 two-door

Iledsn, with no modification except the inlllAlIation of
two safety belt units, four inches wide, floor anchored.
Both driver und observer ulled standard safety crash
h(>lmetll . . .
"The first contact was mllde at a speed of 20 mph,
a8 record~ by the radar unit. ' " The metlllured
8topping distance was 9.8 (eet approximatel)' ..
"Both the driver Rnd myself felt no discomfort or
abdominal strain during the deceleration period. Our
generaJ observationll wert' that the total deceleraUon
W8!l no more severe than a 'panic stop' of a vehicle
with extremely high braking e-fficiency. In fact, we
observed a very even, progressive deceleration unattended by any peaks.
"General eye obsen'el'8 reported a forward movement or the unbroken mass of Ule plantings, followed
by a very gradual opposite movement after the vehicle came to rest.

Mul tlfl:ora Type to lie Used

Roses used for highway safety barriers are of the
multiflora type. They grow sturdy, with little attention, in ordinary soil, and recover when c.rushed or
even burned over.
As planned by Morris Cherner, landscape engineer
of the Cook County Highway Department, bushes in
the Calumet experiment will be set three feet apart
in three staggered rows. Thill armngement will require 31470 bushes in the six-mile planUng. When
fully g~wn, with the numeroull branches .interlaced,
the Ilhrubs will form a dense mass approximately 12
feeL in depth. Although this type of rose attains a
height or eight feet, the barrier bushes will be kept
trimmed to six feet, sufficient to screen headlight
glare and to reduce traffic nolae.
Testa of multiHora barriers have been made by Motor Vehicle Rellearch Inc. In a preliminary report, Andrew J. White described the experience of smashing
into the barrier at speeds of 20, 25, and 30 miles
an hour.

Car Goe<i In Two Feet

"Examination of the relit position of the vehicle
disclosed that it had produced a Lunnel In the mass
into which the car had P<'netratoo approximately two
feet to a point Ix-fore the hood center. The vehicle
was backed out of the area by means or its own power.
"Ground examination showed a shearing of 50 per
cent of the stalks in the ar~a running three feet forward from the bumper contact point Rnd covering an
area six and one-half feet wide. The balance of the
stalks showed bark peeling and fractures.
"A second deceleration was lhen undertaken wilhout
the aid or safety belts by the technicians. The contact
area was at the same point in the mass. Radar Ilpeed
.....aa recorded at 25 plus miles per hour, true. The
driver and passenger observed no 'peaks' or discomforL The measured distance ot penetration was 10.6
feet . . . The vehicle could nOl remove itself without
(Continued on Page 7)

July Building Permits

Ull.DING CONSTRUCTION IN the unincorporated
B
area of the county, as reflected by pennits issued
in July, is on the rise.
The monthly summary of the Cook County Building
and Zoning Bureau shows 8 total of 666 permits
representing a total valuation or 9,292.897. Seven
permits for a totAl valuation of $376,900 were issued
in the no fee classification, which includes churches.
schools and farm buildings, bringing the grand total
for the month to S9.669,797.
The July total of fec permits compures with 601,
total valuation S8,79 .510. issued in the preceding
month and with 518. tolal valuation $6,435,681, issued
in July 1955.
Of the 666 permits Issued in July. 429 were for
residences, 251 of which are to be connected to sanitary sewers Rnd 178 to have septic s)'stems. There
were five permits for business buildings, two industrial, 68 alterations and additions, 133 nccessory buiJdings, one new septic syst.em, 10 wells and 18 miscellaneous,
By townships, the 666 permits were issued as follows :
Tnwn,.lolp

Barrln,lon
Bloom
BN!mI'JI
E:lk Grove
Hanover
Lemont
Leyden
Lyon.
Maine
New Tl"ler
Norlhnp]tl
Norwood Purk
Orland
Palatllle
PalOIi
Rich

Schaumburg
Stickney
Thornton
Whllellnsr
WOrth

l'ennUs
:;
11;
Hoi

13

\'lIlomlloll
$

63,060
168,Il00
9.'}U,6IJ(l

7lU,400

128,700

012
:13
-1-1
1

aoo.2lIoO

<I

no

17

10
31
21
11

79

S4
4
:1/1
10

50,000

8112.1()l1
666,3(10

oIl.bOO

9f)3,~

235,:100

1&1900
626:&10
291'lAOO
148,!)50

1.~!H.200

626,837
49,HOI)
3-1211000
1)12. 1M

One no fee permit. was issued in each of five townships-Bloom, Elk Grove, Northficld, Palatine, and
Schaumburg-and two were issuro in Wort.h,

Roses for Safety

(Continued from Page 6)
the aid of a tow truck used as a starter _ . , Both
the driver and observer used the driver's side door
as a means of egress as the opposite door could not
be opened because of the pJonting mass crushed
sgainst it.
"A third deceleration was made at 30 mph without
passenger protection of safety belts. Penetration was
approximately 11 reet and Ute car was buried in a
plant tunnel up to the windscreen area. A tow car
was required to remove lhe test. car.
50 111(111 COllld He Tolernted
"Examination o[ the mass di.!5closed an increasing
resistance of the mass from Run 1 and Run 3. Extenor observers stated there was no loss of progressive
stopping. The driver and observer reported no discomfort or injury,
"}<~rom s purely subjective standpoint, both driver
and observer (both with several years test driving
experience) felt that an original contact at speeds up
to 50 mph could have been tolerated . . .

Detours on County
Jobs
,

CURRElI.'TLY UNDER way by lhe Cook

W ORK
County Highway Department requires detours

as follows:

EAST AVE."lUE betWl!'e1l Joliet nQad an d 47th Stree t. widen_

Ing and I"e!ltlrtadng: detour weill on 47th Street to Mannhelm
Road. SOuth on Mannhelm to Route 116, eAst on 66 to Ealll
Avenue
WOLF RO,\O between Roosevelt ROad and Butterfteld Road,
wJdenlnsr and resurrol'ink: detour eas t on Roosevelt 10 Mann_
helm !toad. north (In MlInnhclm lO Wa,hlnglon Boule\'ard,
welt un Wallhlngton to Wolt,
BURNHAM AVENUE between 183rd Street IUld Schrum
Rontl. willening and relurtoC'ln,; detour northbound west on
leard to T Orrent'1l Avenue, north on Torren"" to IMlh Street.
en~t on 159th to Schrum Road.
STATE STRF.ET between Unroln Highway and Joe Orr
Road, concrete pavlnsr; northbOund trarrle detour eut to Cotlage Gruve Avenue and north to J~ Orr. !IOuthlxlund. reverse
order.
159TlI STREET at CA L UM~::-r EXPRESSWAY; eutbound
traIn!;" de.lrlng to enter the elCpreuway RO to Torrence Avenue
in terchange.

Traffie is pennitted while work proceeds on the

following ronds in the s uburbsn area:
WENTWORTH AVh'UE bet ..... een 167th and State Streelll
(Calume t CIty), N!lIIrtaclng.
l3OT1I STR!."T betwt'i,'n Indlalla lind Torren<'t! Avenues,
,,1dl'nlnl( IIl\d resurfacing.
~H STREF.T between Mannhelm and County Line Road S,
W,"" ..1nft' IInrl r""urfarl'lSl

The following Chicago streets are open during

work:
][ALSTFn !'ITRF.F.T belwce.n Vlncennu A~'enUe lind l07th
St"""" c.urraC'lnsr
COTTAGE: r."OV A\'F.N'UE betwet'n 95th Street and South
ChkllilO A\"nue. resurllll'lng.

---'----

New Expressways
(Continued from Page 4)
connect to the Outer Drive in Ute vicinity of 51st
Street. The bond issue fund .. could be used to con
nect. this proposed facility from 1071h to 79th. from
whic.h point federal funds would be available to continue the route to the Outer Drive connection.
The construction of the Sout.h and Soulhwest routes
will overload that section o[ the South route north
of 25th Street. Under the present plan, seven lanes
of traffic will merge Into four. We believe It nol only
desirable but necessary that the Franklin Street extension, as proposed by Mayor Daley, be constructed from
approximately Archer A venue north to the present
Wacker Drive at Congress Expressway.
Cit)' Routes Rec.ommended
In addition to tbe three aforementioned routes, there
is a great need for n North and South expressway, or
as proposed in the comprehensive plan a eross-town
route, ss well as an east-weat route on t.he south side
of Chicago, such as the one recently proposed in the
vicinity of the Midway Plaisance.
The available funds will not. pennit the construction of all of these rout.es. but 1 am attaching herewiUt a list of the routes and the estimated cost of
each, and I respectfully request. that. your honorable
body give careful consideration to the preparation of
a new plan for the expenditure o( the $245,000,000,
The need [or these routes is urgent and the money
is available. Therefore, I respectfully request that
your honorable body direct me to prepare a new plan
and submit it for your consideration,
"Examination of the exterior body area of the vehicle disclosed no deformation of any components or
body section13. Minor scr atches were observed in Ute
paint and chrome, Front end alignment. and geomelry
was ehecked and found to be unchanged."

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

New ly In'talled Light. on Congre.. Street Between ht Avenue, MI)'wood , and Milnnhe im ROld .

Vol. IV No. 4

SEPTEMBER, 1956

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook County (Ill.) Department of Hlrhways
Under auspices of the Board of County Commi.s!loneni
DANIEL RYAN. Pruldent

Jolrnea F. Alhenden
Frank Bobrytzke
Charle. F. Chaplin
Ellubeth A. Conkey
Jerry Dolezal
John J . Duffy
Arthur X. Elrod

William N. Erickson

Fred A. Fulle
Chrl.t A. Jen.lm
John A.
Clayton
Edward
John J.

Mackler. Jr.
F. Smith
M. Sneed
Touh)'

WIlHam J. Mortimer
Superintendent of III,h1\'II)'.

Published at 130 North Well! Street, Chicago 6.

FRanklin 2-j5H

Extension 216

Boob of the Month

August Traffic Fatalities

WENTY.THREE PERSONS-drivers, pedestrians
T
and bicycle riders-were killed last month on
streets and highways in suburban Cook County.
It was the heaviest August toll in the eleven years
of records keJlt by the Cook County Traffic Safety
Commission.

Also significant. August was the firsl monlh In the

same period when traffic fatalities out in the counlY
exceeded those in Chicago. The city total was 22.
For the first eight months of 1956. the suburban
total stands at 149. which is 25 more than for the
same period last year.
At lhe same time, the city has reduced its eight
months' total from 229 last year to 210 this year.
Four of the August deaths occurred in collisions
between automobiles, three when an elevated train
struck a car, three when cars ran Into roadside ditches,
two in colJisions between trucks and two when a car
hit a tree.
Two pedestria.ns were killed by automobiles. A bicycle rider and one on a motorcycle were struck by
cars and onc cyclist was killed by a truck.
One person was killed in each of the fol.lowing
types of accidents: Auto-train, auto-fence, autotruck and truck-ditch.

THlS BOOB first drove 3 car he realized hf'

was a
W HEN
b~ginner.

He observed all the rules and took no chances.

Now he's got mileage on the speedometer and on the
brain.
Rules are (or beginners; he's graduated.
As a Mnster Driver his confidence is supreme. He
zips past cars moving al legal speed, cuts the passing
distance 011 hills and curves and zooms in and out in
reckless, but masterful. fashion.
It's nice going until one Master Boob meets another.
Then they get. their final diplomas.

Trucks Weighed While Moving

Electronic scales, so sensitive that they will weigh
the individual axle load of a moving vehicle going as
fast as 60 mph .. are the newest safeguards to detect
overweight vehicles on the Indlana East-West Toll
Road. These scales differ [rom a conventional scale
in timt knifed edges, levers and other complicated
moving pa rts are eliminated.
Tbe electronic system of weighing consists of a 3by-l0 foot platform embedded in a roadway or before
an entry lane or exit, sensing elemenUl mounted in a
shallow pit below the platform. and an electronic
unit, that receives electrical impulses [rom the sensing
elements. When a pre-set level of weight is exceeded,
an electrical brain sounds an alarm, records the passage of the axle, and other pertinent data 8S to time,
entry station, etc.

The chief advantage of installing this type scales

at bridges, tunnels, tollroads and highways is to prevent damage to a concrete roadbed due to overweight
axle loads of ve:hicles. Checking trucks on the move
eliminates costly time now lost in queues at weighing
stations. This is one of the chief complaints of truckers whose vehicles are spot-cbecked on highways to
verify true weigbt.s.~Power Wagon.

Once Road for Farmers, Now a Busy Street

A. Cook County Suburbl. Develop., Country Road, Become City Street. Burnham Avenue, an Early OilY Sec.
tlon Line Road in the South Part of the County, Now L ined With Neat New Homet. I. Being Improyed to Play
It. Part in the New Era.

8y James F. Kelly
Aaalatilnt Superintendent
Cook County Highway OeDilrtme."

UNDER WAY by the Cook County High

W ORK
way Departmenl improving Burnham Avenue by

widening it to four lanes and resurfacing the entire

width is a road builder's operation to relieve a fast
growing communitr of hardening of the arteries.
Burnham Avenue. in the southeast corner of Cook
County. began existence 8S a country road. It was
one of the earliest scction line roads, follOwing the
line of Townships 35, 36. and 37 North, Range Ui
East. the first Cull sections west of the Indiana state
Une. For many years it W88 all the residents of the
area needed to go from fann to market with their
buggies and wagons, and until only a few years ago
it was adequate for motor traffic.
In the last three Yf"arB the one-time farmer's road
has become virtually a city street. Npw houses line
both sid('s from about 183rd Street north. Lansing and
Its vicinity have attmcted workers in the industrial
plants in the south of Chicago who sought suburban
atmosphere for their fa.mllics. Their dail)' travels, together with a traffic increase lhat Is general throughout the county, made It plain that thp old section line
road had had Its day snd relief was in order if it was
to function as an important artery.
Count Shows Trn.ffic Ilierea'>e
A traffic count ,,"'8.8 laken on Burnham by the Cook
County Highway Department in 19~, It was found
that between 183rd Slreet and U. S. 6, the 24-hour
volUme was 5,000 vehicles; at the Michigan City Roa.d,
7.500 and at Sibley Boulevard, 11,000, Observation

One Old Road Refu.ed to Grow Up , 10 the Cod41: County

Fore.t Prete ..... e OI.trlet I, S,vlng It In Memory of

Ho .. "' Buggy Day . Actually It I, lOOth Avenue

Between 95th and 87th Street. in the Prese rve South
of Willow Spring . Open to Hike ...., It Lead. to Polly.
wog , KatydId. Boomer.ng .. nd Peewee Slough .

indicates that these figures have Increased markedly

since then.
BUrnham Avenue's Importance 8S a through rotlte

from the Will County line III Steger Road into Chicago,
where it becomes Avenue 0 north of 138lh Street. has
long been recognized. One of the first grade separations in Cook County was constructed in 1928 to carry
Burnham over railroad tracks at Slale Street in
Calumet City. Besides Lansing and Calumet City.
Burnham is also a main thoroughfare for the "illage
of Burnham and the Hegewisch community in Chicago.
About the same time the span was put across the
tracks In Calumet City, the County built a wooden
(Continued on Page 7)

Planners of 1923 Located Northwest Route

No one, 'PeTh(Jps~ is more eagerly awaiting complenOlt of the North106st Expressway than Benjamin B. Fda, who "'0 years (Jgo~ as u member
0/ the Chicago Plan C01llmiMioll, proposed (UI
el81.'ated, high speed (30 m.p.h..) highway CO'Inecting the c611traZ bllsiness district 10ith arterial
highways in the florthwest part of the calmly_
The project wa.. adopted by the commission
and designated the Avondale Avenue Improvement. Ellgitleering a'id finotlcing pIon., were advanced flrr several ye(I's, lmtil the depressiotl
halted an such 10ork. N01lJ the planner 0/ 1923
i8 seeing hia vimon realized ill the 116'0 exprelJ.'l100Y (Speed 60 m.p.h.).
ilIr. Felix wus

bOr-ll

at 18th Street and the lake

;Wft before the Chicago fire. He headed lite Peatheredge R'Lbber CompmlY, fOIHided by 1Ii$ fatller,
until hi8 r6tircm.61!t a f&tO years ago_ 8 6 flQW
lil :es on a 1Gooded farm llear Dundee.
At tile reqlte8l of Cook COllllty Highway,'l, Mr.
Felix prol'ided the followillg article.

URRENT PROGRESS ON the Northwest Expressway recalls plans made in 1923 for a through eleC
vated route from Chicago to the north snd northwest
arteries. Known as the
Avondale Avenue Improvement, it was planned to
paraJlel the trac.ks of the
Chic.'lgo & North Western
Railroad on an extension of
lhe railroad right-of-way.
The downtown terminus
was to be a plaza created
by widening Ca.nal Street to
180 fC(!t he tween~Ionroe
and Madison Streets. At
the center of this plazl an
inclined roadway 50 feet
wide beginning at Monroe
Benjamin B. Felix
Street was to rise to an
upper level at Madison Street and continue north on
Canal Street on an upper level. Here the highway
was to ex.tend above the Chicago & Northwestern
tracks on a direct line to Chicago Avenue.
The hlghway was to pass under the railroad yards
between Canal Street and Elston Avenue, then follow
the C & NW tracks to North Avenue, where it wss
to cross above the tracks, then parallel the railroud
right-of-way until Lowell Avenue. Here the superhighway was to go under the right-of-way and parallel
the railroad to Milwaukee Avenue, where it was to
follow the avenue to the Northwest Highway and
tenninate a block west of Parkside Avenue.
Hugh E. Young, chief engineer of the Chicago Plan
Commission in those days, anticipated that the new
highway would pennit a speed of 30 miles an hour.
"ll will reduce the time required to travel the ten
miles between the northwestern city limits and the
heart of the city by from 20 to 40 minutes." he stated.
In his recommendationB to the Chicago Board of
Local Improvements, Charles H. Wacker, in his capac-

ity of Chairman of the Chicago Plan Commission.

wrote, "This would be a real speedway, with the speed
of vehicles as high as safety would pennit--certalnly
SO miles an hour or more."
Mr. Wacker. for whom Wacker Drive was later
named, was good enough to include in bis recommendations to the Chicago Board of Local Improvements
that the Avondale Avenue Improvement "was suggested by one of our members, Benjamin B. Felix, who
suggests that the new street, which largely follows the
route of Avondale Avenu(', be named 'Pioneer Speedway'."
James Simpson, then president of Marshall Field &
Co., followed Mr. Wacker as president of the Chicago
Plan Commission. Like Mr. Wacker and A. A. Sprague.
president of Sprague, Warner & Co., he approved the
superhighway plan, largely on the recommendations
of Mr. Young.
In a detailed report. Mr. Young wrote Mr. Simpson
and the special committee on the Avondale Avenue
Improvement :
"This improvement will become the most important
of its kind anywhere in this country due to its length.
width, and traffic separation feature. its tremendous
importance in the transportation plan of Chicago, and
its great economic value to traffic.
"The total length of the elevated highway, including
the Canal Street improvement, is approximately 9.81
miles, of which about 3.5 miles consist of steel construction, including the street suhways, and 6.3 miles
consist of a fill placed between the railroad embank~
ment and a retaining wall.
"The total capacity of the elevated road will be
250,000 motor vehicles per day in both directions.
which is ample for futUre requirements."
Continuing his economic studies Mr. Young repr,rted
that the recommended supe.rhlghway would hring
about daily savings of 3,000 miles. He estimated construction costs at 560,000,000. "The cost per vehic.le
trip based on an annual flverage charge of S6.000,000
required to pay interest and retire the bonds in 20
years, would be B cents," he concluded, and asserted
that drivers would gladly pay Uris.
Editors tlote: Mr. Young's figllre of $60,000,000
appears high. to expressway fmgifleer8 today, IDhe"
oo8ts of right-of~1r.1ay, tIIaferial.'l alld con.'ltmction are
'much higher. The 9.6 miles of Northlcest Expressway
from COJlgre88 Street to F08ter and Cicero Avenues.
of more elaborate and e:peMive de8ign, 101n cost
approximately $150.000.000.

Even tllough Avondale 100S to hal'e fOILr limes ill

eadl. directiOtl, tile e8timate of 250,000 vehicles at 30
m. p. h. i8 regarded as h.igh. COllgre88 Street, with
three-lane roadways. was designed for a normal 1II0t.'6-

ment of 11.0,000 at 60
0/ 180,000.

111.

p. h.

alld

a mrimum vollmte

HOlJ)6U6r , Mr. Young's .'~tatement that Avondale. noU'

the Northwest Expres.may rOltte, would be of "fremendOll.8 imporfa1lce 1n the tran,' fPortatioll plall of
Ch'iC(lgo" (lnd of "great economic value to traffic U finds
flill agreement t0d4y.

LAKE
MICH IGAN

=~~:F~~~~:: - ~

...,"

Chlc:~go

PI." Comml .. lon Drawing of Northwett Route Plolnned T hlrty.three Year. Ago

August Building Permits

Detours on County Jobs

ERMITS FOR 855 building construction projects In

P
unincorporated area of the County were issued
in August by lhe Cook County Building and Zoning

Work currently under way by the Cook County

Highway Department requJres detours as follows :

tbt'

26TH STREET tNot"'H'n Des Plalnel and Harl('m An'nuel,

widening and reBurtacln,; detl1ur on Cermak Rond.
WOI_F ROAD betw~n Hoollf'Yell Road and RuUerneld Road.
wl(1pnlng and re~urrllclna; (1('lour elill on Roo"f'v('11 10 Mllnnhelm Itnad. nurlh on MlI.nnt,elm 10 WllllhlnglOr'l Boul('Vllrd.
"'~~I on Wa,hlnalon \0 w(lir.
SUft:-'JlAM AVENUE bl!1 ....... n 183rd St.r~l IInll S'hrum
Knall, wIdening tlnll rellurtllrlnll; detour northb(lI,md ...e~l on
UJ3rd 10 TOIT('nC(' Avenu(', norlh on Torren~ to) l~th Slrl''!H,
elllt "n 159lh to SChrum Ib'"d.
STATE STREf:r bt-I"'l'f'n I.ln('<)ln lIIah",")' a nd JO)(' Orr
H1I4d. l'Onrrete pa\'lnll; northbound tru!!'le dettlur eBlt 10 COI111111' ernve Avenue nnd norlh to Jue Orr, southbound, rl"'erae
OInll'r.
l~TH STREET at ("A1.l'MI'..'T EXPRESSWAY; eUloound
tratrJ(' de~lrlnR 10 I'ntt'r Ihe I'"prt'uwfly go to ToTTt'n('t' Avenue
Lnlerehllnge.

Bureau. Total valuation was Sl1 ,784,238.

The figures compared with 666 permits, total valuation 59.292,897, in the preceding month and 703 permils, valuation $9,266,797 , In August of last year.
Of the August toLaI, 557 permils were for resideDLlnl construction of a total valuation of $10.592,700.
PermiLS exceeding $1 million were issued for five
townships. Tbey were: Schaumburg, $2,479,250:
Wheeling, $1.622,800: Stickney. $1,340,850; Norwood
Park , $1.071.010 and Elk Grove, $1,024,250.
Besides residential. permits wer e issued for the fol
lowing types of construction:
Business and industrial, 14 permits. $523, 200 ; alterations and additions, 79, $267,868; accessory buildings,
170, $299,540; miscellaneous, 20, S89,630; new septic
systems, 2, (one $500 ; one, no value given); wells,
13, S10,BOO.
August permits were issued in the various town
ships as follows:
T" ... n~J' lp
Bllrrlnatim
Bloom
Bremen
Elk Grove
11i1n0"er
Lf'mo nt
Lto)'d..,n
I.),onl
Maln('
New TrIer

Traffic is permitted while work proceeds on the

following roads in the suburban area:
lafrrH STREET be t wt'l'n Indiana and Tnrrl'nct' A\'enue~,
wLtll'n Lng lind rl'lurfllC'ing
:'>.'inl STltEf:r belwl'('n l\Innnhelm nnd county Line IIU/ut..
whJl'ninll' lind t('SUrrAl'lng.

Nllt'.
Nnrlhlleld
Norwood Park
Orland
Palallne
Palo..
Rich
Sfhllumbur.
Stl('kney
Thornton
\\!haolln,
Worth

l"fOrmll.!;

..'""
3

7'

,
""
'"'",
""
37

L. .

B3
3B

v.oo

7!n,200
1,071,010

Jl~

323,""

2.1~:~

1.&4~
1,~,1!00

333,190

There were also five permits representing R total

valuation of $654,200 In the no-fce claSSification, which
includes churches, schools and farm bulldlngt'.

"",
"

Wh en Is It "E xpressway" or Just a

ow THAT expressways have become an important
N
feature in Chicago and Cook County,
more
to come,
seems timely to establish the term "ex-

Road?

crossings st gl'8de or direct private driveway connec

Unns. Partial control of access means that the authority to control access is exercised to give preference

with

it

pressway" and oust the obsolete "superhighway,"

which many continue to confuse with the newer designation.
Aut-hont}' for applying "expressway" to such improvements 88 Edens, Congress Street, Calumet and
Kingery Is the American Association of Highway Officials. Recognizing that. everyone who designs. constructs, uses, thinks, or talks about public roads
would be better equipped wit.h standard terminology,
the association lists 15 different terms, ranging from
expressway to dead-end streeL Superhighway docs
not appear.
Early In tbe era of modem highway development.
superhighway was coined La designate the most advanced design of the time. Jt was applied at one stage
to Congre68 Street and Edens. Edens also was known
for a brief period as Edens Parkway. That term was
discarded as connoting limitation of types of vehicles.

Modern Exprellway_Eden, .. I Gro .. Point Road

to through traffic to a degree that. in addition to

access with selected Ilubllc roads, there mny be some
crogsings at grade and some private driveway con
nections.
"EXllre.,S\\ a)" and "Freeway"
E,.PNWIICOY- -A divided
arterial highway for
through traffic, with full or partial control of aCCess
and generally \\,'ith grade separation at intersectioWi.
Frffe-u:ay An expreRllway with full control of sccess.
Porklcoy-An arterial highway for noncommerclaJ
traffic, with full or partial control of access. Rnd
usually located within a park or a ribbon of parklike
development.
AtCJjor Street or Major Hightoay-An arterial highway with intersections at grade and direct acccss to
abutting property, and on which geometric design
and traffic control measures arc used to expedite the
safe mov('menl of t.hrough traffic.
Througl/ Street or Throllgh l/iyhlvoy-Evcry highwny or portion thereof at the entrance to which vehicular trnffic from intersecting highways is rt'quired
by Inw to slop beforc entering or crossing the Sll1I\e
Rnd when stop signs are erected.
110 \\ to Tell It. Locul Road
Locol Street or Loco! Rood A slre<!t or road primary Cor access to residence, business or other abutting property
Di"idcd Bighll:o.'1- A highway with sep.'\rnted roadways for traffic in opposite directions.
Belt Highteo.II An arterial highway for carrying
traffic partially or entirely around an urban area Or
portion thereof. (Also called circumferentlaJ highway.)
Radial Highwoy -An arteriaJ highway leading to
or from an urban center.
Frotltage Street or Frontage Rood-A IccaJ street
or road auxiliary to and located on the side of an
arterial hlghwny for service to abutting property
and adjacent areB.8 and for control of access.
Cul-dc-sac Street-A local street open at one end
only and with special provlsion for turning around.
Dead-f"lt Strcet A local street open at one end
only and without special provision for turning around.

" Expressway" .4.dOI)ted Ilere

Follo..... ing the recommendation of the AABO. the
Cook County Highway Department calls expressways
expressways.
The list of AAHO terms follows:
Biglltray, /ttrcel or roo.d-A general term denoting
a public way for purposes of vehlcular travel, including the entire area ,,;lhin the right~f.way. (Recommended usage: In urban areas. highway or street;
in rural aress. highway or road.)
Arterial flighll'flY,'- A gcneral term denoting a

Simplut Form of Hlllhway-Donlu Road

highway primarily for through travel, usually on a

continuous route.
Co"trol 0/ Ac('e",,-The condition where the right
of owners or occupants of abutting land or other ~r
sons to access, light, air, or view In connection with
a highway is fully or partially controlled by public
authority. Fuil control of access means that the
authority to control access is exprcised to give preferenCe to through trnffic by providing access connections with selected public roads only and by prohibiting

'-'

Fair

Sky, Good Road, Dangerous Drivers

PER CENT of fatal traffic accidents in suburban Cook County occur when the
weather is clear and 82 per cent when the pavement
is dry and safe-st for driving.
These and other facts as to the whe.n, where, who
and how of highway fatalities are pres..;nted by the
Cook County Traffic Safety Commission in a study of
the records of the first six months of 1956.
The elusive factor is "why" - why most serious accidents should occur whe-n driving conditions are most
favorable-unless it is tragically true that when roads
and weather are at their best drivers are at their
worst, with vigilance relaxed and the foot heavy on
the gas pedal.
One significant hct was the finding that one-third
of tne fatalities occ.urred when traffic is tightest, between midnight and 7 a. m. Two factors are indicated
in the records- roadhoU8es and tired, drowsy drivers.

EVENTY-(O~OUR

Burnham Avenue(Continued [rom Page 3)

trestle for Burnham over the Grand Calumet river.
This structure replaced an ancient hand-turned swing
bridge. which had heen a busy operntion up to World
War I , when many pleasure boats went up the river
to Camp Echo. The bridge tender was perhaps the
most active in his chosen field. for he a lso turned the
B. & O. C. T. r ailroad bridge a quarter of a mile
east a nd had to sprint betweeD them ahead of the
boats. No c.rnft calling for an open bridge hils passed
in the river since ehortly aiter the first war and the
trestle, which was put in as tempol'1l.ry, remains.
Soon after World War n, the county Highway Department rehabilitated this bridge, strengthening the
piles and placing a ateel deck. It is intended that lhe
bridge will be maintained in service until the federal
government reaches final decision on where the river
chsnnel shall run.
Second Sea ..on 's Work Unde r Way

Improvement of part of Burnham Avenue was

placed on the Cook County Highway Deparbnent's
1953 schedule. The section designated for work that
year was between 159th Street, in the south of Calumet City, to I06th Street in Chicago, four and onehalf miles. Since the avenue there already was four
lanes in width, only resurfacing was neied. This was
done with bituminous concrete at a contract price ot
$253,355.25.
Work in progress this season covers the section from
159th Street south to 183rd, three miles. The project
includes widening to four lanes as weU as resurfacing.
Contract price is $481,962.53.
In its various stages from country road to major
highway, and a thl'ough strect as weU where it passes
through suburbs, Burnham Avenue is a symbol of
countywide development in the motor age. The pres
ent work was financed with tbe County's motor fuel
tax funds and the project was designated by the Board
of Cook County Commissioners in line with ita l>olic)'
of using such funds where need is great and with
consideration {or all parts o[ the County.

There were exactly 100 fatal traffic accidents in tbe

suburban area the first half of the year. They caused
112 deat.hs. The safety commission reduced its findings to seven headings, showing age and sex of tbe
drivers involved, road and weather condillons, days
and hours of occurrence and types of accidents.
Boiled Down to Fig ures
Most drivers were grownup men. Seventy-one per
cent were in the age group 2564, 6 per cent were 65
or older, 6 per cent were younger thau 18 and 17 per
cent were in the 1824 bracket. Only 12 per cent were
women.
Weather conditions- Clear, 74; cloudy, 18; min, 6:
fog, I; snow,!.
Road conditions-Dry, 82; wet, 12; icc, 4; snow, 2.
Days of occurrence Sunday, 16; Monday, 13; Tuesday, 18; Wednesday, 9; Thursday, 13; Friday, 8;
Saturday, 23.
Hours of occurrence--12to1a.m.
3
1toGa.m.
24
6 to 7 B. m.
7
7toSa.m.
2
8to9s.rn.
0
9 to 10 a. m.
5
10 to 11 a. m.
3
11 to 12 a. m.
2
12 to 1 p. m.
3
1 to 2 p. m.
2
2t03p.m.
2
3to4p.m.
8
4t05p.m.
6
5t06p.m.
5
Slo7p.m.
g
7loSp.m.
G
Bt09p.m.
4
9tol0p.m.
2
lOtollp.m.
4
11 to 12 p. m.
6
Twenty-One Ped estria n~ Killed
Of the 112 persons killed, 21 were pedestrians, Ulree
were bicycle riders, two were motorcyclists and the
86 others were drivers. Deaths resulted from the
various types of accidents as follows:
Auto-pedestrian
17
Truck-p<!destrian
2
Trailer truck pedestrian
1
Bus-pedestrian
1
AUlo-bicycle
3
Autoauto-motorcyc.le
1
Auto-motorcycle
1
Autoauto
36
Auto-train
12
AUlO-lnlck
11
Autotrailer truck
3
Autoauto-truck
1
Auto-bus
2
Truck-truck
3
Truck-train
2
Autotree
6
Auto-post
5
Auto-culvert
2
Auto-abutmcnt
2
Auto-embankment
1

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Cook County', Bleyel e Slfe ty PrO\il ril m-The Child Behind the Hilndleb.r. Will Be the Adult Beh ind the Wheel.

Vol. IV No, 5

OCTOBER, 1956

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _~ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _~ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ J

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook County (Ill.) Department of HlghwaYI
Under auspices of the Board of County Commiasionen
DANIEL RYAN, President

Jame. F. A,henden
Fr;llnk Bobrytzke

William N. Erlck,on
Fred A. Fulle

Charlel F. Chaplin
Elizabeth A. Conkey
Jerry Dolenl
John J. Duffy
Arthur X. Elrod

Christ A. Jenlen
John A. Mackler, Jr.
Clayton F. Smith
Edward M. Sneed
John J. Tauhy

WIIIl"m J. Mortimer
SUp<".rlnlendent of IIll'hwIYI.

Published at 130 North Wells Street. Chic:ago 6.

FRanklin 2-75H

September Traffic Fatalities

Extension 216

Boob of the Month

l'EEN PERSONS were killed

highway traffic
ETCH
accidents in suburban Cook County in September.
in

The total was five less than in August, but one more
than in September 1955 and, morc discouraging,
brought the total for the first nine months of the
year to 167, as compared to 141 for the same period
last year.
According to the Nstional Safely CounCil, the worst
months of the year are just ahead. when early twilight and slippery going add to the hazards of drh'ing.
If lhe 18 per cent increase over last year recorded
thus far this year continues through October, November and December, 1956, will be the blacl:est year in
the book.
Four of thoRe killed in September were pedcsLriana
and one wus a bicycle rider. Four were killed in autotruck collisions, lhree in auto-auto collisions, two when
a car struck a piUar, two in a ear that hit a post,
one in a truck-tractor collision snd one when a truck
struck a wayside object.

September Building Permi ts

ONE IS the boom-boom or ten cent model.

THeHlS
The smartest trick he knows Is to stop on a dime.
approaches a stop sign a.s
he hadn't seen it

Permits for 549 building constnlcUon projects In

the unincorporated area of the county, representing
a total valuation of $6,824,682, were issued in September by the Cook County Building and Zoning Bureau.
The figures compared with 855 permits. total valuation $11,784,278, in the preceding month and 536 l>crmits, total valuation $10,241,919, in September 1955.
In the various clsssifications. I>crmits were issued
as follows:
Residential (septic systems). 138, $2,857,800; residential (sanitary sewers), 165. S3,086,700: husiness,
11, S348,8oo; industrial, 2, $60,500: additions and
alterations, 53, $134,062; accessory buildings, 148,
$286,970; wells, $11.000: miscellaneous, 21, S38,85O.
By townships, the number of permits issued and the
total valuations were:
To ..nshlp
Barrin&ton
Bloom
Bremen
Elk Crewe

Hanover

Lemonl

Leyden

Ll;0nl
!'. !lIne

New Trier

,
"",
.,

Permits

l3

,.,

46

if

until the last instant, thus raising the hair of all

other drivers in the vicinity.
He figures distance (rom the car ahead of him ill
inches.
Some times the drivers ahead and behind aren'l
coached in the play.
Then it's boom ahead and boom behind.
When you see a car in the shop with both headlights
and tail lights sma.shed, it's this Boob's, or alllS, onE'
of his victims.
Northneld

,
,."'",
"",
Worth
'"
There also were five permits, representing a
NOrwOOd Pllrk

39

Orland
PalaUne
PIlIO.

Valuation
.$ :11,400

meh
Sellilumburg
Stlekne)
Thornton
Whee.llne

=600
196,972
185.B:SO

57,600
39,400
,"",600
696,700
4.16,000
11l,800

23

total
valuation of S34.9,4OO, in the no-fee classification,
which includes farm buildings, churches and schools.

'-'

Flexible Fin Eases Congress Street Jam

Trial Run of the Jeep.Co,weyor That P ick. Up a Fl edble Divider Fin and Re-Iay. It One Lane to the Rig ht, Moving
Sout" In Central Avenue Along.lde Columbus Park. Standing in th{ Jeep Body, Left to Right. ilre William J. Mor.
t imer. ,?OOk County Highway Superintendent; Dan iel Ryan. P ruld<.nt Board of Cook COU"t)' Cammi"lonerl, ;lnd
John Zimmerman, A .. lsta"! Traff ic Engineer, ChlcOlIIIO PlIIrk District.

Central to Jackson Boulevard. The one reslnClIon is

that from 7 to 10 a. m., a left turn is forbidden at
Cent.ral and Jackson.

8y William J. Mortimer
Superintendent of Cook County Hig hway Department

That automotive work mule-the jeep--has come

to the aid of motorists who leave Congress Street Expressway at. its western end and use Central Avenue
to continue on west or north.
The problem of distributing westbound traffic has
existed since the expressway was opened between t.he
tempomry terminus at Laramie lind Ashland Avenues
last December and has increased since the sections
from Ashland to Michigan Avenue were put. in use in
August. Tmffic flows without interruption from the
loop to Laramie, the prel3ent end of completed construction. But at t.his point, many motorists who have
found the expressway convenient for daily travel have
encountered difficulty continuing their tri ll through
city streets.
There are two exits from Congress Street at the
wcstern end, One is the permanent ramp at Laramie,
which will continue in use when !.he expressway is
completed. The other is a temporary ramp to Lockwood Avenue, one block west of Laramie. Motorists
may UBI." either one. At Lockwood Avenue, however,
traffic must turn at Harrison Street, for Lockwood
north of Harrison is one.way south.

- -'

Oongested O\'ernlght
That half-mile--Harrison to Jackson- almost overnight became one of the most congested streets in
the city. Traffic counts made by the county bighway
department show 10,000 vehicles in 24 hours moving
west in Harrison Street and turning into Central Av
enut'. Between 4 Rnd 7 p. m. the count runs 2,500
cars, Ill1d the great majority of them turn righl at
CenLral.
Although Central is a good through street, wiLh
two lanes in each direction, it proved inadequate for
the new rush hour traffic generated by the expressway.
Cars bumper to bumper filled Central Avenue and the
line extended back into Harrison Street.
The problem was studied by the joint committee of
traffic engineers of the city, county, park district and
Chicago Transit Authority that was fanned recently
to deal directly with any problems resulting from ex
pressway travel within the city. It was decided by
these specialists that the key to the jam was Central
Avenue.
This situstion is fairly typical of through city
streets overburdened with unanticipated traffic vol~
(Continued on Page 6)

Motorists have learned for lhemse1vea that the best

way to continue west after leaving the exprcssway is
on Harrison Street to Central Avenue and north on

Safety Meeting Honors Young Bike Riders

taken to it with enthusiasm. School authorities.
parentteacher associations and other community
groups and the suburban police chiefs had endorsed
it whole.heartedly. And. as 1 mentioned. it had proved
its value as a safely promotion that can save young
lives. This point was emphasized tragically in August.
and last month. when th ree boys riding their bicycles
on highways were killed. None of them had had the
bicycJ(' safety program.
We decided then to award special recognition to
those schools that made the best showing for lhe
year in fostering the program. The judging has b~:t
completed and the awards will be made at the annual
meeting.
In my opinion. the value of the program to n great
extent is that it is continuous, the year around. The
)'oungsle'"'8 art' given a good start with a lecture by
{I trained safety expert on traffic laws and rules in
general and on how to manage a bicycle in particular.
We have made it a practit(' to give the lecture to aU
grades. even kindergartens
The second stage is the safety lane tesL Only puplla
old enough to ride hieycles to ,school participate. The
lane is laid out either in a street roped oR' for th('
time of the lest or in a suitable arl!B near by. Il Si01U
lates a city street. with traffic signs and turns, There
also is a sort of ob6tacl(' course intended to test the
young rider's ability to manage his wheel.

By Daniel Ryan
Pre.lde"t, Board of Cook COllnt)' Commlnioner,
;>rellde:nt, Cook County Trilfl'ie: SOIfety Commlll'on

HE COUNTY'S largest group pledged to sofe

T
be
meeting of the Cook County Traffic Safely Commission

UBe

of the highwAyS 'i\ill

honored at the annual

the night of October 30.

They are the 144,000 pupils in 370 suburban area

"

PUI)i1s Sig n Saret:r Pledge

Those ..... ho pass are given cards certifying their
proficiency snd also carrying their signed pledge to
obey all the traffic laws and to ride safely at ail times.
Some or them. for the most part the younger ones. do
nol quite measure up in the first tesL They an" given
carda restricting their bike riding to their home neigh
borhood. However, the year following. these restricted
riders and those who have failed the test will be given
another opportunity to pass.
Thus far the lecture has bet>n presented to 144.000

public and parochial grammar 8ch001s who have been

introduced to the bicycle safety program conducted
by the commission during the last four years.
There are two objectives In this highly successful
educational project. First, of course, is to train these
youngsters, who depend on their bikes to get to and
from school, how to ride in trn1ftc with safety to
themselves ond others. This means giving them a
solid groundwork in the general prinCiples of traffic
safety and courtesy as well 8S the particular rules
applying to bicycJes. Thus. the second objective also
is met. While learning to handle their bikes properly.
with due regard for traffic aigns. laws. and courtesies,
they are ncqulring good highway habits that will
serve them well when they become old enough to
drive cst'S.
These two objectives are expressed in the slogan:
The child behind the handlebars will be the adult
behind the wheel."
The succeas of tbe program is measured direcUy by
the fact that no chUd who has received safety instruc
tion has been killed or seriously hurt when riding on
a street or country highway. AnoU1er sign of the pro
grams value Is the endorsement given it by the
Bicyclf' lnstitule of America. which regards it as
outstanding in tbe entire country.

H .. nd Signal In the Testing L.. ne

pupils In 370 public and parochial schools. Almost

60.000 have taken the riding tests. Eightylive percent
have paased, and this groUl) of more than 50,000 arc
daily demonstrating that education in highway aaCcty

Schoob To Rehe .-\wards

A year ago it appeared that the training system
was firmly established. The pupUs themselves had

County's Program Reaches 144,000 Pupils

Highway Safety Luso", E:lge rly Lnrned i n the Bicycle Years Will Make Thue Young.ur, Safe Moto rl.t. LlIter
On. Th l, Overflow C rowd I, Hu rl "; Fro m George Gluer. Supervl,o r of th e Bicyc le S a fe ty Progra m Conduc ted In
Subu rban Are a $<;ho ol . by th e Coo k CO \'lrIt y Tr.1IHic Safety Comm l .. lo n, That Rid Ing on Streel. a nd Roa d. Oemillnd.
Oburv lnee of All the Prl nel p l u of H l g h w;!I )' Safety a. Well a. Such Spec ific Ru les .u " Do n ': C.rry ill Pa .. e"g.,....

Public schools tha t will receive plaques are:

Is practical. Thirteen per cent are graded as restricted

a nd the r emaining 2 per cent wcrt' not a pproved t h('
first time t hrough t he lanes.

North Ilnd Nortln\'..;t

Rnrrl"i l tln

T I'uchc r.. lind Pa r ent .. K eep W at ch

IIt)UlI'h Street,

palllilne--ollk WlIl)d. lind HIIl.ldl.'.

ProJllect lIel8 h u - P",~JK"f't 1I.,lItht..

:-':orthbrook --(;1'I)\'e, lleadnwbn~)k. Gr~n Briar. Cr\,.ly.-OtKI.

.nd )laf'l ..
GI.,n\!l!w L)on. Rugl'n and W"~lbno(lk.
.
Wlnnelk.. crow hland. GI'('t'It'), ~kukll' and Hubootd Wond~
ll"unl f>n"Pf'('t- ~'alrvlt'w, ('t'nll'1ll and L lnmln
F:lk (;TQ\'l'- t:lk Grove.
oe,8 P\alnH wt'n. Nurlh. ~'Ulh. Cumberlantl. C ..ntrnl Al_
It"nqu ln. anol Ot'. Pl aine!< JunIor Hljth
E1;a nnnn- l.Incl)\"""'(>Iod.
Morltln Grf)\'t:'--GnltJ. GrO\'1' anll Park~Jt''' '
LenlQn To ..... nlhil)-Kht'r noad
$chllll'r Park Lincoln,
F r anklin J>ark-~orl h. south lind ' laIn

The safety pledge ta ken by the pupils is nol t he

end of the ma tter. All thr ough t he year t hey s r l'
under the eyetl of teachers a nd parents, and a card
ma y be revoked fo r violation on the bicycle sa fety
rules. Howeve r, il hu !x-en observed that t he children
not only take to the program eagerly but realize that
when us ing public streets a nd highways Lhey sha re
respons ibilit y Cor safety.
OC the 370 schools, 181 have been deemf'd wor t.J.1Y
of recognition. At t.h(' a nnual meeting they will be
a warded a ttractive wall plaques.
Thirteen adult groups that have been heJpful in t he
program also will be honored a t Lhe meeting. They
a re :
Des Plaines Safety Coullcil, Cicero SaIety Counci l,
Lansing Safety Council , Cicero Auxilia r y Police. Berwyn Moose Lodge. Oak Park OI)Umists Club, Des
Plaines Optimists Club, Melrose Park Lions Club,
Brookfield Lions Club, Lansing Junior Women's Club.
Bridgeview Improvement Club. Winll.eld Scott P08l,
Veterans of Foreign Wars ( Maywood), and its women's auxiliury.

Rh'er

(:rov~RI\'t'r

Gro"".

:-,:",'\\,0011 Puk TowII-_hlll_ -l'nlhTI ilIdlft'

Wb l ..,

r~

Schools

Proviso Townshlp--Jt'rr..r.o,n. !;unnysldt'. Rllt')', \\'hltt1\"r,

Field lind L,,,nat ..lluw.
Ml'lro~e 1'ltrK ~I annnt'im. St'otl It"y. and 'I1 .. lroll.' !'Ilrk,
Bellwood- ROO$e\'('1I lind RtlOU'VI"II Ju n ior j,U llh
Ma)' ..... ()('Iti t:meuon. I rvlnJt. Garneld Li ncoln. RnuI('vl.'lI
Wallnlnjllllrl. 111'1(\

::.tevt'n~tln.

River io"otl'lt - Wash ington, Willard. Roose"ell Lillcoin lind

RI\,l'r F"relt Junior IIlll'h.
Bro.d\lt.... Llndup,
We.lrhest .. r--Brltten. l"h.on lind IIlah RIt1gt'.
HIII.lde- -lImsld\".

:-':nrth Rh'\'nltli'- -,\ \\I. Komal'f!k

Broo,kntld--Grou and Brookpark.
Rh'tonld_Blythe Park. A ~ Am ... HOllywOOd. COI!nlral and
Junlnr HIJth

(ContinuC'<i on Page 7)

Ancient Indian Mound Hidden Ln County Forest

(Editor's note: Cook County's 10,000 aCTes 0/
Forest Pre8erves. all 0/ wk;ck may be reach ed easily
over the county'" sYlItem 0/ highways, contain many
things 0/ Mtural or historical interc8t. No Oltl' knows
th em better than lIfr, Mann, who is COnscnolion editor of the Forest Preserve District.)
By Roher b i\t ann

N A river bank. here in Cook County. there is a

O
low narrow mound about 40 feet long. It is wavy
and tapers to a point at one end, like a snake. The
jaws of the head aTe open. as if aboUl to swallow a
lilUe round mound which may represent an egg or,
if built to celebrate an eclipse, be a symbol for the
sun or the moon. This is an effigy mound. or crude
Image. similar to the larger ones found in Wisconsin
and the borders of neighboring slales. Scientists say
they we<e built by a northern race of Indians who disappeared about 200 years before Columbus discovered
America. This is lhe only one of many mounds,
formerly found along the rivers and creeks of Cook
County, which has nOl been destroyed. So, don't ask
us where it is,
On Ole east bank of the Des Plaines River, west
of Park Ridge, there used to be four mounds. Three
were elJipticaJ in shape- about 40 or 50 feel long and
less that 30 feet wide-raised about 3 1 2 feet above
the surrounding ground, The fourth was an effigy
mound, with a body 40 feet long and four legs, supposed to represent a bear. About 400 feet north of
what is now North Avenue and east of Thatcher
Avenue, there was a group of five oval-shaped mounds.
none more than 25 feet in diameter, each surrounded
by a trench. The skeletons and artifacts excavated
from these mounds were destroyed in the great fire
of 1871, but they were declared to be those of a
southern race of prehistoric Indians.
In the office of the Forest Home cemetery, in F orest
Park , are preserved the relics found in seven mounds.
and the cache pits near them, formerly located on the
east side of the Des Plaines River north of Roosevelt
Road. At least two of these mounds were buill after
tbe French fur traders came here, because, in addition
to copper nuggets and artifacts of stone-axes. war
clubs, spearheads, arrowheads and pipes-there were
small brass kettles. iron tomahawks, steel knives and
silver ornaments that Indians did not have until the
white man came. Some of the silver artic.les were
stamped: "Montreal".
The moundbuilders were not a mysteriouB race that
came from nowhere and suddenly vanished. They were
Indians who became highly civilized, skilled in agriculture and the a rts of making pottery and ornaments.
and travelled far to trade for copper, shells, obsidian
and other materials from all over North America. The
northern and southern races undoubtedly met and
traded at Chicago. They degenerated and were conquered by more savage tribea but the), were the
ancestors of the redmen whom the Europeans found

Robert. Mann

Flexible Fin Eases Jam

(Continued from Page 3)

urnes, particularly when the travel is reversed morning
and evening. Thus the solution applied to the Central
Avenue problem may well be the answer to similar
problems elsewhere.
Three Lanes for Rush Hours
The committee decided it was necessary to afford
three lanes instead of two for rush hour travel. This
called for a means of defining lhe lanes that would
stand up to the most rigorous tests. The divider had
to be readily visible and something that a car couldn't
run over or knock down.
In the County Highway Department we believed we
had the answer and we offered to set up lhe machinery. Thus, the jeep came to the rescue.
The method employed is the idea of a west coast
inVentOr. II includes a linked, cast iron divider and a
jeep equjpped with s conveyor device. Starting at one
end of the divider, the jeep picks It up and passcs it
over the conveyor rollers and relays it on a parallel
olIset line.
The rig in use on Central Avenue was constructed
in the highway department's shop in La Gra nge Park.
The jeep itself Is just the standard job. Under the
frame and between the front a nd rear wheels it carries
a curved "8" frame supporting a set of steel rollers.
The degree of curvature, of course, is calculated to
carry the divider fin from one lane stripe to the next
one over. On the Central Avcnue operation the lane&
(;Qntinueq Qil Next Page)

here.

New W ri nkle A ids Traffic

Honor Young Bike Riders

are 10 teet in width and the conveyor therefore was

designed for that measurement.
The fin used on Central Avenue was provided by the
manufacturer. It consist.s of links 18 inches in length.
S inches in width and Is triangular in cross section.
The links may be quickly joined together or separated
to form any deired length. They are painted bright
yellow for J'E'sdy visibility.

(Continued from Page 5)

Southwet Area Schools
Berw)'n Lln('(l\n. J~tr~t'$On. ~nu.1 Cunl':r. KaI'lLI Ill.vl~k,
Irvine. Kom~n.lI:y.....v~l'Int. l'erth.lnr. Ernenon and
Hiawatha.
C1ee~~I'O. ROOHvell. Shl':rloell:. Goodwin. Burnham. Columbul. LIncoln, HawthOrne. D~xe\. and Wilson.
Wettem Sprln,_F'1~ld PIIrk. FOrHt Hili.. Franklin. Laid
law. Grand Avenu~, and MCClu~.
La Gran,e-FOntt Road. Goodman. Oall: A\'~ut, Ol'den. Co.
.lll. St\'enth Avenut. Sprlnl' Av~ue. Idtal. Hodakln. and
COn,re.. Park.
r>lPl':,

Plan T o U ...e "'III At Race Track

The ftexible fin has worked out so well on Central

Avenue that Utis department is now studying the
possibilities of using it on other sections of highways
and streets wbere dally traffic is congested in onc
direcUon and lhen in the other. Among such places
are race tracks and athletic stadia. where traffic is
heavy entering and leaving.
Prescnt planning is directed toward relieving the
jam at the gales of Arlington Park and it is intended
now to have the fin in operation there during the
1957 racing seMOn. The fin will be placed on Wilke
Road, which extends along the east side of Arlington
Park 1.9 miles and connects with Northwest Highway,
Euclid Avenue, Kirchoff Road and Central Road.
Wilke Road now has two lanes, each 11 feet in
width. During the month of racing traffic is heavy
enough for a four-lane road. but during the other
eleven months the cost of such improvement is not
justified.
The plan as presently contemplated is to widen
Wilke Road four (eet on each side. This will provide
three 10-foot lanes IlDd still leave enough room for
residents of thst newly bulllUp area to park their cars
On racing days the fin will divide the roadway to
afford two lanes in one direction, first to accommodate
cars enlering the track and later to expedite the fiow
of traffic out from th(' park. The third lane will be
for cars going in the opposite direction.
When the rRcing season ends at Arlington, the fin
can be diSJointed quickly, loaded into a truck and
moved to another race track or any other place it
may be needed.

No w T hey aalong to the Safet y Club

L),on ..... L1nroln, Wuhln,ton. lIalty and Colltllo.
$ummlt-John ""al.h. W. W Walktr. QU. p, Grave and
Arso Junior
f.. Crllnle (I uralJ -P1alnvl~w and Pleau.ntdale.
Brldleyle... Brldlevlew. Ju.tlee lind Robtru Pllrk.

WI"

South Pa.rt of County

Ollk Lawn-Columbu. Ma nor. ~I arnew, Simmon Sward.
Ctwlnlton. lIomdown. Cook and McDonald.
),!\'erareen Pnrk-SQuthwell. Northeul. Cenlral and Central
Junior 1111'11..
Ai.ll)-[.ant.
Worth- Worth.
Palo. lIel,h\.t-Palol lIell'h1ll.
Pahl. Communlly-Palo. COmmunity.
Orland Park_ Orlano Park.
Tinley Park Tinley P!lrk and Bert Fulton.
Tinley Park 4 rural)-Maue, HolJleln and sedan Prairie
MIdlothian (rutfll) - Foren Ridge.
Markham- Markham and McUlUl'hry.
Oak Forut ArlIor Park.
Thornton Town.hlp--wuhlnl'ton and Garfield.
Hllrve)' Bryanl. WhitUer and LowellLOnllellow.
lIazelcre,t_L!ncoln. Woodland and Warren Palm.
Calumet CltJ" Wentworth. WlllIO:n~ Lincoln and Hoover.
Lan.lna In lana Avenue. COOJl(l.e, E1Jenbower. Lnter
Crawl and Memorlal Junior Hllh.
Puk Fore.t Lakewood. DOI'WOod. Moha .... k. Blackhawk. and
Sauk Trail
Chl('al'o Hellhu_Franklln. ROOIevell. Granl. LinJln, Gar
neld. Wuhlnlton and JetreftoOn.

J eell To Be 1lIIllroH:d

When the jeep was put In service on Central Avenue. It waa found necessary to have helper on the
ground place the first link on the rollu8. IlDd another
man to hold down the fin at the rear until enough of
it had l>assed through the conveyor to lie of its ov.-n
weight. Refinements, designed by this department. are
now being worked out in the shop.
Two (eatures will be added. One is a flare scoop at
the (ront end to pick the fin from Lhe pavement and
start it over the rollers. The other is a second set of
rollers placed aix)\'e the first to provide a grip on
the moving fin. These additions will eliminate the need
of helpers.
The committee of engineers that dealt with the Cen
tral Avenue problem is coml)oscd of Leslie J. Sorenson,
traffic engineer for the City of Chicago, cbainnan;
Evan Olmstead, C. T. A traffic engineer; Leo G. WiI
kie, traffic engineer of the Cook County Highway De
partment; John Zimmerman. member of the Chicago
Park District's traffic engineering staff. and Michael
Robinson, assistant to Mr. Sorenson.

Prhate Schools
Ot. PlalnH-St

Marya. SL Stepht>n. and l.mmanuel LUlh.

eran.
F'rankJln Park-$t. (;utrude',.
RI\tr Fore.t_$L Luke'" St. Vincent Ferrer and Grat't LUlhtran.
Orookftl':ld--SI Barbara and SI. Paul LUlheran.
, .. Cranae-8t. Cletu.
Rhenltle--8t. Mal')"".
8erwyn-8l. Mary of cellt'. SI 0tI110" and SI. Leonard.
ctN!ro--Tlmothy Chrl.llan. Redeemer Lutheran, Mary Quttn
IIr lI('aven. $1. CiechOllaaa. Sl. Valentine, Saini AttnU!III. SI.
Dlon),Mlu. and SI, Anthony.
Summit-Zion Lutheran,
E\'erlreen Park-St. Bernadelli". Chrl.tlan. Holy Redttmer
and Bethel Lutheran.
Lan.lnl -.st. Annj St. John Luthuan. Chrlltlan and Trinity.
Pllrk F'orell-SI. renauel.
HIJI.hl~lmmanul':l Lutheran.
Glen\'lewOur Lad)' 01 Perpetual Help,
Winnetka North Shore Country Da),. $1Icre<i lIearl. Faith
IiOlle and Charity.

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Conurue t lon P roceed, on Congre .. Str-eet E xp re ..wa),. T he Wall. Nellrln; Completion In the Picture Will Form a T hree.Corrldor Tu"nel to Conduct e T A T r.ck. rrom the Med iln S1rl p at L.. ,..mle IIn3er the Eastbound ElCpre .. way Lanu. See Pligi 2.

Vol. IV No. 6

NOVEMBER, 1956

'-'

"-

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

PubUahed by the Cook County (Ill.> Department of Hlchway.
Under auapiee. of the Board of County Commlu.!oners
DANIEL. RYAN. Pre.lde"t
Jame. F . A.henden
Frllnk Bobryuke
Chari" F. Chaplin

William N. rlclllO"
Fred A. Fulle
Chrllt A. Janun

Ell ubeth A. Conkey

Jerry Doleza l

Clayton F. Smith

John A . Mackler, Jr.

John J. D uffy

Ed ...... rd M. Sneed
John J. Touhy

Arthur X. Elrod
William J, Mortimer
Superintendent ot UiCh .... ).

PubllBhecl at 130 North Well. Street, Chicago 6.

FRanklin 275-'4

Extension 216

Boob of the Month

Radio for County Trucks

OF S65,300.75 of federal Civil Defense
A GRANT
funds for two-wily radio equipment of Cook County Highway Department vehicles is announced by
County Board President Daniel Ryan. Under the federal matching funds program, the county will contribute an equal 8um.
"This is an important s tep in our countywide
preparation for Civil Dcl"ense," said President Ryan.
"It will make po88ible the instant dispatch of trucks
and other equipment for rescue work in the event of
an enemy bomb attack or a natural diS3ster.
"We have been proud of the fact that Cook County
was the first large metropolitan county to be fully
or ganized for Civil Defense. with key personnel in
all suburbs and townships. Now, I feel sure, we will
be the best equipped."
It Is planned to ereel six lrantnnlaslon towers, one
al the highway department's offices at 130 North Wells
Street and one in each of the five highway maintenance
districts. Fortyfive pieces of equipment. including
trucks and snowplows, will hs ve radio, as will the cars
used by fifteen department officen, including the
superintendent, assistant to the superintendent, Civil
Detense director, maintenance engineer and his assist
ant and the district engineers and supervisors.

The Front Cover Picture

T HIS BOOB'S GRANDFATHER had a car that had
a large rubber bulb and a big brass horn.

The tunnel for CT A tracks is a first step in construction of Congress Street Expressway from the present
temporary end of pavement just west of Laramie Avenue. Work in this section will be complicated, involving the relocation of two sets of railroad tracks as
well 8S the CTA Une.
When completed, CT A tracks will occupy the median
strip of the expressway from approximately two block.a
west of Laramie AVenue-east portal of the tunnelto Desplalnes Street, where they will go underground
to connect with loop subway routes. The tunnel will
take the tracks on a curve under the eastbound
expressway lanes and bring them back to the surface
to continue on west,
The front cover picture shows progreSlJ on lhe lunnel. which is being constructed by the Cook County
Highway Department, after three months' work.

Il took a skillful squeeze to get a squawk.

Boob's Father had 8 car that had a horn bunon
on the ateering column.
It wasn't too handy, either.

Boob is much better equipped, wi.th a hig horn ring,

And does he lean on It!
nlinois LaW8 Relating to Motor Vehicles forbid un
necessary tooting, but, alas, make it 8 matter of
reuonablenesa.
And that, alas, Is too much Cor Boob.

'--

Safety Meeting Highlights Bicycle Training

At the An"ual Safety Meeting , Certificates 0' Apprec:iiltlon Were Pre,ented by

Ryan to 13 adult IIroupe
-Service Club., Women', Club LoC,1 Sa'ety Counc:il" Veteran.' Orll~nlutlon, who hilII', ,Ided the bicycle prollram.

ON THE highway is easily shrugged off

DEATH
when we don't know the victim, but It can be

ney John Gutknecht, County School Superintendent

Noble J. Puffer and County Highway Superintendent
William J . Mortimer. All three are safety commission
members.
The atate's attorney spoke particulnrly of traffic law
enforcement.
"The problem is getting more serious every year,"
he 8Ilid. "There are too mnny bad drivers, and the
accident rate is rising. From my observations, and I
do have a good idea of what is going on. the pollee
chiefs and the magiSlrale8 in the suburban towns are
doing an admirable job of enforcemenL"
Mr. Puff('r said the bicycle program had developed
beyond all expt'Ctationa.
"When It W8S initiated in 1951. I had rather serious
doubts," he said. "Since then 1 have seeD it become a
large scale project of great value. The safety commlasion has worked out a practical training program
Utat the children can graAp. It has fitted very well
into regullir school work."
Mr. Puffer read the names of the public and private
schools to receive awardfL
Superintendent Mortimer, who acted 8S master of
ceremonies, centered his remarks OD the driver who
sceks relllXaLion Ilt the wheel.

terribly personal when a friend is killed, President

Danle1 Ryan of the County Board told the annual
meeting of the Cook County Traffic Safely Commission.
"In the last week or 50, four families were com
pletely wiped out in accidents that occurred in nearby
slates," he said. "They didn't mean much to any of
U8 here because we didn't know the people.
"Not long ago I was at a social gathering. One of
my friends was caUed to the phone. As he talked his
[ace became pale; and when he turned away from the
phone he could aeareely speak. What had happend
was that his sister and her husband had been killed
on their way to this party. When death comes close
it is frightfully real. All of a sudden we realize that
hlgbway safety is a most serious problem for you and
me and everyone else."
High point of the annual dinner meeting. which
Willi held In Ute Sherman Hotel and attended by 500
suburban mayors, police chiefs and magistrates and
others active in highway safety. was the citation of
schools that have made OU18tandlng records under the
commission's bicycle 8&fety program. Plaques were
awarded 220 schools and 13 adult groups.
Besides President Ryan, who is also president of
the safeLy comml68lon, speakers Included State's Attor-

(Continued on Page 6)

Grid plan of Superior Roads

IS

Proposed

Sketch Showl Typl tat Neighborhood Bu.lntlS Center wIth P ropoled Superior Road, for Through Traffie on Ele"Ited StNcture, I" Adjacent Alley Areal, Providing New Parking Space ar'ld LelvlnG Street. for L.ocal Travel ,

and the Chicago Park District are participating In

and sharing the coal of what we tenn our Chicago
Metropolitan Traffic Survey, headed by Dr. J. Douglas
Carroll. From this study will come the various conclusions, relative to traffic and transportation facilities
in general, t.hat will aid us judiciously. in our futul'(>
planning.
With due regard to our present plans. which takefive lO ten yean to complele. in tf!:rIDS of operating
expressways, we must be alert constantly in our
studies and evaluation. of present and potential traffic
problems and provide for them. We can't get too set
in our conclusions that our plans can't be modified or
adjusted to accommodate thesl:' nl:'w traffic problems
caused by the unprecedented urban and suburban
changes.
Grid Plan or Su))trior Roads
As an example, we have undl:'r consideration. a
study for Chicago and Cook County, to be presented
to our County Board and thl:' City of Chicago for
review and approval. It will be called a "grid plan
of superior roadwaYII four miles apart." These "supe
rior road ways" would ha ve the design characteristics
of an expressway, and would be superimposed on the
old section line streets or highways where traffic "01umes are highest. One out of every eight. or maybe
closer or farther apart. depending on traffic. would
be. modified. and the seven othl:'r streets would become
local streets, o;o,'ith reduced speed limits. etc.. making
lhem more convenient tor pcdeslrlans and vehicles
serving the immediate nl:'ighborhood.
(Continued on Page 6)

A nell' approach to the problem 0/ accommo.

dntlllY jllCTea.sinyly heat:y tra/!iC ill a metropoiltan

area. hml be,." dn'eloped by the Cook County
Hl ghu.'ay Deportmfmt in Bufficient /ornl to sllbmil
to the Board 0/ Cook County Commi.n.OtIer., (1I1d

the City 0/ Chicago.

The central idea i.'I a sYlftem 0/ rOllte8 de8i9!luted by the dflparlfflenl Cut (I "grid pial' of ".tpc

rjerr roadway" four miles (lpart". In the city, they

U'oltfd be elevated and. placed

iIi

exi.'Itittg alley

area",. 1n ",ral areas, of lC81f cmUy co""truction.

A ie"tatil'c program ifleluding 190.S -miles 0/
"3upenor Toodll'ay,," hM been presented to the
County Boord by County Highl0ay Supcrilltelldent lVtllillm J. Mortimer'. An erplanation 0/

'he idea was giccn be/aTe the (lnllltal meeting

0/ the American Society 0/ Ciril Engineers in
Pitt3burgh, P'llnJJylt'ania, by As"istant Super
illtende'lt JamCIJ F. Kelly. fIi., paper, in part,
/ollolfJIJ "

E ARE A NATION on wheels, 88 someone 80

W
glibly said, and with 80 much truth. So. with
these wheels, people and things move from place to
place Ilnd cause chang{'8. They must move safely,
e-fficiently, rnpidJy and conveniently. In fact, we be
lieve there must be an integrated transportation system, a system that recognizes not only the motor
vehicle but fixed rail or nlbber tired mass t.r&nsit
facilities. steam. electric lines 88 well as air and
water transport.
In this respect, Cook County. the City of Chicago.
the State of Diinois, find th(> Burellu of Public Roads

Listen to the Rumble-It's Hi-Way Hi-Fi

By Pa ul G. Rob inso n

THE

A"l,tJrH County HlghwilY Engineer

"RU~LE" SURFACE first tested by the Cook

Coun~y Highway Department at three stop sign
mterseetlOns two yean ago, has now been PUl down

at 62 selected locations throughout the county.

The treatment consists of an asphalt. layer containIng sufficient particles of slag to cause an audible
rumble when a car Rl1roachcs a stop sign intersection.
The unexpt'Cted noise causes a driver who might not
be awar(' of the sign to become observant. The pebbled surface IIlso affords better stopping conditions
and in winter Iwucr starting.
From observation and [rom numerous letters of
approval, this department regards the rumble idea 8S
a success. It adds a positive safety factor at intersections where R stop sign alone may not be sufficient
~ause of roadside conditions. and as time goes on
It seems certain that 1\ good record of accident prevention will be compiled.
Method a nti /\late ria l'! Iml,rO\'ed
In all the installations, the mixture of screened slag
and asphalt has been spread the full width of the
approaching lanE" tor a distance of 300 feet. from the
stofl sign. Since the three test rumbles were put down.
some changt's in material and melhod have been made.
All of the intersections trcated are on bituminous
surface roads In the syslL'm maintained by the Cook
County Highway DepartmenL The idea bas not been
applied to ]lOrtland Cf!rnent concrete pavement. On
Ulat type of surface the same effect could be obtained
with some type at rattle rods or grooves placed in the
pavement nt the time of laying.
On the bituminous roads, the practice followed during t.he work 8<'ason just ending was to spread a
primer layer of asphalt and cover it with a pre-mixed
layer of asphalt and alag. AUxing was done in a pug
mill that WAS moved from one area to another.
The prim('r \\I8S spread one-half gaUon to the square
yard and the slag-aSI)halt mixture, 50 pounds to til('
square yard. The slag used was screened through a
one-inch 8i('ve, which resulted in raising the road
surface on(' Inch or slightly more.
Rum ble Locations L1 ..t ed
The locations rumbled this season were se1ected because of heavy travel or imperfect slop sign visibility.
They includl' both two-way and four-way stops.
The 62- rumble lreatmt'nts complcted through this
Beason are as (allows:
PalatJne Road East &ide of Algonquin Road, east
and west sides of Barrington Road, east and west. sides
of Arlington HeJghls Road, east and west sides of
Elmhurst Road. east and w(>St sides of Wolf Road.
Ela Road -North side of Palatine Road.
Qulntt'ns Road South nnd north sides of Palatine
Road.
Brinker Road North of Algonquin Road, north
and south of OUs Road, ('ast and wesl of Brinker
Road on OUs Road. south of Lake-Cook Road.
Roselle Road North and SOuth of Palatine Road.
south of Baldwin Road.
Baldwin Road East and west of Lnverway.

Rumble Treatment at a T wo-way Stop

Schoenbeck Road-North of Rand Road, north and

south of Camp McDonald Road, south of Dundee Road.
Wheeling Road-North Ilnd south of Palatine Road.
south of Hintz Road.
Buffalo Crove Road-South of Palatine Road.
Camp McDonald Road-East and weal of EJmhur'8l
Road, east and west of Wolf Road.
German Church Road-East and west of Wolf Road,
north Rnd south of Gennan Church Road on Wolf

Road, east or Cook.DuPage Road.

87th Street East and West of Kean Avenue.
Cook.DuPage Road-North and south of 55th
Street, north and fJOulh of Joliet Road.
Wolf Road- North and sou th of 71at Street.
88th Avenue-Nor th and south of l 07th Streel, cast
and west of 88th Avenue on With Street.
Roberta Road North lind south of l03rd Street.
east and west of Roberts Road on l03rd Street.
115th Street West of Cicero Avenue, east of Ridgeland Avenue.
86th Avenue-South of 111th Street, north and
BOUth of Route 83, north and south of McCarthy
Road, north of 131s1 Street.
Ridgeland Avenue-North of 183m Street. north
and BOuth of 175th Street. south of Oak Forest Avenue.
Central Avenue-North and south of 175tb Street.
north and BOuth of 16ilh Street. north and south of
159th Street, north and south of 147th Street south
of Midlothian Turnpike,
Oak Forest Avenue-South of 16ith StreeL
Sauk Trail-East and west of Governor's Highway.
east and weat of Indianwood BoUlevard, east and west
of Weatern Avenu(', west of Dixie Highway.
Steger Road East and wcst of State Street, north
of Steger Road on Slate Street, east and west of Calumet Expressway, east and west of Tor rence A venue,
north of Steger Road on Torrence Avenue. east and
west of Burnham Avenue. north of Steger Road on
Burnham Avenue.

'-'

Visitor from Surinam

How Chicagoans Travel

PRELIMlNARY FINDINGS in the study of
FmsT
how and why people in the Chicago metropolitan
srea travel here and there have just been announced
hy Dr'. J. Douglas Carroll Jr., director.
The project., in which Cook County is participating
with the City of Chicago, State of Illinois and the
United States Bureau of Public Roads, will require
three years. At the end of the lirst year of work, this
month, Dr. Carroll listed the following items of interest:
"1. There are more truck trips as a proportion of
total traffic in Chicago than in Detroit.
"2. In Chicago there is much greater transfer of
riders between different forms of travel than has been
reported in any other city of the nation with the
possible exception of New York City.
"3. The distribution of trips according to the purpose of the trips for Chicago residents is very similar
to the arrangement of travel purposes in other cities.
Work is the most frequently mentioned trip purpose,
followed by social or recreational trips, then shopping
trips and finally trips to transact personal business.
"4. On the average, the people in a Chicago area
household make fewer trips in a day than in most
other metropolitan areas. Because of the very high
density land development in Chicago. people are able
to walk between different land uses in lhe Loop or
near their homes to obtain things which otherwise
would require a vehicular trip.

Dr. Johan M. Dout, a Technical Officer of the Govern m ent of Surlna,.,.. ( Formerly Dutch Guiana) Will a
Gunt of the COOK County Highway Department thl,
month. He WiI, Shown Expressway M;IIPI by Andrew
V. Plummer, Ass, .. tant to the Superintendent. and Waa
Taken on a Tour of ExprCllwayl.

Safety Meeting-- (Continued from Page 3)

"Believe it or not, but I saw a man driving 60 miles
an hour on Edens Expressway and reading a book at
the same time," he said. "1 couldn't believe it either
until I pulled alongside. I have heard of anolher man
who drives Edens every day and shaves himself wilh
one hand while holding the wheel with the other.
Some day he may be the first half-shaved corpse in

Superior Roads --(Continued from Page 4)

These "superior roadways" would supplement our
Comprehensive System of Expressways. now being
constructed joinlly by the city, county, state and
federal governments, and in some instances coincide
with the locations of our interstate system.
The construction would be based on various types
of design. One favored type consists of a pall' of oneway elevated highways, to be located in the rear of
the present business street. This plan would rehabilitate the elongated shopping dist.ricl.s, the retail merchandising areas which thrived along street car routes
in our yOuth. A blight has hit these districts. The
public now shf'lps by automobile rather t.han by street
car, and these former trolley routes, with no parking
faciIitiC8 are jammed with thru traffic,
We would remove this fast thru trnlHc from the
business street to one-way elevated highwsys in the
nearby alley areas. The trestles, in contrast to the
depressed design, or at grade type, would not close
any local cross streets. The ground level under the
trestles would provide parking.
In the outlying and rural locations, the "superior
roadway" wouid be of a lower cost design. Existing
rights of way would be used as far as possible, that
Is. the usual1uOroot width. A center concrete median
curb would bar cross traffic. It would not close local
streets, except to cross lbe main thoroughfare.
In some instances, where pedestrian traffic is light,
sidewalks could be reduced to a minimum, and the'
(Continued on Next Page )

history.
"Of course, everybody doesn't read or shave while

driving, but too many do feel that it's a good time to

relax and maybe dream about their rose gardens. It
is not. Driving calls for almtness, eyes on the road
and hands on the wheel.
"People say lhey have heard this over and over
again. I say we should repeat it. over and over and
over again."
Bike Training For 14-1,000
After urging his audience that every individual
driver must assume responsibility for safety, President
Ryan discussed accomplishments of the bicycle program. In its five years, he said, it has been presented
to 144,000 children from kinderga.rten through eighth
grade in 370 schools. About 50,000 of them have
passed practical tests in safety and at the same time
each of them has signed a safety pledge.
"A most encouraging thing has been the approva.l
and support given the program by school authorities,
parent-teacher associations, other civic groups, local
safely councils, and suburban official8, particularly the
chiefs of police," said President Ryan.
He suggested that eventually the adults interested
in the bicycle program may form the nucleus of an
overall t.raffic safet.y movement in their community,
and he asked his audience to give earnest. thought to
lIuch a development,

'-'

'-"'

October Building Permits

Uncover Pioneers' Graves

WAS BUSY beyond expectations in the

O CTOBER
County
Or 847 permits issued for construction totaling
Cook

Building and Zoning Bureau, with

total

$11.012,645 in estimated valuation.

Tbe valuation total compared with $6,824.682 in
September. when 8 decline is nonnal; $11,784,278 in
August, peak of the season, and $5.2 4,175 in October
last year.
or the total permits, covering all types of CODSlrUclion, 531 were (or residences. Total valuation in this
clasa was S10,042.1OO.
As has been the case in recent months. more houses
are being planned with sanitary sewer connections
than with septic tanks. Last year septic tanks were
included In the majority of plans. The change has
been brought about by the newly created "little sanitary districta." of which there are about 8 dozen.
They may be organized volunt.arily by property owners
in areas where connection to Chicago Sanitary District
sewer9 Is possible.
By townships, the October permits were issued as
follows:
To ... nJhlp

:-;"n,l... r

Bloom
Bremen
Elk Crove
lianover
lAmoni
Leyden
Lyon.
Maine

27
34
U

2:S

II

\'!l.IuaUon

349,200

Nil"
Northneld

110I

"""'~.,
"""'~

Orland

2
311

Palatine
PalOi
Proviso
Rlrh
SChaumburl
SUrkney
Thornton
Wheel1ng
Worth

six

101.000

will
Elegy.

GM 900

3:1

4.12.700

30

!iO'l.70f)

7
222
lOt!
Ii
40
fill

43.4f"W1
4,090.2:S0

THE OCCUPANTS of
pioneer graves
found by workmen building a modem expressway
PROBABLY
remain as unknown as the subjeets of Grey's

112.300

,M8.'TMl

Norwood Pllrk

Perhaps itl thi8 'If!glected spot was laid

Some heart OHce pregtumt with celutial fire.

37.1.~

336 000
2i400

21
M
~1

Dan Cohen (left), Cook County Hlllhway DepaMment

Ruldent Engineer on the North Bl"lInch Bridge, and
Frank Conroyd ana Fred Van Geller. engineer .

They may have been leading citizens of the young

settlement of Chicago, residents of JOUy Mark Beaubien's Tavern. which stood near by, or they may have
been newcomers who fell victims to the cholera epl
demic while seeking their fortunes_

20.Il00
3:I9.BM

39.600

1111.1110

93,IOQ
529.8,.;0
731.500

The graves were uncovered early this month on the

west bank of the North Branch, where the Cook
County Highway Department is constructing a bridge
8S part of the Northwest Expressway. ApparenUy
they were part of an orderly cemetery, The depth
and spacing were uniform snd they were placed on a
line due north and south.

The re were also five permits, total valuation

$542.900. in the no-fee classification, which includes
churches, schools and farm buildings.

October Traffic Fatalities

Just when the burying ground was in use. lUI well

as who the occupants were, Is R matter of speculation.
Records of the Chicago HIstoricaJ Society list all reglatered cemeteries since 1834, and this location is not
among them. It was just outside the original 1830
plat. which had Kinzie Street 8B the north boundsry,
and poss.ibly was laid out before Chicago was organized
lUI a village in 1833. It may have been sLarted during
the deadly choleI'B epidemic of 1832.
The site, which is a bare piece of ground extending
60 reet {rom the river to a switch track of the North
Western RaUroad. is being excavated for a pier of the
bascule bridge that will carry the Michigan Avenue
feeder to the Northwest Expressway_ As a dragline
bucket scooped out the earth, the crew spied a thigh
bone, two akulls and bits of mouldered caskets. Other
parts of skeletons may have been hawed away unnoticed. One or the two skulls was lffilaU enough to be
that or a child.
The bones were deJivert:d to the County Morgue to
be buried in Potter's Field, a practice followed in aJl
instances of unidentified, long dead "emains.

Twentythree persons were killed In highway traffic

accidents in auburban Cook County in October. The
f\.gure compared with 18 in September and 17 In
October laat year.
For the fir9t 10 montha of 1956, the death toll
stands at 190. In the same period last year It was
108.
Six of the October victims were pedestrians, Five
were killed in collisions between passenger cars, two
in auto-truck colliaions, two when cars went into
roadside ditches and one in each of the following
types of accident: Auto-tree, bus-motorcycle, auto
abutment, auto.cmbankment, aula-train, auto-post and
truck-truck.
(Continued (rom Page 6)
available remaining right-ofway used to build adjacent service roads. It Is our conclusion that. with the
introduction of the combination of higbway facilities
I have pointed out. the motorist as well as the public
In generl\l would be getting more for their highway
doUsr.

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Subterrannn Moniter? No, Just I Job of Sewer Be nding. See Page 2.

Vol. IV No. 7

DECEMBER, 1956

COO K COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook County (Ul.) Department ot H1rhw.y.
Under auspices ot the Board ot County Comml.ulonen
DANIEL RYAN, President

J.,mn F. Alhenden
Frank Bobryuke
Charles F. Chaplin
Ellubeth A. Conkey
Jerry Dolezal
John J. Duffy
Arthur X. Elrod

William N. Erlck,on
Fred A. Fulle
Chrlll A. Jenlen

John A. MIckler. Jr.

Clayton F. Smith
Edward M. Sneed
John J. T ouhy

William J. Mortimer
:oupulnltndent of Hllfh .... ,..
Publl~hed

at 130 North Well! Street, Chicago 6.

FRanklin 2-j5""

Extension 216

~lU

Boob of the Month

Torrence Avenue Bridge

Consu'uctlon of the grade s('paration structure that
will carry Torrence Avenue over t.he lhree sets of
railroad tracks just south or the Little Calum't River"
was st.art.ed lhis monlb.
The bridge. which th' Cook County Highway Department designed and will build, has the support of
federal government funds because it is rebted to the

Calumet-Sag ship navigation project. Widening the

Little Calumet will require raising tracks of the M. C.,
B. & O. C. T. and I. H. B. Railroads 10 feet, thus
eliminating lhe present TOl'rence Avenue grade crosg,
ing.
The structure will be: of steel and concrete in nine
spans of vsrious lengths. Total length is 588 feet, 8
inches. The roadw:l)' will b(' 44 {tet in width, nff'ordIng two 11-fooL lanel! in each direction. Tilere will be
a 3-foot wide sidewalk and handrails on each side,
The general contract has been awarded to Thomas
McQueen Company at Sl,271.22-t.50. Of this sum, the
County will provide $400.000 and the fcdernJ govern
ment. the remainder, The three railroads involved will
spend a total of S114,870 LO adjust their tracks to the
new grade,
During construction one-way by'passes will be pro
vided. Northbound traffic will use Saginaw Avenue
and southbound, Hoxie Avenue.

IS NO mistaking Glow Worm Gus.

THERE
He lets his light shine before
In your
him~righl

eye.
Coming at you, his high beams pin you to the edge
of the pavement.
You Hash back. but he doesn't catch OD.
And if you bold your brighl lights at him there's a
chance you'll dazzle him to disaster.
Failure to dim is not only booblsh, discourteoull and
dangerous, but also illegal.
The nUnois Uniform Act Regulating Traffic on Highways, Article XV, Paragraph 111, requires dimming
witron "not less than 350 feet" of an oncoming car.
All It takes is that little bulton under the left fooL

The Front Page Picture

When Edens Expressway is extended from Its tern
porary terminus near Balmoral Avenue southwesterly
to join with Northwest Expressway, We depresst'd
right-of-way will 1~8.88 under F(lster Avenue 100 feet
esst of Cicero Avenue. Before excaVAting enn be
started, however, a major obstacle in the fonn ot a
108-inch combination sewer has to be taken out of
the way.
The job, which Is being done by the Cook County
Highway Department. consists of construction of a
syphon to lower the sewer beneath the expressway
pavement and return it to its present grade in Its
downstream position.
The picture shows the large pipe that will jOin the
old sewer and the conduits that will extend under the
cxpreeway. The twO center barrels are designed to
carry normal sewage flow; the outer pipes will carry
storm flow.

T raffic Deatllier Tba n W ar

During the four years of our ptlrticipation in World
War 1I. 1.0iO,OOO servicemen were killed or wounded
in combat, During the same time. 3.394.,000 were killed
or injured at home in traffic accidents~AMVA Bul
letin.

Annual School For Inspectors Is Set Up

In Charge of Arrangement. F or the Inspeetor.' School-Rear now, Left to Right : Sam T. Brulh, Earl KI,tner,
Fr_ nk Spei del . H en ry Re id l, Jamu Silnderl, Edward Ri ordan. Cilln Cohen : Front Row, Left to Ri ght: John McT Igue, John Flh:ge.-ald, Ransom Kennleott, Edward A. Cllar, Mr, Klltner I, Supervllor of Emjtloyment of the
H ighway Department. T he Other. are H igh way Engineer .

and Ransom Kcnnicott; Bridge Construction, Robert

HafEman: Plant Inapection and Materials, J ohn Fitz
gerald ( portland cement concrete) and John McTigue
(bituminous).
All courses have been composed with the objective
of qualifying the inspectors to assist resident engineers
as members of a party or to perform inspection duties
when alone on the job. Class room instruction includes
both lectures and practice with Instruments.
The Surveys coursc covers, generally, definition of
surveying. use and care of the transit aod proper methods of handling the steel tape, with speCific problems.
Following the lectures. the class is divided ioto groups
and each man given the opportunity to use the instrument in practical e.'(crci5eS. The instruct or also uscs
a plywood Limb and verruer to illustrate angle readin g-.
On the sccond day the course takes til) the level and
closes with a review and a written quiz. This test,
which is given in the same form after each of the
other courses, consists of nine "true or falsc" questions
and one more elaborate requiring explanation in not
to exceed 50 words.
1\Iu"ie~ Aid Instruction
In the Road Construction course, main topics include
location surveys. cross-sections, excavation and grading, drainage a nd trench back+fill. Under each one a re
s ub-topics bearing on the inspectors' particular reSI)()Osibilities. Also included is portland cement concrete
paving. from the preparation of sub-grade to the removal of forms. 1u the period for review and class

COUNTY Highway Department's School

THEforCOOK
Inspectors
start January 10 and continue
will
through March 15. This will be the third session of

the school, which was established by an order of

Superintendent William J. Mortimer directing that the
period between construction peaks be utilized for train
ing these impor tant construction aides.
Th .... department at present has 257 men in the grndes
of inspector rodman, inspector transitman and engineer
inspector. The school can accommodate 220, consid
ering 35 to 4.0 8S the practical maximum in one class.
The others will be excused because of 100 per cent
atlendance and high grades scored a t the two previous
sessions.
As in previous years, school will be conducted in the
!lOuth, west and north parts of the county, with the
same courscs givcn at each place, Students will beplaced in six dh'isions a nd each group will be in class
o n four s uccessive Thursdays and four Fridays. In struction will be on a rotation schedule, extending over
ten week ends, from Thursday, J a nuary 10 through
Friday, March 15.
More suitable quarters have been obtained for the
1957 school. In the south end, classes will meet in
the Recreation building of the county institutions st
Oak Forest; in the west, in a room of the general
offices of the Cook County Forest Preserve, and in the
north , in the Rand Park fieldhouae in Dea Plaines.
De l)s rtment Engineers ~\ re Teachers
Instruct-au in all subjects arc highway department
engineers. These include: Surveya, Walter Kinnucan;
Road Construction, Frank Speidel. Edward Riordan

(Continued on page 7)

1956 Construction Season Is Reviewed

By William J, Mortimer

The department also made 93 miles of field surveys.

53 miles of location and alignment And 33 miles of
soil analysis and profiles.
Bridge construction compirt;>d during tht" year in
c1uded two grade separation structures on Congress
Street and one on CaJumet Exl'ress.....ay, the LakeCook
Road bridge, Touhy Avenue bridge widened, rt'pail'!'
to the LnwreDce A venue and Irving Park subways lind
three culverts in the suburban urN!..
Road iml,rovements were as follows:

Superintendent of HIghway.
Cook County
on~

1956 has been

of planning new highTIlEwayYEAR
facilities as
as work accomplished.
w{'l1

Ff'dernl aid In construction of (,xpre&8ways~to the

of 90 per cent of the cost was RSIIur{'d by
(,(lngressionn! action last spring. Since the expressways in til(' countyvdde priority system qualify for aid
us parts of the interstate highway system, the county
found it!K'lf relieved of obligation to use its $245 mil
lion bond issue to finish GongreM Street, Northwest
Expressway. the Southwest Route and the South
Rouk These projeclg are now to be completed by the
State, using froeral aid. The County must contribute
lhl" 10 per c('nt required of local governments under
lilt" federal plan. This will amount to about $15 mil
lion, which can Ix! laken from annual motor fuel tax
receiptJs without disturbing other construction pro
grams.
Thus, the county has been afforded an unprecedented
0PJlortunity to construct other much needed expreesways both In Chicago and thp suburban area. Among
those under consid('ration are a cross town route on
the weat s ld(' of Chicago, rt'construction of Stony
Island Avenue 88 an ('xprcssway between 79th and
107th Stree18 and reconst.ructlon of 55th Street El8 an
I'xprCSl3way from Stony lsland to Cicero Avenue.
~'xlenl

Cit,) or

Chlcn~o

wF;STElt,. .\vt:.... I'E-nlosUrrtlt.. -d belW...m Oe"C>fl .\\enuc

and 79th Slrffl and ~I ... ('('n l77th and l:)3th Stref'tI.
PL'LA!'lKI nOAI) R~surrat...'(1 lH.'t\\et'n Belmont Awnu(' and
Cennak Road.
IIn'INC PAUK BOI.'1.E\'ABD Ih,.ur[l1ccd bel\\et'n Puluskl
!toRd and Lakl' !;hnrf' Drh'"
NOBLF.-f:RIE !';TIH!E1'S--l"ublt' rt!~urrlll:1.-d bctwl.'l'n ~;rle .tlul
j\ull'u~ta lluull'Yllnl !lnd Erll' 1}I'1\\"{'('n ;:';(Ibl~ ancl lhllllC'.1
litreetl.
AL:Cl'STA BOl'l.F:V,\ItD-RO:8urrllO'e(l hel"cl'n NobIll Slrl'cl
and Grand AVt!nue.
COTTA(a: !,1l0\'E .\\'~::-.II~; It,,,urraret! 1,..I\\"l.'('n felh
SII"fi"I and Sriulh ChI('"Rgn .\\"(."nu('.
~orth

S ub urban .\rea.

1t<)AD---Wldened 111 20 Bnd 24 [Ht and rl'IIUrtat'ed

betwt'n Skokie nnd De~ Plalnh /UHr 1 unlnt'flrpnrali'tl. l"f.rlh
brook'.
~;AST I.AK~:
.\\'E!'\"t"F~ H(,~Ult'U,,,,,<1
bclwt't'n IUtlK!' and
Crt'l.'nbR)' !tll/HII, .Wllm!'t(el
OF_" PI.AINS R1V~:R It<lAD-HI'~ur[l1ced frvm I!'> mil.,
~nuth or (;alf R(ORtl I" MllwUUkt't' ""cnUl' funln, .. ,rptlrnh..11.
lIAIlRISO:-; STltEET RI'~ur(I" ...'<t from lWIO fl"t:l ealt or
Edl'ni F:'I"pru~way III ..176 (1'<'1 ('11,,1 or l'Ikukh. BnUIe-lRt.1
,Sknklf')
WI:>O:>OETKA AV~':""'I'!':.-Rf'.urrlli'1i'd belw",n C'. AI:,. W RIIII
r .... d anti ~hf'rlcl"n I(Vlltl ,Wlnnl'lkll. KenU"'nrthl
Dl';:';D~;f;

Cu luruet Extension OIK'ned

We..t Fiubll rbll ll t\rell

During the first half of the year, the County com

pleted thl' extension of Calumet Expressway from the
interchange wllh Kingery Expressway south to Sauk
Trail. A ribbon eutling ceremony WEl8 held July 1
~lnd the extension was then ol>cned as far as Route 83.
The remainder of the expressway was placed in use
on August 10.
On that same day. Congress St.reet Expressway WIl8
opened to travel between Ashland Avenue and Michigan Bouteval'ti. In this section, the County constructed
the elevated roadway bet.ween t.he main Postoffice and
Dcsplnines Street. With this added section in use.
Congress Street is continuous from Michigan Boule
vard to Laramie Avenue, approximately 8 1 Z miles.
In Septembc-r. this department started work west of
Laramie Avenue, the first project being a tunnel to
carry C1'A tracks from the expressway median strip
under the eastbound expressway lane and onto ground
level. Construction of this section. between Larllmie
and Des Plaines Avenue, will also include relocation
of two sets of through railroad tracks and also the
tm.cka of the Chicago Aurora & E lgin electric railway.
~orlh\\r .. 1 Expressway Bridge Started
Work was begun last summer on the bascule bridge
over the North Branch of the Chicago River that will
carry Northwcst Expressway feeders from Michigan
Boulevard to the expressway Ilt Halsted Street.
On non-expressway roads. the department during
the year widened and resurfaced 13.2 miles, resurfaced
48.6 miles, paved 3.3 miles or two-lane highway and
1.5 miles of four-lane.
The largcst resurfacing project was Western Avenue
between Devon a nd 79th Street. continuous, and also
between 127th nnd 135th StI'ee1.s.

MAPLE A\'t;.... tE. !t('Aurtat-eti between 47th and 311t

Sireetl IOI'Q!'ktleldl
WASIIINGTO!'\" 1l01.'LF.VAltD Itl'surral'erl bl't ... t.... n \111 an.1
Lnthrrm ,\Vl'nUI'I IIth ... r ~tlrf"I).
t;M:;T '\\'~;''''l'E-Whlf'nl'<1 III ({'Ul' IIlftU IIl1d I'(>1IUI'(III'('11 Iw
tween JolIl'l Iloud IInti 171h stn't'l (Ln Cnmge. :\lrCook. unln(1)l'JI'Or~tC!'lII.

26TH STREET-Wldl'n~ to rour lum'lI Ilnd r"~Ur(Ilr('(1 be-tween Dell [>Ialnl'~ and Harlem .\\O"nUl'tl IRlw .... ld~ and Nnrth
Rh('rald('l.
WOLF ROAD--Wldl'nl'lt I" tour Illn~ and l'1.',ur1att.'<1 bI'IWC!'l'n Hllrrl .."n SII'C!'l'I and UUllt'rneld !toad,

South S uhurban Area

BI."IINltA)'l AVf;Nl'lC Wltll'ned 10 [our lane. Ilnd rHurtliced
IJ('tw('l'n ldard Strl'f'1 anti !khrum !lund ILal1~lnl1'. ClIlumet

City),

W~O!tTII AVf':Nl'E- RI'RUr(lIl'ert Ix!tWei.'1I 171.11 and

1671h S l l"f'@tl lLan!IIIJ{I.
SOt-nf 'ARK - MORCA:-< HALSTf;D-Resur1aC'fil betweell
l!I.'Ilh lilrt't't and CalUml't Rnult"'ard IIlar\I'Y).
STICPIIE:>OS STREET-DEIlB\, RO,\D-Ilesurtal't'll bet ...","
lUth Stl'fft .. nd Ml'Carthy Runt! lunlntorporaIL-d. Ll"rnonl),
STATE STREET- Portland ('('ml'nl ron!'~te Ptt"em('nl anti
.. Iorm &e\\,l'r bctwf'('n Llnroln IItllhwR)' nnd J~ Orr Road {unlnI:CIrporaled, Chlca,o 1if'lkhU\.

November Traffic Fatalities

Nineteen persons were killed In highway traffic acci
dentJs in suburban Cook County last month. It was
the same total as in No\'emi:ler, 1955.
The denth toll for the yenr through 11 months slands
a t 209, which compares wilh 17 in 11 months of 1955
and 199 for all of last yl'nr. In each instnnce, the- figures Include only instant deaths:
Three of those killed last month were pedestrians.
two struck by passenger autnmobiles and one by a
truck. Eight were killed in collisions between automobiles, two in auto-t.ruck collisions and five when cars
left the road and struck wayside objects. A mq,tor
cyclist WIUI killed when hill machine hit a tree,

More Cars, Fewer Deaths

'GURES ON HIGHWAY trame a.ccidents in Cook
County, including the City of Chicago. in the 20F
year period 1936-1955 have just been compiled by
H. H. Harrison. engineer of traffic. illinois State DiviMost remarkable is the showing thai while total
accidents have increased sharply. deaths have decreased Crom 1,070 in 1936, and 1.133 in 1937, to 638
Isst year. The downward trend msy be continuing
this year. FstAlilietl In the county as rel)Qrted to the
slate in the first 10 months of 1956 totaled 475 and
<Ii? in the same months last year.
For the most part. the reduction In tbe death column
has been due to f('w(>r pedestrian killings, said Mr. Harrison. In Chicago alone. 592 persons on foot were killed
in 1936. For 1955, this toll was down to 257.
The further reduction in deaths may be atlributed
variously. Highway engineers believe that new roads
and improved older roads, wider traffic lanes and
easier curves, for examples--have contributed much to
safety. Educational and t"nforcement programs spon
sored by the CiLizens Traffic Safety Board in Chicago
and by local snfety councils In the suburbs have been
influential. Another factor, suggesled by a leader in
safety work, is the bettcr flrst aid and ambulance service given critically injured persons.
Even though fatalities are fewer, the totals of all
accidents and of injuries continue increasingly high.
La.st year 76,220 oecldents and 44,783 persons injured
were reported from Cook County, Ii rate of one accl
dent every seven minutes and one person injurt>d
perhaps crippled for Ufe---every 12 minutes.
TolaJ accident figures ore different for the yean! Ix'(ore 1946 and after that year. Pre\'ious to 1946 reports
were required only of acciden18 causing deoth or per
sonal injury. Beginning that year reports were re-
quired when an accident resulted in property damagc
of $50 or more. This minimum wos changed to 100
in 1951.
The 20'year tabulation follows :
\ ..... ~

Arf'ldf-nh

1936

4.9!lk

1.07(1

1.937
1938

~.4lI2

t.IS.'
DlO

l~

1940
]g.u
19-12

~."'14

12.079
11.~'i

7.Ir.!1

~.41r.l

11H3
19-14

3.783
3.!il'JIl

1!W6
1!W7

MI.Mn
(1I.6.'\7

194~

19<1.8

1949

l!mO
19!U
19M!
l~

1004

1~'i

".Y~~

73,010
71,821
8!'I,l'I:tI
1OM.1lI'1l'i
&1,48.1
67,7&1
69,7l'12
76.Zlfl

""h, lItI,.~

~'1

9311

l,~

"""
l'i-I:l
~711

&12

721

731
707
!VIIi
6.'10
6.19
7'21
6K.'i

6.17
638

Cook County

(The followhlY article, aC(l/jny w ith the eI19/'

Jleerhlg IISC,", Of highway accidellt reports, wa"
prepared at the request of COOK COUNT)"
HIGHWA l'S. While IIot direetly reillied to the
table in the crd)omillg COlllttlll, it docs clarify the
pltrpoRca of accident reporting and emphasizes
the obligation of ('I'(>r,l/ drittr illl'ohwl to "'/Ik('
(j romp/dr, a('('IINlte slat('mertt.1

sion of Highways.

In

By H. H. Harrison
Engineer of Traffic:
IIU ... ol, State Dl yl,lon of H ighway.

HENEVER A DRIVER is involved in a 1I'815c

W
Rccidtnt, the- Ulinols Traffic Act requires him
to make a report to the Department of Public Works
and Buildings within ten days. The reporting provision
is mandatory In e-very accident resulting in Injury to
or deaUl of Rny pt'rson. or in which damage to the
property of anyone [>(,f'SOn, including himself. in excess
of SlOO, is sustained. Furthermore, the state report Is
necessary regardless of whE'lh('r th(' accident occurred
within or without the corpomte limits of any munic
ipality in the Slate.
The reports are sent to the Safety Responsibility
Section of the Bureau of Traffic in Springfield. There.
the reports for ellch accidpnt, namely those submitted
hy each driver. the investigating police officer, and
the coroner, are assembled into one file and assigned a
case number. The ease is then processed to ascertain
that the provisions of the Safety Responsibility law
have bef'n complied with in all respects. This mattcr
of evaluation and certification is an important on(' and
worthy of a (ull length dissertation. but the significnnt
l)Oint, as fllr as this article Is concerned. is thal the
ellse finally comes to rest in th(' location flle for the
particular highway or intCl'8Cction where the accident
occurred.
The engineering uses of the accident records are- a
function of the Statistical Engineer. whose duty it is
to compllc the statewide annual fatality and accident
rates, plus any spt'cial studl('8 of accidents for particu,
lar highways, intcn!cctions or communities as re
quested. One such special annual task haa been the
preparation of a statisticaJ summary and spot map
for thl' expressways in the Chicago Me-tropolltan Area.
Who, Wllat. Why. Where. ,\1le ll

lnJlI~I .. ~

6.287
7.~

7.(1l-;I1
15.7(.'
llU8.,~

IO.MII
7.0n6
4.8711
!'I.'M~I

An examination of the summary r('veals a wealth

of data. The total ntlmber of accidents is broken down
inla typt', such as other vehicle, fixed object, pedes
trian. etc. The drtvers who were im'olved are listed
according to their sex. age, and direction of trave!.
such as traveling straight, parked. making a Uturn,
etc. The time, light. and weather are shown. Including
the hour, day, and month of occurrence. Thc road
condition prevailing at each accident is tabulated as
(Continued on page 6)

l'I.794

l\(J,I'\.1n

:J:I.7o.'1
31.599
3(1,994

:L~.ti.'Wl

lS.:r.-I
lS.677
37.0&1
39)166
44,783

One principal con!lideration. of course, is the- ratio

between acciden19 and the numher of vehicles on the
road. For 1936 the Cook County registration can only
be estimated because at thal time the Secretary of
State did not keep registration by counties. Using
Cook County's proportion of license fees, it is estimated that there were 882,000 vehicles in the county
that year, which yields the ratio of one fataJity for
every 824 vehicles. Last year, when registration was
1,4.84,912. the ratio Wall one death for every 2,327
vehicles.

tn respect to total accidents and personal i.njuries,

ratios are comparable for 1946 and 1955. Regislratlon
in 1946 was 805,873 a.nd there was one accident for
every 14 vehicl('s and on' injury for every 26. Last
year, the ratios were on' accident for every 19 vehicles
and on(' injury for every 33.

Manhole Ring Speeds Resurfacing Jobs

By William T. lynch
Dralnl'lge and Utltltle. Engineer

Cook Ccunty Highway Oepilrtment

THEa COOKprocedure
COUNTY Highway Department is testing
for adjusting manhole covers
DCW

during roadway resurfacing programs. The department has been proud of the many miles of resurfacing
done in both the City of ChicflgO and the suburban

area while still maintaining the flow of traffic on these

main arteries.
However, the present procedure requires that structures be adjusted to the proposed roadway elevation
before 18)ing resurfacing rn8.1erial. Such work includes removing a portion of existing pavement, rebuilding the Upper portion of the brick manhole,
removin g and reselling frame and grate, back-filling
c:'l:C8vation with concrete, after which the job muat be
protected by a barricade and two lights for a period
of 72 hours.
The proposed technique utilizes "manhole adapter
rings" (as pictured above) , which are placed in a
matter of minutes just prior to the resurfacing operatioo. Rings are held in place by Allen locking studs,
together with being "keyed in place" by compacling
resurfacing material around the locking flange.
Test installations were placed this year on Pulaski
Road and Western Avenue. where traffic is heavy. Indications are that this method of adjustment is practical and wiil not only result in lower overall costs,
but also greaOy reduce tmffic disturbance, climinate
lights and barricades, remove a very definite haZArd
to safety and retain the structural strength of the

slab itself.
Added to these advantages is a great saving In manpower, which haa grown critical with the expanded
highway program and which has also placed a burden
on the utility companies to keep pace. This new manhole procedure could be handled with ease by the
resurfacing contractor, relieving the companies of that
burden.

Manhole Adapter Ring I, DI,played at ~ Ighw.y Oe

partment Shop by Seully Santueel, Po inti ng to One of
the Allen Lo ekln'il Studl.

Accident Reports - - highway during anyone year. One [ata! accident in

(Continued from pagp 5)

to straight, curve, Intpl"8cction, bridge, etc. The manner of collision Is indicated, such as head on, rcar end,
etc., as well as the apparent principal cause, such 8S
drinking, wrong side of the road, aslC<!p, etc.
The location of each accident as described In the
reports Is spotted on the map with the appropriate
symbol for property damage, personal injury, or fatality. The completed map displays, at a glance, a
complete picture of the places throughout the length
of the hIghway where the accidents are occurring. The
high fre<luency locations a re readily apparent 80 thaL
additional study may be given Utem in an effort to
apply remedial treatments.
Good RCIJOrt.s Contribute to Safety
The statistical summaries and spot mapa become
more valuable each year with the accumulation of
additional data. This is particularly true when fatalitiea are considered on 8 relatively short atretch of

which two or three people are killed can make the rec-

ord look bad for Any given year, whereas the record
of fatalities over several years presents a more logical
and realistic picture.
It should be emphasized that the accuracy of the
summaries and spot maps is only as good 8.8 the Individual accident reports from which they are made.
A driver should make a conscientious effort to prepare
a correct and complete report. with particular (>mphnais
on the location and direction of travel.
The law which requires accident reports also requires that the reports be kept eonfidential; In no
event can an accident report be used as evidence In
any trial arising out of tb(> accident. Reliance In the
confidentia l naturE' of accident reports should induce
a driver to submit an accurate and complete report.
Such a report is a definite contribution to greater
safety on the highway,

'-'

1956 Building

County Area $93,294,750

mLDlNG CONSTRUCTION IN the uninoor-porated

area of Cook County boomed again in 1956, with
B
new high records set for permits issued and estimated

valuation. The annual repori covers the fiscal year,

from December 1, 1955, through November this year.
Total permits Issued by the Cook County Building
and Zoning Burt'su was 6.132 and the LOtal valuation,

$87,616.461. In addition. there were 62 permits in tht>

no-fee classification. which includes farm buildings,
churches. schools and other public buildings. Total
no-fee va luation was $5,6iS.289. which brought the
grand total to $93,291,750.
The 1955 figures were: 5,725 permits for a total
valuation of S84,219,302; 33 no-fcc permits, 1.142.549; grand lotal, $85.361.851. In 1954, the total
valuation of fee permits wss $60.307.275: 1953,
$53,302.871; 1952, $33,388,751.
Residential pennils Ulis yenr totaled 3,881 and represented $75,564,163 valuation.
Fee l:fermits were issued in other classificationa a8
follows:
Business buildings, 88: industrial, 21: ndditions and
alterations, 586; accessory buildings, 1,180; new septic
systems, 8: wells, ] 28; miscellaneous, 240.
By townships, the 1956 permi18 were issuoo as
follows:
T U"'n~ h tp

November Building Permits

PermUs for building construction issued in November by the Cook County Building and Zoning Bureau
totaled 4 4 and represented a total valuation of
S5.661,150.
There were 257 permits for residences, five for busi
ness buildings, one Industrial, 51 for sdditions and
aHera tions, 126 accessory buildings, 1 new septic sys
tern permil. 16 wells and 2i miscellaneous.
By townships, pennits were issued as follows:
T""' n ~lIIp

4.67.2:2S

"'.2>0

~O

~1,400

M
6
1
17

91,300

"'.GOO
".,..,

,.".,..
~7,300

~7

2'.l

9~:~

,'l
117

"".900
54,700
=.300
236.600

:m

6
13
19

17,300

"."'"

H8.2!IO
212,600
19.300
774.,fIOO

12
49

..

"".000

31:1

Four permits, total valuation $34,400. we.re Issued

in the no fe~ classification.

t .. rn,lI~

Barrlnl10n
Rlourn
S",ml'n
Elk l,I"'O\'1'
IIBnOVl.'r
Lemont
l..eyden

2">

pnving is lhf> subject of the other day of the course.

3-\2
M9
77
n
a21

It is presented with a movie "How to Make Qualily

MainI.'
NI.'..... Trier
Nllu

3-10
15
2

Lyun~

NnrthHeld

NorwOOd "ark
Orlllnd
Palinln"
PllluR
Pro\'ISO
Rteh

Srhl!.umbura
Sllt'knl.'),
Thornlon
Wheeling
Worth

l~

Concrete" and lectures on design and tests, terms and

mixing methods and duties of the plant inspector.

no

~96

377
fIH

307
275
HI

7~

!lOO
716

:S2
511t1
~OO

The no-fee l:fermlts included ] 1 dwellings, 35 school

and church buildings, five for additions and altern
tions, five accessory buildings and six miscellaneous.

mo_ tel ... ]

,-.

Ion.
,_.

(Continued from page 3)

discussion, a motion picture supplied by the Portland
Cement Assoc.iation Is screened, wilh comments by tbe
instructor.
Bridge Consln.lction coven orientation. foundation,
forming and relnforclng stet'l concrete for structure.,
structural steel and reports and forms. Movies on current practices, with commentary by the Instructor,
follow the leetureB.
One day or the Plant Inspection and Materials course
is devoted to bituminous road surfacing. Topics in
elude: Asphaltic materials snd mixes. raw materials.
mixes and standards, and selection of samples and
teating. This section r:.f the course has its own review,
class discussion snd quiz. Portland cemenl concrete

10

11>;::

,o - - -",

hI>.

,
,

hI>,

hb.

,.1>.

,, .I.".
, ,..b
,

".

" -
" ,
,,
-

:j

;.~-;:-i

"il
,
oo

COO.l

!~o~
.. Jail, 111

Er.l>. .,
,..b.

;;'01>,

" Nu.
J.n,

~J .....

",

"

," ,

s ,.,
-

1:'r.1>.

",

II

! ,.1>.

l~

,~ .!.

~'.I>.

hb.

-.

22

I!I"""
1;1,"1>.
Erel>.

",

1t,",,1>

,~.

Inspectors' School - --

'<W'

"... - "J.....
-J.a.--

,~.

_ ..

..""

"ol ulltl on

" "rmllo
2
37

Bnrrtn5lLOn
Bloom
Bremen
Elk GI"'O\I.'
Uannver
Lemtlnl
Lt!)dl.'n
Lyonll
1>f",ln"
New TrIer
I"Orthn"ld
I"Orw'Klrl ""rk
Orlllnd
J">1I1nUne
J">alO11
I'TO\'lso
Rlrh
SchaUmbl.lrlr
Sttrkne}"
Thornlon
Whl"l'lInlr
Worth

r.b.

IB~

""I'. .,
~

J"".

lO

)l~

,.b. .,
,, '"b.
, ,..1>. "
, '.b. "

....,i

-. "
M41.r.

~~

,
-,

" ,.b.
- -,

:;:

..... ,

E_.
"

couwn IIlGJII(U
~-~

_1,,.,._

ICIICQ.. nil! Iepg;t"IIIU

118Tl'l\lCnQII i'IOTIITIOII
E~~

....

_~o

COlIBTIIIlC'rlOlf _ JIIO.tJJS
COIl3TIU.lCTIOII _ JallOGEli

.u,.n II. . . . IC,I,T ' U.

1't1 ....,-~. - eol>Oro'.

1d..Q.

_ Iltoal .....

II!!TR\JI:!!lpa:

Sp.1401, J".--t
1110"","", [4 .......
.... tl. _ _
~_I

'0\&011,_

, 1'IP1urnJ.&,
D

2 ... !~.

.,T,~.A

J~ba

-~

f\

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Fait Traveling j'Snow Fighter" Clear. Penny Road After January 9 Storm.

Vol. IV No. 8

JANUARY 1957

( See Page 6).

COO K COUNTY HIGHWAYS

PuhU.hed by the Cook County (111.) Department of Hil'hYI
Under ausplees of lbe Board of County Commluionen
DAN IEL RYAN, Pr.,ldent
Jlmu F .... ,hlnden
Frink Bobrytzke
Ch,rlu F. Cha plin
Ellubeth A. Conkey

Fred A. F ull.
Chrilt A. Jenlen
John .ft. Mackler. J r.

Jerry Ooleul

Clayton F. SmUh

John J . Duffy
Arthllr X. E lrod

Edward M. Sneed
John J . Touhy

Wlillilm N. E r lcklo n

W illl. m J . Mortimer
Supuintt:ndenl of Illch ..... l.

......

Published at 130 North Wells Street. Chicago 6.

FRanklin 27544

Boob

December Traffic Fatalities

Extemion 216

0/

the Month

IT H 23 DEATHS In December, 1955 ended as

W
the worst year in the records of highway traffic
fatalities In suburban Cook county.
The year's toll was 232. It represented an increase
16.~ per cent over lhe 1955 lotal, 199.
Al the 811m!! time. the Cily r.f Chicago. where pro.
grams of _(ety education and trafllc Inw enforcement
hnve been effective in recent years, showed improve-ment over 1955. When final figures are available. it
Is expected that Chlcago's good shov';ng will offset Lbc
higher toll in the suburban a r ea and bring the countywide total s li ghtly under Lhe 1955.
The 232 suburban deaths already recorded for 1955
Include only those that occurred. instantly or soon
after injury. The final figure. Ineluding delayed deaths,
.....11J probably be 25 to 50 higher. based on the observation of previous years,
Seven of those killed In December were pedestrians
struck by autbmobiles. Eleven were killed in collisions
between automobiles and two in auto-truck collisions.
Three were killed when their cars )eJt the road and
struck wayside objects.

of

FTLBERT IS out of focus with the world

FLATHEAD
uround him.
He can't see why they put 1\ STOP sign here,
He can't sec why they have tl SPEED ZONE there.
He can't acc why he should slow down at Ii BAD
CORNER when he can't ace anybody coming.
When Lhe day comes, stretched OUt in the ambulance.
Filbert won't even see wby lhl.s bad to happen to him.

December Building Permits

Per mita for building construction estimated to cost
4,413,190 were iuued in Deeember by the Cook Coun
ty Building and Zoning Bureau. which has jurisdiction
in the unincorporated area of the county. The 320
permit. compared .....Ith 196 iasued in December. 1955,
which represented 2,922,966 ,taluation.
Residential building accounted for $4 ,081.300 of last
month'. total. There were 141 permits for dwellings
with connection. to sanitary sewers and 77 with
septic tanks,
The other permits were taken out as follows :
Residential sddltions and alterations. 21. $44,000;
bU&ineu bulldlngs, 3, 14,300: buslneas additions and
a lterations, 4, $43,100; industrial building. 1. 40,000;
Industrial additions and alterations, 2, S12,500: accessory buildings, 48, $85,990; weUs, 7. $7,000; miscellaneous, 16, $25,000.
By townships, December permits were issued sa
follow.:

T " .. hip

l!arTtn.t ... n

"lOOm

Bn'nwn

Elk Gtu\f'

lIano\'('r
l.A!mflnl

l-eydrn
I..),ona
Main!!
r,'('w

Trl('r

NII('.
NOr1hneld
NorwOOd Park
!'.lath.. ('
Palo)f;
Rltb

I.. ,ntl ...

13

l3

:\

14
,m

I
311
7
2'2
1:\
:\

Schaumbur,

...:!.

\Wlrth

ll!o

!OUtknry
ThornlQn
Whf'f'ltn,

tu

...

'-...'u.U.n
3-1,700
1,1''''
.

ifill

~~
~l:=

148,100
741,90(1
114,500

aJ~
57,fl.">!)

.....

832,lMlO

"'.690

19.200
161,aoo

.800

98,400
, . ..900

Th re were also three permits in the no-fee class.

for a tota l valuation of S56,OOO.

1957 Road Program of Countywide Benefit

By Daniel Ryan

travel, but will also contribute to safe driving by

eliminating grade crossings and marginal interference.
In the important matter of financing, highway building enters a new era this year. Federal aid as provided
by Congress last year will become available to the
extent of 90 per cent of the cost of highways forming
parts of the inte rstate system. Our expressways qualify for such aid, and the federal government's contri
bution as well as the county's share is represented in
the program total.
The new federal progra.m a.lso operates to the County's benefit by freeing for other uses the $245 million
set up in 1955 to complete th e county's portions of
the basic expressway system. We have been prompt
in taking advantage ef this unprecedented opportunity
to plan additional expressways. Highway Superintendent William J. Mortimer has already suggested several possible routes and at his request, the County
Board has directed him to prepare specific locations.
Under consideration, among others are expressways
in Stony Island A venue from 79th Street to a connection with Calumet Expressway at 107th Street, an
expressway in 55th Street from Stony Island to Cicero
Avenues, and a cross- town route north and south on
the west side of Chicago.
Heavy Traffic On Expressways
The people who use the highways are as a matter
of course influencing our planning. By their use of
the completed expressways, which has resulteu in
traffic counts far above early estimates, they have
endorsed these improvements and indicated their desire for more. The County Board is ready to meet the
demand as rapidly as may be practically possible.
Expressway work and right-of.way acquisition on
the county's 1957 program is scheduled at the following amounts of estimated cost: Congress Street,
$8,860,000; Northwest Expressway, $7,850,000; South
Route, $43,525,000; South Route (East leg). $14,850,000; Southwest Route (I. & M. Canal) , $7,000,000;
' Kingery Expressway, $2,000,000; Northwest Expressway feeder, $4,335,000; Northwest Expressway from
Edens Expressway interchange to O'Hare airport,
$15,000,000.

Pre side nt, Board of Commissioners

of Cook County

OOK COUNTY'S 1957 highway program carries a

C
total of estimated costs that by itself is impressive- $119,309,000, the largest by far of any in the
county's history . But equally significant is thc planning that adva nces realiza.tion of a. truly coordinated
countywide highway system.
The principal members of
this system, of course, are
the expressways radiating
from the central business
di"trict of Chicago into the
ban area, north,
nortl,w,>.t west, sontheast
south. It is our intento expedite completion
of these routes, and this
year's program carries a total of $103,420,000 for
expressway construction and right-ot-way acquisition.
This total represents definite projects on the program. It may not be possible to complete all of them
this year because in some instances they must wait
on other work a nd in others steel may not be delivered on schedule. The fact that these projects are
programmed for this year is, however, evidence that
the County Board is ready to proceed as rapidly as
conditions will permit.
Seventy~fi\'e Road Projects
While advancing the expressway program, the
county must also continue to repair and improve nonexpressway routes. Seventy-five projects are on the
1957 program, including streets in Chicago and suburbs, rural highways, bridges, culverts, storm sewers.
Most of the street and road work will be resurfacing.
Eighteen projects include widening, most of them from
two to four lanes.
There is a natural tendency on the part of residents
of a community to regard such improvements as purely
local. That is no longer entirely true. The old country
roads that linked village to village have hecome arteries for countywide travel. A resident in the northwest part of thc county benefits from a good road in
th e south end if it affords him a convenient connection
with an interstate route .
The value of a coordinated system becomes more
apparent as the expressways and the Illinois toll roads
take shape in the immediate future. With this in mind,
th e County Board endeavors to serve all the residents
of the county as well as those in any particular community.

Expressway Co ntracts Awarded

Contracts for three expressway projects to be constructed by the Cook County Highway Department
were awarded by the Board of County Commissioners
January 4. The jobs, with the low bids, are:
Lawrence Avenue grade separation on Northwest
Expressway over Edens Expreasway, $299,981, Thomas McQueen & Company.
Elston Avenue grade separation on Northwest Ex
pressway over Edens Expressway, $393,183, Thomas
McQueen & Company.
Edens Expressway grading betwecn Lawrence and
Montrose Avenues, $529,000, W. J. Sheppard & Company.
Thc contracts have been submitted to stntc and federal authorities as participating agencies. Work is
expected to be started next month.

Access Limited On New Roads

In line with this conception of countywide improvement, a new policy has been determined for the County
Highway Department. Starting this year, rights-ofway to be acquired for ncw construction will be for
highways designed with limited access. This will not
only afford the motorist longer stretches of continuous

Grid Road Idea to Serve Growing Traffic

We have an astronomical increase in traffic and,
with the exception of the basic expressways, a highway
system that is decreasing in capacity almost daily.
Congestion in the county outside the City of Chicago
is becoming as deadly and costly as within the City.
Accidents and fatalities are increasing outside the City
of Chicago at an alarnting rate, while inside the city
they are decreasing.
To alleviate the traffic congestion following the plan
now in force, we would widen existing pavements and
construct others on the half or one-quarter section
lines. I believe this type of planning is no longer
satisfactory in Cook County. It merely creates additional hazardous and complicated intersections and
brings more through traffic to streets that shou1d now
be used in the main to serve abutting property.
Our recommendation is a controlled access freeway
located in a grid pattern spaced approximately four
miles apart. These highways will provide two lanes
in each direction separated by a median strip, no left
turns, no cross traffic and access limited to controlled
points. Service drives will be constructed where necessary to serve abutting property.
(Continued on Page 6)

Following is the text of the letter in which

William J. Mortimer, County Highway Superin'
tendent, communicated his suggestion for a fourmile grid pattern of expressways to the Board
of County Commissioners.

AM SUBMITTING herewith for your Honorable

Body's consideration and review a plan for the
construction of a system of access controlled highways
throughout the County
of Cook. This is a new
conception of highway
planning in this area
and because of this I
should like to explain
some of the background
leading to the new approach, the benefits to
be obtained, and the approximate cost. While
the plan indicates extension of the routes into
and through the City, I
shall dwell, in the main,
on the routes outside the
City of Ch icago, inasmuch as I have refrained
from discussing this
William J. Mortimer
plan with the officials of
the City of Chicago pending your r eview.
Our present system of highways is basically a grid
pattern, with a state aid road on section lines a mile
apart. There are many areas of the County where
roads have been also conslructed on the one-half
section line, providing highways everyone half mile.
When the majority of these roads were constructed
they were located in sparsely populated areas, with
access at infrequent farm entrances and a scattering
of business at the important intersections. In many
cases because of the increased development in the
country, these two-lane roads were widened to four
lanes, and with increased traffic, business sections became morc frequent, and a scattering of interference.

Gri d Pattern Finds Favor

Benefits that the community may expect to derive from the grid system of super roadways proposed for Cook County, are discussed in the December
hulletin issued by t he First Federal Savings and Loan
Association of Cook County.
Under the heading "Expressways and the Growth
of Metropolitan Chicago," th~ authors, Ralph J. Lueders and William K. Wittausch, say, in part:
"The modcrn expressway has been developed in response to growing traffic congestion . . . Existing
street capacity is insuffi('ie-nt to permit full utilization
of the potentialities of the motor vehicle, while, paradoxicall y, too high a proportion- about one thirdof the built-up sections of the metropolitan area is
devoted to streets. It is clear that a specialized type
of traffic arte,'y is needed . . .
uRecently a system of local superhighways was
proposed by the County Highway Superintendent to
put every motorist in Chicago and Cook County within
two miles of a four-lane highway with no stop signs
and no cross traffic. Every road in this gridwork
would intersect one of the major expressways that
are n,ow under construction. Getting into and out of
Chicago and getting around inside of Chicago would
be enormously simplified. The traffic jams that cause
us all to spend a third of our time standing still
when we try to g-et anywhere wouid be ended . . .
"The construction of continuous expressways will
divide the land into islands, forming- buge superblock
areas-the urban land pattern advocated by planners
for years. Within each superblock, now that through
traffic flows around it, some residential streets might
be dead-ended and unnecessary intersections converted
Into landscaped, traffic-free playgrounds.

Rural Roads Beeame City Streets

In the past 15 years and especially in the 10 years

following World War II, subdivisions have been mushrooming throughout the country areas, and as your
honorable body is well aware, there is very little area
left in Cook County tbat is not urban in character.
Highways such as Waukegan Road, Milwaukee Avenue, Irving Park Road, Roosevelt Road, Halsted
Street and Dixfe Highway when originally constructed
aod lhen widened were capable of carrying adequate
traffic volumes reasonably free of stop signs and stop
and go lights. These highways are now completely
changed in character. Subdivisions, shopping centers
and ribbon type business ' devplopments have turned
these highways into city streets.
It is now necessary for the safety of the motorist
and pedestrian to restrict the speed in some cases to
as little as 15 miles per hour and dot the higbways
with stop lights and stop signs. In addition, parking
has r educed the traffic capacity of a four-lane highway to less than the former two lnne road.

.-,

-~- _ ~--

-------

-- -

Suggested Expressways

In

--

-- I:IJ----

Suburban Area

COOK COUNTY
DEPARTMENT ~ HIGHWAYS

APPROVED
STAT[ AID SYSTEM

".....

::-.'!. :: :::::: =:..

LONG RANGE EXPRESSWAY PROGRAM

(4 MILE GRID)

4 MILE IRID

INTERSTATE

SYSTEM

uou .....,

DODD

TOLL

AOAD

A, the Grid Expressway Map oStands at Present, Precise Routes Have Not Been Selected , Instead, Suggested Location. Are Represented by Band., Each 1.5 Miles in Width, Within Which One or Another of Several Existing Roads
Could Be Improved A. An Expressway. These Bands, Shown Stippled on the Map, With the Center Road In Each
Instance, Are: Route "A", Willow-Palatine Roads; Route ' 4S", Higgins Road.Oakton Street; Route UHlir Illinol,
Route 53j Route jlC", Grand-Fullerton Avenues ; Route I'J" , Rldgeland.Narr-agansett.17th Avenues; Route liE", 87th
Street; Route UK", Southwest HlghwayHoMan Avenue; Route "F", 127th Street.13Oth Street. Bralnard Avenue;
Route ilL", Crawford Avenue; Route uG", 'Sauk Trail.

~;..

-.

~ ' ...

County Snow Fighters Alerted For Storm

By Paul G. Robinson

Initial operations to combat this storm started in

the north and northwest parts of the County. Thirtyfive truck plows were put into operation in Districts
1,2 and 3 commencing hetween 3 and 4 P. M. on January 9. These truck plows worked continuously for a
24-hour period. Continuous operation was necessitated
because the drifting of winds required repeated trips
hy the plows to keep the roads open during the
drifting periods.
Snow removal operations in the southern part of
the County started between midnight and 4 A. M. on
Thursday, January 10. Twenty truck plows were dispatched in this area and these plows worked until
4 :30 P. M. Thursday in Districts 4 and 5. On FrIday,
January 11, 45 plows worked from 8:00 A. M. intersecting streets and driveways and pushing snow berms
from the shoulder areas into the ditches in order to
provide storage space for further snow removal.
Ninety-four tons of sodium chloride and 1220 cubic
yards of cinders were used during this storm for lee
control at intersections, railroad crossings, bridge
approaches and expressway cloverleaf ramps.
Truck plows engaged in removing snow, spreading
salt and cinders and clean-up operations on the 650
miles of highway maintained by the Cook County
Highway Department traveled a distance of 6,583
mile::;.

Assistant County Highway E.nglneer

N JANUARY 8, the Maintenance Division of the

Cook County Highway Department received a
O
storm warning alert from Murray and Trettel, Inc.,
Consulting Meteorologists in Skokie, that a snow
storm was developing in the Texas Panhandle area and
possibly would hit the Chicago area sometime on
January 9.
On January 9, between 10:30 and 11:00 A. M. a
storm warning from Murray and Trettel was received
by all five districts of the Maintenance Division. It
was stated in the warning that snow would commence
falling between 3 and 5 P. M., that the amount expected would range from 4 to 7 inches, and that the
snow would be accompanied by drifting winds of a
velocity ranging from 18 to 25 miles per hour.
A storm started in thp Chicago area around noon on
January 9 in the northern part of the county. It began in the Oak Park area around 3 P. M. and in the
Park Forest area, or southern part of the County.
between 3 and 5 P. M.
The amount that fell during this storm, according
to official figures, was 8 inches in the Glenview area,
12 incheB in the O'Hare Airport area, 7 inches in the
Midway Airport area and 6 inches in the southern
part of the County.

Grid Roads - - (Continued from Page 4)

The construction of our program would provide a
limited access highway within two miles of any resident of Cook County. It would further provide for a
fast, safe, continuous flow of th rough traffic, separating it from the strictly local traffic and would appreciate values of property ahout both types of highways.
One of the best descriptions of a freeway was made
by Mr. Lloyd Harris, former City Traffic Engineer .of
Los Angel-es in a recent study: flThree times as much
traffic can move on a freeway as on a parallel boulevard in half the time, at half the cost and with onefifth the fatal accident risk."
Our estimated cost per mile of controlled access
road as proposed is onc million five hundred thousand
dollars ($1,500,000) per mile, the cost of our present
four lane highway is about five hundred thousand
($500,000) per mile. Inasmuch as one freeway serves
three times as much traffic, the cost from a traffic
standpoint is identical. However, considering that the
motorist can travel the freeway in half the time and
at half the cost and one-fifth total accident risk, the
saving in lives and actual dollars makes the proposed
plan most desirable, if not necessary.
The general locations as submitted would place the
improvements in areas that would enable us to purchase the necessary R. O. W. from unimproved property and in the majority of the locations would not
disturb existing developments. Because of the rapid
development of vacant property I urge your honorable
body to give immediate attention to the plan and advise me of YOV.f clecision. 1f it is favorable steps could

Road Builders Show Progress

(Picture.s on Opposite Page)

ORTY-SIX YEARS AGO, when the first American

Road Builders' Association show was held, road
building was a simple operation and the tools of the
trade were few.
The <limproved" road of that day was of crushed
stone spread in various sizes in a bed cxcavated by
horsedrawn scrapers. A drag scraper, which cost $15
and required two horses, could handle about half a
cubic yard of earth. Dump wagons of about two yards
capacity hauled material to the joh.
Such was the essence of road equipment in use the
year of the first ARBA show. Now the drag scraper
and thc dump wagon have passed on to join the fire
horse and the lamp lighter, and the scene shifts to
the 1957 show in Chicago's International Amphitheater January 28-February 2.
An estimated $8 million has been spenr by ARBA
manufacturer members to put on the largest industrial
show ever assembled under one roof. Road construction machinery of every type occupies an area equal
to 12 football fields.

be taken to acquire the unimproved sections before

they are improved. This would save money and time.
I realize the difficulty in attempting to explain a
plan that I have been developing for two years in
one letter. I further appreciate the many questions
that must enter your minds in attempting to digest
this long report. I should bf' delighted therefore to
meet in committee or discuss this plan with the indivi..
dual Commissioners at their pleasure.

Mules to Diesels Marks Road Building Progress

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

In the Day. of Real Sport-One of Many Good Slidl"' Hilla in Cook County"

Vol. IV No. 9

FEBRUARY 1957

Foreat Preserves .

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook County (lll.) Department ot Highways
Under auspices of the Board of County Commissioners
OANIEL RYAN, President
James F. Ashenden

WIlliam N. Erickson

Frank Bobryt%ke

Fred A. Fulle

Charles F. Chaplin
Elizabeth A. Conkey
Jerry Dolezal

Christ A. Jenlen
John A. Milc'kler, Jr.

Clayton F. Smith

John J. DUffy

Edward M. Sneed

Arthur X. Elrod

John J. Touhy
William J. Mortimer
Superintendent 01 Highwaya

Published nt 130 North Wells Street, Chicago 6.

FRanklin 2-7544

Extension 216

365

January Building Permits

FOR 112 residences were issued in JanuPERMITS
ary by the Cook County Building and Zoning Bureau, which has jurisdiction in the unincorporated area
of the county. In all classifications, there were 180
permits representing an estimated total valuation of
$2,678,346.
Besides residences, permits were issued as follows:
Residential additions and alterations, 13 permits, total
valuation S21,65O; accessory buildings, 27 permits,
$51,850; business buildings, four permits, $290,000;
industrial buildings, threc permits, $180,000; industrial additions and alterations, one permit, $6,000;
we1lR, six permits, $6,000; miscellaneousJ 14 permits,
$28,450.
By townships, permits were issued as follows:
TowlI~hlp

Barrington
Bloom

Bremen

Elk Grove
Lemont
Leyden

It{0ns

A alne

Korthneld
Norwood Park

PnLatlne
Palos

Rich

Sch.aumburg
Stickney
Thornton
Wheeling
Worth

Permits

14
5

19
1
7
10
14
23
5
5
7
2
2
28
3
21
12

ValIH,Uon

ALOPY JOE HAS a car that cost $3,600.

Jowners
That was in
and there have been several
between the original and Joe.

$ 81,000
138,150

1947,

68,600

314,930
20,400
103,500
127,800
]34,400
336,650

But it's still a prestige job to him.

When, driving at legal speed, you hear the tumult
of tortured machinery alongside, that's Joe going to
the head of the line.
Nobody is going to show him up.

64,500

]l~,HOO

78,196
15,400

4~:~~
42,600

t~:~

Man hours of labor, exclusive of supervisor person

nel, 19,099.
Cinders spread for ice control, 9,040 cubic yards.
Salt spread for ice control, 810 tons.
Snow plows were called out for the January 9
storm. Between then and February 1, plows and cinder
and salt trucks traveled a total of 7,382.55 ntiles.
The cinders uscd nrc processed to make the spread
efficient for stopping and at the same time easy on
tire treads. They are obtained from steam plants,
granulated and passed through a
inch screen to
regulate size of the particles and remove impurities.
Roads are kept open in winter by the same main...
tenance crews that do the summer work. For all
maintenance work, the county is divided into five
districts as follows: Number 1, Palatine area; Number 2, Des Plaines area; Number 3, La Grange area;
Number 4, Southwest Cook County; Number 5, South
Cook County.

There were three permits issued in the no-fee classification, which includes farm buildings, churches and
schools, for a total of $83,900 and one no-fee permit
on which no valuation was stated.

Snow and Ice Make Work

v..

Snow removal and ice control are done by the Cook

County Highway Department on the 650.1 miles of
road on which the county has the responsibility of
maintenance the year around. On state routes in the
county, the work is done by the state Division of
Highways.

From last November 1 through January 31, winter

work done by the county included the following totals:


1956 Death Toll Reveals Accident Factors
INAL COMPILATION OF factors in highway fataliF
that the typical accident involved a mature male driv-

ties in suburban Cook County last year indicates

ing in clear weather on dry pavement, probably going

too fast or inattentive to other vehicles. trains and
pedestrians.
In the 204 fatal accidents ana lyzed by the Cook
County Traffic Safety Commission, 232 persons-drivers, passengers and pedestrians- were killed outright
or died soon after injury. This total, as in other years,
will be increased by delayed deaths.
Of the 127 drivers involved, 114 were males. Ninety
drivers were in the age group 25 to 65, 21 were in
the 18 to 24 bracket, nine were 65 or older and seven
were under 18.
Weather Clear, Road Dry
One hundred and forty-seven fatal accidents-60
per cent of the total-occurred when the sky was
clear. Thirty-four occurred on cloudy days, 11 when
it was raining, seven in fog, three in snow, one in
sleet and one in mist.
Road conditions, too, were favorable for good driving on the days when people were killed. One hundred
and sixty-eight fatal accidents- 70 per cent-occurred
on dry pavement. Twenty -six occurred when roadways
were wet, eight when icy, one when snow Jay on the
road and one when mud was a factor.
The 45 pedestria ns killed present a tragic case.
Thirteen were children and 18 were elderly persons,
over 65, th e young and the old, the most likely to be
confused by traffic and the least able to protect themselves.
Forty-t hree Crash O ff P Mement
Forty motorists, two truck drivers and one motorcyclist appear to have been victims of their own speeding or lack of caution. Their vehicles left thc pavement, crashed into ditches or struck trees, bridge
abutmf'nts, posts, fences, guard rails or other wayside
objects.
Nineteen- drivers and their passengers- met death
at railroad crossings. Six of the dead were bicycle
riders, five of them struck by automobiles and one
by a truck.
Seventy-two persons were killed in collisions between two automobiles, and 23 in auto-truck smashups. One accident, in which two were killed, involved
four automobiles. Truck-truck collisions killed seven.
(Continued on Page 6)

January Traffic Fatalities

Five motorists and two pedestrians met death on
highways in suburban Cook County in Janua ry. Another death was added to the month's toll when a
woman succumbed to injuries received in a December
accident.
Two of those killed last month were in an accident
involving three cars. One was killed in a collision
between two automobiles and one in an aut<rtruck
crash. The two others were killed when their cars left
the pavement, onc striking a guard rail and one a tree.
The month's total compared with six in January
last year.

Speaking of Careers - --

Cook County Highway Eng Ineers on Ca isson JC.l b at

SIte of Northwest Expressway Feeder Bridge Over
North Branch of Chicago River. Left to Right: Dan
Cohen , Resident Engineer; I, H. Houge, superintend.
ent for the c ontractor, M. J. Boyle &. Co.; Frank Can
royd, Cou nty Engineer.

THIS TIME of year-and again in JuneA BOUT

numbers of young men with the ink s till damp
on their diplomas will be finding positions somewhere
in the country's vast industrial complex. What are
they looking for?
With engineering degrees, they could do worse than
consider what the Cook County Highway Depa rtment
has to offer:
(1) Steady employment; the department's engineering staff includes many men with 15, 20) and
even 30 years' seniority.
(2) Good pay; from $5,400.
(3) Opportunity for advancement; the d.epartment
has doubled in size since World War II, and the prospect is that it will do so again in another decade.
(4) Nature of work ; every sort of hi ghway employment in the book.
(5) Security; a generous pension plan with sick
a nd disability benefits.
Young men who have their B. S. in E. or expect to
r eceive the degree soon are Invited to write for further
information a nd an application blank. Address Cook
County Highwny Department, 130 North Wells Street,
Chicago 6, Attention Supervisor of Employment.

Expressways Open New Era of Growth

Come along with me, Lucille,

tion, it's time to take a closer look at tbe program

itself.
"The economic impact of this 13-year program promises to be breathtaking. During the next few years,
annual total highway construction is expected to
mount g radually until it reaches a level of between
$8 billion and $9 billion in 1960. At this time, an
average of between 435,000 to 450,000 men will be
employed directly on highway construction, with this
number rising to 630,000 during the peak summer
months. Now, onl y about 250,000 men are at work
direc tly on highway construction.
"And the payrolls of industries supplying road
building materials are expect ed to expand far beyond
their present 500,000 employes, too. A glimpse at the
basic mate rials the new highway program will demand
reveals why these industries will have to forge mighty
expansion programs of their own.

In my merry Oldsmobile,
A nd down super roads we'll glide

On a jolly non-stop ride . . .

ITH THIS GAY ditty, Savings and Loan News

in its January issue launched a lead article on
the exciting future of expressways under th e new
federal aid program and particularly the effects that
may be -expected in a metropolitan a rea. The magazine, published in Chicago, is the organ of the United
States Savings a nd Loan League and the American
Savings a nd Loan Institute and as such reflects expert
thinking.
The a rticle is headed "America Moves into :l New
Super Highway age-Takes on Some 'Super' Problems, Too." It is illustrated principally with two halfpage size pictures supplied by the Cook County Highway Depa rtment's photographer, onc of Congress
Street a nd onc of Edens Expressway. which may be
r egarded as complimentary to this area.
From the viewpoint of the fin ancier of building construction, the magazine notes the large scale developmen ts along expr essway routes- Edens is cited as
one example-and at th e same time cautions planners
that unwise, indiscriminate use of t hese newly desirable areas could make la rge scale problems.
Following a n introduction explanatory of the 1956
F ederal Aid Highway Act, which is aimed to transform the nation's roadways into a modern network of
expressways in the next 13 years, the article says, in
part :
Enthusiasm With Caution
"Passage of the 33-billion federal highway program
understandably has stirred up enthused commentary from a ll fields of business. industry. commerce,
and heavy and light construction. National publications such as Architectura l Forum and House & Home
magazines have taken a fling at envisioning what
America will be like in t he coming super highway era.
So has the United States Chamber of Commcrce in
its publication. So has the Appraisal Journal of the
Ameri can Institute of Appraisers and so bas the Review of t he Society of R esidential Appraisers.
"While these publications a r e almost unbounded in
their enth usiasm for the advent of the super-highway
era in America. they do temper their optimism with
sober warnings of the problems the next 13 years will
foster .
"For example, Architectural Forum served up the
bright side in this fashion ' . .. We will see entirely
new cities of up to one million population established
in outlying countryside areas.' In the next breath,
AF says, " .. The United States is heading into a
growth crisis, the like of which has never before
been seen .. "
"House and Home put it this way: ' . . . The $33
billion federal road building program . . . confronts
builders with both opportunities and problems . . .
planners hope the highway bonanza can be tempered
with sane land use so it will not worsen problems of
urban sprawl.'
"With commentary on the Federal-Aid Highway Act
running a field broken by optimism and sober r eflec-

Will Need 68 Per Cent Uor. Cement

"For instance, according to th e American Road
Builders' Association, the program will require 113
million barrels of cement which is 68 per cent above
present road-building needs; it will demand 663 million tons of concrete aggregates, a 50 per cent jump
over present needs; 9.2 million tons of bituminous
products will be needed, which is 44 per cent above
what is now being used; a nd more than 3.6 million
tons of steel, or a 65 per cent boost over present requirements, will be needed. Lumber, concrete pipe,
clay pipe and oil products all will be in demand to the
tune of 50 per cent more than now. And enormous
amounts of brand new road building equipment and
machinery also will be musts.
liThe magnitude of these requirements shapes up
into a big order, but it is generally believed that they
will be met without undue strain on r esources, even
assuming that there will be expansi on in home building a nd other lines of construction. Labor demands.
too are expected to be met without d.isruptin g co nstruction in other fields. According to the American
Road Builders' Association the high degree of mechanization in today's r oad building wiJI permit co ntractors
to recruit new employes entirely from the anticipated
g rowth in the labor force.
"Now, let's look at the cities, at the metropolitan
areas, that will have to absorb their share of th e
program's impact. An idea of just how much impact
the program will level on the cities can be visualized
when you consider that of the $28 billion to be poured
into the interstate System, about $15 billion is esrmarked for improvements in and ar ound cities and fo r
the construction of expressways through some 50
large metropolitan areas.
"How will this affect the cities'? What happens
when a new metropolitan area expressway is opened?
The answer is 'plenty.'
Land Values, Tax Bases Rise
"First, building of all kinds- r esidential, business
and industry- is stimulated along the expressway
route. Land values and taxable base jut upwa rd.
Look, for a moment, at what happened in the four
years since the Boston Circumferential Highway was

Development Demands Good Planning

Eden. Expressway Is Main Stem of New Reaiden t ial Area. T he View is South from D empster Street Interchange.

opened: More than $100 million has been spent for

new nonresidential construction along the route, in
eluding a $15-million, 170-acre industrial center; outlying land rose in value from between $50 and $600 an
acre to between $5,000 and S10,OOO an acre as a result
of the new accessibility and utility the highway
brought.

was begun on the Oakland-San Jose Freeway, acreage

along the proposed highway was selling for about
$500 an acre. By the time this freeway was partially
completed in 1953, land prices along the freeway had
soared to $7,000 an acre and more than 3,000 new
homes already had been built on the land.
Edens De,elopmeots Cited
"There are other examples, too: Completion of
tl~" Tappan Zee bridge across the Hudson River above
New York City is rapidly transforming Rockland
County into a premium commuting area; in Atlanta,
while construction was still under wayan the city's
North Expressway, home sales boomed along the
expected right-of-way; and in Chicago, completion of
Edens Highway late in 1951 touched off an along-theroute home building boom that is stin in progress
northwest of the city.
"Patterns such as these have taken the speculation
out of predicting the vast growth that will come as
a result of the new Federal-Aid Highway program.
Long strides of metropolitan area expansion are bound
to come as the expressways unravel. But expansion
and growth can churn up problems, many of them,
(Continued on Page 6)

"Here's another even more spectacular example of

what happens when an expressway opens. Along the
New York Tbruway a 57-acre industrial park sprang
up in Syracuse; a $30-million shopping ccntcr is now
under construction in Yonkers; in Tarrytown, a $200,000 increase in assessments occurred-as a direct result
of the Thruway; and in New York City itself, the
assessment within two blocks of the feeder parkways
increased by more than 2;000 per cent.
A new metropolitan expressway has a vital impact
on home building, too. As expressways cut their way
into metropolitan area countryside, they turn remote
areas into choice residential property.
"The Hollywood (Calif.) Freeway, for instance, is
credited for touching off a home buiIcling boom in the
San Fernando Valley. In Oakland, Calif., when work
U

Construction Under Way on Edens Extension

East Abutment of Foster Avenue Bridge over Edens, Just South of Expressway's Present Terminus

Expressway Era-

Accident Factors-

(Continued from Page 5)

(Continued from Page 3)

If The
big problem. of course, is planning. Some
pessimistic land planners and city planners see the
super highway age as nothing more than a glamorized
vcrsion of what should be called the 'age of the roadhouse or honky-tonk strip', Other planners are not
quite so ppssimistic, but they do foresee problems,
which they say'. . . will need the ca reful and thoughtful attention and co-operation of everyone, from local
civic leaders to local governing bodies.'
uThere'll be complex problems centered aroWld determjning expressway routes and their points of access.
Then, there'll be the problems of assembling land for
right-of-ways and thc accompanying problems of relocating displaced families.
"As expressway construction intensifies the pull on
central cities and more and more families relocate in
newly opened outlying areas, these 'bedroom' communities will wake up with a few problems of their own.
"For example, satellite cities will face staggering
new requirements for sewer and water facilities, for
schools, for streets and for parking facilities to handle
the demands of the newcomers who ride the new
expressway into town.
"What these problems spell out is a monumental
challenge to civic leadership that will be far beyond
anything that has ever confronted our cities and COmmunities. It's a challenge that requires immediate and
continued action in the years ahead. Delay in facing
up to the challcnge of the new supe,' highway age
could be disastrous. Failure to meet this challenge to
civic leadership carries OVf;>rtones far too serious even
to begin contemplating."

Motorcycles figured in five accidents in which four

were killed and buses were in two accidents, with a
total of three dead.
More fatal accidents occurred on Saturday than any
other day of the week. The tabulation shows: Sunday, 27; Monday, 26; Tuesday, 32; Wednesday, 26;
Thursday, 25; Friday, 24; Saturday, 43.
The most dangerous times of day were evening,
when traffic is heavy and the light uncertain, and early
morning, wh en some drivers are sleepy and others are
leaving roadhouses. Hours of occu rrence of the 204
fatal accidents were:
12 :00 midnight to 1:00 A. M.- 11
1:00 A.M.
to 6 :00 A. M.- 40
6:00 A.M.
to 7:00 A. M.- 9
7:00 A.M.
to 8:00 A. M.- 7
8:00 A. M.
to 9:00 A. M.- 1
9:00 A . M.
to 10:00 A. M. -10
10:00 A. M.
to 11 :00 A. M.-=- 7
11:00 A.M.
to 12 :00 noon- 2
12:00 noon
to 1:00 P. M. - 7
1:00 P. M.
to 2:00 P. M.- 5
2:00 P. M.
to 3:00 P. M.- ll
3:00 P . M .
to 4 :00 P. M.- 10
4:00 P. M.
to 5 :00 P . M.- 13
5:00 P . M.
to 6:00 P. M. -16
6:00 P. M.
to 7 :00 P. M.- ll
7:00 P. M.
to 8:00 P. M. -17
8:00 P. M.
to 9:00 P. M.- 13
9:00 P. M.
to 10:00 P. M.- 4
10:00 P. M.
to 11:00 P. M.- 5
11:00 P. M. to 12 :00 midnight- 6

Road Projects on County's '57 Program

EVENTY-FIVE PROJECTS for improvement of
S
non-expressway roads are listed on the 1957 program of the Cook County Highway Department as
approved by t he County Board. They include city and
suburban streets as well as rural roads and the estimated total cost, $15,889,000, is apportioned among
the north, west and south areas of the county.
Work to be done incl udes 19 jobs of widening existing two-lane highways, all of which will be resurfaced;
25 resurfacing jobs; five items of new road construction; 13 grade separations and bridges, and various
storm sewers a nd culverts.
Also on the program, are land acquisitions for 1958
construction estimated to cost $635,000. All of these
rights-of-way will accommodate limited access roads,
thus pr oviding continuous, safe driving, by eliminating
frequent crossings and ma rginal in terference.
The estimated total of the year's program is apportioned by areas as follows:
North area of th e County, $4,563,000, or 28.72 per
cent of thc total; South area, $5,001,000, or 31.47 per
cent. West area, $4,196,000, or 26.31 per cent; City
of Chicago, $2,129,000, or 13.40 per cent.
The projects programmed are as follows:
City of Chicago
79th Street- Widening and resurCacing between Cicero and
Western Avenues ; $360,000.
Cottage Grove Avenue-Widening and resurfacing between
115th Bnd 95th Streets; $492,000.
Lincoln Avenue-Four-Iane resurfacing between \Vrlghh.rood
and Fullerton Avenues; $21,000.
Damen Avenue---Four-lane resurCaclng between 79th and
76th Streets; $27,000.
Six proj ects are partly in Chicago and partly In adjoining
suburbs and appear in this lIsl1ng as suburban.

South Suburban Area

Kedzle Avenue-Storm sewer between Rock I sland rai lroad and Sag channel, 1 mile; 8]00,000.
Wentworth Avcnue- Wldemng and resurfacing between 171st
and 167th Streets, Lansing; $95,000.
l04th Avenue-Demolition oC brIdge at Calumet Sag channel, ~10,OOO.
Sauk Trall--Cradc separation at Illinois Centrul ratlroad;
Federal lI.Iatchlng funds; total COSl, $600,000; County's contribution. $240,000.
Burnham Avenuc-\Vldening to four lane.s, and resurfadng
and storm sewer between Glenwood -Dyer rd. and 159th Streets;
Federal matching funds; total cost, $780,000; County's contribution, $312,000.
Burnham Avenue-Grade separation at Grtlnd Trunk raIlroad; Federal matching funds; total cost, $350,000; County's
contri buti on 8140,000.
Burnham AvcnUl...' -Reallgnment oC approach to viaduct at
143rd Street, Burnham, 350,000.
South Park Aveune-Brldge, Homewood, $150,000.
South Park Avenue-Widening to four lanes and resurfaci ng
between Dixie highway and 15Sth Street, IIa.zelcrest, ),lnrkham
and Harvey, $390.000.
Joe Orr Road - Bridge, $600,000.
Joe Orr Road-Two-Innc construction between Halsted and
State Streets, $130 .000.
87th Street- Grade separation and approaches over B. & O.
C. T. rallrond at 76th Avenue, $400,000.
State Street-Two-Jane conatruction between Steger Road
and Sauk Trull, S12O,000.
Vermont Street-Widening to four lanes and resurfacing betwecn Division and 127th Streets. Cal umet Park, ChIcago and
Blue Island' $304,000.
George BrcllIlan Hlgtn'l.'8y- Resurfaclng between Cicero
Avenue and 147th Street, 4.36 mllC's, rural area, l\farkham and
Posen; $S6,000.
Halsted Street- Four-Jane resurfacIng between 138th and
130th Streets, Riverdale; $44,000.
1351h Street-Two-Iane resurfacing between Harlem and
Kastner Avenues rural area, Creshvoodj $87,000.
13),<;1. ~trpPt-Twn-lane resurfaclnljf between 96th and Harlem
Avenues, $81,000.
l1Sth Street- Four-lane resurfacing between \Vestern and
Ashland Avenues, Chicago and Blue Island; 843000.
l1!)th Street -Two-Iane resur facing between 96th Avenue
and Southwest Highway, rural area, Palos Park; $45000.
Hard Street-Twa-lane resurfacing between Will-Cook and
Wolf Han.ds; 82'2,000.
wol! Road- Twa-lane resurfacing between 183rd Strcet nnd
Southwest Highway; Federal matched funds; total cost 326,000;
County's contrlbutlon, $10,000.

Chicago Road- Widening to 24 feet and resurfacing between :Marlon and ]59th Streets Thornton, and lour-lane
resurfacing between 159th and 155th Streets, South Holland;
$68,000.
154th Street- Two an(1 lour lane resurCacing between Chi
cago Road and Burnham Avenue, South Holland, Dolton,
Calumet Cit)'; $94 000.
:.\1ichlgan City Ruad-Two lant:! resurCaclng Jetrt:!ry Avenue to
154th Street, Calumet City; 1$8,000.
Hldgeland Avenue- Storm sewer between 115th and llOth
Streets; 845,000.
15lSt Strect--Culvcrts at Spring creek; .$75,000.
Cottage Grove Avenue- Culvert at drainage ditch 1,000 feet
north of 163rd Street; 340,000.

North Suburban Area

Central Hoari Widening to four lanes and resurfacing ArIin~ton Heights to NorthWest Highway, 1.8 miles, Arlington
HeIghts, rural area, Mt. Prosllect ; 3350,000.
East Lake Avenue- Widenmg to four lanes and resurCaclng
or reconstl'uction between Waukegan Road and Edens Expressway, Wllmelte, rural area, Glenview ; $410,000.
Touh'y Avenue-Rt:!construct1on to four lanes and resurfacing
between W estern and C&NW railroad, Park Ridge; $95,000.
Lincoln Avenu e--]{esurfllcing, curb and gutter, and channels
for turns between Pderson Avenue and C&NW railroad,
Lincolnwood; $265,000.
Dundce Hoad- Wldenlng to tour lanes and resurfacing between Skokie river and Ifohltelder, 0.40 mile, Glencoe; $85,000.
Central Avenue---Carpcnter Hoad-Wldcnlng to tour lanes,
curb and gutter, and resurfacl!1& Devon Avenue to Mul[ord,
Chicago and LIncolnwood; $325,000.
Glenview Road nnd Crawford Avenue---Two lane construction HIbbard to Crawford nnd GlenvIew to Wilmette Avenue,
Wilmette; $145,000.
Fullerton Avt>nue--\Vldening to lour lanes and resurfacing
1st Avenu e to 78th Avenue and two-lane resurfacing 78th to
Harlem Avenu~~. Elmwuod Purk. River Grove; $240,000.
Arlington Heights Road- Widening to [our lanes and resurfaci ng Higgi ns to Central Roads, rural area.l. ~Arlington Heights;
Federal matching funds ; total cost $435,Ow; County's contribution, $175,000.
West Bartlett Road- Two - Iane con structton county Ilne to
Sulton Hoad, rural area; $377,000.
T~}(>ol.t Road - Four-I:lnc resurfacing Western to Devon, Park
Rldgc; $38.000.
prum Grove Road-:-T ..."o, three and four-lane resurfacIng
Daniels to Northwest llIghway, Palatlne; $38,000.
Arlington IIelghts Road Four-lane resurfacing Northwest
Highway t o Thomas Street, Arlington Heights; $61,000.
Des Plaines River Road-Four-Iane resurlaclng Northwest
Highway to Brown Street, Des Plaincs; $16,000.
Ballard Hoad- Two-lane resurfacing Rand Road to Milwaukee Avenue, rUl'al; $58,000.
~mpster Slreet-Four-Iane resurfa cIng betw(>C'n Northwest
Highway an(1 Milwaukee Avenue, rural, Des PlaInes, Park
Hldge; $119.000.
Creemvood Avenue- Twa-lane resurfacing between Rand
Road and Milwaukee Avenue, Park Ridge; $63,00()'
Ridge Hoad- Four-lane resurfacing between Wilmette and
Elm\'vood Avenues, Wilmette; 331,000.
Oakton Streel-Four-Iane resurCaclng between McCormick
Boulevard and Asbury Avenue, Evanston; :$48,000.
Devon Avenue-Four and six- lane resurfacing between
Lincoln and Kedzle Avenues, Chicago and LIncolnwood;
$29,000.
WUke Road- Widening to three lanes between Ktrchof! a nd
Euclid , ArlIngton IIelghh, Holling Meadow!oiJ.580,000.
Lake-Cook Road- Four-lanc resurtaclng nager Street to
Northwcst Highway and widening to 24 feet and resurfacing
between I-lager Street and Donlea Road, Barrington; $94,000.
Palatine Ruad-Threc-Iane resurfacing Cedar Street tu
Northwest HIghway. Palatine; $33,000.
Hintz Road- Bridge at WheeUng draInage ditch; $75,000.
Buffalo Grove Road- Bridge at Burralo creek; 375,000.
Plum Grove Road- Bridge at Snlt creek; $6poo.
Rohrson Road-Bridge ut Poplar creek; 375,wO.

West Subnrhan Area

Central, Ridgeland and Oak Park Avenues-Grade separation over CTA tracks at Lake Street; Federal matching tundS;
total cost. $1.000.000; county contri bution $100.000.
31st Street--Grade separation at Belt Railroad oC Chicago,
Chtcago and Cicero; $1,100,000.
\Volf Road- Widening to four lanes and resurfacing between
Roosevelt Hoad and Hll.rrlson Street., Westchester, HIllside;
$95,000.
WolC Road- WidenIng to four lanes and resurfacing between Ogden Avenue and Roosevelt Road., HillSide, Westchester; 3464,000.
Wolf Road- Widening to four lanes and resurfacing between Butterfield and St. Charles Roads, HillsIde, Berkeley;
$128,000.
47th StrceL- Wldcnllll{ Lu four lalles al1d resurCHclng WillOW
Springs to LaGrange, 1 mile; $185,000.
Franklin Avenu e-Two lant> construcUon between \Vol[ and
Mannhelm Roads rural, Franklin Park; $140,000.
25th Avenue- Grade separation at IHH raUroad. $1,000,000;
(our-Jane construction between North Avenue and UTa railroad:
$60,000; widening to four lanes and resurfacing IHB rallroao
to (;rllnf'l AvM1ue,/... $200,000; MeirORe Park, Franklin Park.
25th A venu e-l'"our-lane co nstruction betwet'n Cermak and
Roosevelt Roads, BroadvIew; $160,{X)().
Ridgeland Avenue--Culvert at Butterfield creek; $75,000.
Ridgeland A venue Storm sewer between 1151h and 1l01h
Streets; 345,000.
Gardner Road- Drldge at Addison creek; $150,000.

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

On a Bright Spring Day, Congress Street Expressway Between Halstcj Street (The Grade Separation in the Foregound) and the Main Po.t
Office Shows up in Intere&ting DetaiL The Cleared Area in the Center Will Be Occupied By the Cloverleaf Interchange Connecting Con.
gress Street With the Northwest and South Route Expressways. Just Eaat of Halsted Street Arc the Portal. of the eTA Subway, whOle
Tracks Will Continue West From That Point In the Median Strip of the ExprellwilY. Photograph by t"e Cook County Highway Department.

Vol. IV No. 10

MARCH 1957

COOK COUNTY H IG H WAYS

Published by the Cook County (Ill.) Department of lUghways
Under auspices of the Board of County Commissioners
DANIEL RYAN, President

James F. Ashenden

William N. Erickson
Fred A. Fulle

Frank Bobrytzkc
Charles F. Chaplin

Christ A. Jensen
John A. Mackler, Jr.
Clayton F, Sn'fith

Elizabeth A. Conkey
Jerry Dolezal
John J. Durfy

Edward M. Sneed

Arthur X. Elrod

John J. Touhy

William J. Mortimer
Superintendent of JllghwlIYs

Published at 130 North Wells Street, Chicago 6.

FHanklin 2-7544

Extension 216

. . . . 365

Boob of t he Month

February Building Permits

PERMITS
BUTLDING
mated valuation of

REPRESENTING an esti$2,287,206 were issued in

February by the Cook County Building and Zoning
Bureau, which has jurisdiction in t.he unincorp orated
area. The total of permits was 180, 112 for residences.
In the various classifications, permits were issued
as follows:
Residential with septic systems, 37 permits, $863,777; residential, sanitary sewers, 75, $1,224,629; residential additions and alterations, 14, $41,350; accessory bUildings, 31, $59,150; business buildings, sanitary sewers, 1, $38,000; industrial buildings, sanitary
sewers, 1, $30,000; business additions and alterations,
2, $6,800; industrial additions and alterations, 1,
$8,400; wells, $5,000; miscellaneous, 8, $10,100.
By townships:
Towns h ip

Barrington
Bremen
Elk Grove

Hanover
Lemont

Leyden
Maine

Northneld
Norwood Park

Orland
Palatine
Palos

Proviso
Rich

SChaumburg

Stickney

Thornton

Wheeling

Worth

PcrmH..

3
6
20
2
1

"

10
14
1

5
8
2
1
5

Vtlluatlon

$ 83.172

~.~~

14:222

J:~og

175,096
190,718
69,060

679,648

149,291
81,240

SEYMOUR makes time at busy

He sneaks through stop lights on the yellow, even

when traffic is piled up on the other side.
At four-way stops he acts as if he carried a load
of serum desperately needed in Medicine Hat.
As long as Seymour is loose, lhere'lL be problems
and perils that traffic engineers can't solve without
a shotgun.

50,120

51
2
9

SECOND
SPLl'1'
intersections.

~~~

81,522
15,120
1.800

2,000

Five permits, representing a total valuation of

$103,781, were issued in the no-fee classification, which
includes farm buildings, churches and schools.

dents that caused death in February occurred in the

west of the county and one in the northwest.
Four of the drivers killed met death when their
Cars left the pavement and struck posts, trees or other
wayside objects. One of those fatally injured in December was a passenger in a car that hit a tree. The
three pedestrians were struck by automobiles. The
others killed were victims of collisions involving passenger co.rs or passenger cars and trucks.
The total of instant deaths- not including those hurt
in previous months- in the first two months this year
stands at 22 as against 27 in the same months last
year, an improvement of 18 per cpnt.

February Traffic Fatalities

IFTEEN PERSONS WERE killed outright on
streets and highways in suburban Cook County in
F
February, Two others died of injuries received in
December. The total of 17 compared with 21 in February last Yell!".
Nine of the February dead were drivers, three were
passengers and three were pedestrians.
There were 13 accidents with fatal results. In two,
two persons were killed. Seven of them ocr.urred in
the south end of the county, three in the southwest
and three in the northwest. One of the December acci-

Anti-Litter Campaign
By Daniel Ryan
President, Board of Comm issioners
of Cook County

IGNS OF SPRING-robins, pussy willows, and win-

ter littcr.
SWhile
snow covered the ground, th e bits of trash

tltfOWn along the roadsides were out of sight and out

of mind. Now they show
up as urgent reminders
that it is time to renew
t:lC drive to keep Cool{
County Clean and Green.
The o rga nized moveoent against senscles3
littering of thc country"ide and the Forcst Preserves is starting its third
yen". It is a big job. It
requires const..:'l.nt work by
hiehway and fore s~ maintenance crews. They can
keep up with the j ob to
Oanlel Ryan
an cxtent~ but the final
solution lies in the sense
of good citizenship on the part of every resident of
the county.
Just to indicate tbe size o[ the litter picking cbore,
it cost the Cook County Highway Department approximately $85,000 last year to gather trash tossed from
cars alo ng the 650 miles of roads maintained by the
county. This was abo ut $13,000 less tban the previous
year and may possibly indi cate that the citizens are
beginning to cooperate.
Assorted Litter On E~llressway
The highway department also cleans the Congress
Street Expressway between Laramie and Sacramento
Avenues, a section constructed by the county and not
yet turned over to the state for regular maintenance.
This three-mile stretch yie lds seven tons of assorted
litter eve ry week. Besides the empty cigaret packs,
candy wrappers and cleaning tissues flipped from. cars,
there is the problem created by residents along the
way, some of whom seem to regard the expressway
banks, whi ch we are trying to make attractive with
grass, shrubbery and trees, as a junk dump established for their convenience. In the last year, the
cleaning crews in this section picked up 162 old tires,
82 Christmas trees, old furniture, baby buggies, mattresses, rugs, bottles, cans and everything else in the
category of litter.
Another area in which 1itterers are over active is
the Cook County Forest Preserve District. During an
average year it costs $45,000 to pick up after picknickers who missed the handy garbage cans and other
visitors to these scenes of primitive beauty.
Waste of Public ~Ioney
Cleanup costs are a waste of public money. They
could be eliminated if everyone made the slight effort
necessary to dispose of his own litter. Then the money
spent picking up after them could be devoted to highway and forest preserve improvements.
The cleanup movement will continue under the
direction of Joseph A. Downey, Cook County Civil De-

Job for Everyone

fense director. This has proved to be an efficient
arrangement, for his wid e acquaintance with suburban
and towns bip officials has provided a good approach
to them in the matter of local community litter programs.
With this countywide cooperation, good results have
been apparent. Littering has been reduced notice.ab~y
both on the roadsides and in the Forest Preserve plcmc
areas. There is good reason to believe that sensible
people are realizing personal respon~ibility .for cleanliness in public places instead of leavmg thClr garbage
to men paid to do the job.
Laws Against Littering to be Invoked
It may be that the problem is narrowing down to
the relatively few who refuse to join in a movement
of good citizenship. Maybe they think it is part of
the day's outing to pitch pop bottles and bags of
scraps from car windows; maybe they just don't give
a hang.
..
For this class of va ndal there seems t a b~ no way
to get results but to take them to court. There are
laws and ordinances coverjng the offense adequately,
and this season, for the first time in the organized
drive there will be a crackdown. The aid of the sheriff, with his highway police force, and s uburban chiefs
of police will be sought to arrest violators and the
State's Attorney will be asked to deal with those
brought to his attention.
.
The campaign of education will be expa nded thIS
year. Attractive signs featuring Fris ky the squirrel
(Continued on Page 7)

Mary Speciale, a Secretary In the Coo'k County High.

way Department, Collaborates with Frisky, the Tidy
Squirrel , to Get tl1e 1957 Cleanup off to a Good Start.

Traffic Jams, Lost Time Become the Ru Ie

For the past several months, the Chicago Area
Transpartation Study, sponsored jointly by the
State 0/ Illinois, Cook County and City 0/ Chicago in cooperation witlt the U. S. Bureau 0/ Pub-

lic

Road8 ~

bus movement, much of their passenger carrying ability may be illusory.

Analysis of these three studies is now being completed by engineering personnel using the most modern
machine equipment, including an electronic computer
similar to that used to report election results. From

has been surveying some oj the most

severe traffic bottlenecks in the County. 0/ interest to tlte highway official and layman alike, this
article, prepar ed by tlte staff of Dr. J. Douglas
Carroll Jr. } study director, ,'eports the scope oj

these st1tdies, the basic techniques used, and some

preliminary findings.

TREETS AND INTERSECTIONS are becoming

congested with traffic every year and as every citiS

zen knows, whether he travels by car, public transportation or suburban train, traffic delay is costing him
time and money. As part of a comprehensive study
of travel habits and what they mean, the Chicago
Area Transportation Study has made a complete investigation of.. just how many vehicles can pass through
an at-grade intersection during a peak hour, and at
about what average speed.
Two crews of observers have collected data about
the performance of over one hundred such intersections in highly built-up areas of Cook County. Records
of the physical features of each were made, including
curb-to-curb and approach widths, both mid block and
at the crosswalk; median widths; distances from the
crosswalk that parking was prohibited; special left
and/or right turn lane lengths; timing of signals; type
of area in which each inLersection was located; land
use of adjacent blocks; loading zones; bus stop locations; and many other pertinent facts. Counts were
then taken of the numbers of vehicles passing through
the intersection on each green light, and the maneuver
executed by each, for at least an hour and a half
during peak periods of travel.
At the same time, average vehicular speeds were
obtained for travel in both directions through the
street sections on either side of these intersections, or
others of similar characteristics. The moving car
method (first reported upon locally in, "Moving Vehicle
Method of Estimating Traffic Volumes and Speeds,"
Cook County Highway Department, 1956) was used to
obtain both average speed, and a count of the vehicles
able to move at that speed. In this technique, a twoman crew drives back and forth through a given
length of street, usually one-half mile, a minimum
number of times per hour, counting and recording as
they go. Almost one hundred street sections, ranging
from one to four lanes in each direction, have been
studied.

Typical Jam- Fullerton Avenue and Pulaski Road

a technical standpoint, it will be pOSSible to obtain an

equation, taking account of the various factors present
at any intersection, which can be used to predict with
considerable accuracy the ultimate capacity of an atgrade, fixed-time signal controlled intersection. This
will help highway administrators to locate intersections which will soon become critical, and assist in
suggesting to them possible measures of relief.
Along with this, analysis of speed runs by the moving car method will make it possible to pre<Uct speeds
on almost any arterial street wh en different numbers
of vehicles are using the street.
Time Lost in Jam at Lights
Preliminary findings show a gloomy picture of travel
delays and frustrations. At many heavily used intersections, drivers often had to wait through three or
more complete signal changes to get through. The
same was of course true for bus passengers. The aVerage speed of vehicles queued up for the intersection
was often less than 10 M.P.H. for a distance of
several blocks.
At one intersection (again in Cook County), from
5 :30 to 6 :00 p. m., on a Friday in March, 634 vehicles
cleared through two lanes at maximum pressure, averaging only 4 M.P.H. for the quarter-mile street section
preceding the light. During this time, there was a
continuous line of waiting vehicles. Clearly this intersection has reached its ultimate capacity,
Such conditions were found at almost every intersection studied, and leRd inevitably to one conclusion:
Congestion and delay is becoming the rule rather than
the exception both for vehicle drivers and mass transit
riders. Obviously something must be done. Rem edial
treatments such as modernization of signal systems,
channelization at intersections, and arterial street widening offer a temporary solution. However, only long
range planning of new facilities, offers a lasting solution, geared to a growing economy and studies such
as those described will help to determine the extent
of relief needed and at the same time assist in the
planning of a highway program for the future,

Why Buses Come in Bunches

While the studies deseri bed in the preceding paragraphs covered all types of moving vehicles, a special
study was made of bus movement. From bus schedule
adherence studies, it was found that congested intersections had a tendency to bunch arrivals. Schedules
were generally kept, but often there would be a long
waiting period followed by the arrival of several buses,
closely bunched.
Buses are usually considered to have a carrying
capacity equivalent to that of thirty passenger cars.
Intersection and schedule studies seem to indicate,
however, that due to the greate r f),ictio ns surrounding

Stream Cleanup Progresses

Bargains for Civil Defense

OOD REPORTS OF cooperation in the movement

G
them to their natural purity were received by the

OOK COUNTY SUBURBS that have acquired acC

creditation with the Civil Defense Administration
may avail themselves of the bargains in equipment

Cook County Clean Streams Committee at its February meeting in the office of the Forest Preserve District.

and supplies of numerous types offered by the federal

General Services Administration.
All the material is excess government property. It
is to be sold to accredited municipalities for use in
Civil Defense or in C. D. training programs. Among
the classifications of items listed in the current circular are:
Office equipment and supplies; electrical and electronics equipment and supplies; fire fighting and
safety equipment; construction equipment, materials
and supplies; agricultural, e::trth-moving, highway and
construction equipment; paint and accessories; plumb~
ing equipment, fittings and suppEes; vehicles of various types; engines and accessories; medical supplies;
household, cafeteria, refrigeration and air conditioning equipment, and miscellaneous.
To acquire accreditation, and thus eigibility to pur~
chase surplus property, a municipality must adopt a
Civil Defense ordinance, submit a workable C. D. pro~
gram, and sign the mutual aid agreement, pledging
aid to neighboring communities in emergencies.
The foregoing requirements apply to municipalities
of more than 1,000 population. Incorporated suburbs
of less than 1,000 population, unincorporated COm~
munities, and fire protection districts are in a different
class. Where the county is organized for Civil Defense
and accredited with the Civil Defense Administration,
as in Cook County, such units are under the county
C. D. director in all respects, including eligibility to
purchase surplus property.
Altogether, 74 Cook County communities are now
accredited. However, 48 incorporated suburbs with
local C. D. organizations have lagged in completing
the requirements. For the most part, this group has
neglected to sign the mutual aid agreement, and until
they do so will not be permitted to purchase surplus
property.
The federal government's disposal of excess items is
on different t erms from the matching funds arrange
ment, under which numerous suburbs acquired new
fire engines, radio communication and other eqUipment
essential to Civil Defense. The circular lists each item
with its "fair value" based on original cost and pres~
ent condition, and the purchaser pays that price in
full.
A copy of the current circular is available at the
office of Joseph A. Downey, Cook County Civil Defense
direclol', at ISO NOlth Wells Street, and local directors
may come in and look over the items for sale.

to stop pollution of rivers and creeks and restore

Natural Beauty Worth the Effort to Recover

A summary of progress during 1956 showed 12 sewage plants completed, 15 connections with interceptor
sewers to eliminate waste disposal in streams, and 10
other betterments.
The new sewage plants afe in the villages of Crete,
Hazel Crest, Steger, Homewood, Deerfield, Wheeling,
Flossmoor, and Olympia Fields, and in Bloom Town
ship. Hoffman Estates, Faraway Joe's (Worth Township), and Canterbury Gardens (Markham).
Connections to interceptor sewers were completed
at the following places:

Connected With Sewers

Buckhorn trailer park, Lilac Lounge, Orchard Place,
Hackney's tavern, Arlington airport, seven homes in
Dolton, Calumet City south of 159th Street, Northlake
City, Edens Bowl, Hilltop subdivision (Chicago
Heights), Orchard Place school, Wilson subdivision
(Harvey), Bcnjamin Electric Company (Des Plaines),
Brown Packing Company (South Holland), and Country House restaurant (Des Plaines).
Other accomplishments included:
Blue Island Dairy wastes reduced, North branch of
Chicago River cleared of debris by Forest Preserve
District, log jam at Central Road bridge cleared by
Forest Preserve District, Kiwanis Park, Brookfield,
cleaned, oil waste discontinued at Buick plant in Wil ~
low Springs, pollution from Lutper clay pit in Glen-

view stopped. pollution from Van del' Molen dump

stopped, provision made to stop further fish kills at
159th Street and Ridgeland Avenue dump.
As items of progress in the clean streams program,
the committee also listed the revised septic tank ordinance adopted by the Board of County Commissioners
and the survey of streams undertaken by the Metropolitan Sanitary District.
Some Still in Violation

Some offenders are still in violation of sanitary laws,

it was reported, and in those instances the committee
express ed intention to take them to court.
(Continued on Page 7)

Niles Township Citizens Rally for Safety

Left to Right Around the Table-James Lannefeld and Harry Markovitz, Cook County Traffic Safety Comm ission
Investigators; Gary Hermann, Secretary Niles Township Safety Council ; A. M. Reiter, Vice President Nile. Town
ship Safety Council ; Alvin Friedman, Director Niles Township Safety Council; Joaeph O'Reilly. Police Magistrate,
Lincolnwood; M. Scanlan, Police Chicf, Morton Grove; George Glaser, Supervisor Bicycl e Safety Program , Cook
County Traffic Safety Commission; Don Faulknor, President Niles Township Safety Council .

AFETY IS GETTING community-wide attention in

fast growing, heavily traveled Niles Township.
SMore
than doubled in population since World War
II- perhaps the highest rate of increase in the country
in that time----the area on the northwest rim of Chicago has all the standard problems and morc. They
range from the difficulties inherent in new residential
neighborhoods- lack of lights and signs-to beavy
bighway traffic when sbifts change at tbe many ncw
industrial plants.
Big as the job of safety appears, the Niles Township
Safety Council has laid plans to cover every phase of
it, starting with school children from kindergarten up.
Tbe guiding principle of the council is that safety is
everybody's concern.
Tbroughout its existence, since 1946, the council bas
had close cooperation from the village authorities in
the township's five incorporated suburbs- Skokie, Morton Grove, Lincolnwood, Niles and Golf. Now it is
campaigning to enlist the more than 200 citizens
organizations- Parent-Teacher Associations, service
clubs, veterans' organizations, women's clubs, church
socielies, improvement clubs.
Citizens Asked To Help Themselvcs
"The village officials do a fine job, but it is up to
you civic minded citizens to assist them for your own
benefit," said Donald K. Faulknor of Morton Grove,
president of the safety council, in a letter to these
organizations.
The council hopes, said Faulknor, that every group
will delegate an active, interested memb<!r to "ttend
all meetings of the council, which are held the last
MondllY of eR.ch month in the Skokie village ball.
They will be expected to join in the community-wide
movement as well as to present specific problems of
tMir own peighborboods.

"We may find it desirable to have the board of

directors meet regularly on another night to henr
these problems," said Faulknor. "Home building bas
been so extensive that in many places there hasn't
been time to put up street markers or needed stop
signs or street lighting. Or perhaps a hole left by
a contractor has become a hazard. These are things
that should be given attention, but they seem to be out
of place at a general meeting on tbe broad phases
of safety."
8 ..fety Wo.k in Schools
The council is supported financially by the local
community chest. Thus far funds have been sufficient
to launch the National Safety Council's scbool program in tbe grade schools of the township. Well prepared material suItable to each grade is furnished
the teachers and they discuss daily the need of playing
it safe, both in the school house and in the streets
on the way to school. The council is now about to
affiliate with the national organization.
Besides the cooperation of village authorities, tbe
township council has had assistance from the Cook
County Traffic Safety Commission, of which President
Daniel Ryan of the County Board is the president.
The commission's investigators assigned lo that part
of the county attend council meetings. When a traffic
engineering problem arises, the commission's engineers
make a study and, when the route involved is one
under state supervision, assist in carrying the matter
to the proper authority.
Bicycle Program Endorsed
At the council's February meeting, the Commission's
bicycle aafety program, which has qualified more tban
86,000 cbildren, was presented by George Glaser, program supervisor. Schools in Golf already have had the
lectures and the practical bicycle riding tests. Tbe
(Continued on Page 7)

Suburbanites Find Congress Street Useful

TO which residents of western subare making use of Congress Street ExpressTHEurbsEXTENT
way was revealed in a survey made this month by the
Traffic Engineering Division of the Cook County Highway Department.
Traffic counters were stationed on Tuesday. March
12, at tbe off-r amps at Laramle and Lockwood Avenues, the last two points of exit westbound from
the completed sections of the expressway in Chicago.
They counted all vehicles leaving the expressway between 3 :30 and 5 :30 p. m.
The total lwo-hour tally at hath exits was 6,725.
Chicago cafS, identified by their city vehicle license
stickers, totaled 3,295, or 49 per cent of the grand
total. The 3,340 other cars, or 51 per cent of the
total, were considered as from western suburbs Of
towns farther out in that direction.
At Laramie Avenue, 55.6 per cent of the cars leaving the expressway were Chicago cars. At Lockwaod,
two blocks west, from where westbound traffic is

channeled into Central Avenue, the percentages were:

Chicago cars, 36.1; suburban, 63.9.
The tabulation of the counting by 3-minute periods
follows:
Lockw ood Avenue Off..Ram p
T lnm
P"l
3;304;00

4:004:30
4:30-5:00
,'5:00-5:00
Total

Clean and Green - - (Continued from Page 3)

and carrying the mesnage "Keep Cook County Clean
and Green" will be posted throughout the county. Litter bags designed to be carried handy in cars and
larger bags for picnic parties wlll be distributed free
by Mr. Downey's committee. Citizens may obtain them
from village clerks in the suburbs or by writing to Mr.
Downey at 130 North Wells Street, Chicago 6.
The campaign will also be promoted with a new
ornamental float which will appear in community parades in all parts of the county this summer. It will
carry an attractive display of shrubbery and flowers
arranged with assistance of the Forest Preserve District. Groups planning parades may oblain the float
for the day by calling on Mr. Downey.

Stream Cleanup - -(Continued from Page 5)

The case of the Glenview Country House has been
referred to the stale's atlorney.
Two other alleged sources of pollution- the Evanger
Kennel Food Company and the Martoccio Homeshould be turned over to the prosecutor, the committee
agreed.
Dye tests are still in progress at River Rand subdivision to obtain evidence against individuals. The

Vehicles
269
332

462

394

1,457

'g..2
63.0
66.4

683
63.9

Ot her
\'ehlcl"l1

210
19.
234

183

822

%
43.8

37.0
33.4
Sl.7

Tota l

Vehicles

479
527
696

'77

36.1

2,279

785
914
1,405
1,342
4,446
6,725

Laramie Avcnuc Off-Ra mi)

3:30-4:00
4:00-4:30
4:30-5:00
5:00-5:30

Total

353

408
602

610
1,973

432

44.'1

2,473

55.0
55.4
57.2
54.5
55.6

51.0

3,295

49.0

45.0
44.6
42.8

%.5

506

803

732

Grand

Total

3,430

A similar count may be undertaken soon with the

aim of identifying out-of-Chicago cars by their home
towns.

People Still Get Hurt

Safety Ra lIy - - (Continued from Page 6)

council decided its program should be recommended
to other schools in the township.
Besides Faulknor, officers of the council include:
Vice president, A. M. Reiter; secretary, Gary Hermann; treasurer, Max Finke; directors, Robert C. Peterson, Sidney Godell and Alvin Friedman. Other
members of the council are Police Magistrate Joseph
O'Reilly of Lincolnwood and Police Chief M. Scanlan
of Morton Grove.

S u b urban

A recent report of automotive crash injury research

by lhe Cornell Medical College compares the accident
Dnd injury factors in 1940-1949 and 1950-1954 automobiles.

Accidents and injury data are analyzed on 417

at'tomobiles involved in injury producing rural accidents during 1953 and 1954 and selected by controlled sampling techniques. The data were analyzed
t.) compare cars manufactured 1940-1949 witb cars
manufactured 1950-1954 to determine whether
IInewer" cars produced more or less injuries than
Holder" cars in injury producing accidents.
It is found that. (a) 1950-1954 and 1940-1949 cars
81'e involved in similar injury producing accidents, (b)
1950-1954 and 1940-1949 cars produced various inury
effects with nearly identical frequency, and (c) the
structural and mechanical causes of injury in 19501954. and 1940-1949 cars are similar.
Thus, the data in this report show that 15 years
of passenger car design have, at best, produced no
advance in "crash worLbiness" or reduced the traumatic effects when injury producing accidents occur.TRAFFIC DIGEST AND REVIEW.
committee exp{'essed the hope that if convictions are
obtained in a few cases, others will confonn to the
law.
Springfield Inn, Sunset Trail and Big Chief trailer
parks were reported operating as violators. The committee's secretary was directed to list all trailer parks
not conforming to the state laws on sanitation.
Cars Banned in Down tow n IUontrea.1
Montreal is preparing to cure "traffic stagnant"
downtown with an auto ban. Cars will be stopped from
entering a four-square-mile area between 7 a.m. and
7 p.m . each week day. The move will bt> preceded by
mass transit system modernization- DOWNTOWN
IDEA EXCHANGE.

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

With Bu ilding. and Tree. Cleared AWilY, E )CuvOltion Proceed. on Eden. ElCpreliway Ju.t North of WiI,on Avenue.

Vol. IV No. 11

APRIL 1957

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook County (Ill.) Department of Hirhwayl
Under auspices of the Board of County Commlllionen
DANI EL RYAN, President

James F. A eh enden

Wi ll iam N. Erickson
Fred A. Furle

F rank Bobrytzke
Cha r lu F. Cha plin
Ellubeth A. Conkey
J erry Doleza l
John J . Duffy
Arth ur X. E lrod

Christ A. Jensen
John A. MaCkler, Jr.
Clayton F. Smith
Edwilrd M. Sneed
John J. T ou hy
William J, MortImer
Superintendent of Hll'hwan

Published at 130 North Wells Street, Chicago 6.

March Building Permits

UILDING CONSTRUCTION IN the unincorporated
BPermits
area of the county perked up in March.
issued by the Cook County Building and

FRanklin 27544

Extension 216

Boob of the Month

Zoning Bureau totaled 4.25 and represented estimated

valuation of $6,312,922. The figures compared with
188 pennils and $2.287,206 valuation in February and
289 permits and $4,981,836 valuation in March 1956.
Of last month's total, 278 permits were for residences, 177 to be connected with sanitary sewers and
101 to have their own septic systems. In otber classifications permits were issued ElS follows:
Ch.,.slfleatlon

l'ermllA
32

Rell. addition. and alteration.

Aret!SIIory bulldlnr'
BUlIlne... septic Iy"em.

",,,
,

BUlIlne.., sanitary ~Wt!1"lI

BUI, addition. and altera t lonl

Induslrlal, .anltary sewers

Ind. addltlonl and alteratlonl
Water lupply (well.)
Miscelianeoul

"

23

Val u ati....
, 74,118
102.,048

197,030
1:16,000

"''''0
40,000

...

,,~OOO

'"

58,070

By townships, March permits were taken out as

follows:
I' .. rmll~

TOWAll hl p

HarTington
Bloom

Bremen

Elk Grove
Hanover
!4'mont
Leyden
Lyona

115
~

23
3
3

Maine
New Trier
Northfield
Norwood Park
Orland
Palatine
Palos
PT"tIvlsO
Rich
Schaumbur&

Stickney
Thornton
Wheeling
Wort.h

:I

14
42

43
1

24
1:1
~

13
14
3

,6

!!IS
7

11
18

MAC ZIP, THE long distance marvel,

MILEAGE
thinks 350 miles a day is for pokes,

V" t u .. Uon
$ 110,373
192,283

Once he drove from Cheyenne to Chicago between

dawn and dark and, mind you, with no relief at the
wheel.
He goes regularly to his summer place 450 miles up
north between midnight and 6 A, M. on two hours'
sleep and a hoWe of Antl-Blinky-Winky pills.
By hitting the sack at 6:30, he is up and around
about the time he would have arrived had he slept
at home all the night before.

1,703,~

3M tI6:s
8&800

102,000
134.9"12
567,494

670,910
40,488

439.814
144,947

171,:170
1915,368
204.873
4,150
68,472

~.~
u~ .... , _

88,444

Three of those killed last month were pedestrians,

one was a bicycle rider and one a motorist whose car
was hit by a train. Five were killed in collisions and
five when cars left the road and struck wayside
objects,
The 15 deaths resulted from 14 accidents, which
occurred a1 77tb Street and Mannheim Road, 140th
and State Streets, Broadway and Ashland A venue
[Blue Island], 31st Street near Brook6eld, BeU Road
and Route 4, 1471h Street and Keeler Avenue, 96th
Street and Harlem Avenue. Vincennes Avenue and
Route 6, 54th Court and Ogden Avenue, 183rd Street
west of Cicero Avenue, 169tb Street and Vincennes
A venue, McHenry Road and Route 83, Routes 83 and
68 and Lincoln and Menard Avenues.

196.463

137,800

There were also five permits toWing $599,800 in

the no-fee classification. They Included a church in
Maine township, a scbool in Proviso a.nd farm residences in Orla nd, Palatine and Schaumburg.

March Traffic Fatalities

Fifteen persons were killed in highway traffic accidents in suburban Cook County in ~iarcb, The
total was six less tban that of March, 1956. In
February this year the toll WElS 15 and in January,
seven.

County's 1956 Traffic Accidents Tabulated

M ORE
HIGHWAY TRAFFIC accidents by 2,258
occurred in Cook County last year than in 1955,

but the number of fatal accidents was 43 fewer and

the death toll 26 lower.
Tabulation of 1956 reports, just completed by the
State Division of Highways, shows a total of 78,478
accidents in the county, including Chicago, and 612
deaths. Included are all accidents reported according
to state law- those which cause personal injury or
property damage of $100 or more.
Compared with 1955, the totals in the various co1umns are (TA, total aCcidents; FA, fatal accident~;
IA, injury accidents; PDA, property damage accidents;
K, killed; I, injured):
l'\TIRE COUKTY

Year

TA

"56

78,478
76,220

1955

Inerea~e

Decrease
Per cent

IA

POA

82,398

45,411
45,076

FA

".
007

2,258:

"

2.6

30.537
1.861

,.,

,..
.N

'>2
"'8

I
48,291
44,783

-8.51)1,1

CHICAGO

Year

""

I95.'l

increase
Decrea8e
Per Cent

FA
4
7
8
1
3
3
3
1
3
5

1
5
1
1
7
1
1
1

IA
323
482
408
260

lB.

191
178
111
102
112
77
136
67

90
111
301
184
45

88

111

I
I
I

110
34

110

43
147

2
1
1
1
2
2
3
1

"

88
56
35
30

27

8"

308
337
173
226
196
145
262
122
184
IB5

484
277
121
177
176
168
87

143
160
108
216
136

3.
48
100
7
2.

BO

28

I.

I
8

3
5
1
3

1
5
2
1
7
1

466

69'
59'
423

268
298
291
1GB

15'
168
103
222
71
143
166
468
3ll
69

2
1
1
1
1
3

128
188
178

260
14.

"

131
167
6I

88
49

38
47

1
1

"

40

79

'0
17
- 28

4
8

3'

43
44
48

.2
93
76
125
29
58
60
47

70
117
18
142
2I
46
42

1
2
2
4

50

3.
6I

148
64

68
78
69

128
30
49
84
63
78

18'
8
196
44

43
45

H.9

""6

20,939

61

19,221

'850
Increase
P er Cent

24.346

199

'"
8.6

18

773
9

8.6

m
""

33.333

12,570
11,743

"
,,,
221

827

31

<S7

1.'

POA

''''2
7,279

1.718

POA
82,846

'.7

SUBURBAN
FA
IA

TA

--

13.6

I
35,158
32,930

2.228
6.8

"

18,133
ll.=
1,280
10.8

All of the improvement, it is apparent, was accomplished within the City of Chicago, In large measure,
credit goes to lhe Citizen Traffic Safety Board for its
year arQund program of education and the Chicago
Police Departmenl for its selective enforcement drives,
For the increse in all types of accidents in the suburban area, several contributing factors may be suggesled.
(Continued on Page 6)

7.83

98
47

68
112

123

663
802
682
497

25
47
87

47

PDA

.M

You

Where Accidents Occurred Last Year

Suburb
TA
Evanston
990
Cicero
1,291
Oak Park
1,048
Berwyn
758
Maywood
548
Chgo. Bu.
502
Harvey
618
Elmwood Pk. --.285
Wilmette
331
Blue Island
313
Park Ridge
223
Calumet City 403
Brookfield
179
Des Plaines
275
Forest Park
297
Skokie
792
Melrose Pk.
462
Winnetka
166
La Grange
266
Riv. Forest
288
Ev'green Pk. 26'
Riverside
122
Summit
219
Franklin Pk. 273
A:rl. Hghts.
151
Oak Lawn
368
Bellwood
224
Lansing
164
Park Forest
84
Glencoe
70
West. Springs 66
La Grange Pk. 73
Glenview
115
Lyons
200
Homewood
120
Riverdale
137
Dolton
140
Broadview
119
Riv. Grove
215
Robbins
47
Northlake
86
Westchester
107
Palatine
83
Mt. Prospect 118
Morton Gr.
221
Phoenix
20
Niles
265
Norridge
47
Stickney
75
Northbrook
72

FA
3"

"
"'.009 .'" ".=
,."0

26

'.1

57.539

TA

In

Cook County Suburbs

Suburb
TA
So. Holland
82
N. Riverside
85
Midlothian
35
Lincolnwood
350
Kenilworth
33
Lemont
25
Markham
63
Calumet Pk.
69
Tinley Pk.
21
Hillside
146
S. Chgo. Bt8.
51
Hazel Crest
33
Berkeley
33
Oak Forest
32
Posen
43
Flossmoor
31
E. Chgo. Ht8.
22
Worth
45
Stone Park
57
Northfield
4.
Bridgeview
62
Schiller Pk.
57
Burnham
65
Dixmoor
53
Willow Spgs.
28

FA
1

IA

PDA

10.
Thornton
14
:M atteson
18
Mer'nette Pk.
9

36
29
8
174
10
4
2.
27
11
48
19
14
15
10
14
12
7
20
25
13
26
27
15
21
9
50
3
6
3

17

1
1
1
1
2
3
1
3

1
2
1
1

Alsip

E. Hllzelcrest
Glenwood
Orland Pk.
Bartlett
Pal09 Park
Wheeling
Justice
Bedford Pk.
Crestwood
Ch~o. Ridge
Ho gkins
McCook
Harwood Hts.
Forest View
Golf
OlymS' Flds.
Hmw. Pk.
Richton Pk.
Hometown
Bkry. Hills

4
10
4
19

..

1
1
1

27

34

69

21
25

laS

7
6

14

22

15

10
12
51

13
36

10

35

18

14

14
63

12

1
3

2.
4

45
56

26
175
23
21
42
41

10

I
I

IB

1
1

29
18

2
3
1

IB
19

96

29
19
15
24

SO
36
35

30
3'

1
2
2
2

16

81

..
53
23
43

21

15

1
1

7
8
8
4

17
10

11
3

22
1
17
10
87
8

29

23
21

85
5

25

18
79
3

11
14
82

88

"

44

89

22
25
19

32
19

11
13
6
9
3
8
3
11
21
20

62
42
13
295

22
40
22
14
20

74
15
17

1
28
3
4
43

R.R. Crossings

Surveyed for Traffic Delays

Let:
vmd =vehicle minutes delay
v
= vehlcles per minute passing over lhe crossing during a particular time increment
t
= the time, in minules, the crossing is closed
for a particular time
On t.he assumption of a uniform Bow of traffic,
vt = the total number of vehicles delayed while
the crossing Is closed for this particular
lime.

The Cook County Highway Department recently

condll,cted 4 study to detBTmine the amount of \lchicu-

lar delay at grade level railroad crossings. Three

1nUldred and eleven crossings in the county outMe
of Chicago were surveyed between the hoUT$ of 7
a. 1I't. (Jtl:d 1 p. m. Average vehicle hours 0/ delay in
that peTiod UXJ..7 found to be 3.89. The largest total
delay-63.92 vehicle Murs---was tallied in Blue Island,
at the Broadway CT088ing 'o j the Grand Trunk Western

and B d 0 Chicago TermtnaZ trae"'. The lowe8t-l).Ql

vehicle hOUT8---'Wa8 found at ten different crossings.

If t j 2 is taken as the average delay per vehicle

while the croSSing is closed, then t / s(vt) is an estimate
of vmd for this particular clOsing of the crossing.
Total vmd would then be the summation of this quantity over aU closings of the crossing during eacb of
the hours under study.
Written symbolically:

Main objective 01 the study was the compilation of

a Tank 0'r"tkT Ii!t intended to &ertle (l.'J a guide to a
priority system f(p' the construction of grade separatiOtl.$. Each crossing i8 ranked by its total hOUTS of
vehicle delay. The crcnsing with the greatest amount
of delay is ranked. number 01'16, that with the .!econd
greatest amount number two, etc.
A list of the 200 highest ra-nkhlg crossings, with

v-mcl =:t:;:;
S
..(. 1"

the number of vehicles crossing the track.! in the sixhour period and the total delay at each, i8 printed
on page 1.
The following report, coveritlg the problem (Ina the
technique employed in the study. was prepared by
At!drelc V. Plumlner, .Assistant to the Superintendent;
Leo O. WiZkie, Traffic Engineer, atld Robert P. Gran,
Statistician, 0/ th6 Cook Coonty Highway Department.

(V-.C- .. 2'
...

~tT""../

where the subscripts indicate aa follows:

Zr...:
t:. . .
~r

T EACH OF the crossings studied, the vehicular

A
delay was measured between the hours of 7 A. M.
and 1 P. M. This was done by measuring each length

.,

= the traffic volume per minute during

the i-th hour
= t.he time the gates are down for the
j-th time during the i-th hour

S",$

= summation over the specified subscript.

It might be argued that for any particu.l ar hour an
Identical estimate could be computed by muJtlplying
the total number of delayed vehicles for the hour,
vS(tj), by the average delay per train, (l j 2J)S(tj).

of time the crossing was closed and counting the

number of vehicles delayed by each respective closing
of the crossing. The average vehicle delay for a par-ticular closing of the crossing was taken to be tj 2,
where t is equal to the time In minutes that the crossing was closed. Then it follows that the total minutes
of vehicular delay for a particular closing of the crossing is the number of delayed vehicles multiplied by
the average delay. t j 2, per vehicle. The total minutes
of vehicular delay, vmd, for al1 closings of a crossing
is the sum of the delays of the individual closings.
It seemed desirable to develop a formula for estimating vehicle minutes of delay by use of which a
reduction can be achieved. in the man hours required
per crossing. Two such formulas were developed and
are presented here.
The simplest formula is the first one which expresses
vmd only in terms of 1) the per minute traffic volume
across the tracks and, 2) the length of timc the gates
are dowD. This formula is basically the one used in
the preparatioD of the rank order list. 1l is felt that
for ranking purpoaes this fonnula does an adequate
job with a. minimum of field and computational labor.
The second formula takes driver reaction time into
consideration and allows for an additional deceleration-acceleration factor. This formula will produce a
more precise estimate of delay, but in most cases will
not eft'ect the rank order of the crossing.
Formula. 1
Vehicle minutes of delay is defined to be the summation over all vebicles of the minutes of delay for
each vehicle.

The product vmd, therefore, is,

1-'

r(ri>{:;J ~(r)1=F,
.)"
r t'J J(Sr
, r

It can easily be shown that the difference between

this estimate and the first is always non-negative or
to be more precise,

:; 7 ,

Z..

-#j(S.zf
? T

is greater than or equal to zero.

Only when all closings of the crossing are of equal
time length will the second formula give the same estimate as the first. In all other cases the second formula
underestimatcs the first and is therefore not recommended for use.
It should be noted that the basic assumption underlying the use of the recommcnded fonnula is t.hat of a
uniform flow of traffic in the time interval. If a marked
deviation from uniformity is present the formula may
give a biased estimate of vmd, and its use may weB
be avoided. In doubtful cases it might be desirable to
test the time increment for uniformity of traffic flow,
and if non-uniformity seems likely. use the manual
counting method to determine vmd.

It is clear that when v is very small the increase

in vrnd is negligible. Where v is large the increase will
be correspond]ngly large.

RAILROAD DIl.AY SruDt

V'h1cll IUnute. of Delay t or Varying
VolW1" of V,hlGul..r Traffio
Chart I

40

,,

/
0

:!

2 00

-"

~,

"
!
1

"

Additional delay caused by deceleration-acceleration

for aU delayed vehicles is, (vt/(1 - .04v) - 1)(s/ 160)
provided that .04v't / (1 - .04v) is greater than one,
otherwise it is equal to vta/ 160.

/ / 1/
fl // /
ij/ / V
VI /

These formulas are intendcd to give delay per lane

and v must stand for vehicles per minute for a par(Continued on Page 6)
RAILROAD DEl..A.I STUDY
~otal

/,

Jig /

o
t.

U.'

10
15
20
1n ain.ut .. cro. . in! 11 ololed

Vehlele. Delalld tor Varying

V01WlII ot Vlh1ou.lar rratno

Chart II

~ 1 00

The only other factor to be considered is that of

the delay caused by deceleration to a stop and acceleration back to normal speed. This is clearly going
to be a [unction of speed. If deceleration is taken to be
four MPH per second and sceeleration to be two MPH
per second then the additional delay per vehicle in
minutes is s/160 where s is equal to speed in MPH.
This must be multiplied by the total delayed vehicles
and then added to the estimate of vmd to give the
final estimate of vrnd cor rected for the decelerationacceleration factor.

200',-_ _..,-_ _- , _, ---,_ _ _,--_----,

T

l7S;I-- -+---I-I- - - I ---I_---I

1501-- - + - - -/ 1 _ - -1---1_----,.(

2..

12~-----+--~--1------1_----~L---~

l<'onnul1l. II

1001-___+

The preceding formula and derivation do not

acknowledge the reaction time of the driver in start
ing his car from a stop. Since, in practice, an entire
line of cars docs not start lIP simultaneously, each car
will be delayed slightly by the car in front of it. This

may also cause additional cntfl to accumulate even

though the gates have gone up.
This will mean that tbe average delay will be greater
tban t/2, and the number of delayed vehicles may
exceed vt. There Is a rather large variance in reaction
times, but investigation has shown that a reasonable
average is 2.4. seconds or .04 minutes.
This additional factor increases tbe average delay
from t/2 to vt'/ 2(vt + .04v - l), provided that .00v't/ (l- .04v) is greater than o",e, otherwise average delay
is equal to !h(t+ .04vt+ .04). The total number of
delayed vehicles is increased from vt to vt/(1-.04v)
- 1 provided that .04v'l/{1 - .04v) [s greater than one,
otherwise total vehicles delayed stays equal to vt.
Vmd increases from .! vt" to vt"/2(1 - .Q4v) provided
that .04v"t/(l - .04v) is greater than one; otherwise
vmd is equal to Y:.lvt(t+.04vt + .04).

o
t

10

15

20

t1.1 1n a1nlltH ol'Cl .. lng 11 clolld

2,

Photogra pher's Fancy Takes Flight at Scenes of Construction

Sewer Pipe Section Maku Frame for Plc hl~

of Eden. Exprellway Bridge at Fo.ter Ave n ue

"Tented Village" RI.u Cal .. on. Go Down

1956 Accident Records

R. R. Crossings Survey

For the Northwnt Ex pre ..way Feeder Br idge

( Continued from Page 3)

Large gains in population mean more cars on the
road, and naturally the more can the higher prob-

ability of accidents. But besides heavier t.raffic volume,

which is true also in Chicago. the area has the added
hAzard of fast driving. Many miles of higbway out
in t.he country rural areas have higher speed limits
than city streets or no limit at. all except the statutory
"reasonable and proper."
Death Shadow!:> Speeders
Speed is linked with death on the highway. Not only
are collisions at high speed more serious than when
vehicles are moving slowly. but speed frequently causes
loss of control. Thirty-seven of the 1956 suburban
to\[ were killed when cars left the pavement and
crasbed into wayside objects.
Exactly half of the suburban deat.hs-126---Qccurred
in unincorporated territory. The ycar's record on
rural highways was :
OO urtty roa!l ,
U. S. and 111.
Routes

TA

FA

tA

PDA

1,2'17

"76

688

29

90<

1.410

1.626

97

2,669

2.112

."

Railroad crossings at grade. more numerous in the

suburban area than in the city, are deadly hazards for
incautious or impatient motorists. Last year, 19 of
the area dead were killed by trains.
Night driving and night life appear to be major considerationlil in the suburban traffic safety problem.
Twenty-five per cent of fatal accidents in the county
outside Chicago last year occurred between midnight
and 6 a. m, In some instances, investigation led back
to a tavern ; in others, the manner of the accident indicated the driver had fallen asleep.
1,133 Deaths In Oou llty In 1936
The pattern of more accidents but fewer deaths came
to atlention strikingly last year when the State DiyjfjiQn of Highways compiled records for each TIlinois

(Continued from Page 5)

ticular lane. Taking v only on a lane basis has the
advantage of enabling one to compute delay by direction if desired. If the- directions are to be assumed
equal and, for example. there is one lane per direction,
the How per direction is found and delay computed on
the basis of this directiona1 flow. The result is then
multiplied by two. The mistake must not be made of
multiplying v by two before computing delay. Tables
are constructed to enable one to find delay. vmd, 88
a function of two variables, 1) time gates are down,
t, and 2) vehicles per minute, v. If It is desired to add
the deceleration-acceleration factol', the total vehicles
delayed (TVD in the table) must be multiplied by
sll60, (where 8 MPH is equaJ to the average speed
of traffic) and added to the tabled value of vmd.
county over the period 1935-1955 inclusive, Cook
County's higheat death total was 1,133, recorded in
1936. The total of accidents reportcd that year was
4,988, but at that time the law required reports only
of accidents wbich caused death or personal-injury.
That figure, therefore, is comparable to the 1956 total
of fatal and injury accidenl!- 32,962.
Most of the county's reduction in deaths has been
accomplished in the pedestrian column, In 1936 in
Chicago alone 592 persons on foot were killed, Last
year the pedestrian toll in Chicago was 218.
Except the World War n years, when automobile
travel was restricted, the general trend has prevailed-mOre total accidents each year, fewer deaths.
The number of injuries, however, haa increased year
after year, and this column may well contain more
of personal tragedy and economic 108s to the community than all the rest of the table.

R. R. Crossings Where Greatest Delays to Traffic Were Found

VCT"Tolal Vehicles Crossing Tracks 7:00 A. M. to 1:00 P. M.

VHD=Total Vehicle [lours of Delay (Avcrage-....3.S9 Houn)

I :::Comparatlve Index of DelI,lY:

100 VHD

(Average::.100)

'.89
RR

Locmtlon
Broadway W. ot Western
Ave.

Harlem Avc. K. of Harrison St.

La Grange Rd. S. ot Og-

GT&W-B&OCT

VC'l' VlID

2,495 63.92 1,641

CGW-Cl'A

7,618 25.98

667

CB&O

.HH

6,591 25,41
4,748 23,87

652
613

CMSP&P

5,510 22,65

:SS2

B&OCT-CTA
IHB

5,288 21.89
3,911 21,84

5(;1
561

no.

CNW

1,&'16 21.72

558

Ison St.

CCW-CA&E

8,739 20.32

52'.1

C:.IW-CNS&M

Boer

1.158 18,19
8,044 16.76

467
430

AT8tSI"

4,902 16.69

429

den Ave.
22nd St. W. of 25th Ave.
Cumberland Rd. N. of
Grand Ave.

Central Ave. N. of Roosevelt Rd.

315t 5t. W. ot Beach Ave.

Algonquin Rd. W. of Wolt
La Grange Rd. N. ot Mad-

Oakton St.

Ro.

w.

or Wolt

9:'lth 51. at Rockwell Ave.

Lawndale Ave. S. of U. S.
IJ6

147th St. E. of PUlaski

Ro.

TOrl'cnce Ave. S.

0[

142nd

CRI&P

3,2fi2 16.63

427

MC-IH8
CMSP
CMSP

2,385 .16.33
1,731 16.15

4,336 15.86

419
415

CNW
CNW

3,828 15.53
8,528 15.13

399
888

CNW
GT&W

2,6]8 13.98
ti.465 13,53

359

847

B&OCT

3.24.1 13..24

340

B&OCT

2,245 13.06

335

".ern

lliB-oer

1,329 12.93

333

CRl&P

1.392 12.74

327

of Grand Ave.

CMSP&P

nm

5,813 11.54
8,121 .11.42

296
293

CG&W-CAE

G&W-8&O(.'"1'

3,389 11.38
3,353 10.74

292
276

CMSP&P

5,729 10.38

267

CNS&M
MSP&SSM

5,153 10.37
5,733 10.33

266
265

SL

HQ~

St. at Pacltlc Ave.

Narragansett at McLean
Hand ltd. N. W. ot Oe~
Platnu Rd.

Lee St. ut r.1.tner 5t.

1I11Ui.~ns l~d. W.
Wolt
Kedzle Ave. N. ot 95th St.
Clc{>ro Ave. N. of 119th

of

".

1271h Sl. W. of Central

Park Ave.
Uncoln Ave. N. ot 142nd
Vermont St. E. of West-

Ave.
Des Plaines RIver R,I, N.
Harlem Ave. III GOth 51.
25th Ave. S. of WashIngton St.
Halsted St. at 155lh St.
ertmd Ave. W. or Harlem
Ave.
Pulaski Rd. S. of Oakton

Ave.

Grand Ave. E. ot Ros'! St.

Oakton St. W. of CIcero
Ave.
47th St. at East Ave,
Des Plalne~ River Rd. N.
of Rand Rd.

VIncennes Rd. S. of LIn-

407

CNS&M-CNW
IHB

4,487
3,825

9.70
9.67

249
248

CNW

2,849

9.57

246

EJ&E

4,217

9.56

245

GT&W

3,607

9,48

243

lllD
CNS&M-CNW
CNW

1,648
3,576

9.47
9,43

3,923

9.23

243
242
237

CNS&M-C:.IW

2,575

9.23

237

B&OCT

2,254

9.2l

237

Touhy Ave. W. of McCormick Rd.

CNW

6,915

9.19

236

7.144
7,421
9,69'1

9.09
8.98
8.88

233
:lS1
228

' Lee 51. at N. W. Hwy.

CMSP&P
B&OCT-CTA
CB&Q
CNW

3.959

8.88

228

CNW

3,617

8.24

212

CNW-C:.IS&M

B&OCT-CTA

1,3.';2
4.076

8.09
8.14

208
209

tHB

1,796

8,06

207

ca>Q

:2,222

7.88

202

B&OCT

2,211

7 .77

200

coln Hwy .

DIxie Hwy. N. at :147th

".

Harding Ave. W. or Beach

Ave.
Rt. 58 E. Of Edf'nl Hwy.
25th St. S. of Lnke 51.
Oakton St. E. of McCormick Rd.
95th st. w. of Harlem

Ave.

Harlem Ave. S. of Grand

Ave.
l~t Ave. S. of Lake 5t.
Harlem Ave. S. or 31st
East Ave. at 47th St.
t~lmhurst

Hwy.

ltd. at N. W.

Lake-COOk Rd. W. or Skokie Rd.

5th Ave. S. of Lake S1.
25th Ave. N. of North
Ave.
Maple Ave. N. of Ogden
Ave.
liarlem Ave. S. oC 95th

SL

un

Locntl on

code

mB

3,515

8.82

226

Austln Ave. N. or 12tll

S'.

River Rd at N. W. I1wy.
Dempster SL W. or Nile~
Center Rd.
Ridgeland Ave. W. or
l00rd St.
Ridgeland Ave. at 3.1s t

".

Butterfield Rd. W. or La
Grange Rd.
BUJ1nllam
Ave. S. or
Brainard Ave.
:18t Ave. S. or 1\ladl80n St.
Sherman Rd. W. at Waukegan Rd.
Oak Park Ave. S. of 31st

SL

Ave. at Lehigh
Ave.
95tll Sl. at Gray St.
Main S1. S. of Lincoln
Hwy.
DIxie nwy. S. ot 135th SL
87th st. at I{ockwell Ave.
East Lake Ave. W. at
Edens Hwy.
119th 51. W. at Ashland
Ave.
Des Plaines Ave. S. Of
Madison 51.
Ridgeland Ave. N. of
Hoosevclt Rd.
111111 S1. E . or Central
Ave.
17th Ave. S. or Washlng- .
ton Blvd.
17th Ave. S. of Roosevelt
Rd.
Belmont Ave. E. or Rose
Touhy

".

Madison St. W. of D;,~

Plaines Ave.
Arllngt(ln Helghh Rd. a t
N. \V. I1wy.
Oak Park Ave. N. of
Itoo,evelt Rd.
5th Ave. S. ot Madison SL
l39th St. W. of Western
Ave.
Glenwood Rd. at RailNJad
,\ve.
87th St. W . of Central
Park ,\ve.
Lake Ave. at Greenbny
Hd.

BNJckway 5t. at :-r. W.

Hwy.
Lake-Cook Rd. at N.
Cook St.
Steller Rd. E. at DIxIe
I1wy.
119th St. at Vincennes
Ave.
Touhy Ave, E. of ClceNJ
Ave.
Brainard A vc. S. at Ogdcn Ave.
Willow Rd. E. of Wagner
Rd.
Brlllnard Ave. at Burnham Ave.
Oakton St. at Lehigh 51.
WOIC Hd. W. or 47th st.
139th St. E. (If Kedzle
Gross PoInt Rd. at Le
high St.

Dundee Rd. at Skokie

Hwy.
WoodsIde Dr. S. at Burlington S1.
WillOW SprIngs Rd. N. or
47th SL
Pulaski Rd. at 87th St.
North Ave. E. of 5th Ave.
.1l:lth St. W. of Cicero
Ave.
Vincennes Rd at 119th

S'.

Oak Park Ave. at 175th

S'.

1591h st. W. or Paxton

Ave.
Ashland Ave. at 123rd S1.
2'..!nd St. E. or 1st Ave.
PraIrIe Ave. N. ot Ogden
Ave.
Dempster St. W. or DOdge
Ave.
W OOd St. at .147th St.

'\'(,"]' YIID

B&O-CT,\
CNW

3,632
3,0"72

7.75
7.75

199

CNS&l\I-CNW

15,420 7.41

""'OCT

1,713

190
189

CB&Q

3,031

7.33

CGW-CA&E

3,239

7.28

CSS&sS-;><YC-SL
CGW-CA&E

8,734
9,477

6.78

6.63

7.36

7.08

CMSP&P

2,770

CU&O

2,432

0.60

eMSP

GT&W

5,424

6.29

7,534

6.23

MC
B&OGT
B&OCT

1,148
4,750
6,968

5.98
5.91
5.78

CK W- CNS&M

1,95</.

5.72

CRI-PHR

3,031

5.62

CGW-CA&E-CTA

3,716

5.51

>9,

'"

'"
""no

17<

'"
'"
",..
'"
'"
",
''0

"4
'"

B&OCT-c:;TA

4,893

3.42

H&OCT

2.9'.17

5.43

CC&W-CAE

1,987

:1.43

'"
"'"

lC

2,319

3.38

138

MSP-SSM

4,497

:1.26

MSP-SSM

7.271

5.18

C;,\/W

2,893

:1.18

B&OCT-CTA
CG&W-CA&E

4,175

5.16

'"
""
""

GT&W-B&Ocr

2,95~

5.11

330 4.96

>9,

'"
'"

'"

CMSP&P

4,256

4.80

123

C"f

5.793

4.66

120

CNW

1,991

4.67

120

",",W

1,397

4.62

119

CNW

1,496

4.60

US

C&E<

1,083

4,53

U6

CR'

2.788

4.40

llB

CNW

9,041

4.35

112

CB&Q

2,449

4.31

l.ll

CNW-Cl\LS&M

3,223

4.23

109

PRR-E&W
CMSP&P
CB&Q
CRl&P

3,376
3,000
1,561
613

4.00
4.00
3.98
3.98

100
100

CMSP&P

1,733

8,85

99

CN\Y-CN5&l\I

2,632

3.80

98

CB&Q

2,450

3.76

C8&Q

2.122
5,031
9,9<..19

3.73
3,45
3.33

"96

"&OCT
CRlkP

894

3.20

82

2,830

3.14

CIU;Il;P

1,934

3.14

Penna.

.C

:1,838
5,067
6,640

3.03
2,99
2.96

'"
""

CB&Q

1.880

2.96

76

CNW
GT&W

5,452

2.83
2.80

"72

Wabull
MSP-SS1'll

'c

3,~7

102
102

8'
86

"76

 COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Springtime In Skokie Lagoon

Vol. IV No. 12

MAY 1957

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook County (ill.) Department of Hlahway.
Under ausplees of the Board of County CommiaJoners
DANIEL RYAN, P resident

Jame, F. A,henden

William N. Erlck,on

Frank Bobryuke
Charle. F. Chaplin
Ellubeth A. Conkey
Jerry Dolen.1
John J. Ouffy

Chrllt A. Jenlen
John A. Mac'kler, Jr.
Clayton F. Smith

Fred A . FuHe

Edward M. Sneed
John J. Toun)'

Arthur X. Elrod

William J. Morti mer

Superintendent of lIl&,hWIIYI

Published at 130 North Weill Street, Chicago 6.

FRanklin 27544

Extension 216

Boob of the Month

April Building Permits

ERMITS FOR BUILDING construction valued at
P
Building and Zoning Bureau. Total valuation compa.red
$6,864,571 were issued in April by the Cook County

with $6,312,982 in the previous month and with

$9,405,298 \n April last year.
Of the total of 479 permits, 143 were for residences
to be connected with sanitary sewers and 121 for residences with their own septic systems. In other classifications, permits were issued as follows:
CI"..ulflca.ti on

'"98,,
,,S

Re,ldenUal add illons and aUerallonl

Ae~lI()ry buildings
Bu.lneU, .epUc sys tems
BUllnen, ,anltary lewers
!lUllneu addi tions and alteration,
Indu.trlal. septic system
Wili er .. upply weill
Mi aceilaneoul

, 'a.!uatlon
$l!i1,031

168,624
103,144

M8,400

....000

00.000

9t~

" By townships, pennits were issued:

Xow~hlp

P ermlt.

Barrlnglon
Bloom
Bremen
Elk Grove
Hanover
Lemon t
Leyden
Lyo ns
Maine
New Trier
Northfteld
No:wood Park
Orland

~:l~~'ne

ProvIso
Rl!:h
SChaumburg
Stickney
Thornton
Wheeling
WOrth

4
14
21
24
3
3
23
42
21
1

\ ' nh".thm
$
42,400

196.060

310,81\6
383,349
45,100
17,800
170,080
696,379
742.36:>

7,000
768,157
14l,OOO
110,240

40
21

9
4
13
113
6
3l

Wl:tJ
25,024

7.900
151,524
1,298,292
98 900
437:446
Z71,82'2

HORACE IS high on high power and

HEADLONG
power brakes.

n
In addition, three permits for a total valuation of
$50,500 were issued in the no-fee classification, which

Now he really owns the road.

He rides your rear bumper closer than ever.
He saUs up to red lights and stops on an inflation
dime,
What it takes, Horace has got- be thinks.
Any day now be'll find out that the power brake
invenlor had in mind a driver with a head that works.

includes schools, churches a nd farm buildings.

April Traffic Fatalities

Sixteen persons met death on streets and highways
in suburban Cook County in April. The toll was an
increase of one over the preceding month, but six fewer
than in April last year.
The accumulated lolal of dealhs In the first four
months of this year is 56 as aga inst 70 in the same
months of 1956. an improvement of 20 per cent.
Three months last year, however, had high totais-

Februar y, 21 ; March, 21, and April, 22- which accounts somewhat for the favorable comparison,
Two of the April dead were pedestrians.. Eleven were
killed in coUisions between automobUes, one in an auto.
truck collision, one wben a car left the road and struck
a tree and one when a car hit a post.

County Sets up Expressway Time Tables

SCHEDULES OF work on Cook County
ITEMIZED
seCtiODS of six expressways were announced this
month by President Daniel Ryan of the County Board.
All of the 75 jobs listed except two grading and paving sections will be ready for contractor's bids by the
end of this year, he said.
(ExpreslfWny Programs on pages 6 lind 7)

Estimated total cost of the scheduled items is $61,316,330. In addition, the county plans to spend ill
excess of $25 million for land acquisition this year.

Congre .. Street at Conlumer,' Quarry

Extension or Northwest Expressway to O'Hare Airport will be constructed with the county's 1955 $245
million bond issue. Work Oil the other routes will be
carried on under the federal interstate highway program, with the federal government supplying 90 pcr
cent of costs and the county, 10 per cent.
The dates for completion of plans and advertising
for bids as set up by William J, Mortimer, county high
way superintendent, are "realistic" and will be adhered
to, said President Ryan.
Solutions

t~o llnd

Mr. Mortimer, " has been informed by State's Attorney

Benjamin Adamowski that in his opinion the right-of.
way will be obtained without delay using the 'quick
t.sking' powers of the federal government-"
Structures Under Contract This Yea r
Construction of the Northwest Expressway between
Montrose Avenue and East River Road involves the
Chicago & North Western raUroad at several crossings
and has placed a heavy load on the railroad's engineering and legal staffs. However, the superintendent said,
"With the possible exception of those projects depend
ing on railroad agreements and Commerce CQmmisslon
orders, we are confident that the schedule for this
part. of Northwest Expressway will be adhered to. We
propose to place all of the structures, together with
the grading projects, under contract this year."
Of particular interest, said President Ryan, sbould
be the programming on the South Route, which will
link Congress Street, at the Halsted Street interchange, with the Calumet Expressway and in the vicinity of 62d Street will afford outlets for traffic coming
from the Indiana toll road system over Calumet Skyway.
The county 's portion of the route is from 63rd Street
soulh, The program lists 20 jobs Intended to be ready
for a dvertising this year,
ConstructlOIl to Start Soon
"Excellent progress is being made on the acquisition
of rights-of-way and plans for tbree main drains, one
of which includes a pumping station, are complete,"
said Superintendent Mortim er. "Construction on the
drains and pumping station should start within 120
days. Plans for the eight grade separation structures

tor Delays

"I know the public is eager for completion of the

expressways and if it were possible I would like to give
completion dates," he said. "But Cook County is only
one of three participating agencies and all ] can speak
for is the work we are doing. The re have been some
delays caused by prolonged negotiations with railroads
and other interested agencies. ]t appears now that
t hese problems are about to be solved."
In a Jetter to the Counly Board accompanying the
construction programs, Superintendent Mortimer discussed three of the situations that bave caused delays.
On Congress Street west from Mannheim Road to
the counly line, land needed for the roule is about to
be cleared. "While rigbt--of-way has nol been obtained
from the CQnsumer's quarry, we have been assured
that a construction easement will be granted," he said.
The Congress Street gap between Des Plaines Avenue and tbe Des Plaines river, which has long been
a point of controversy with the Chicago, Aurora &
Elgin electric railway, is expected to be opened soon
for expressway construction. "This department," said

Grade Separation at Eden. and F o.ter

and nine demolition projects will be ready so we can

advertise for bids before the end of the year."
The program for the Northwest Expressway beyond
Montrose Avenue shows that bids for structural steel
a nd concrete girders specified for the grade separation
structures will be taken in advance of the construction
work. This will enable the fabricators to start their
jobs early and will gain 60 to 90 days in delivery of
materials, Mr. Mortimer said.

Rising Land Values Found Along Edens

A table of ratios was then built up. The overall
average of the ite ms in this table was 4.30, which
means that the 1956 land value is 430 per cent of the
1941 land value on the average for this area.
Then averages based on east-west direction were.
obtaIned, i. e., for each east-west category the 26
north'BOuth 5e(:tions were averaged, Table 1 presents
the results obtained.

Good tTo1l8poriatiOtt obvioU8ly influences land tutlues

in tke territory served by the facility, (Ina the re.tiden-

fial deuciopments close to Eden.! exprcssway

ClTC

at

the leWlt 'lIi8ual evidence that it has enhanced the

dcsirabilHy 0/ close by 'Property.

A st1tdy

0/

changing values along Edens hCl8 been

made rCCtmtly by Irving Hoeh, senior economist of

the Chicago Area Trall"Portatic)tl Study, which i8 31'on-

sOl'cd by Cook Ccmnty, City 0/ Chicago and State of

TABLE 1

lllinoi3 loith. cooperation 0/ th6 fi'edeTaZ BUTeaIL 0/

Public RooM.
Mr. H och fOI~Jld 'lIa/uea increa.'lfed, in the period 1941-

Land Value Katio by Section in Terms of Eaat- Weat

Direction, Expressway RunlJ Through O.
19ij6/
4W 3W 2W lW
0
IE 2E BE 4E
Hl41 4.64 5.31 5.86 5.84 4.98 4.00 3.31 2.99 2.26

1956 from an overall 405 'PeT cent in the lower arca

There seems to be a fairly definite pattern with a

building up of the ratio as the expressway is ap-

of the ca:pre.'1sway to 610 per cent in the middle area.

To complete the investigation, he notB-', 1t will be
lIecessary to compare Edens area va lue" changclJ with
thtnle OCCltrril1g in other suburban (Ircas, bid thus far,
M concllldell, L'reslllill do Mem to be in line ~ th the
belief an 6X'Presaway will cause land valitcli to Tise!'
Hi,' -report on the Edens area study follows,

WIDELY believed that the introduction of a

ITnewIS expressway
raises the value of adjoining land.

In an effort to test the validity of this belief. an examination was made in chnnges in land values a long
Edens Expressway. The Investigation yielded some
evidence in support of the belief.
Land values were obtained for the years 1941 and
1956 from Olcott's Land Values. The values listed in
Olcott's are presumably the values of land alone. i. e ..
what it would cost to buy unimproved land (land considered independently of any buildings on n .) Each
page of Olcott's covers an area of one mile in 8n eastwest direction and 8 mile and a half in a north-south
direction.
Each of thcse pages was broken up into six quartersquare mile sections, with each section a square with
one-half mile on a side. The total number of sections
examined was 234. with nine in an east-west direction ,
26 in a nortb-south direction (9 times 26 = 234).
For the east-west direction. the section tbrough
which Edens Expressway ran was coded O. with sections to the east coded lE, 2E, 3E, 4E and sections to
the west coded 1W, 2W. 3W and 4W. The number
indicates distance and direction from the expressway;
thus. 3W is the third section to the west of the expressway. He nce. the totaJ distance covered in an east-west
direction was 4% miles.
In the nortb-south direction, the 26 sections examined for a given east-west value ran from Foster Avenue in the BOuth to two sections above Lake-Cook
road in the north. Hence the total distance covered
was 13 miles.

New Home. Along Eden. at Touky Avenue

proached. The peak is reached at a section one-half

mile to the WC8t; this may have occurred because a
good part of Edens Expressway (the northern part)
has the Skokie lagoons directly to the east. Hence,
section 0 would not be too attractive here. The difference between east and west probably occurred because the eastern portion was well built-up by 1941;
the western portion had a much greater growth
potential.
U111)er, l..ower, Middle A.reas Compared
Table 2 breaks the results down somewhat by comparing the upper, middle, and lower areas a long the
expresaway. The upper portion is that area. north or
Harrison Street; the middle portion extends from
Harrison south to Dempster Street: the lower portion,
from Dempster to Foster Avenue.
TABLE 2
Land Value Ratio by 'EtUl~Wesl Section and North-South
Category, ElCpreSll.....ay Runs Through O.
4W 3W 2W J W
0
1E 2E 3E 4E ALL

Valuations Sampled Ilnd A \'eraged

For each quarter-mUe sect.ion, a sample of four land
values was obtained for both 1941 and 1956: the particular parcels of land selected were those located near
the four corners of the section, with the same parcel
used for both 1941 and 1956. The ratio of 1956 land
value to 1941 land value was then obta.ined, and the
four values were averaged to obtain an estimate of
the cbange in land value (or each section.

Up.

3.85 4.34 5.21 6.6 l 4.07 3.08 2,05 1.57 1.33 5.07
~.14 2.57 6.70
Low. 4. 21 4.10 3.88 4.47 5.16 4.28 4.84 4.04 3.60 4.05

Mdl. 5.90 7.31 7.03 6.82 5.90 4.67 4.00

The middle section had the greatest rise in overall

value; the rise in value appears more definitely centered on the expressway for the upper section.

Highway Department at Navy Pier Fair

_ _ _ _ _-"TE. L e. v 1.5 ' 0 ""

C Of'.J1"RO L5

Floor Plan of County Highway Department's Expre"wilY Exhibit at Chieagoland Fair

N INFORMATIVE EXIDBIT of the countywide

central station would see accidents as they occurred

and would be able to send ambulances and other
needed assistance without delay. In time of an enemy
air attack or natural disaster, when the expr~ssways
would become the arteries of Civil Defense, television
control would greally expedite all movements.

A expressway system , with a louch of magic added,

will be presented by the Cook County Highway Department to the thousands of visitors attending the
Chicagoiand Fair at Navy Pier JUDe 28 to July 14.
The show will include a working setup of closed
circuit television traffic control, as well as the pictorial
story of the expressways on a large background waH
and sets of panels at the sides of the exhibit space.
Visitors may enter the area, watch distant traffic on
TV and study the pictures at their leisure.
The television demonstration is intended to show
what can be done on the highways with equipment
already in practical use in industry. Under consideration for the expressways in Chicago and Cook County
is an arrangement whereby observers in a central control station could keep constant watch over the entire
system by switching their monitor sets to pick up
pictures caught by cameras installed at frequent
intervals.
Three monitors will be installed in the exhibit booth,
receiving images from cameras placed at street locations outgjde the pier. A desk with push buttons will
simulate the control panel of a working station, and
visitors will be permitted to push the buttons.
Experience with expressways thus far has indicated a need of facilities to handle accidents and other
obstructions quickly to avoid large scale congestion.
Unlike surface congestion, in which traffic can be diverted in all directions, expressway congestion is oneway and due to the high rate of movement, is almost
instantaneous. Since expressways have few exits, traffic confusion resulting from an accident accelerates.
The value of television control would extend beyond
relief for motorists caught in jams. Operators at the

Jobs for Engineers

The announcement of opportunities for June engineering school graduates in the Cook County Highway
Department, printed in the February issue of Cook
County Highways under the heading "Speaking of
Careers," has attracted attention.
Copies of the issue were sent to deans of engineering
schools, together with a letter from Superintendent
William J. Mortimer suggesting that they might wish
to bring the article to the attention of their senior
students. As a result, applications have been received
from several young men who will get their sheepskins
in June or next autumn.
From Ben H. Petty, professor of highway engineering at Purdue University, came a complimentary note
to Superintendent Mortimer:
"This is an interesting publication you enclosed, and
I am making the section 'Speaking of Careers' available to our seniors. I hope you will receive applications
from some of them."
Jobs open to engineering graduates start at $5,400
a year and afford opportunity for advancement and
experience in every type of highway work. Further
information and application blanks may be obtained
by writing to the Cook County Highway Department,
130 North Wells Street, Chicago 6, minois, attention
Supervisor of Employment,

CONGRESS STREET EXPRESSWAY

Estimated

],ocation

Type ot Work

Elm St. to Howard St.

Mannheim Rd. to Elm St.
Consumers quarry and CA&E RR
Des Plaines Ave. to 1st Ave.
Des Plaines river and CA&E RR
Des Plaines Ave.
West of Des Plaines river to west of
Des Plaines Ave.
Des Plaines Ave. to 1st Ave.

Paving four lanes

Paving six lanes
Grade separation
Paving six lanes
Bridge
Grade separation
Grading and CA&E RR
relocation
Relocation BroadviewWestchester
water
,
main
Main drain
Grade separations
Grade separations
Grading and retaining
walls
Pedestrian overpass
Pedestrian overpass
Pedestrian overpass
Pedestrian overpass

Des Plaines river to Circle Ave.

B&OCT RR-CTA over Central Ave.
Central Ave.
Central Ave. to Austin Blvd.
Lavergne Ave.
Kildare Ave.
Springfield Ave.
Albany Ave.

Date Plan
Completion

Estimated
Date of
Advertising

Estimated

Co,t

Complete
Complete
Complete
Complete
Complete
Complete
Complete

Sept., 1957
Sept., 1957
Sept., 1957
Sept., 1957
Sept., 1957
Sept., 1957

Sept., 1957

302,000
2,000,000
200,000
700,000
500,000
630,000
200,000

Complete

Sept., 1957

61,300

Complete
Complete
Complete
Complete

Sept.,
June,
June,
June,

1957
1957
1957
1957

856,000
2,390,000
636,000
723,000

Complete
Complete
Complete
Complete

June,
June,
June,
June,

1957
1957.
1957
1957

119,300
132,600
119,130
137,000

Congress Street Total

$ 9,706,330

SOUTH ROUTE EXPRESSWAY

718t
75th
76th
79th
83rd
87th
91st
95th
63rd
69th
71st
75th
79th
83rd
87th
91st
95th
70th

Street
Street
Street
Street
Street
Street
Street
Street
Street to 69th
Street to 71at
Street to 75th
Street to 79th
StrelOt to 83rd
Street to 87th
Street to 91st
Street to 95th
Street to 99th
Place to 72nd

Street
Street
Street
Street
Street
Street
Street
Street
Street
Street

72d Street to 83rd Street

83rd Street to 90th Street

Grade separation
Grade separation
Grade separation
Grade separation
Grade separation
Grade separation
Gradc separation
Gra:ie separation
Demolition
Demolition
Demolition
Demolilion
Demolition
Demolition
Demolition
Demolition
Demolition
Pumping station and
main drain
Main drain
Main drain

Oct., 1957
Oct., 1957
Oct., 1957
Oct., 1957
Oct. , 1957
Oct .. 1957
Oct. , 1957
Nov., 1957
June, 1957
June, 1957
June, 1957
June, 1957
June, 1957
June, 1957
June, 1957
June, 1957
June, 1957
Complete

Dec ., 1957
Dec., 1957
Dec., 1957
Dec., 1957
Dec. , 1957
Dec., 1957
Dec., 1957
Dec., 1957
Dec., 1957
Dec., 1957
Dec., 1957
Dec., 1957
Dec., 1957
Dec., 1957
Dec., 1957
Dec. , 1.957
Dec., 1957
June, 1957

Complete
Complete

June, 1957
June, 1957
South Route total

700,000
650,000
550,000
800,000
725,000
800,000
.. 500,000
875,000
250,000
50,000
50,000
50,000
50,000
50,000
75,000
75,000
75,000
405,000
1,300,000
600,000

$ 8,630,000

NORTHWEST EXPRESSWAY
Keating Ave. to Pulaski Rd.
Pulaski Rd. to Roscoe S1.
Henderson S1.

Main drain
Main drain
Pumping station

Complete
Complete
Complete

April, 1957
April, 1957
April, 1957

Northwest Expressway total

$ 1,380,000
1,040,000
255,000
$ 2,675,000

KlNGERY EXPRESSWAY
GTW RR

Grade separation

Complete

June, 1957

637,000

Oct., 1957

637,000

CALUl\-IET EXPRESSWAY

159th St. interchange

Paving additional ramps

Complete

NORTHWEST EXPRESSWAY lUONTROSE AVENUE TO EAST RIVER ROAD

(Jobs listed according to priority)

Estimated
Date 01
Advertising

Type of Work

Location

Demolition
:Main drain
Main drain

Cicero Ave. to Canfield Road

Montrose Ave. to east of Foster Ave.
East of Foster Ave. to Nashville Ave.

Structural Steel

C&NW Ry. and CMSTP&P RR grade

Structural Steel
Structural Steel

Structural Steel
Fabrication of precast
prestressed. girders

Demolition
Grade separations
Grade separations

Grade separations
Grade separations
Grading
Grading
Grade separations
Grade separations
Grade separations
Grading and paving
Grading and paving
Grading and paving
Grading and paving
Main drain and pumping stations

separations
Lawrence Ave. grade separation
Ainslie Ave. grade separation
Milwaukee Ave. over Northwest Expressway and C&NW Ry. at Jefferson
Park
Central Ave. grade separation
Foster Ave. grade separation
Nagle Ave.
Harlem Ave.
Oriole Ave.
Canfield Rd.
Natoma Ave.
Cumberland Ave.
Sayre Ave.
East River Rd.
over Northwest Expressway
Canfield Road to Soo Line
Natoma Ave., Sayre Ave., East River
Rd.,
Harlem Ave., Oriole Ave., Canfield Rd.,
Cumberland Ave.
CMSTP&P RR, C&NW Ry., Cicero Ave.
C&NW Ry. at Jefferson Park station,
Milwaukee Ave.
Edmunds St. to Moody Ave.
Nagle Ave. to Bryn Mawr Ave.
Lawrence Ave., Ainslie Ave.
Central Ave., :t<"oster Ave.
Austin Ave. (pedestrian), Nagle Ave.
Montrose Ave. to Central Ave.
Central Ave. to west of Normandy Ave.
Nonnandy Ave. to Canfield Rd.
Canfield Rd. to west of East River Rd.
West of Nashville Ave. to Soo Line

Sept.
Oct.
Oct.
Oct.

15,
15,
15,
15,

Estimated

nat.

Estimated

Co,'

Plans to State
1957
1957
1957
1957

1957
i957
1957
1957

June
July
July
July

1,
1,
1,
1,

360,000
1,500,000
1,370,000
480,000

Oct, 15, 1957

July

1 , 1957

500,000

Oct. 15, 1957

July

1 , 1957

430,000

Oc t . 15, 1957

July

I , 1957

610,000

Oct. 15, 1957

July

I , 1957

1,500,000

O c t. 15, 1957
Nov. I , 1957

July 1, 1957
July 15, 1957

240,000
1,630,000

Nov.

1, 1957

July 15, 1957

2,620,000

Nov.
Nov.

1, 1957
1, 1957

*July 15, 1957

*July 15, 1957

2,210,000
4,120,000

Nov.
Nov.
Dec .
Dec.
Dec.
De c .
De c .
De c .
De c.
Dec.

1, 1957
1, 1957
1, 1957
1 , 1957
1, 1957
I , 1957
1, 1957
1 , 1957
1, 1957
1, 1957

July 15,
July IS,
Aug. 15,
Aug. 15,
Aug. 15,
Aug. 15,
Aug. 15,
Aug. 15,
Aug. 15,
Aug. 15,

1957
1957
1957
1957
1957
1957
1957
1957
1957
1957

Total Northwest Expressway Montrose Ave. to East River Rd.

880,000
840,000
1,540,000
1,740,000
~ 770,000
2,700,000
2,800,000
2,600,000
2,300,000
990,000
$34,730,000

Depending on railroad agreements and Commerce Commission orders.

EDENS EXPRESSWAY

Location

Type 01 Work

Estimated
Date Plan
Completion

Foster Ave.
Wilson Ave. to Montrose Ave.
Lawrence Ave.
Wilson Ave.
Montrose Ave.
Southbound Edens
Elston Ave,
C&NW Ry.
F orest Preserve entrance
Lawrence Ave. to Bryn Mawr Ave.
Lawrence Ave. to Kastner Ave.

Grade separation
Grading
Grade separation
Grade separation
Grade separation
Grade separation
Grade separation
Grade separation
Grade separation
Grading and paving
Grading and paving

Under contract
Under contract
Under contract
Complete
June, 1957
Complete
Under contract
June, 1957
June, 1957
June, 1957
June, 1957

Estimated
Date of
Advertising

Estimated
<Jost

$
June, 1957
June, 1957
June, 1957

361 ,000
950,000
400,000

June, 1957
Aug., 1957
1958
1958

340,000
150,000
900,000
1 ,200,000

Edens Expressway total

$ 4,301,000

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Prett y Picnic P icture POIU Puul_Flnd t he B.rrel (Sce Page 3)

Vol. V No.1

JUNE 1957

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook County (m.) Department of BJCbWllY,
Under au.pie.. of the Board of County Commlalonera
DANIEL RYAN, PresIdent

Jame, F . .... hende n

William N. Er r~k.o"
Fred A, Fulle

Fr,ll"k Bobrytzke
Char-ttl F. Ch.plln
Ellubeth A.. Conkey

Chrll t A. Jensen
Joh n A. Mackler, Jr.
Daniel Ryan
Clayto n F. Smith
Edward M . Sneed
Joh n J . Touhy

Jerry DoleUI
John J . Duffy
Arthur X. Elrod

WI1I!a m J . Mortimer
Super mt".dent or m .. h .... y.

Publlahed at J 30 North Well. Street, Chicago 6.

FRanklin 27544

Boob

May Building Permits

Extension 216

the Month

ER:t.llTS FOR BUlLDlNG construction of a total

P
$9,176.679 estimated value were Issued in May by
the Cook County Building and Zoning Bureau. The
total compared wllh $6,864,571 In April and S10,600,578 in May last year.
By classification , May permits were 18sued as
fo llows:
Permit.

Typo!

RHldenUa\ llIep l \(' Iylleml)

RO,/d enllal ',anllary llel<;erll
Res dl'ntl a l Ild (l ll lolll a nd allera Uonl
Aeeeuory bull d lnp
BUllne.. /lep l\C 'Yl leml)
BUll ne.. IlIn ll ary lew!'n)
BU81ne.. a ddlUonl a nd alteration_
Indu.t rial !IIePt\e 'Yllem.)
lndullrlal IItllltary lIe"e,..)
Indultrla l addition. a nd alteraUOnl
Movln. (.p Ue l,Vsleml)
Water Iuppl y 'weill)
MI.cellaneoUI

..''''',,
'"
na

\'aJulltic.n
$2,~72,967
2,~4.l2

125,400

197,800

".600

,
,~
n
""

~
3.1:.?:~

",,""
~~

4,700

Pennlta were taken out. in the various townships

as follows :
, '.luIlU,,,,
.$

2.'UOO
98.100
2<&.1,430

:.u6,032

~~

170,400
41lJ,3O(l

1.011 ,200
4'51,400

=.300

,.,"'"
""'".
~~
446,6:10

m~

""'"
397,812
""''''''

SWALD THE OBSTACLE has mast ered the art

of reading.
His trouble Is the message fa ils to penetrate.
"Left Turn Only," it says In big letten painted on
lhe pavement,
But. Oswald enters lhe la ne just because it's vacanl
and stands there in mental isolation while cars wanling to turn left pile up behind him.

Two permits were ISSued in the no-fee classification,

which includes churches, fann buildings, schools and
other public buildings. One was for B school in Nortbfield tOWMhlp, $118,000, and t.he otber, a fire station,
$115,000, in Lyons township,

May Traffic Fatalities

Eighteen persons were killed in May in traffic accidents on at.reets and highways in Cook County outside
of Chicago. The total compared with 16 In April and
13 in May hurt year.

Seven of the 18
Six were killed
two in auto-truck
the pavement and

killed last month were pedestrians.

In collisions between automobiles,
colli.sions a nd three when cars left
st.ruek ways ide objects.

Too Much Garbage Missing the Barrel

By Daniel Ryan
President, Board of Cook County Commfssioner.
President, Cook County Forest P reserve District

HERE'S WHAT YOU CAN DO:

RE YOU A Utterbug? Or do you have more sense

and better outdoor manners? That is a brand-new
word coined as a scornful name for people who, whereever they go, leave a tra.il of trash behind them. Litter
is scattered rubbish. A Jitterbug is a person who
scatters it. A better definition was furnished by the
sixth-grader who said: "A litterbug is a messy twolegged animal that travels around the country turning
it into a dump and spoiling it for other people."
We have magnificent national parks and forests,
state parks and forests, metropolitan parks and forest
preserves, and municipal parks, established for the
recreation, education and pleasure of all of us. We
pay taxes which provide the millions of dollars spent
annually to maintain them. It is a crime and a national disgrace that so much of that money, more and
more every year. must be expended on the gllt.hering
and disposing of unsightly refuse strewn about by
litterbugs. Otherwise that money-approximately
$50.000,000 in 1956---might be used to improve and
expand those recreational areas so that more people
could enjoy them.

1. Dispose of your trash in a proper receptaclealways.

2. Carry a littler bag in your car, and a big one
on picnics.
3. Get your family and friends to join the fight
against litter.
4. Enlist your school in an anti-litter campaign.
5. Obtain from Keep America Beautiful, Inc. , 99
Park Ave., New York 16, N. Y., their KAB
KITS, teacher's handbook, and other free
material for an anli-litter drive.
6. Remember what Abraham Lincoln said:
"I like to see a man proud of t.he place he
lives in;
I like to see a man live in it so his place
will be proud of him."

which is conducting a vigorous campaign against. lit

ter along the highways and in the forest preserves.
Headed by Joseph A. Downey, 130 N. Wells St.
Chicago 6, it distrihutes t rash bags for cars, posters
and other free material.

Picki llg UII lS Costly .Job

In your Cook county forest preserves there are 115
major picnic centers, 45 lesser ones, 50 small roadside
areas for family picnics, and about 700 massive tables
permanently installed along the highway horders for
people who wllnt to be ruone. Steel barrels are provided for the disposal of garbage and trash but, after
every Sunday and holiday during the picnic season,
about 250 men must devote two days or more to picking up and hauling away tons and tons of refuse.
Otherwise those places would not. be presentable and
fit for other visitors. Even at the Little Red Schoolhouse nature center there is a litter problem created
by thoughtless users of its trails, and the naturalists
sometimes wonder if kleenex is becoming our national
flower!
Litterbugs also create unsightly messes along the
streets and highways. From automobiles and buses
they carelessly toss out cigarettes and matches which
often start disastrous fires, candy and chewing gum
wrappers, cleansing tissues, newspapers, beer cans,
bottles, and paper or plastic containers of all kinds.
Some even bring, from their homes, garbage and junk
which they stealthily dump on a roadside.

Beauty for Expressway

TOUCH OF BEAUTY for Nort.hwest Expressway

that would also save const.ruction costs is pro

A
posed by William J. Mortimer, Cook County highway
superintendent..
As presenty designed, the expressway between Cicero Avenue and Canfield Road will have retaining walls
at various locations and the embankments sloping
from the pavement to the right-of-way boundary will
rise one foot in three. This grade was fixed. Mortimer
explained, because on steeper slopes, such as the onein-two on Congress Street Expressway, grass cutting
has proved to be a. problem.
Mortimer's suggestioD, which he has submitted to
the Illinois Division of Highways, is to redesign the
slopes to a one-intwo grade, which would eliminate
the retaining walls, and to cover them with vines and
low shrubs, which would eliminate the mowing problem.
Cost of t.he 1,000 lineal feet of retaining walls in
the Cicero-Canfield stretch of the expressway is estimated at $l,OOO,QOO. Estimated cost of the ground
cover, with two years' maintenance by the contractor
is $350,000.
"I have asked our highway department landscape
architect, Morris Cherner, to see what varieties of
plants may be used and he has listed a number that
will afford year around beauty, including red berries
at Christmas time," said Mortimer.
Cherner's list of vines included Hall's honeysuckle,
bittersweet, winter creeper and wild grape. The low
shrubs, which would be placed at intervals among the
vines, included prairie rose, sumac, snowberry, coralberry and dwarf honeysuckle.

Cleanliness Conunitlee Campaigns

Last year it cost. the Cook county highway depart
ment $85,000 to remove the litter along 650 miles of
roads they maintain. Altho 44 other !!tates have antilitter laws, some of them providing stiff fines and jail
sentences or suspension of a driver's license for persons convicted, more than $30,000,000 was spent in
gathering and disposing of refuse along the nation's
highways in 1956.
The Board of County and Forest Preserve Commissioners, inspired by the nationwide movement
launched by a non-profit organization called Keep
America Beautiful, Inc., has appointed a. committee

Child

Hurt, Engineers Survey Traffic

These local move ments were indicated by the counter
placed on the frontage road just west of Newcastle.
There the counts varied from five vehicles in the hour
between 7 and 8 3.m. on one day to 40 between 5
and 6 p. m. on another day.
At its heaviest, this volume of traffic was not CODsidered by the engineers us justifying cost of the
drastic revision requested.

TRAFFIC HAZARD, unavoidably, is approached

from two points of view-that of the people close

A
to the scene and that of the traffic
who is
engin~r

called on to treat iL
An application of engineering lechniquclIlO a neighborhood problem was made recenUy by the Traffic
Engineering Division of the Cook County Highway
Department in the Village of Westchester. Because a
litlle girl had been Injured by a car and village authorities, fearful of Curther accidenta, were demanding
a drastic realignment of streets, at county cost, the
traffic engineere made a study in much greater detail
than ordinarily is done in such matters.
The street In queat!on is the frontage foad parallel
to Congress Street on the south aide of the expressway. II carries local traffic between the 25th Avenue
interchange with the expressway and Westchester
Boulevard, The eastern portion ecrvcs an Industrial
area. On t.he west, the frontage route t.urns south in
Hull Street to Kitchner and thence westward, crossing
Westchester Boulevard at grade.
The accident that caused Westchester officials to
demand a revi8ed route occurred in the block: between
the turn from the expressway border and Kitchner.
That stretch is posted for 15 mph speed. The child,
at play. ran between parked cars into the street and
against a moving car. Skid marks Indicated the car
was greatly exceeding Lhe IimiL.

New

lI a~Jl rtl

in n e loclltioll

A further objection to relocating the frontage drive

was that the new intersection with Westchester Boulevard would be on a rising grade to meet the approach
to the boulevard bridge over the eXIJreBSway. Because
of poor sight distance resulting from this situation. a
new traffic hazard would be created. Extension of
the street in I'l generally straight line would a lso tend
to give it the characte r of a through street and thus
additional traffic would be generated.
Recomm endations submitted by the traffic engineers
for consideration of Westcheste r village authorities
were:
(1) That parking be prohibited on one aide of
tbe local service road between Westchester Boulevard
and Gardner Rond.
(2) That thia south local service road be made a
one-way, eastbound between Weatchester Boulevard
and Gardner Road.

\,iIIap;e Asks Relocation

Village officials proposed LhaL this block be eliminaLed from lhe frontage route. They asked that the
frontage route be relocated by extending It at an
angle from parallel with the expressway. This suggestion is shown by the dotted lines In the upper left
part of the diagram. on the opposite page.
Since this sec::tion of Congress Street was constructed by the County. the coala: of the proposed
relocation would be borne by the County. The job was
not as simple as putting down a hlock of new pavemenL Several housc:s wouJd have to be moved or
demolished. Cost of the whole project was estimated
at $60,000. 1t was decided that n survey should be
made to determine whether the expenditure was justified.
As a first stell. mechanical trllffic counters were installed at four significant places on lhe frontage route.
Counts were tsken for 24 hours on March 29. 30 and
31 and April 1. tbe week days being li'rldsy. Saturday,
Sunday a nd Monday. On each day peaks were found
at 7-8 and 8-9 a. m. and 4-5 and 5-6 p. m. Points of
the arrows on the diagram Indicate locations of the
counters. The arrows connect with the tabulations of
counts below the diagram.
llea\'les1. T ra ffie Near Indw.trles
Heaviest counts at all periods were obtained at the
poiDt in Lexington Avenue just west of 25th Avenue,
the route used by factory workers going to and coming
from the plants along Gardner. This How was confirmed by the counter plaCl on Gardner just south
of the parallel frontage road. West of Bristol, the
counts were somewhat lower.
As traffic moved westward over the frontage road,
cars le ft it to e nter the five north and south streets.

Detours on County Jobs

Work currently under way by the Cook County
Highway Department requires detours 88 follows:
LAKE COOK ROAD belween sande", and P1'Inglten Road,.
toIL road I'()n~lrlictlon 'l eutbollnd tram(' detour nOf"th on Sande... Road In Doei'rne d !-toad, eut to Wallke,an Road Ilnd
10Ulh In Lak~ C'onk Road; welttmund re\'eru order
STATE STIIE~::r belween LInCOln lIla:hway Ilnd Sauk TnllI,
Iwo.lllne <"on,true-tlon: .Olllhbolind tram" tI('\our east on Lincoln llllj"hwfly to Coltalle Grove, IIOlIlh 10 Sauk Trail a nd west
to State Slr(~t. northoound ren'l"IIe MdeC'.
TO/tHENCE:: AVENUE betV'-L'('n 140th hn(1 1441h Street!.
brl(11/1' "onllrurllon; a bypau dt'tOIiT ,,1111 o ne way .t~ts.
northbOund roHn\\' the mnrked detour route u,lnil Saginaw
Avcnuc; Southbound fOllow Ihe ",nrkcd (Iclour route using
HoxIe A\'enue.
TOl'H'i AVt:NUF: hetween WeUHn Avenue nntl BUBSe Road
In Park BWltl', rL~on~lruct!on to four lane' and resu rfae!ng ;
t'RJltbound Irallr tlNour north un Dee lIoatl to Bu ..e Highway
and ~uuthea't to Touhy Ave nue,

Traffic is permitted while work proceeds on the following named ro"lds in the s uhurban area:
DE)II'S"rEU STRE::f:r bel"ef'n Northl'OHt IlIlhw.y and MIIw.uk('f' An'nlle, !'Hurtadn.
(:JtE::Er'WOOD AVE:-Il.IE betwl'l'n lIand IIMd and Mllwallke>e
A\'!'nue re.urfarln .
IIAI"sTED STREL"1' bC't,,'t'('n ISIIlh Street and Little cailimet
River rl"~urt/lldnK
Sli't"fON ROADl!et"l't':n AI,.)Oquln and Dundee road., resurtartl'lll'.
~TH AV),:Nl1 belween 1l00~VI'It and Cermn k Road!:!, ne ....
rour-lnne ('()nltruNlon.
WENTWORTH AVE:-IUE between Hernlee RoAd and 167th
Strt'f'l. I'l!llIrtacln.
W[L1o:E ROAD bet ..... ee n Klrrh off Road and ElIl'l\d Avenue.
rl'llirfadng

Tbe following Chicago treets are open during work.

CO'T"TAGE GRO\"E AVF.NLE bet"een 95th Stl'ftl and 115th
Stl"ft't. ~.urtarlnft:
POST),:R A\." .. t' jllit eut nt Cleem Avenue, b)'pa,51 detOlir brlllll:e ronltru(' Ion tor North".'t Elfp.,... ",ay.
L AWRENCE A"ENL'E Jlllt tout o f Cil't'ro Avenue. a bypu!
deto~r, brIdge c:onltrllctlon for Norlhwett ElI'preuwa.y.

11
r

l>

z:

.,

III1

Boom Times Foster County Suburbs

one-eigbtb ot a. mile north of Devon Avenue. The
east limit is Tonne Road and the west limit, a line
one-fourth of a mile east of ArUngton Heights Road.
Village President Is Charles A. Hodlmair Sr.
R~mont, in Leyden Township, north of Schiller
Park, haa an fll'ea of
square miles south of Devon
Avenue and east of the Soo Line tracks. There 8rE1
300 houses and a population of approx.imately 1,300.
A sewer system is being installed. A bridge steel
fabricating plant that will employ 50 to 75 men is
being erected in an industrial area by Wendnagle &
Co. Rosemont was incorporated January 23. 1956.
Village President is Donald E. Stephens.
ruckory lillis, In the northeast part of Palos Township, WAIl incorporated November 14, 1951, when it
had 700 population. Entirely residential, the village
now haa approximately 2,500 residents and about 1,000
homes. A village hall is to be completed this year and
water and eewer systems within two years. PlaM are
afoot for a 30-unit shopping center. The boundaries
are 87th Street on the north, 99th Street on the
south, 88th Avenue on t.he west and 76th Avenue on
the east. Village President is Robert A. Montresscr.
nomelown, in Worth Town8hip o<:cupies the onehalf square mile between 7th and 9Ist Streets on the
north .lind BOuth and Cicero and Crawford Avenues
on the west and easL There are 2,200 homes on
winding streets and approximately 8,000 population.
A municipal buUding is under construction and a program of water and sewer extension is being completed.
Hometown was incorporated June 9, 1953. Village
President ,. Wllllam Hammond.
Park FOri't, Incorporated January 6, 1949, has
grown rrom vacant prairie to 25,000 population and
has become a widely recognized model of planned
town building. 1n Ute planning stage, space was reserved for parka. schools. churches and shopping
dilStrict and st~ts were laid out to provide convenient
through routes with attractive winding side streets.
Park Forest is in the southcast corner of Rich Township. On the north it extends to Ute Michigan Central
tracks, on the south to Steger Road, the boundary
between Cook nnd Will Counties; on the elUJt to Western Avenue and on the west to Central Park Avenue.
Village Pl'esldent is Robert A. Dinel'atein and the
Village Manager, J ohn L. Scott.
SUlik Village, Incorporated April 18, thlB year lies
along Sauk Trail east of Calumet Expressway. It
started III municipal existence with 54 homes and 250
population. Being near the new Ford Motor Company
plant, Sauk Village anticipates a boom. with several
hundred houses in prospect. Village President is
ThomlUJ J. Nichols.

OSTERED BY THE boom {ollowlng World War 11,

F
]1
suburbs ha \Ie been incorporated in Cook
Cook County since 1949, making a
of 111 villages
new

total

and cities In the County ouuide Chicago.

Some. lik' tbe nationally famoue Park FOr"l"8l, arose

I",

from the drawing board as fully developed towns,

with schools, slores. village hall and all tbe other

requirements of a populous munIcipality going uJ> as
the houscs were built. Others were communities tbal
slarled small and gr<'w to when' incorporalion appeared to be a good thing to do.
The 11 newest suburbs. which arc located on tbe
map on the oppoeile page, are:
l\lIddlebury, in the extreme mirlhwest corner of tbe
County extends into two other counties, but plans to
annex more unlncorporntcd territory would make it
largely II. Cook County village. At prescnt. the limits
take in 1320 acre" in Kane County, 300 In Cook and
40 in McHenry. Middlebury was incorporated October
1, H)53. 1t is wholly rcsidential and has a planning
e.nd zoning commission. Village President is Bruce
Benson.
Barri ll ~.1ol1 IliIls, just west of Barrington, bas its
north boundary at Lak~Cook Road and extends southward, straddling Brinker Road. It is entirely resident.iaJ and all homes are on five-acre Bites. President is
Andrew J. Dallslream. a prominent Chicago laywer,
who is chairman of the Cook County Zoning Board of
Appeals. [ncorporation WIUJ completed April 18, this
year. At the election. where Mr. Dsl1stream and other
officials ran without opp08itl~n . 74 votes were cast.
Rolli ng /IlPlldo\\'s, incorporated January 22. 1955,
started fast and is sU]] growing rapidly. There are
some 2,300 new homes in the village, which is in Palatine Township north of Central Road and west of
Wilke Road, and a population of about 8,500. A thriving 12-unit shopping center Is being expanded to 21
units and an industrial area is in the planning stage.
Village President is John S. Northcote.
Streamwood, In Hanover Township, oceuples SOO
acres BOuth of Schaumburg Road and between Bartlett
Road on the west and Oitendorf Road on t.he east. A
thousand new prefabricated housea are In the plans
and complete street Improvements al'e being developed.
Streamwood was incorporated February 13, this year,
and a special election, with 35 registered voters, was
held March 16. George E. Smith was elected village
president.
Schaumburg Cenler, in Schaumburg Township, has
the intersection ot Higgins and PlUm Grove Roads as
the approximau> center of itll Irr-cgular shape. On
three sides it surrounds 8 subdivision lying south of
Elgin Road and eaat of Roselle Road. which remBins
unincorpol'9.ted. The Roselle Golf Club Is within the
new village limits. Schaumburg Center, with no industry, is zoned for homes with lots of one-half acre
minimum. It was incorllOrated Dembcr 23, 1955.
Present population is 148. Village President is Louis
Redeker.
Elk Gro\'e, In the 80ulhweat area of Elk Grove
Township, Is planned for 6,000 homes. Incorporated
September 24, 1956, Its present population is 125. It
extends from Higgins Road on the north to B line

ACCOrding to "Driving Laboratory News" of Iowa

State College, passenger vehicle drivers face particularly hnzardous situations on vertical curves because
modern CRrS are low slung a nd do not show up when
coming over 8 hill Furthermore, the driVer sits low,
80 his sight distance is subetantially shortened.
The California Highway Patrol believes benzedrine
is directly rctJponsible for at least Rven recent highway deaths In which trucks were involved.----CA.LIFORNIA TRUCKING ASSOCIATIONS

Eleven Newly Incorporated Villages Dot County Map

I-''"''O'~ON

PALATINE

I'"

WHEELl NG

CD

HANOVER

CD

'":r.
LEGEND
Viii.,.

2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

V111'11

1O

VIIII,I

"

Villau

VillI"
Villi"

VIIII,I
Villi,.

VIII'ee
Vill'le
VIII.,1

.,
.,
.,
.,
.,
.,
.,
.,
.,

.,"

Mlddleb MIJ

Blr rin liin

Rlil il.

2.
HIli

Mllhws

StrumwOId
Sell'lIlIbllr.

EI.

Culer

Grou

Roumu I
Hlchr,

H I II s

Homllown
Par k

Forest

SIU k

ORLANO

BREMEN

RICH

BL~M

L'Ill<.,,-._ ._-'-._.___ " ......-'.. ...J

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Chi"...oland Fair Vi.iton Sa. Demon.lration of Tel.vi.ion T,.ffic Control in Cook Count)' Hi, hwa,. Depa rtment Exhibit. Raui".r
on the Ri,ht, Operated by Vi,Itor., Bri"r' Them Pictur. of Them'''''''', Cenler Receive r Show. Whet II Coina- on.t the End of th.
Pi.r and the One on the Ri,ht 8,in,. View 01 Flowin, Traffic on E.t.n. [xpr... wa, a' Tauhy A".nua. (5 Story 00 Pal'. 3, )

Vol. V No. II

JULY 1957

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook County (Dt.) Department of Bleh".,.
Under au.pi~eI of the Board ot County Commiuionen
DANIEL RYAN , Pruldent

Jame, F . A.t"nden

WIlliam N. Erlck,on
Fred A. Fulle
Chrllt A. Jen,en
John A. Mackler, Jr.
Daniel Ryan
Clayton F. Smith
Ed .... ard M. Sneed
John J. Touhy

FrOlnk Bobryuke

Charln F. Ch.pUn

Elizabeth A. Conkey
Jerry Doieul
John J. Duffy
Arthur X. Elrod

William J , Mortimer
Superintendent . f IlIl'h",'.).

])ublished at 130 North Wellil Street, Chicaro 6.

FRanklin 27544

Boob

June Building Permits

Extenllon 216

0/

the Month

NEW CLASSlFlCATION- hou&e1l moved from

A
one site to another appears in the report of the
Cook County Building And Zoning Bureau for the
month of June. Permlt8 Rre required for moving
buildings as we-II as fOr construcUon and during the
month 33 were i88Ued. all fo r residences on rights-ofway being cleared for eXI)rcssways.
The month's total of pennlts was 567 and the total
valuation represented was $6.546,433. In addition,
there were eight no-fee permits for a total valuation
of $2,246,300.
In the various cJa.salficntlons, permits were. issued
as follows :

,,.
"""
,
,",
"

f' ....... u...

I!H

RCKldf'nUII.I, . cpllr n.tem

Rl'lhlenllll.l, ltllnltll.fy SC"CC'

SChOOl, .ep Ie .y.lem

School. IIInltary
Sehool, IIddlUon

Churt:1l, addItion

at'''l!f

1\"

~.('('

I
!

1
I

'.h
.
n.661.973

Ii....

3.,074.S21.
178,M9

""....
1"2.100

3>.""
""00
'.000
""
""00
00:100
"''''''
2,OC::~
tI.ti&l

'=--cc_-

:17,800

DALRYMPLE
DEADCENTER
m. p. h. signs.

goes strictly by the

Where it says 50, he drives 60.

Where It says 30, he takes the limit, regardlcss of
conditions.
H a child runs Into the atreet, that's the kid's
lookout, Deadcenter figureR.

Total cost of moving the 33 houS<'s was esUmated

at $87,900 in the permit nppllcat!ons.

County A ids Housing

He knows his rlgh18.

SSISTANCE OF THE Housing Authority of the

County of Cook I. available to any suburb seeking clearance and rehabiUtaUon of blighted areas,
President Daniel Ryan of the County Board said this
month in announcing tbal. the aul.hOlity had obtained
a federal grant of $1,944,668 for Improvement of a
12-block area in Chicago Hclghta.
hi hope that other communltlet In the county will
take advantage of the opportunities to renew their
wornout aress with the services which we can make
available through our county hou!ing authority," he
said. "1 have asked the authority to expand its activities in the Held of private development of vacant
wasted land areas, slum clearance and rehabilitation
and to obtain federal Rid.

"1 congratulate County Comrnl88ioner John Mackler

Jr.. Mayor Carl W. McGehee and the other officials of
Chicago Heights, Ita excellent citizens' groups and the
Cook County Housing Authority for their cooperative
etrorts which resulted In federal aid (or their project."
The Chicago Helghta renewal project covers a 56acrc buittup. blighted area. about a mile east of the
center of town. bounded by the Lincoln Highway and
11th Street, Arnold Avenue and the B&:OCT railroad.
The federal grant will cover two-thirds of the cost;
the city of Chicago Heights will contribute the other
third, including noncash local grants-in-aid.

Public

Eage~to

Learn About f xpressways

M ..... bo... of the Bo...d or Coun t,. Commiuion.,.. View the Hi ,hw.,. Department', .h ib it aD the Eve of th<ll Chic.Jola nd F.ir Open;",_ Left 10 right: Commi .. io ner William N. Erick.on, Co n. miuione .. El i1;abeth A. Co nk ey a nd
Pr..ident Dani .. 1 Ry .... On the Stand A ... th .. Panel. of Button. and Le vert Contralli", the Thr.... TV Monitort.

EEN PUBLIC l1\'TEREST in expressways was conK

firmed by the many visitors to the Chicagoland
Fair who stopped at the Cook County Higbway De-

Such a system would include cameras mounted along

the expressways at such intervals that the entire
route would be under constant observation. There
also would be roadside speed limit signs on which
the figures could be changed by cent.ral operation.
and possibly a radio broadcast to which motorists
would tune their car sets when entering control
territory. With these facilities, control operators
could s low down lraffic or route it from one lane to
&nother in case of a jam. Central control could also
expedite assistance in case of accidents.

partment's exhibit to study the maps and pictures.

ask questions and manipulate the traffic control television monitors.
The TV Installation, which was intended to demonstrate the possibilltle8 of observing and reguJating
expressway traffic from a centra] control point., proved
to be one of the best patronized operating shows in
the fair. Visitors were permitted to handle the levers.
One monitor was connected with a camera installed
In the exhibit space and the operator was able to get
his own picture on the screen.
A second receiver, also operable, brought in the
view of goings-on at the Car end of Navy Pier. The
third Wag kept fixed on Edens Expressway at the
Touhy Avenue interchange and so was an accurate
demonstration of TV as applied to traffic control.

Exhibi t M ay Be Mon"d

The exhibit occupied a 40 by 22 foot space in a

choice area near the main entrance. An eye-catching
feature was the large perspective map of the county
showing expressways completed. Lhose programmed
and the state toll road routes. ThiB map and the displays of color photographs and artist's renditions were
prepared by highway department staff members. The
entire exhibit was put together in demountable form
and possibly will be set up at other places from time
to time.
The exhibit also served as an information center.
For people with particular questions. two highway
engineer'll were on duty at a ll timet! &nd they had with
(Continued on Page 6)

H ow TV Control Would Work

While television as an a.id to efficient UBe of the
expre88ways is still only in the preliminary planning
stage. t he Cook County Highway Department has
found that all the equipment needed has been developed snd can be adapted once a system or operation
is perfected.

Sign Policy for Expressways

ESULTS

o,.~

yeAM!

Signing or Expressways in Metropolitan Chicago."

The recommcndati(,ns including detail drawings or all
signs considered, are now in the hands of the HJghway Design Committee, representing nil the governmental agencies participating in expressway construction in Chicago and Cook County, fOl' npproval.
The need of a special system of Bigns on express-

ways is alated in the introduction:

"The modern, access controlled. fully grade separated expressway, with its high operating speeds,

-=-:::.._

1.3

- "'.::- ---l NEXT_ ~T 6

\ -............ ,

Sl/o!nPi on Connecting ROllds

Type 11 "Signs Installed on Ma jor ThoroughfarCfl
Connecting with ExpresswaY8 and Frontage Roads of
the EXI>ressway" includes A. the signs at cloverleaf
interchanges and B. thoec at diamond type inter
changcs, such as the Congress Street entrance and
exit points. The third type includes special signing.
Part 11 of the study, headed "General "'entures of
ExpreNway Signs," considers three SUb-topics:
I- Sign design, including color. shape and size, and
letter sl~.
II- Materlals- Ietters, borders, arrows and symbols.
and algn panels and posts.
ill- Placement-Ground mounted, with !Specifications for lateral clearance on right or left side, vertical
clearance and angular placement of sign; overhead
mounted. with specifications for lateral clearance. vertical clparance, vertical dimension or sign and angulllr
placement of sign.
IV- Reflectorlzation and illumlnation. Under this
heading, the study committee 8tates:
Further Study or illumination

~!{

MI
MI

J'

...

Adv .. nc. Inl zrc!,a" a= Approach Sian (GI. I )

multilane design and heavy traffic volumes, has required the deve10pment of specialized lIign deaigne to
adequately advise a.nd control the usens of lIueh a
facility. The conventional signing prnctiees used on
'old type' highways are inadequate for the modern
expre88way.
"The necessity for making decisions far In advanee
of turnoffs and the higher speeds at whleh signs must
be read, have led to increased letter height and larger
overall sign size. The multilane feature of a modern
expressway has necessitated mast arm and span type
mountings in order to adequately display the sign
me888ge to all lanes.
Inle"..1 Part or

Compiled

Under type J, "Signs I.n8talled on the Expressway

and Ramps," two trub-c1aases are listed:
A. The interchange serieR-Advance interchang(>
approach sign, interchange approach sign, interch8.llge
lane aasignment sign, ramp take-oft' sign, exit ramp
n08e sign, ramp exit route marker algn, merging traffic
and yield right-of-way signa. route confirmation aign.
B. Secondary series- Advisory ramp speed sign,
bridge name sign, distance sign, speed limit sign, reg
ulatory signs, variable warning and regulatory signM.
serviCE'8 signs.

A sludy of signs for expressways con-

have been
R ductC!d during the last seven
compiled in a 10-page book enUtled "A Policy on the

US 6
SIBLEY BLVD

IS

" While it is acknowledged that illuminated expressway signs of various type!! a~ in use in several parts
of the United Slates, local experience in this regard is
LINCOLN

WEST@
TO

HWY

If

CHICAGO HTS T ........ -------

---= '

t~ ~pre~,~m. )'

"Expressway signs must be considered as an inLPgraJ part of the geometric design of the expressway,
not just a n aCCe580ry to be erected after the expreBSway bas been built. Satisfactory operation of the
modern expressway interchange is totally dependent
ul)()n the ell'eelive placement of adequate, easily understood direcUonal Information.
" This policy has been developed in the interests of
uniformity throughout the expressway system of the
Cblcago metropolitan area to provide the degree and
type of signing necessa.rl' for the safe and satisfactory
operation of the expressway system."
The study considens expressway signs In three types.

R.comm.ncled Ramp Tak.off' Si .. n (C4.1)

limited. Therefore policiCtl with respect to illumination

of expreaaway 81gn8 are being withheld until sufficient
test data is available. The use of illuminated signs
s hould be considered in the following instances:
" . Where extraneous background lighting in
urban areas tends to reduce the effectiveness of reftee
torized signs:

KEY
C4C MERGING TRAFFIC
G !.! ADVANCE INTERCHANGE APPROACH
G2.!, G2.3 INTERCHANGE APPROACH
G3.3 INTERCHANGE LANE ASSIGNMENT
G4A.! RAI.'P ENTRANCE
G4.!, GO RAIoIP TAKEOFF
GS.! EXIT RAMP NOSE SIGN
G6.! ROUTE MARKER
G7.! ROUTE CONFIRMATION
GS.! BRIDGE NAME
G9.1 DISTANCE - MILES

GIO.1
R6C
Rl3C
R-S6
RS7
R62
R63

CARDINAL DIRECTION
SPEED LIMIT
"00 NOT STOP ON PAVEMENT"
"MOTOR VEHICLES ONLY"
"NO PARKI NG ON EXP WA Y"
"USE SHOULDER FOR EMERGENCY STOP"
"KEEP IN YOUR LAN E"
TR AFFIC KEEP TO RIGHT"
R" ""SLOWER
YIELD RIGHT OF WAY"
R!04C
RAMP SPE ED
535
X21
SERVICES SIGN
X21

Be
NOTES:

1. Where acc e leration lanes are

prov ide d use CA.
2. The digit following the decimal
pOInt In Sign DeSIgnation number
indicates type of mounting as follows:
.1 indicates ground {shou lder} mounting .
.2 indicates milst arm mountin!;! .
. 3 Indicates spar'! type mounting.

Sy.t.. m of Sign. Recomm .. nd ..d for C loverleaf Inl .. rch a n ge. Th .. F ir.1 to Meet th .. Mo tori.t '. Ey .... He Nea,.
t h .. In t .. rchang .. Is the A dvance Interchange Approach Sign, Which It Recomm .. nd!!d to b .. P lac .. d Not L ....
Than One Mile Or Mo r .. Th"n Two M ile. in AdYII.nc ... The Diagnm Show. the Fu ll S .. rie. of Inl .. rchange
Sign. and Alto the Secondary Sign I, Which Indud .. Tho.e That Are Regulatory or Advi.ory. The Same Sill n.
Would Be R ..quir ..d on t h .. Oppolite tJalf of tb .. In l .. rchanlle and Add il iona l Sig n. o n t he In t .. rs ..cti n g Route.

"b. Where horizontal and vertical alignment of the

roadway reduces the amount' of headlight illumination
upon the I'eflectorized surface of the sign,"

tOl'ized backgrounds from the standpoint of factors

other than legibility. and the correlation of laboratory test data with field conditions.

In a letter accompanying the compilation, it is

stated that further research is needed in regard to
letter size, reftectorized materials, mounting materials
and methods, interior and exterior illumination of
expressway signa, the evaluation of colored reflec-

"It is recommended," the letter stated, "that an

independent agency, such as the University of lllinois,
with research facilities and personnel not available to
the sub-committee be selected to assist and work with
the sub-committee in its research program."

New Book Presents County Rezoning plan

roOK COUNTY OUTSIDE of Chicago, an area
' - largely of ruTal character only a decade ago, has
become predominantly urban.
Among the changes that have taken place:
Increase in population from about 800,000 to
1,300,000.
Rise in retail sales, marked by gain from $724,000,000 gross in 1948 to $1,238,000 in 1954, 70 per
cent in six years.
More than 140,000 new homes.
Industrial expansion that last year alone represented investment of $560,000,000.
Decrease in the number of farms from 3,535 in 1945
to 2,347 in 1955.
The story of what is happening out in the county
is presented in a neal IS-page booklet "A Comprehensive Plan for Rezoning Cook County," published
by Daniel Ryan. President of the County Board, and
Commissioner John J. Duffy, chairman of t he Zoning
Committee of the County Board.

Old Zoning Ordinance Outdated

The rezoning project, now under way, was initiated
by the County Board because the original zoning ordinance of 1940 had proved to be inadequate In these
days of tremendous change and growth. Four reasons
why the 1940 ordinance is oul. of date are cited in the
book:
(1) In 1940, the subsequent population explosion
and construction boom were not foreseeab le.
(2) The present ordinance does not take into consideration technological changes in manufacturing,
distribution, marketing transportation Ilnd construction.
(3) The zoning plan does not reflect the expressways, toll roads and other major public improvements,
both completed and planned, which are basic to the
cstablishment of land use patterns.
(4) The ordinance does not utilize modern concepts and technical advances made in the field of
zoning.
The book's foreword is a letter from Chairman Duffy
addressed "To the People of Cook County." In part,
it follows:
Where Will Th ey Lhe?
"Population experts predict that. in twenty years
there will be 56 million additional people in the United
Slates-doubJe the present combined population of
Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium and Ireland.
" Where will they live? The farms of the nation,
because of constantly increasing mechanization, will
probably continue to lose population. Small towns in
rural areas can be expected to accommodate only a
negligible part of the increase. Informed sources state
that the great majority of these people will live in
large metropolitan areas----:-like Chicago.
"In fa ct, Chicagoland in particular, because of its
central location, unlimited water supply and natural
building terrain, must be prepared for unprecedented
expansion and development of its fringe areas. Thus,
an adequate plan for the growth of Cook County is
the most important task which faces us today."

Copies of the booklet are available to all interested

persons at the office of the Zoning ComIl!ittee staff,
Room 1712, 130 North Wclls Street. This office is open
to anyone who desires to learn more of the details
of plans as the work l)l"ogresses.

Chicago land Fair Exhibit - -(Continued from Page 3)

them location maps- a nd design plans of the various
expressways to help the visitor's understanding.
A neat two-color leaflet was prepared especially for
the show. It carried a map of the expressway system
and text reading:
" The Chicagoland Fair prescnts ample evidence that
the Chicago Metropolitan area is destined to assume
an increasingly important position, not only in the
nation, but in the continent a nd in the world.
" More industry . . . more work . . . more people.
And, of course, more automobiles, trucks, and busses.
"rt is the function of the Cook County Highway
Department to provide within its jurisdiction the
mea ns for this ever increasing traffic to flow efficiently.
An efficient highway system is vital to the supply of
industry a nd commerce, vital to your employment and
recreational nceds, vital to civil defense,
" Through the creative application of science to the
five-fold task of highway research, design, construction, maintenance and traffic control-and with your
cooperation- the Cook County Highway Department
stands ready to fulfill its function,"

County's New Radio Tested

HE COOK COUNTY Highway Department's new
T
radio system, designed for use in enemy air attack
or natural disaaler as well
workaday communica-

CD

Exercise

Detours on County Jobs

8S

tion with trucks and other vehieies on the job, had

a successful trial run during the Civil Defense test
"Opera lion Alert 1957" on July 12 and 13.
One of the five transmitting Lowers to be erected
is in operation at the La Grange Park gB.rsge Bnd
warehouse of the department. The others will be at
department headquarters, 130 North Wells Street
and at the district warehouses. Two-way equipment
has been Installed in 60 vehicles.
The two-day lest, the fourth annual nationwide CD
exercise, was largely a practice in communications.
Cooperating with the County CD organizations were
the Civil Air Patrol and numerous amateur shortwave
radio "hams.
It

Oou.nty A.reu. Well Prellared

"With our new radio setup, Cook County is better

prepared than ever before to deal with emergencies,"
said President Daniel Ryan of the County Board, who
is president of the County Civil Defense. " Every community in the suburban area is well organized in key
positions. These men- the suburban mayors and presidents, local Civil Defense directors, the police and
fire chiefs and heal t.b directors--are a solid framework
constantly ready to direct. the movements of citizens
and relief programs if the need suddenly ariscs.
"In my opinion, the operation this year demonstrated that we are as well prepared as any metropolitan area, if not beUer."
The high spirit among the Civil Defense volunteers
was displayed at 8 meeting Monda.y night, July 8, in
the Berwyn city council chamber to prepare for the
operations. Josepb A. Downey, CD Director. presided
and approximately 250, representing aU suburbs and
townships, attended. Among those present were:
ta~,

Olty, County Represented

General Robert M. Woodward, lJIinois State Director

of Civil Defense; General J. L. Homer, executive, Illinois State Civil Defense; Pat Kelly, Director, Chicago
Civil Defense Corps; Chief Gerald J. Slattery, Chicago
Civil Defense Corps; Colonel James J . Mitchell. commander, Civil Air Patrol; William J, Brinker. Deputy
for Communications, Illinois CiviJ Defense Agency;
F. J. Broucek, representing Mayor William Kriz of
Berwyn; Chauncey E. Carveth, Illinois State Employ.
ment Service; Captain Robert E. Hesse, ",presenting
Sheriff Joseph D. Lohman; L. H. Gunter snd M. J.
Musser, representing Hines Veterans Hospital; Lieutenant R. M. Hendricks, Naval Ordnance Plant, Forest
Park; Master Sergeant Walter J. Duffy, representing
U. S, Army Military District; John J . McCleverty,
Secretary, Cook County Traffic Safety Commission.

Autos in West GennllllY

Motor vehicle registration in West Germany has

increased from 904,000 in July 1952 to 2,031,000 in
July 1956. a 125 percent gain in the four-year perlod_
- WORLD HIGHWAYS (Jao. I, '57)

ORK CURRENTLY UNDER way by the Cook

Counly Highway Department requires detours
W
as follows:
~'ORT'l-SEVf:NTIl STREET belWl'1:n WULow SprinR$ Roa('J
an('J La Grange Road t resurtaclr'K and wh.lenLng, eurb and
a-utler Job; westbounG traffl e detOUr louth on La Grange
Road to Plnlnt1eld Road, louthwc~t to ~th Street, W~Sl Lo
Wl!low SI,tLngs Road and north to 47th Sttcet: eastbound
tramc de our south on WUlO" SprlnJl'II ROBd tu 55th Street.
eul to Ll GranKe Road and north 1047th Street.
LAKE COOK rtOAD bf,>twl!t.'n Sanderl And prlnglhm Roadl,
loll road ronltruc:1I0n : eastbound tramc dlltour north. on
8andera !load to Deerneld lWad. eut 10 Wllukegan Rad and
ROu th to Lake Cook Road: weUbound rever.-e order,
STATE STIlEE:r between Lincol n HLgh way lind Sauk TraJl,
two-Lane cons lrueUon ; lOuthbound traffiC dClour eftll on Unooln Hlgh ..... ay to COttage Grove, south to SIIuk Trail and we.1
to SIAlI! Street: northbound reverse order.
TORRENCE AVE",UE between 140th and 144lh Stl'N'llI. bridge
colUitrucUon: a bypass detou r with one way streets; north
bound toLlow th e marked detour route uslna SagLnaw Avenue;
southbound roHow t he marked detou r route usIng Hoxie
Av"nuc.
TOI,;II'f' AVENUE between Wutern Avenue lind BUlae Road
In Park RLdK~. rcconltrucUon 10 rour Ja nes Dnd resur raclng:
eastbound U'amc detour north on Det! Road to Bune Highway
and Bcuttle... t to Touhy Avenue.

Traffic is permitted while work proceeds on the following named roads in the suburbsn area:
DMPSTEIl STREET between Norlhwl.'lt Highway Ilnd MU wIlUk('(l Avem,ll'. resurraelng
GREENWOOD AVENUE between Rand Road lind Mllwauke<>
Av~nue re.urraclng.
SL-"fTON ROAD between ALgOnqUIn lind Dundee Roads. resurtaclng.
~t h AVF:NUE be twee n Roose-,eLt lind ~Im ak ROllds, ne",
Slreet. rNurtacLng.
WENTWORTH AVENUE betl'oeen Bernice Road and 167th
St reet rt'lurral'inJ[.
BUI~NIlAM AVE",UE between 142nd ftnd 1oI3n1 Streets In
Village or Burnham resurfacIng
DEVON AVENUE between i.lnCOln lind Ked~le Avenue8,
relurfllclng.
LINCOLN AVENUE between Peterton Avenue and the
Chicago and N(lrthweRtern HaHway"! rlllurracLng.
OAKTON STHEET bf)tween the ... hlt'ago lind Northwestern
Hallway lind Albury Avenue.
131ST STREET between 96th and Harlem AVl'nul'l, reo
lurta('ln, .
.1.'l.'1T~1 STREET between llarlt!l1l and KOIIlner A\enue., I't'surfllctni\.
RIDGE nOAO between WilmetlA! lind ~:lmwood Avenull'. relIurrat'lng.
TALCOTT ROAD between Western lind Devon "\'enuell In
Park JUdge, re~urfadnK.

The following Chicago Streets are open during work.

COTTAGE CItOVE AVENt;J!: bo!t .... een ~th Street Ilnd 115th
StTHt, nUrtl'l<'!nK.
~'OST~~R A\'i'.!NU Ju~t eall ot acero Avenue, a bypaU
delou.~l hrLdl(e l'tl nltr\lrtlon tOt EdenR Exprel8way.
LAwRENCF.: AVENUE Jusl eut or Ocero Avenue, 11 bypau
detour. brIdge ,"on8tructlon tor Northwell I!;xprttfllway.
LINCOLN AVEJI;UE iJetwl!t.'n Fullerton Dntl Wrlll:htwood
AvenulllI. rl!lurtocJng.

June Traffic Fatalities

Twelve persons were killed in highway traffic accidents In suburban Cook County in June. The total
was six: tinde r May and 16 under June of last year.
Seven wcre killed in collisions between automobilcs.
Two were pedestrians. One WIUI killed In n truckstation wagon coltision, one when 0. car ra.n olf the
road and Into a house and one when a motorcycle left
the pavement and struck a post.
Five deaths occurred in unincorporated territory,
four in the soutbwest area of the County and one
northwest. Two were killed in Des Plaines, two in
Summit Bnd onc each in Western Springs, Westchester
and Markham.

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

"n Expr...way Grade Siparation Structure Take. Sh.pe_La ..... rcmce Avenue Oller Eden' Jutt Ea,t of Cicero Avenue.

Vol. V No. III

AUGUST 1957

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Publilhed by the Cook County (Ill.) Department of HiKhway.
Under auspice. of the Board of County Commlaloners
DAN I E L RYAN , Presi dent

Jilmes F. Alhende"
Fr,,"k Bobrytzke
Ch"riu F. Cha plin
Elizabeth A. Conkey
Je rry Dolezal
John J . Duffy
Arthur X, Elrod

Will ia m N. Erlcklo n
Fred A. Flil le
ehrl't A. Jenlen
John A, Maekl er, Jr.

O.n lel RYiln

Cllyton F. Smith
Edward M. S"eed
John J. TOllhy
Williilm J . Mortimer
S"pulntendenl ot Ull in' .).

Publiahed at 130 North Well. Street, Chicago 6.

FRanklin 275'4

Extension 216

Boob of the Month

July Building Permits

UILDING PERMITS rcpreacnting total valuation of
B
were
Building and Zoning Bureau, which has jurisdiction in
$5,704,245

issued in July by the Cook County

tht' unincorporated area of the Counly.

In Lhe various classifications. the 605 permits were
issued as rollows:

U.'1_

1' ,' r ...

'"
...

".,

l,

\ "10",11... ,

.1.M8.4915
3.276,740

=""
29~
~=

"",o>W

13,000
47,6:iO
77,900

"
~
;~:';~:~:w:.~,
,
~
:
e
'
ta ken out for the various townahips
as follows :
To .-. hlp
SarrTlnlll{)n
Bloom
8~ml.'n

Elk Gro\t'
Hanover
~mOnl

Leyden
Lyons
Mall'll'
New Trier
:"Iorthnl.'ld
Norwuod Pllrk
OrllUld
Pa latine
Pal{)~

P rovllIO
Rlrh

S~hllumhurJ(

Stlrkn~y

1'hornto n

~~:1'~Jng

l'ern' I"
7
19
20
S2
12
~

;U
~I

77
1
1>'2
3.1
6
1R
:26
7
6
11;

B-1
7

\ a l uaUon

39,600
22Il.1OO
197,9:50
S60.l00
Un,Ol!O
64,100
:199,120
4iD,660
Ll22,400
7l~

820,100
463,800
!S4 :lOO
2111;89:S
327,670
16.700
61, 700
1!52,SOO
!5Z1.100
68,700

=~:~

io addition. there were U permits issued in the

no-fee classification, wh icb includefl farm and public
buildings, bring ing the grand total for the month to
$7,207.645.

July Traffic Fatalities

Death's hand was lighter laid on Cook County Suburban highways last mooth,
The toll for July, a heavy traffic monlh, was nine
lives. The figure compared wilh 12 in June, 1B in May,
16 in A pril , 15 In Ma.rch. 17 in February and B in
January. In July, l88t year t here were 15 deaths.
Thua tar. lhe )oweat number or traffic deaths in a
month in the County outside Chicago 115 6, which was

ELING CHESTER IS
Cf-Drespect
to m. p. h, signs,

on the inBide with

On a ll cllra, he has fo und out, the speedometer

s hows n lillie fas ter than actual speed.
So he helps himself to a couple miles more than
posted.
Also, he fond ly believes, the police won 't arrest for
less than five milcs over the limit.
So he allows himself anolh('r four miles.
Fo!' Chester's Information, the speed s igns mean
speed according to his speedometer.
lUJ for the police. he'll find out by himself.

recorded In June, 1946, when traffic s tili was light because or war time restrictions, a nd 0.180 in the months
of January 1951, 1952. and 19~.

One of thoae killed last month was a pedestrian, a

man 70 years old. One was a 13-year-old bicycle rider
and one a 16-year-old motorCYClist, both struck by
automobilea, One, a woman, W8JJ thrown from a car
to the paveme nL Two were killed In a collision between a car and a truck, two in au to-auto collisions
and one when a car struck a bus.

Congress Street Scores Safe First Year

Division of the Cook County Highway Department
emphasizes the safety of expressways compared ,,;th
conventional roads. Fatality records for the two rural
expressways In the county fo r the years 1952-1956
were tabu lated 88 follows:
Fata lity
Yea,
Rate
Rotlte
1952
5.68
Edens
0.00
Calumet-Kingery
1952
7.40
1952
All U. S. roads
7 ....
1953
Edens
1.15
Calumet-Kingery
1953
7.00
All U. S. ronds
1953
19
...
L68
Edens
4..51
calumet-Kingery
1954
6.3
All U. S. roads
19M
1954
13.7
Southwcet Highway
( Parall eling Calumet)
11.1
Skokie Hwy.
1954
(Paralleling Edens)
Edens
1955
2.06
calumet-Kingery
1955
3.34
AU U. S. roads
1955
6.4
All IlIlnois roads
19M
6.8
Edens
1956
2.94
Calumet-Kingery
19~
2.83
All lUinois roads
1956
6.5
Skokie Hwy.
1956
9.5
The 167,000,000 vehicle miles of travel on the 6.29
miles of Congress Street between the loop and Laramie
Avenue in Ita fin5l year represented an average daily
travel of 84.437 vehicles. On the 6.nst day. 31.!!Ol cars
moved east and 26.609 went west. a total of 57.410,
according to counters operated by the Cook County
Highway DepnrtmenL
The highest 24-hour total WaR 106,202--56.845 east
and 49.351 west which WIl3 recorded on May 17. this
year, a Frlda.y. Present. volume Is indicated by the
following six days' counts before and after the anniversary date:
Doy
Eastbountl Westbo ulld
Totu.l
Thursday, Aug. 8
47,789
40,702
88.491
Friday, Aug. 9
44,675
38,030
82,705
Saturday, Aug. 10
33,614
38,078
11,692
Sunday, Aug. 11
31,192
52,061
20.275
Monday, Aug. l2
46,416
88,921
42.505
Tuesday. Aug. 13
47,613
85,561
31.954
Bellidee saving livea and greatly reducing the number of injury and property damage accidenLB. Congress
Street hRA demonstrated that an expressway also
. affords the motorist economy in operating costs and
traveling time. Results of a study of lheae advantages
will be reported in Cook County Highways next month.
A t.hird feature, which probably ranks high with
moat motorists. is lhe pleasure of driving a consid
crable distance at fair speed without the interruption
of stop and go signals. While the western terminus
of Congreaa Street is an unavoidable bottleneck because surface streets, with their inherent natural limitations are inadequate to handle large volumes of
traffic entering and leaving the expressways, it is
easy to cnvieion the convenience of the through route
tQ the County line when Congress Street is completed.

N AUGUST 10. Congress Street Expressway

tween the loop and Laramie Avenue bad been
O
in
one year and had made the fine record of 167.be-

US('

000,000 vehicle miles Wllhout. a (alai accident in the

l anes of moving traffic.

There were, however, two dealhs In borderline situ-

Westbound In the Late Afternoon

ationa that under strict interprelallon are chargeable

to the expre88way. In one, the driver failed lo follow
a marked turn from the west end of pavement and
crashed Into a barrier. In tbe olher, 8 woman motorist
8utrered a fatal heart attack as abe entered the expressway [rom a ramp and her car struck another.
Two deaths produced a fatality rate of L20 (or
100,000,000 vehicle milcs. which. for example, compares with 6.5 on aU WiDOis roads In 1956.
On the western portion of Congresa Street, between
1st Avenue, Maywood, and Mannhelm Road, there was
no fatality last year, Travel amounted to 19,600,000
vehicle miles. The daily avcrage of cars was 21,500.
Since this two and one-half miles of expressway was
opened In late December, 19M, there has been only
one fatality.
A study just completed by the Traffic Engineering

Cars Checked for Safety

Nearly 2,2(10.000 cars and trucks were checked for
safe operation during the 1956 National Vehicle Safety
Check Program. One out of every five vehicles was
found in need of maintenance aUention to one or more
parts.
Of the ten Items checked,.faul18 were (ound in cars
as follows:
Rear lights, 26.6 per cent: Brake8. 17.6 per cent;
front lights. 16.2 pt>r cent; exhaust system. 10.4 per
cent; tires. 8.5 per cent; steering. 6.7 per cent: windshield wipers, 5.1 per cent: glass. 4.8 per cent; hom,
2.9 per cent; rearview mirror: 1.2 per ccnl.- InterIndustry Highway Safety Committee.

Growing Suburb, With Growing Traffic Pr<

4"'"
STOP

NO

IORIIJNG

Volumes shown
are .fi-OrTf 8~

+0 9!9 AM .

.. 83.

\PEED
U/o'Itf

20

'S1EI!:C

LIM'' '

SCHOOL

L5

20

44-

WAy

STOP

."
Walters Avenue In Brookfiel d, With 27 Signs In T
Suburb. lo Control Tf ;;. ffic. Some Signs Are Necuu

Zones, Which Interrupt Tfilffic All Day Long, Coulc

Through routes now within expanded village limits

are a problem- how to compromise on speed limits
and signals so that traffic can make reasonable time
and yet not threaten the lives of the vil!sgers.
Ever yone, of course, has his own ideas of what to
do. U everyone had his way there probably would be
four way stops at every intersection in town.
The village of Northbrook, nee ShermerviIle, which
in recent years has extended far from the Milwaukee
station and spread eastward beyond Waukegan Road,
is a suburb with urgent traffic problems.
Three months ago Village President Betram L. Pollak appointed the Northbrook Safety Commission and
asked the members to start at the bottom, survey the
entire suburb for problem situations, seck a solution

ROWING COMMUNITIES, flourishing these days

in every part of Cook County, have growing
pains, and a large part of the aches are in the field
of street traffic controL

One-time modest villages clustered close to the railroad station have spread over the prairie in all direc-

tions. Commuters needing a ride to the train converge

on the depot. morning and evening, and they and other
work-bound residents have created traffic peaks as
tougb in proportion as those in big cities.

Children on their way to those eye-catching new

schools have to cross streets that carry a terrifying

volume of cars.

Finds It Has Put Up Too Many Signs

'>PEEO

1
- N-

5C~OOL

UMIT

25

...zo,.

CAUTION
SllfOOL
WUING

R6.:5/0&A..Jr 4.L
'

~L

~----~~------------~~
AVE .

66

UJ

III

:HOOL

20

"'"

.....

-,g

\
~
.

~. o

STOP

l lMl"

A, tAO

25

'-

J UNCf,OtoI

42A
'6'~U~E6AIJ "'"

Block .. I, Cited AI TyplCillI of the Effort. of GrowIng

T oo Many ANI Confu.lng to Motorl.t.. Tho.. 'n School
Re priced With Other Mea", of Protllct'ng Children.

baaed on facta in each instance and determine 8 priority order or correction.

The CommiSl!lion, 8 good cro8ll-Bection representation, 8JI iu first move called on the residents to point
out danger spots. These problems will be studied as
they are Preflented and compared. one with the others,
to layout 8 course of action.
At il8 August meeting, the comnUssioD gave atlention to Walters Avenue and' its intersection with Waukegan Road, which had been cited as a dangerous
pla~ tor children from the eaat side going to the
Meadowbrook school on Walters just west of WaukegM. As a sort of pilot study, which may be applied
to any similar problem in any other suburb, Leo G.
Wilkie, traffic engineer of the Cook County Highway
Department, whQ Je a reeid,enl of Northbrook and a

member of the safety commi.88ion, prepared a schematic diagram of the area under considwstion. It is
r-.; produced on theee pages.
Wilkie told the meeting that there are too many
traffic signs on Wallers Avenue to be effective. The
four-way stop at Waltere and Church, which was in
emlled 88 a means of slowing traffic passing the school
house, does not serve that purpose and furthennore
Is not justified by traffic volume standards set up by
the slate for four-way stops.
"A lot of signs looke like an earnest effort to make
everything safe, but when there are many sign.
motoriats aren't likely to pay attention to Bny of
them," Wilkie said. "The four-way sign near the
Meadowbrook school benefits the children only tor
(Continued on Pa~e 6)

Time Table Maintained on Expressway Bids

Northwest-Drainage between Pulaski Road and
Roscoe Street. 4214 Jlneal feet of semi-elliptical reinforced concrete sewer, 7 feet 9 inches by 8 feet 7
inches, John C. Tully Co., $888,652.
Northweat- Removal of structures between Canfield
Road and Cicero Avenue, Speedway Wrecking Co.,
county to pay $37,000.
Edeos- Wilsoo Avenue grade separation, Thomas
McQueen Co., $357,654_
Edens--Line "B" grade separalion at line "c" and
eTA, Thomas McQueen Co., $429,174.
The low bid on a pumping station on Northwest
Expressway at Central Park Avenue, submitted by
George D, Hardin on June 25, was accepted by the
County Board August 13. The bid was $277,4&1.
Non-expressway items for wh ich bids were received
June 25 were:
Buffalo Grove Road- Bridge over Bu1ralo Creek,
States Improvement Co., $68,043.
Ridgeland Avenue-Bridge over Butterfield Creek,
Alpha Construction Co" $28,579.
One Hundred Fifty-first Street- Culvert at Spring
Creek, W. J. Sheppard & Co., $65,564.
Ridgeland Avenue--Storm sewer between llOtb and
ll5th St.reetB, Peter Ciccona Inc., $34,088.

WERE TAKEN by the Board of Cook County

B[Os
Commissioners August 13 on seven jobs of various

types on Congress Street, Northwest, Edens and South

Route ExpresswaYs. It was first bidding on the South

Route, thus marking a beginning on the expressway
that will connect Congress Street and Northwest with
Calumet Expressway.
The bids have been submitted to the federal Bureau
of Public Roads. Bids on seven other expressway
items taken by the County Board on June 25 have
been approved by the bureau, Contracts were awarded
by the board on July 16 and orders issued by the
Highway Department to start work.
Progress made thus far indicates fultUhnenl of the
expressway time table announced by President Daniel
Ryan in May, which calls (or having all structures on
the Congress Street, Northwest and Edens under contract by the end of the year.
Low bids received August. 13 were:
Congress St.reet---Grading and retaining walls between Austin Boulevard and Central Avenue, Thomas
Madden, $574.,450.
Congress Street- Four pedestrian overpaases, at
LaVergne, Kildare, Springfield and Albany Avenues,
alternate B, James McHugh, $594,506.
South Route Expressway- Main drain between
C&WI RR and 83rd Street, John Doherty, $485,384.
South Route- Main drain between 83rd and 72nd
Streets, Kenny Const.ruction Co., $1,088,865.
Northwest Expressway Feeder-Halsted Street
Grade Separation, Mayfair Construction Co.. $535,358.
Northwest Expressway Feeder- Removal of structures between Orleans and Halsted Streets, Harvey
Wrecking Co., county to pay $294,271.
Edens Expressway-8tructural steel, 2,239,000
pounds, for C&NW RR grade separation, American
Bridge Co., $445,862.
Non-expressway jobs for which bids were received
August 13 were:
Thirty-first Street- Grade separation over Belt RR,
Arcole Midwest Corp., $1,532,587.
Seventy-ninth Street- Median widening and resurfacing between Keating and Western Avenues, Crowley-Sheppard, $662.151.64.
Twenty-fifth Avenue-Four-Iane pec paving between
22nd Street and Rooaevelt Road, R. A. Black,
$308,258.82.
Plum Grove Road- Bridge over Salt Creek, Wolfes
Jensen & Co.. $64,970.92.
Hinu Road- Bridge over Wheeling Drainage Canal,
Marquette Construction Co., $85,797.05.
Low bids on expressway jobs received June 25 were
awarded by County Board on July 16 and have
approved:
Congress Street-Service Drive. B&OCT RR and
CTA bridges over Central Avenue, Pascben Contractors Inc., $1.852.737.
.
Congress Street- Structure to carry expressway
over Central Avenue. Paschen Contractors Inc ..
S695,552.
Northwest- Drainage between Keating Avenue and
Pulaski Road, 898 lineal feet of 96inch stonn sewer,
John C. Tully Co., $1,151,797.

Too Many Signs(Continued from Page 5)

short periods morning, noon and afternoon. AU the
rest of the time it holds up traffic unnecessarily and
thereby causes disrespect on the part ormotorist8."
A proper means of traffic control at the schoolhouse
and at the Waukegan Road crossing would be flasher
signals supplemented with trained crossing patrols,
said Wilkie. These things, however, cost money and
installation must be approved by the state, He recommended that decision on the WaltersWaukegan location be delayed until all other intersections in the
village needing correction are considered.
There are at least twelve such problems, as cited by
residents, said Moulton B. Goff, commi88ion vice president, who conducted the August meeting.
Both Wilkie and Goff asserted that the commission's
ultimate goal should be to persuade every resident to
drive with care 88 a responsibility of good citizenship.
"People are inclined to think that they are good
drivers and that the violations are committed by other
people," said Goff'. "Not long ago then! were complaints of speeding in a certain area in Northbrook.
A radar was obtained and a number of drivers were
caught over the limit. Most of them were motbers."
When President Pollak formed the safety commission he appointed Mrs. Francis T. Leary. Mrs. David
Kinzer and Mr. Wilkie to complete a membership of
len. The organization has the follOwing named officers and members:
President, Thomss Adams, representing Northbrook
Chamber of Commerce: vice president. Moulton B.
Goff, Civic Association: treasurer, Mrs. Leary: members. Mrs. Ki nzer, Mr. Wilkie, Walter O'NeilJ, representing the village board; Larry Koerber. Sl. Norbert's
school: Mrs. Charles Whipple, school district 28; Louis
Nord, Maple school. A tenth member is to be namel\
by the JuniQr Chamber of Commerce.

European Studies Traffic Snarl

When. 1n. the United State3 recently, the secretary

0/ the TTalfic Oomnat".don 0/ Vienna (Austria), Rich.-

ard K . A . Zimbeliu8J 1Mited th e Cook County Highway

Deportment. The following article, sent to Cook
County HightCays from Vienna. preat "ts obsertmlion..!

'made on hi" tour.

M
months and took me through 15 Ameriean cities.
Wben J returned to Vienna . my native lown, I had

y STUDY TOUR to t he United States lasted t hree

gained

rich atore

or experience.

In what follow" I will RnIIlyZ(' some of the impres.

tions Rnd reOedlon8 I hAV(' gaL!H'rcd in lh(' course of
my study lour Rnd which' conaider to be of parlicuhu
import..llnce to thf' "-OllItion of the traffic problem both
in American Rnd Europf's n ci1it's.
For rCaJIOnfl which nrc inherent in the historical
development. of til" country, the" roads built in the
Unlted Slatt's we ro both wider than in Europe and
bet.t.er suit.ed to a nswer the rccluircments of traffic: bllt
soon t.he capacity of American roads, t.oo, did not.
suflice to handle the eve r-increcsi ng volume of t.raffic.
As It consequence, traffic met with serious difficulties
in all business districts,

Mat.ny ParL'I to T ra ffie I)roble m

It is these difficulties which are the general talk
among all car owners. the buslneaamen and the city
oflicials today, and which they call "the lraffic llroblem". However , thiB ao-called traffic problem is the
aggregate of variou!l distinct problems.
The three chief Ilroblems art! congeatio n lind losses
of time in tra1fic, lack or parking facilities, a nd tnltHc
aceidenta. Each of these problems is in itself a complex of mullifarlous quel:ltions of varying degrees of
difficulty. Ther~ Is no roughand-ready answer to any
one of the three main problems.
The constant decrease In mass transport has created
a serious problem awaiting a solution by traffic engineeM!! in the United States. To extricate mass tnlnsport and the Ilrlvste car from the competitive relation
which exists betwccn them at the present time and to
make both part of an organic and bala nced whole is
on e of the knoltif'st problems facing American traffic
engineen! today. The coordinallon of a high-capacity
ur ban eX llress-hlghway system wit.h the existing street
network and the crefillon of thc necessary parking
racilitiea is another problem which must be solved like
a jig-saw puwe.
City Nefti!' !'lfUl ter Pla n
On the whole, however, It Is obvious that existing
street systemll will have to serve the needs of traffic
for many years to come. Even wilh a highly developed
SYlltern of exprell8 highwaYII the existing street sys
tems will alwaYII retain tMlr tributary function.
Tbe traffi.c progTBrn of a city should be so compre
hensive aJJ to comprise all types of traffic. that is to
say mass tl1UUlport, truck, a nd passenger car, traffic.
The traffic plan should make of these means of transportation part of an organic traffic whole and enable
ilto be fully utilized In Its proper field and thus answer
the needs of the public more completely.

In

u. S.

Of course, the master traffi.c plll.n must be an integral

part of the all-over town plan ; it must be a kind of
framework for town planning, because traffic requi res
the circulatory system on the basis of which urban
units can develop organically. The master plan wilJ
therefore have a corudderable eft'eet on the development of neighborhoods and on the stabilization of
real estate priCefi and Lhus contribute to control
undesirable tendencies of 8('tUement.
However, if such II tmffi c plan is to be carried into
etr('ct, there mllflt lX' adefjullte legislation. a uniform
I:tdminilltration, Mnd. Rbov(, RII, understanding and
s upport by the general public.

Detours In Effect
Work in progress by th e Cook County Highway
Department and other construction agencies requires
detou r8 as fo llowa :
)o'ORTV-S~;VI:!NTH STR Et,'T belween Willow Sprlngll Road
a nd La Granl(lI !toad, re.urtll cl n, and wLden!ng, curb Ilnd gut
ter Joob: wllIlbound t ra m e dl"tour -o ulh on La Grange Road
to fJla lnr'ielll 1I 00d , -oU l hwl!1t to M lh Street, west to Wlll o",
S pr Ln gl HOllit and norlho to .71110 St reet ; ea. lbound tra me detour
louth o n Will OW Sllrl n., Road to Mlh Sireet, eal l 10 La Gran,e
Hoad an d nor t h to 47th Sl rt'e L
I..AKE (..'QOK IIOAC bet\\ een Sanders and Plings len Roads,
lOll ro.d n)nltrlle tton ; eutbound trame Iletour nonh on Sanders road 10 Deerneld Road, ell! to Wa uke,an Road and 10Ulh
to Lake COOk Hu.d; welt bound revt'rle ord('r.
STATt: STREET belween I.1n('Oln 11I2hway a nd Sauk Trail.
two-Iant' C'Onll l rllctlon; lOulhbou nd I rame d('IOUr ealt on Lin
",111 IU2nway to CotLlr. Crove, .ouln to Sauk Trail and welt
tn Statt' St reet northbound rto\'.,r.e order.
TORMENCl!: AVENUr. IM'twlHn 1401110 and 144th Streel ..
brldllt" I"Onlll'U('"lIon; a b)'pa.. detou r with Olne-w.." Itreeu:
nort h bOUl'ld fOllow thO! markfod delOur route ullnl' s.t1naw
Av.nue ; ..:KIthbound follOW thl" markHl Ik'lolir route ulll'll'
Hoxie A\'enue,
TOlo:lIY AV:'I/lE bel"",," WUl.o!rn A\enUe and Bun", Road
In Park RWI~ ret"(lnl truC1lon 10 tour lanel and rNur[acl nl.
pa.lllOund tramr dl"IOIII' north on Det> Road to Buslie Hlgh .. a)
"nd lkIut heut IIJ Tuuh) AH'nUI!

Tratlic is l>ermitLed while work proceeds on the

following named roads in the suburban area:
C~::M"STER STIiEt:'J" IK>tWiH:n North we, t HIghway and Mil
waukee' A\'enue, relurraelnl.
D~;VON
AVENUE between Linco ln and Ked7-1e Avenuel,
r('Ru r fael n,.
GItEENWOOO AVENUE lletw een Rand Road and Mllwaukee
Avenue, ruurfllclng.
LINCOLN AV~~NliE bl'tWI'!t'I'I I'ete r$o n Avenue and the Chlrnll'll "1'1(1 t-:v rthwCk1ern Hallway, re~urraelng.
O AKTO~ S TH~:~'7l' !)t!tween thll Chl rHgo and Northwestern
Hltl1 wlty Rilli Albury Avenue,
119TIt ST n~: ~'7l' bet ween W"Mterl'l Rnd A8hland A\'enuc.,
re~ur rnel ng.

IU11'1I S TIH; ~:r !)ctween NUllo Avenue an d So uth well l HighWilY, rl'M urfarl ng
l :1 1ST STHE t::-r oo twl!'l' n OOt h and lIarle rn AvenueB, rl!Surlllring
135TII STRE t::-r oo t\\l'e n lI a rle m Rnd Konner A\enue.. relurfadn"
It IOOE ROAD bet.. een Wil me tt e and Elmwood A\'enuel,
ruur fac ln,
StrrTON'" ROAD bel..'een Allonquln and Dundee ROflda.
relur~

TA
ROAD bet\\e.:'n Wutern find Devon Avenuel In
Pa.rk Rldae, ~aurtad nl.
%iTt I AV~UE boet .. e-tn Roowvelt and c.rnlU ROildl. ney,
tourlane rolUl trucUon
WE:-''TWOltTlf AVENUE bety,'iH:n ~mlCO! Road and 167th
Street, rNurfac:ln ,

The following Chicago Streets are open during

work.
COTTACE GROVE AV)o;SUE bet"iH:n 95th Street a nd U5th
Si ree t, .... urf.ell'I'.
f"OST F.R AVENUE JUII eu t ot Cicero Avenue, a bypau
d(!oiour. brtd ge conltru etlon for Eden. ExprNllway.
LAWRENCE AVENUE jut ellt of CIm Avenue. a b),pan
detourj..!'rld ,e ro nltrueUon for Edenl ExpruJl"ay.
LIN ...",LN AVENUE between Fullerton and Wrl,htW(lO(J
A\,e!'I Ue .. ruurfaeln,.

" COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Rum bler Strip at Stop Sign Approa ch APJllltd W ith PI ... tlc Adhesive ( See Plilge 4 ) .

Vol. V No. IV

SEPTEMBER 1957

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the. Coot County (111.) Department ot Hilrh"'arUnder aU'Pice. of the Board of CountJ Commluionen
DANIEL RYAN , President
James F. ",hend,n
Fnlnk Bobryuke
Charlu F. C h~u'hn

WIlliam N. Erl ck.on

Fred A. Fulle
Chrlat A. Jenlen
John A, Madder, Jr.

Ellubeth A . Conkey

Daniel RYllin
Clayton F. Smith
Edward M. Sneed
Joh" J. Touhy

Jerry Dolcu t
Joh n J . Duffy
""hur X . Elrod

William J, Mor-tlmer
SlIperi ntendent o f lIl&hwaYI

Published at 130 North We1I. Street, Chicago 6.

l<~Ranklin

270014

Boob

August Building Permits

Extension 216

0/ the Month

ERMITS ISSUED by the Cook County Building and

P
Zoning Bureau in
represr nted a total ESti
mated valuation of $9,536,135.
AuguBt

ResidcnUaJ construction permlLlJ Included 98 houses

with septic systems valued at $2,054 ,900 ; 207 houses

wiLl) sanitary sewers, $3,912.310, and 92 additions and

alterations, $279,680.
Busineaa construction-six buildings with septic
systems, $523,850; three with sanitary eewers, $49.800; additions and alterations, three, 21.050.
lndustrial conslruction-one building with septic
system, $62,200: two with sanitary sewers. $1 ,050,000;
additions and altersUons, one, 4,000.
By townshipa, l)Cnnits were Iuued 8S follows:
To .-..~ I'lp

Ba,rlngHm
13100m
Bl'l"men
Elk Gto\'('
Hanoyer
Lemc)flt

Leyden
Lyon.
Maine
New Trwr
Northtlet<l

Korwood Park
Orla nd
Palatine
Palo.
1ti~~1 50

' ... mlto;

l~

19
17
6
II

'2,r.oo
'2:'11.,100

17f1,7;'JO

:l'J5.2OtJ
1'26.300

121.'200

27

1,1163.500

~'2

7P2,160

;.19

1
!H

'24

'2
2'2

11
7

S<!haUlIlbu\'1I'
Stickney
Tho rnton
Wheellni

\"10",11 .. ,,

111
HI
76
7

.n

714.~

HORACE I. the harassing

HAfRBREADTH
who
right up to your rear bumper.

6.000

heel

driv~B

77t1.ijl.ltJ

307,350
J 2I'X1

If the ear ahead of you BtOpa or turns and you hit

the brakes, Horace bas you- Bmack!
Ten years ago, following too cloae ranked sixteenth
among causes of highway traflic accidenls.
Last year. with more cars on the road, it was sixth.
But no matter how many cars, n simple rule promotes safety:
Stay back of the car a head one car length for each
10 mph of speed.

:z:!;7;..",ll

1.14.900
'26.200

1.821.2041
lM,SOO
4~,600

30,300
49'2,950
'103,425

Worth
'1!1
Included in the total were eight pe nniU! in the
no-fee classificalJon, wbich includca fann buildings,
chul"Ches and schools, representing an estimated
valuation of $1,1&4,300.

New Angle on This Job

August Traffic Fatalities

Telephone call to the Cook County Highway Depart

ment:
" I'd like to speak to Mr. WhOO8is, please."
Operator : "Sorry, 1 don' t know him. What does
he do?"
"I think he's a truck driver."
"Just a minute, I'll conned you with the employment
office."
"Well. maybe he drives a bus,"
"This departme nt bas no busell."
"That's funny ; be said he was a transit man."

Twenty-one persons were killed in highway traffic

accidents in lIubu rban Cook County in August. The
total was]O higher than in July, hut two deaths under
that of August of last year.
Five pedestrian, were victimll. Twelve were killed
in collisiorl8 between automobiles, one in a collision
between trucka. one when a car struck a wayside
post. one when a car ran into 8 ditch and one supposedly fell from a moving car.
There were 17 separate accidents. tn one, two
were killed and In another, three.

Latest

In

Radio for Trucks and plows

The mobile units have been installed on 32 patrol
lrucks that ca.n be equipped with plows a nd spreaders
for winter season operations. 13 passenger cars, eight
s nowfighters that can be equipped. with plows. sidewings and spreaders, six gang trucks for personnel
and tools and one truck of several used in ereeting
traffic s igns. The mobile units transmit on one frequency, receive on a nother frequency and automatically activate a selected base station as a repeater.
To fncilitate car to car operation or car to main
office operation. each mobile unit is capable of seleeting anyone of the five ouUying repeaters. Which
repcater is selected depends upon the vicinity in which
thc mobile unit is operating at the time.
The five ouUying base stations transmit on two frequencies and receive on onc frequency. The main base
station transmits on two frequencies, receives on two
f requencies and can activate the ouUying base stations
to act as r epeaters, either individually or simultaneously. Thus, two-way radio communication is possible
between the main office and the ouUying garagcs,
between the main office IUld the mobile units, between

HE MAINTENANCE orVlSLON of the Cook Coun-

T
ty Highway Department is now equipped with
two-way radio communication system that is the latest

8.

in eloctronic communication Bystems for highway

departments. The system COn13181.8 of six base stations
and at the present time 60 mobile uruts. Operation is
on two assigned frequencies in the 450-460 megacycles
range. Radio is 100 per cent for the entire county,
Iln nr('!a of approximately 956 square miles.

Rildlo Control. in Department Headquarter. Pilul G.

Robln.on, Alli,lant County HlghWil)' Engineer in
Charge of Maintenance ( left ). and JOleph A. Downey,
D'~e t or of Cook County Civil Defen.e.

The base stations are located as follows:

Main office of Cook COlmly Highway Department,
130 North Wells Street, Chicago.
Mnintenance Division District No.1, Algonquin
Road a nd Meacham Road, Palatine Township.
Maintenance Division District No.2. Ballard Road
east of Rand Road, Des Plaines.
Maintenance Division District No.3, 26th Street
and Beach Avenue, La Grange Park,
Maintenance Division Distriet NO.4, 135th Street
a nd Wabash Railroad, Palos Township.
Maintenance Division District No.5, 135th Street
Rnd Roll A venue, Blue Is land.
The antenna at the main office is mounted on the
roof of the office building 8,t 130 North Wells Street,
the roof being 306 feet above ground level. The antennas at the other base stations are mounted on steel
radio a ntenna towers. These towers are self supporled, quadrangular, constructed on concrete pier
foundations and vary in height from 175 feet to 250
feet. The structures are equipped with A-3 lighting
a nd automatic photoelectric controls to tum lights on
tuld olf.

250-Foot Tower lot Pal_tine

the garages and their respective mobile units, Rnd

betwccn the garages.
Because the Cook County Highway Department has
been R~igned to assist In civilian defense activities, a
portion of the cost of the communication system
localed outside the City of Chicago, which city is considered a critical target area, will be paid for by the
(Continued on Page 6)

New Materials Used at Rumbler Stops

motorists should be given some definite warning in
addition to the "Stop Ahead" boarda. Rumbler pavement has proved adequate lor the driver concerned
with Ws own sarety. At 100 yards from the stop sipt.
his car receives a slight jolt, followed by a gentle rocking motion and an audible rumble. After his first
experience, of courae he knows that rumble means
prepare to stop.
The department Is now considering the use of TUmbler surface where conditions demand a slowdown but
not a stop, 88, for example, at railroad crossings without gates or HasheMI. Narrow strips of rumbler across
the pavement would cause a sufficient jar to alert
drivers and being intermittent. would be distinguishable from the continuous rumble denoting a stop.
One hundred percent effectiveness In alerting drivers
has been found in a qulek check of rumbler stop sign
intersections In Huburban Cook County.
Where no car proceeds against a slOp sign without
coming to the full stop required by law or the socalled rolling atop, it Is obvious that all drivers have
been made aware of the alop location.
At some check points there were no Instances whatsoever of complete disobedience, such as was observed
too frequently at non-rumbled stops. Every driver
came to a full stop, either voluntarily or involuntarily.
or reduced speed to a roJlJng stop. An involuntary
stop is one that cannol be avoided because the car
directly ahead haa stopped, but it is not possible to
know how many of tboee driven would have. stopped
voluntarily. Roiling stops, while not eliminated,
appear to have been reduced by one-half.
In my opinion. SO. perbape 90, per cent of drivers
who fail to heed stop signa are not properly attentive
to the job of driving. These ))CQple can be brought to
attention by rumbler strips. With the defiant ones,

By William J. Mortimer
Superintendent or Highway.
Cook County. Illinol,

U},ffiLER TREATMENT of approaches to stop sign

R
intersections. originated by the Cook County Highway Department two years ago,
continued this
Watl

season 'filb new material. that give promifl(> of better

performance and longer wear.

Experience thus far haa prov~ that the. basic principle of rumbler pavemenl- to alert drivers to the
stop sign ahead-Is practical. The irregular service
also aids Slopping and starting, particularly when
snow or ice covers the roedway. Since the Idea was
first presented, requeatll tor information have come
from city, county and state highway engineers
throughout the country, and the 1957 instaUations
will no doubt be followed with much inleresl
The urg('nt need for lOme sort of extra warning at
slop sign approaches was demonstrated by a survey
made by the Traffic Engineering Division of the
Department in 19~4. Teams of observers noted the
behavior of cars and trucks at 66 stop sign locations
in all parttl of Cook County. These included two-way
and four-way stops at both county and state road
intersections. Checking was done at peak and off-peak
bOUTS morning and uftcrnoon. Information tabulated
included total traffic against atop signa, the number
of voluntary stops, involuntary stopa, rolling stops
and failure to atop.
Altogether, 58,732 vehicles were checked_ The tabulated reaul18 ahowed clearly wby atop aign disobedience ranks high in the list or accident causes.
Of the total drivers observed, 12,383 did not stop,
either failing to noUce: th' sign or ignoring it. Of
this number of violaloMl. 11,653 went through on the
dangerous. chance-taking rolling stop and 730 shot
through at a rate of sJl('(!d that could have been fatal
had their luck run out. While disobedience: countywide figured out a.t20 per cent plus, at some important
intersections it was up to 62 per cent.
In the belief that atop sign violations, for the most
part, result from unawarcnesa, it was decided that

who speed lhrough stop signs, whether rumblered or

nol, just 88 they run red lights and ignore other
safety me8lures, nothing will be effective but law
enforcement of t.be strictest kind.

PluUc Sprud With Hand Broom., Rumbler Material Broadcut With Sholltll.

A clesrcut comparison of driver behavior before

Rnd after rumbler treatml'nt was obtained at the intersecUon of Sauk Trail and Illinois 54 (Governor's
Highway), just west of Park ""oresL The survey
before the rumbler strip was applied was made in 1954
and included 401 vehic.les. The after-rumbler check
W88 made thl. year and Included 992 vehicles. The
tabulatiolUl follow:
"oluntar) In,-olunta r), IWlllng
Stop
Stop
Stop
Without rumbler
Vehicles
51
135
200
Percentage
]2.7
33.S
50.0
With rumbler
Vehicles
474
234
28'
Percentage
28.6
47.8
23.6

Chemical Corporallon, Is a bRsic plastic so strong that

a thin layer, little mOr(> than 11 film, binds the rumbler
particles to the pavement.
Plastic adhesive was used at the intersection of
Roselle and Higgins Roads Rnd RoseUe and Golf
Roads, In Palatine TOWJlIJhip, The rumbler material
applied Wat untreated crushed limestone, which
dorda a contrast with the blacktop road. It ahould
(Continued on Page 6)

No

Stop

15
3.7
0
0

In the two years preceding the 1957 season, 62

intersections were treated. Screened slag was used
for the rumbler surface, embedded in an asphalt ernul
sion. A primer coat was sprood one half gallon to
the square ysrd and coveted \"lth oneinch screen slag
50 pounds to the square yard. The slag Wag previously
coaled with an a.ephaltlc liquid.
This Connula has not been entirely satisfactory on
two counts.. Bare spots have appeared where tires
have dug out particles of slag. The damage has
required patching, which may become a yearly main
tenance item. It h.. also been observed that under
heavy traffic the aaphalt tenda to work up to the
surface, filling in between the slag particles and
lessening the rumbler etrect.
Instead of emulsion, thl! Department this year used
a petroleum aaphalt with a penetration of 100-120.
This binder, which ill expected to hold the rumbler
material in sharp rcli"t, was put down at all of the
34 interlS<'Ctir)Da treated this year.
At two ... f t h"8e ItJcations, test inslaUations of a
different type of adhesive were made opposite the
aspbalt "tripe. This material, furnished by the Shell

Roller GIlle, F inal Trutmtrtl

Divers Aid Civil Defense

New Rumbler Materials

(Continue<! rrom Page 5)
be possible to use unlreated slag &8 well, If t hat
appears to be advantageous in any locality.
The method of application on the lest stripe was
largely a hand labor operation. With an extensive
program, machines would be used to spread both the
adhesive and crushed stone or slag.
The first step was cleaning the pavement. On blacktop this W8JI done with push brooms. On concrete,
the Shell people prescribe a clean sweep and an acid
wash.

The adhesive llSed ror the teso, was a mixture of

three basic plastics. They were brought to the job
in separate containers, and mixed for three minutes
in a small concrete mixer. One man with a wbeelbarrow spread the mixture in rihbons and four men
with push brooms brushed it even over the area to
be rumblered. The atone was broadcast with shovels
and impacted with a power roller.
Shell technicians suggest that s three-compartmc.nt
tank truck could readily be equipped with a trougb
at the rear, adjustible to lane width, for mixing and
spreading the plastic. The operation could be done
in one pass, requiring an estimated three minutes,
followed immediately by a truck moving in reverse
to put down the rumbler material.
Comparison of costa between the plastic test strips
and asphalt (avor asphalt by about eight to one. On
a large machine operation, however, the cost o( plastic
could be reduced, both by purchase in quantity and
by e limination of eonalderable hand labor. Fu.r lhermore, over a period of years, the diJference in main
tenance expense may prove plutie to be more
economical.
The plastie sets in about t.hree houn and is expected
to retain its firmness in weather of all degrees. A
sample of the quality of hardnesa was seen in the
wheelbarrow used on the test strlpa, which acquired
an enamel-like lining that could not be scratched with
a coin.
The intersection!! given rumbler treatment this year
were:
ROSELLE ROAD, at Palatine, Golf and Higgins
Roads.
SCHAUMBURG ROAD, at Roselle Road.
MT. PROSPECI' ROAD, at Cenlml Road, North
weat Highway, Golf Road, Dempster Street. Algonquin
Road. Oakton Street, Touhy Avenue, Franklin Avenue,
Grand Avenue and Lake Street.
87TH STREET, a t La Grange Road.
79TH STREET, at Wolf Road.
WOLF ROAD. at 79th Street and Plainfield Road.
PLAINFIELD ROAD, at Cook-DuPage. Wolf and
La Grange Roads.
I07TS STREET, at Roberta Road.
BELL ROAD, at Archer Avenue, McCarthy Road
and 13lst Street.
I31ST STREET, at Archer Avenue, Wolf Road a nd
U. S. 45.
wu..L-COOK ROAD. at McCarthy Road. 13lat and
143rd Streets.
135TH STREET. at U. S. 45 and Southwest High,'ay.
~61TH ~Tjtl'.ET,

COOK COUNTY
DEFENS<
,

lOT

IJNDERWf>;~~""
RESCUE UNIT

Left to right_Art Ormaniec, Jo.eph A Downey, Cook

Co"nty CD Director: Mar.hall Rizer. Carl Freeberg,
A"l.tant CO Director, and Dr. Raymond Marc"

An exercise by the Underwater Rescue Unit of the

Cook County Civil Defense organization was conducted

in the Chicago River near Michigan Avenue as part

of the activities of Civil Defense week, September 15
to 21. The unit, of which Frank Popvits is director.
includes 18 lr8Jned divers ready to serve in emergency.

Radio on Trucks
(Continued from Page 3)
Civil De(ense Agency. With reference to the impor-

tance o( being able to maintain continuous communication in the event of diaaater it is obvious that radio
controlled communication facUlties guarantee protection from disrupted service due to wire-line interruption (or Rny reason whatsoever.
A contract (or the transmitting towers, equipment
Rnd installation, plus II. maintenRnce service contract
for one year, was entered into by Cook County on
June 28, 1956. This contract and the agreement with
the Civil Defense Administration were negotiated by
President Daniel Ryan and the Board of County Commissioners with the nid of Highway Superintendent
William J. Mortimer and Cook County CD Director
J oseph A. Downey.
The Maintenance Division received vaiuRble assi1l:tance from the following named :
Mr. George M. Foster, Regional Chainnan A.A.S.H .O. Committee on the Use of Radio in Highway
Departmenta, for concurrence in the assignment of
base and mobUe frequencies..
Mr. Enoch W. Anderson, Secretary of the Kansas
City Regional Ainpace Committee, for reviewing the
applicalion and interposing no objection to the proposed conatruction.
Miss Mary Jane Morris. Seerl!t:ary, Federal Communications Commluion, for IS8uing construction
pennits and station licenses Ruthorlzing operation on
tQe ~eommended frequencies.

at U. S. 45.

Eng ineer Deemed Saintly

Detours In Effect

ORK IN PROGRESS by the Cook County HighANCTIFICATION FOR a civil engineer who strived
W
way Department and other construction agencies
S
for perfection in his daily work and was charitable
requires
detours as follows:
to the needy is being sought in an international movement that has gained ad-

herents in Chicago among

clergymen a nd engineers.
The man proposed for

the
first engineer to receive
such consideration-was
~thood -- probably

Isidoro Zorzano, who was

born in Buenos Aires ~n
1902 and lived in Spain

through the cruelties of

Civil War. He died in 1948.
One who knew Isidoro in
bis lifetime is now a resident of Chicago. He is the
Very Rev. Joseph L. Musquiz of Woodlawn Resi18ido'-o
dence, a center for University of Chicago students at
5544 Woodlawn Avenue. Before entering the priesthood, he was a civil engineer and a friend and
associate of Isidoro.
A pamphlet in circulation among those seeking
sainthood for the engineer, states, in part:
"Isidoro was very much a man of the 20th century,
an engineer who spent most of his professional life
at the drawing boards of a railroad company. One
can hardly find any extraordinary events in his short
life, but the extraordinary thing about him was that
he heroically sought perfection in his everyday work
and in the small details of every moment.
"To make known to the world the life of this servant of God is to encOUl'age the world to seek a better
life. Isidoro's example shows that sanctity is accessible to every man. and that all can find it naturally
in Lhe work they are doing and in the social environment they find themselves.
"IsidorQ, too, lived in the world of hustle and bustle
and was faced with all the problems of our modern
civilization. Yet he had the wisdom to find Christ in
thc little things of every day.
"When the Spanish Civil War began and until it
ended in 1939, he lived in Madrid. Here, amid all
types of privations and difficulties, he quietly shone
as a cheerful example of unbounded charity."

Engineers at Nig ht School

Evening courses in engineering subjects, whereby
a young man may improve himself in his job or even
obtain a college degree, will be offered again this year
by lllinois Institute of Technology. Twenty-two employes of the Cook County Highway Department were
night students at the institute in the academic year
just ended.
Registration for the new semester, scheduled to
start September 16, will be received up to September
27_ lnfonnation about the night classes may be obtained at the office of the institute's Evening Division,
3300 South Federal Street, Chicago 16.

BUSSE ROAD between HIggln5 Hoad and Algonquin Road,

rulvert replacement: nor thbound trame detour east on Higgins
Road to roule 83, eaBt on route 83 to Elmhurst Roao, north
to Algonquin J{oad (route 62) and wen to BUBse Road;
80uthl>ound reverse order.
FORTY-SEVENTH STREET between WillOw Springs Road
and La Grange Road. resurfacing and widening. curh and
gutter joh: westbound trafflc detour south on La Grange Road
to Plalnt1.eld Road, southwest to 55th Street, west to Wlllow
Springs Road and north to 47th Street: eastbound trafflc
detour 80uth on Wlliow Springs Road to 55th Street, east to
La Grange Roan and north to 47th Street.
LAKE COOK ROAD between Sandeu and Pfing~ten Roads.
toll road co nstruetlon: eastbound traffic detour north on
Snnders Rond to Deer"ed Road, east to Waukegan Road and
south to Lake Cook Hoad; westbound reverse order.
TORRENCE AVENUE hetween HOth and 144th Streets.
brld2'e construction: a bypass detour with one-way streeU:
nortnbound tallow thl.' marked detour route using Saginaw
Avenue: southbound f<)Jlow the marked detour route using
Hoxie Avenue.

Traffic is pennitted while work proceeds on the

following named roads in the suburban area:
LI:-;'COL:-;' AVENUE between Peterson Avenue Hnd the Chleao and Northwestern Ruilwuy, resurfacIng.
119TH STREET belwo:o{!n Western and Ashland A",~nues.
TCsurfaclng.
U9TH STIU:.'l."T between 96th Avenue and Southwest Il!ghway resurfacing.
25TII AVE:-;'UE between Roosev~lt and Cermak Road~, new
tour-lane C<)nstruct lon.

The following Chicago streets are open during work:

COTTAG~

GROVE AVENUE between 95th Street lind 115th

Street, rHUrtaC'lng.
FOSTER AVENUE Just east of CIcero A'"enUe, a bypass
detour. bridge construction for Edens Expressway.
LAWItENCE AVENUE Just east of Cloero Avenue. II bypass
delour, bridge L'Onstructlo n to r ~;denB Expreuway.

Contra cts Awarded

Contracts for resurfacing five Chicago streets were
awarded by the Board of County Commissioners September 10. The jobs and the low bidders were:
Nagle Avenue between Northwest Highway and
Milwaukee Avenue-Arcole Midwest Corporation,
$28,073.
Central Avenue between Foster and Elston Avenues
- Arcole Midwest Corporation, $17,657.90.
Kimball Avenue between Milwaukee and Lincoln
Avcnues- Arcole Midwest Corporation, $115,776.
Morgan Street between 63rd Street and Garfield
Boulevard- Rock Road Construction Company$19,196.3(l.
Ashland Avenue between Irving Park Road and
Edgewater Avenue-Arcole Mldwest Corporation,
$93,503.90.
Bids received for construction of a Longcommon
Road bridge over the Des Plaines River, in Riverside,
were referred to the Roads and Bridges Committee of
the Board for further study.
The twenty-two who went to night school while
working days in the County Highway Department
were:
Harold F. Albert, Joseph L. Citti, Glenn W. Fredericks, Leander J. Gatewood, Robert L. Hedrick, Richard J. Hoffman, George L. Holt, Harry A. Janisch,
Walter F. Kinnuean Jr., John Knafl, William F. Kraft,
Albert H. Manzardo, Louis M. Marchese, Warren R.
McCollum, Gerald Meister, Jerome J. O'Reilly, Frank
C. Reno. William F. Ryan, James W. Scanlon, Stanislaw Sapieha, Paul F. Valentine, and Joseph R.
Zochowski.

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Pier. Rile for Torret'lc:e Avenue Bridge oyer Three Railroad, It 143rd Street (See Page 5).

Vol. V No. V

OCTOBER, 1957

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

PUblished by the Cook County (nt.) Department of Hia-h",.y.
Under aUlpice. of the Board of County Commiuionel'1l
DANIEL RYAN , Pruldent

Jamu F. A,hondo"
Frank Bobrytzke
Charln F. Chaplin
EHubeth A. Conkey
Jerry Dolezal
John J. DUffy
Arthur X. Elrod

William

r~.

E~lckson

Fred A. Fulle
Chrl,t A. Jen.en
John A. Mack ler, Jr.
O.a.nlei Ryan
Clayton F. Smith
Edward M. Sne,ed
John J. Touhy
William J . Mortimer
Superintendent 01 lll.. hw ..,..

Published at 130 North Weill Street, Chicago 6.

FRanklin 2-7544

Boob

September Building Permits

Extension 216

0/

the Month

ERMITS REPRESENTING an estimated total valuation of $6,387,795 were issued in September by

P
the Cook County Building and Zoning Bureau.
Residential construction included 88 dwellings with
septic systems, $1.834.200; 191 with sanitary sewer
connections, $3,222,500. and 68 additions and alterations, $215,000.
Business buildings-Five with septic systems. $298,000; three with sanitary "ewers. 5209,400, and three
additions and alteration", $32.700.
Industrial buildings- Two with septic systems,
$205,000 ; two additions and alterations, $51,200.
Accessory buildings-121 permits, $219.450.
Wells-Seven pennits, $7.000.
Moving buildings-Four with septic systems, $11,500; one with sanitary sewer, $2.400.
Miscellaneous- 24 permits, $19,255.
By townships, permits were issued as follows:
TQlVlUhll1
Bloom
Bn!men
Elk Grove
Hanovt!:r
Lemont
Leyden
Lyon,
Maine
Nf,m Trier
Nilu

Norlhneh1
!oiorwQOd !'!lrk
Orland
Pal.uUne
Palo_
Pro\'lao
Rich
Schaumburg
Stickney
Thornton
Wheeling
Worth

l"t!rml\.I

""

,.""
,
lli

!In
20

""

"
"
"
permits. "total
2
6
' 09

...

KNICK KNACK NORMAN was first to get the new

Valuation
$ 93,700

,..

un,roo

California Novelty GIANT dice.

".000

74.600
192,1!50
113,900

Now tilese "Large two-Inch cubes, covered with coloriul angora type fur, light as a feather, choice of
red, white or black" (as advertised), swing prettily
from the rear view mirror in his car.

3013.Nl!i

]0.900
10,000
1.074.260
166.1M
1.17.340
389,450
159.300

Also dangling from the mirror are other nifty

numbers.

~~

1.499.200

,,"."'"
13.900
892.'""

Norman esteems them as real classy.

1,0116,600

Of course, he can't use the mirror properly, but

he has got along all right- so far.

In addition, five
valuation $303,529.
were iSSlled in the no-fee classification, which Includes
fann buildings, churches and schools.

Four of the dead were pedestrians nnd [our were

killed when Lrains struck automobiles In which they
were passengers.

September Traffic Deaths

Two deaths resulted from collisions between automobiles two from collisions between automobiles and
trucks. one wben a car struck an abutment, one when
a car hit a tree and one was killed by falling through
a car door onto the pavement.

Fifteen persons were killed in highway tratlic accidents in suburban Cook County in September, The
tota1 was six under that or A ugust and three under
September of last year.

Accidents Up, Deaths Down

Suburbs

after the end of the year, but it. has been announced
that statewide reg"istration is at a new high, and it
may be that thc increas() in suburban Cook County is
in about the same percentage as the increase in total
accidents.
In seeking a cause for the decrease in fatal accidents, several factors appear for consideration. Driver
behavior may be improving. but this is difficult to
measure and sul't>ly isn't by any means what it should
be. Speed zones on highways through new subdivisions
have converted former speedways to residential streets
and some intersections have been further safeguarded
with signs or li~ht signals, or the rumblered stop sign
approaches first installed by the Cook County Highway
Department a year ago. The new state speed limits
did not figure in the six months' records because they
were not then in effeet.
The low accident rates on Edens and Calumet suggest that they promote safety beyond the limits of
their rights-of way. The factors of safety and convenience which are characteristic of an expressway
attract traffic from parallel higbways where the risk
of accident is greater. Tbis removal of traffic from
dangerous routes to safe routes seems to be a major
point in the current lowering of fatalities.
(The six monlhs' record of accidents by suburbs is
on Page 7)

ORE HIGHWAY traffic accidents but fewer deaths

were recorded in suburban Cook County the first
M
six months of this year. Tabulation of reports, just
completed by the Illinois State Division of Highways,
shows the following comparisons with the first six
months of ]956:
l'fA- tot al accidents; FA - fata! acc!denu; lA-InJury accident'; PDA_pl'Operty damage accidents; K-Kllled; I - Injured)

Year
TA
FA
fA
PDA
K
I
1956
10,226
104
3,861
6.256
118
6,270
1&37
12,008
85
4,454
7,469
96
6,897
% inc.
14.8
15.3
19.4
10
or dec.
18.2
18.6
On both rural expressways, with heavy traffic moving at 60 mph, accidents of all types were relatively
few. On Edens, with an average daily volume of 45,000
vehicles, there was onc dealh~a pedestrian. On Calumet, with an average daily volume of 40,000 vehicles,
there were no fatalities. The score on the expressway.s
was:
PDA
K
1
Route
TA
FA
IA
Edens
110
1
53
56
1
93
52
31
Calumet
21
o
73
o
The increase in total accidents, while being no cause
for complacency, may be explained by the greater
number of vehic;es 011 the roads this year. Registration figures for the area will not be available until

Motorists Save Money Driving on Expressway

Mr. Bevis' calculations were figured on the following costs: Gasoline, 35 cents a gallon; oil, 9 per cent
of gasoline costs; maintenance, .02 cent a mile; a set
of tires, 29.7 cents per .001 inch of tread wear. No
estimate was made of the value of personal time.
"The objectives of further research in this direction," he said, "are to refine the cost estimates and to
establish estimates of the value of personal t ime and
of other components of the cost function.
"There is a further problem to be solved by determining the proper weighting of these components as
they affect the behavior of auto drivers. At tbat time
the traffic engineer will have another tool to use in
anlayzing urban traffic patterns. Reaching that goal
is one objective of CATS."

RIVING AN EXPRESSWAY without interruption

D
is not only more pleasant than traveling a stop
and-go street, as everyone knows who has had the
experience, but is also calculably cost saving in the
basic items of car operation.
A study of these items-fuel and oil consumption,
tire wear and maintenance---has been made by Howard
W. Bevis, research supervisor of the Chicago Area
Transportation Study. His comparative cost figures,
reached with the use of algebraic equations, are 3.14
cents for one miJe traveled without stopping in tJu-ee
minutes and 5.B1 cents for one mile traveled with two
minutes' delay caused by stops.
The Transportation Study, a three-year project now
near tbe end of its second year, is sponsored by Cook
County, the City of Chicago, State of Illino:'s find Federal Bureau of Public Roads, to survey all form!!. of
transportation within a 30-mile radius of the loop and
how people use them in their daily travel.
"One problem facing the study h~ to develop a function showing how automobile operating costs vary in
relation to tratfic volume," Mr. Bevis said in the report
of his study. "This function can be used in two ways.
First, use of the benefit-cost ratio to determine the
justification or Dt!ed for an expressway requires
knowledge of automobile ope1'flting costs on both the
expressway and alternflting competing routes. Second,
ii all compoDents of transport costs could be adequately measured, including the value of personal
time, the cost function could be used to detennine
wby people choose one route of travel in preference
to another."

Traffic Speed Trends

Twenty-seven states have reported tbe results of
716 speed studies conducted during 1956 on level
tangent sections of main rural highways during periods
of relatively low traffic densities, when most drivers
can travel at their desired Rpeeds. The results, 'Which
include observations of 381,123 vehicles, are summarized by the Federal Bllreau of Public Roads.
'rhe average speed of 50.5 mph for all vehicles was
the same as the 1955 average, which was a record
high. The average speeds for passenger cars, trucks
and buses were 51.8, 4.6.2", aDd 52.3 mph, respectively.
This represents a slight decrease in speed for passenger cars, while truck speeds increased and bus
speeds remained the !lame.

Expressway Time Table

By Hugo

Chief Engineer
Co<,l< County Highway Oep.. rtment

IDS ON SEVEN
will
received
B
by tbe Board of County Commissioners November
5, marking further adherence to the lime table anbe

nounc..."d last May by Pre:.ld('nl D:micl Ryan. At that

time he said lh:lt 75 itelM of various types on County
sections of six exprefI8Wsya would be completed. under
contract or in the procCA of novertising (or bids by
the end of the year. The bid laking n('Xl month is

Aged Bulld,ng at Cicero .. rid Ellton Avenues.

" landmark of the hora. arid buggy 'fil, look.
down on I:o"'tructlon of modern e)lpre ..w~)'
_Ellton Avenue Grade SepilraUon Structure.

Bubstantial assuranc(' thal lhf' year's progrnm, calling

for work eatimat('(l at $61.316,330 will be fulfilled.

Cons;1'fit!i Slmt

Maintained

Central Avenue grade separation.

Grading and retaining walls between Central Avenue and Austin Boulevard.
Pedestrian overpa88C8 at Lavergne, Kildare, Springfield and Albany Avenues.
Acquisition of Congress Street right-of-way through
the Con8Umel"8 Company's quarry just west of Mannheim Road has met with delay. The company bas
granted right of entry, but with a restriction. A con
demnation action is expected to be heard in court in
November,
. ' o!'> te r A" ellile UridKe n eady
On Edens extension. the grade separation structure
at Foster Avenue Is cioae to completion and is expe::tcd to be opened to Foster Avenue traffic Dext
month. The Lawrence and E lston Avenue structures
are under construction. AU other scheduled iteme; on
Edens will be under contract or in the process of bi:t
advertising by the end of the year with the exception
of the C&NW RR grade sepsr:l.tion. This project has
placed a heavy burden on the railroad's engineering
and legal staffs and delay bas been anticipated.
On Northwest EXI)rcasway in the County's section
between loiontrose Avenue and East River Road five
bids will be advertiS(>() In November or early December. Theae iteols. with estimated costs are:
Main drain from Montrose Avenue to eaSL of Foster
Avenue, $1,500,000.
Main drain (rom east oC Foster Avenue to Nashville
Avenue, $1,370.000.
Structural "teel for Lawrence Avenue and Ainslee
Avenue grade scj)&r.I.tlon8, ~OO,OOO.
Structural steel for Central Avenue and Fosler
Avenue grade SC8ratioDs, $510,000.
Fabrication of precast prestressed girders for grade
separations at Nngie, Oriole, Natoma, Sayre, H3.rlem
and Cumberland Avenues and Canfield and East River

J. Stark

e~pr(,ssw8y jOb3

IS

111111 t~dell.s

Roads.

Bids to be received Nov. IS Include three jobs on the

west end of Congre88 Street and four on the extension of Edcos from Its temporary terminus to its
junction with Northwest Expressway in the vicinity
of Montrose Avenue. The Congress Street jobs, with
(,stimaled costs, are:
Des Plaines Av('nue grade separation, 5600,000.
Relocation of the Broadview-Westchester water
main between Des Plaines and l.st Avenues, $100,000.
Main drain between the Dee Plaines River and
Circle A venue, $800,000.
The Edens jobs are:
Montrose Avenue grade separation, $1,000,000.
Forest Preserve entrance grade separation,
$200,000.
Grading and paving between Lawrence and Bryn
Mawr Avenues, $1.400.000.
Grading Bnd paving Uetwcen Lawnmce and Rostner
A venues, 1,900,000.
dobs AIN"ady under Contrad
Congress Street jobs for which the County awarded
contracts earlier this y<,ar and on whicb construction
bas been started include the following:
B&OCT RR and CTA grade IK"paration over Central
Avenue.

Wilion Avenlle GrOilde SepOiIriitlon Over Edenl.

On the South Route, which will connect the Halsted

Street Inlerchange of Congress Street aod Northwest
Expre8!Jwnys with Calumet Expressway and, on
west leg, serve the southwest surburban area, th
County has the section south of 63rd Street, Thi

County Contracts Let, Work Underway

section contains a complex tn-level intcrchange involving dJreeUonal ramps to aod from the Calumet
Skyway, connections with lbe reversible lanes to the
north, the Pennsylvania Railro=td yard I\Dd a CTA

The Front Cover Picture

The Torrence Avenue bridge at 143rd Street, designed and constructed by the Cook County Highway
Department, Is 60 per cent completed after one year
of work.
It will benefit traffic using Torre nce Avenue by
eliminating the grade crolllling of Lhrce acts of railroad Lrncks the Me, IHB and B&OCT. These tracks
mUBt be raised 10 reet to approach the Little CalumeL
River when that stream is improved as part of the
Calumet-Sag ship channel. Since the bridge was
necessitated by the navigation project, the federal
government III beating the lnrgellt part or the cost.
The bridge will be of sleel and concrete, 588 feet,
8 inches in length, with nine spans of various lengths.
The roadway will be four 11-foot lanes and thcre will
be a side walk on each side.
General contractor is Thomas McQueen Company,
at $1,271,224.50. Of this sum, Cook County contributes $400,000 and the federal government, the
remainder.
The Cook County Highway Department also bas
under construction lhe 31st Street grade separation
at the MJ, C&IW, and C&WI railroad tracks. Planning and construction of the $1,612,000 project are 25
per cent advanced.

tunnel.

Plans tor bridges. approaches, bypasses and grading are complete [or the portion of the route between
718t and 96th Streets. Preliminary plans for the portIOn between 63rd and 718t Streets arc approaching

the extension of Kingery Expressway west of it'}

inte.rchange wilh Calumet Expressway.
At that point, Kingery will connect with the IIImo:s
toll road 8Y8tem. Now the Toll Rood CommiBs:on has
taken over conlltruction of the IItructure and it no
longer Is part of the county'll program.

96-lnch main dr.l11 pipe 1.ld and backfilled

at "L.lne BoO of Ede n,-Northwut In t en:hange.

completion. Two main drain contracts extending from

72nd to QlBt Streets have been awarded.
Preliminary plans have been completed and final
plans are now in procc88 [or the South Route between
96th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue. A bifurcation
interchange betwC'{'n 96th and lOOlh Streets will provide directional movementll to and from the East and
Wellt legs of lhe South Route Expressway as well as
a crou connection between them. Thill interchange is
further complicated by provisions for future oper2.tion
of the CTA. Between COllage Grove Avenue and
107th Street and DOly Avenue tbe preliminary design
bas been fully developed and is now being reviewed
by the lllinois State Division of Highways and the
federal Bureau of Public Roods.

Flnl,hlng Touche. on FOlter Avenue Bridge.

KlnJ::ery and Calumet

The program contained one Item on Cruumet the

paving of additional ramps or the 1!59th Street interchange. This work is still to be done when the acquisition of right-of-way is completed,

When the County's expressway program for the

year was made up. It included 0. grade separation
over tbe Grand Trunk Western railroad tracks for

A Road Grows Up

Drivers Need Formal Trai ning

To Cope With Traffi c Demand s
EARNINC TO SEE and recognize t.rafflc situations

L and conditions requires some Cormal training. Mere

experience is nOl adequate. A great many accidents

(more than previously supposed) can be attributed

to driver inattention which, in turn, leads to commission oC unsafe sela.

These two major conclusions were reached by

Northwestern Univenity Traffic lnstitute ala members followin g a series of special examinatioDs of regula rly licensed driven. The special tests were arranged in cooperation with the \viscOMin Motor Vehicle Department a8 part ot a development project
to improve driver tcsting proceduretl.
Three years ago the deputy commissioner for traffic
of Scotland Yard reported to the TraJIlc Institute staff
a 8UCCf'88fui plan followed in the London Metropolitan
Police Driver School. This plan, termed commentary
driving, had both student and instructor behind the
wheel "talk" their intentlons, oblK'rvationa, and actions
concerning lhclr vehicle thal were related in any
manncr to the! solutlon of the driving task. Similar
techniques of commentary driving were used in their
training of Beet drivers.

A. It Wit

These specific conclusions were reached from this

preliminary survey:
L
Most drivers do not "see" traffie signs. Along
a given route, they are unable to tell the typea of
signs they should have seen a nd observed. Moreover.
tbey don't "see" their actual speed a8 it registers on
tbe speedomt'ter,

2. E."(periencro drivers do not hav" a good understanding of traffic rules and regulations.
3. Even e.<perienced drivers are unable to concentrate on the overalJ requirements of the driving task.
When asked to observe and comment on their driving
and at the same lime to find a nampd street a nd make
a. turn. many of the drivers were in the Intersection
before the street sign was recognized or the sign
missed eOm l)[etely.
And A. It I.

4.

Most of the dl'ivers were Improved by the

ob~rvations Md test. M08t of the drivers believed
that an awarencss of many of the requirements involved Ln the driving task had been created. They
simply had never r ealized what Lhey were required
to do while driving.

How rural roads in many areas ot Cook County are

Mcoming residential streets Is exemplified in the two
views or Palatine Road just west of Wilke Road.
Th(' hill (tal) picture) was a traffic hazard because
it shortened sight distance. When a home builder
started 8 project. of 600 houtte" on both sides of the
road, Lhe Cook County Highway Department decided
to reduce the grade as a safety measure and also to
provide an improved main street [or the new community (bottom picture).

5. The lesl bas more application for experienced

drivers than for beginners. .However. driver education instructora might introduce commentary driving
as a technique to ereaLe awarenC88 o r t he many prob
le ms involved in driving. .
Although these tests are preliminary and additional
development is necessary, commcntary driving p..
utilization or the Smith-Cummings techniques give
much morc promise of better driver training and
testlng.-TRAFPIC DIGEST AND REVIEW (TRAF-

Tbe road base was widened from 20 to 22 feet and

resurfaced. Grading between the ahould('r'$ and lot
liDea was done by the subdivider,

FIC INSTITUTE, NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY)

6 Months Accident Records In Suburbs

The six months' records of lhe various suburbs follow: [TA, total accidents; FA, fatal accidenta; lA ,
injury accidents; PDA, property damage accidents; K. killed; I, injured]:
Suburb

TA

"A

J::vanston

58'
815
575

Cicero
Oak Park
Berwyn

:\lllrwood
Chicago Heights
HI\r\'ey

Elmwood Park
Wilmette

Blue Island
Pork Rid~
Cnlumet ity
Brookfteld
Des Plainell
Park
Skokie
Melrose Park
Winnetkll
LII Grunge
Jtivcr Forest
Evergreen l)llrk
lli\'crside
Summit
Franklin Park
A rUneon Heights
Oak
wn
Bellwood
}o~orest

Lansin~

l"nrk roresl
Glencoe
Western Sprinr
Ln Grange Par
Glenview
'L yons
Homewood
Riverdale
OoltOll
Broadview
River Grove
Ilobbina
Korthluke
West.ehC>lte.r
Pulatine
i'll, I)ro(!,ect
Morton rove
Phoenix
Niles
Norridge
Stickney
Northbrook
Sout.h Holland
North Hi\'erside
:\1 irllothilln

'"
'84
347

288
191
178
188
16.
248
105
191
169
505
246

13G

18'

2
1
2
1
4

I
I

157
93

379

224

633
350

154

10'

102

182

194

56

135

] 23
107
lSI

32
67
7:J
197
89
32

72

"

19

"

63
35
91
69
2L

123
96

307
157
90

78
120

'"

98
72
28

16
28

38
56

87
90

29
27

GO
142

30
66
OS
32
72
131
I'

16:)
3:)

'9

44

""'
30

63
9
15
21

"

22
60
3
73

,
1

1
2

89

12
21

21

18
22
17
7

27

28
26

"

99

103

47
68
76
90

2
1

127

38
88
94

.2

146

96

34
22
11

13
21

1
4

47

69

28
40
48
62
82
12

21

40
46
17
60
70
H

94

83
138

24
24

61
3'
89

7'
78

306

39

77

Hi!

62

66

46

44

"

3J

317
204
162
148

121

:!fi

87

1
2

III

"

122
64

'79
396

102

16
11
11

60
35

3
1

124

GO
67
83

66

2
1

274
241

93

'4

97

207

201

I 281

123

146
168
187
63

IA PDA K

1
L

39

22

22

29
19
32

100
3
III

23
30
25
32
21
19

Detours In Effect
Work in progress by the Cook County Highway
Department and other constru ction agencies requires
detours 8S follows:
F'QIlTYSEVl--:NTH STlU!f::T between Wl\!ow Springs RoM
!lnd LA Crllnge Roaa, N!8urfRClnir and wldt'nlng. curb and

gutter Job; westbound lran1c detour south on La Grange Road

fo Phllnlleld ROad southwest to ~th Street. ,,"'cst to Willow
Spring. Road anal north to 47th Street: cRlltbound lratnc
detour south on Willow Sprln". ROllil 10 55th Street, east to
La Grange Road and north to 47th Street.
LAKE: COOK ROAD betwet'n Sander. and Pllnpten Roadl,
1,)11 road conlltnlcUon; t'utbounfl tratnc detour north on
SAnde" I(oad to Del!rftl'ld Road. east 10 Waukegan Road and
south In t.ake Cook Rood; weslbouml revl."I'llC! order.

Suburb

TA

FA

lA

PDA

Lincolnwood
Kenilworth
Lemont
Mark/llun

194

12
18

96

99

149
6
6
22
18
1

30

Calumet Park
Tinley Park

"'

10

10

Hillside
South Chicago Height!!

73
25

Hazel Crest
Berkeley
Oak fo~orest

28

7
6

"

10
18
22

East Chicago Heights

4
8
11
2

16

30

13
12

32

33

16

24

"2742

16
14
12
II
21

29
50

1
1

2
3

14

7
1
5
3
2
3
6
18
2
7
6

11
4

8
6

22
19

49
11

20
13

74
22

10
13

16
21

, "

1G

Posen
Flossmoor
Worth
Slone Park
Northficld
Bri{hl'evicw
Schiller Park
Burnham
Dixmoor
Willow Springs
Alai,)
Thornton
Mo.ttewli
Merrionette Park
~8n Hazel Crest
Glenwood
Orland Park
Bartlett
Palos Park
Wheeling
J ustice
Bedford Park
Crestwood
ChteuKo Ridge
Hodgki n!!
McCook
Hllrwood Heights
Forest View
Golf
Olympia Fieldll
Home.wood Park
Richton Park
Il ometown
Rolling Meadows
lI ic.kory Hills
Elk Grove
Rosemont
Scht\umburg Center
County Roads
Hurn! U, S, and
illinois highwa~'s

,
"1
2

23
11

13
2

"

11
G

1
12
6
3

6
23

17

10

10

5
10
11

13
17

19
17
17
25

47

7
7
6
6

11
17
2
16
23

"

27

1
1
3
1

"

16
28

"

18

18
19
36
3

9
3
8

JJ

4
3
3
3

,8

3
13

18
13
3J
9
13
7
50

10

"

1
1

10

8
2
8
1

10
9
68
14

8
7

1
16

11

7
4

659

10

296

3ij3

12

502

1,479

28

640

811

31

1,141

TORRE:'<CE AVEKL""E between 140lh and 144th Street.,

bridgE' con.trucllon: a hypus licU/ur with one-way ' 1~1.S :
northbound follow tbe marked detOur route using SaJilnaw
AVl!nul'; 1I0ul hoound follow the marked detour route Ullna
110.:1(' AI' enue.

Traffic is permitted whUe work proceeds on the

followi ng named roads in the f:lub urban area:

~T JJ AVE:-ILJE ilt!lwl!en
t{lur-lnne eonSlrueUon.

ROQ~l!vell

nnli Cermak ROad . "('II

The [ollowing Chlcago streets are open during

work:
FOSTER AVENUE jU1i1 ('lISt ot CI~ro Avenue, a bypa.&'
1I1"10ur, brldlle cOnstru ction tor 1-:lIen. ExprellJlway,
I.AWREN"CE AVENUE Ju.t ellSt ot CIcero Ayenue, b)"pIIU

dewur, brldg' oonlllru'tron for

~:denll

~.:xpresswa}' ,

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

November 1-1 .. It, Own Stage Setting II, Cook County Fornt Pr ..,rvu

Vol. V No. VI

NOVEMBER, 1957

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

PubUahed by the Cook County (m.) Department of Web. ay.
Under auapleel of the Board of County Commiulonen
DANIEL RYAN , Prell dent
J;JImel F . "',hend."
Frank Bobr)'ukl

William N. Eriekion
Fred A. Full.
Chrlll A. Jlnlen

Charlel F. (hspiln
Eliublth A. Conkey
Jerry Doleza'

John A. Mae't!tle,., Jr.

Oanlel RYliln

CI.yton F. Smith
Edw.lrd M. Sneed
John J. Touh)'

John J. Durty
Arthur X. Elrod

William J. Mortimer
. f UJl'h .... r.

Su~rinlendent

PubLished at 130 North Wells Street, Cbieaco 6.

October Building Permits

FRanklin 2-7544

Extension 216

Boob of the Month

UILDING PERMITS representing an esLimated valB

uation of $8,435,874 were iuued in October by the
Cook County Building and Zoning Bureau.
The total of 690 tce permits were for the foiJowing
types of building:
ReaidenUal- l30 with septic systems, $2,679,700;
246 with sanitary &ewe-n, $4,154,599; 107 additions
and alterations, $295,175.
ACce880ry buildings-1M permit..a, $294,700.
Business- Eight with septic systems, $268,800;
three wilh sanitary sewers, $297,500; addjtlons and
alteraLions, LWO, $41,300.
lndustrial-One with septic system, $75.200; additions aod alterations, three, $53,300.
Wells-Seven, $7,000.
Individual septic systems-One, $500,
Moving- Twelve with septic systems, $23.500.
Miscellaneous- Fifteen, $118.200,
By townships, pennits were issued as follows:
T ...-n!!ihlp
l'e,...,l ...
Barrlnrton

"'_

Bremen
Elk Gro\'e

Hanover

Lemon~

Leyden

Lyons
Maine

Nile'
N(lrthnelrl
NorwOQ(l Pllrk

Orland

Pa.latl~

P ....
ProvllO

R'"

Schaumbur,

Slickney

Thornt(ln
Wheeling
Wo....

."
S

"'"'"
,."
'""

is the key mEtn In the autumn

S sport of SEYMOUR
multiple impacts.
PINNTN'

Year after year, streets and roads become slippery

with fallen leaves and the first Ice or the season.
And year after year. Seymour apeeds, skids and
spins.
Sometimes he can stop by hitting one car; somelimea lhe piay calla for five.

..'"
Z7

86

"

Seven no-fee permits were for six additions to

church buildings and one well.

I!~our of the dead were pedestrians who were struck

by automobiles, and one was a pedeslrlan hit by a
lruck.

October Traffic Fatalities

Tbree were killed in collisions between automobiles

and two in auto-truck crasbea.

Thirteen persons were killed in highway lra1t1c accidents in suburban Cook County lut month, The
figure compared with 15 in the previous month and
with 23 in October o( last year.

The three others were killed when cars left the

road and struck wayside object..a. Two were in a car
that hit a. tree and the other in a car that struck a
concrete railing,

47 Suburbs Cited for Safety Programs

President Daniel Ryan Presents Citation, to Repruentatlvu of 25 Suburb .

OF merit certificates to 25 south and

A WARDING
southwest suburbs which have organized active

assistance in revising their local speed zones to comply with the new statute.
"This year we have a new situation in respect to
speed limits on streets and highways," said President
Ryan. "The new state speed law, which became effec(Continued on Page 7)

local safety councils was a high point of the first

section of the annual conference of suburban officials
held by the Cook County Traffic Safety Commission,
Nov. 18. The second section, for north and west suburbs, was held November 25, and 22 suburbs in those
areas were cited for their safety programs. (A report
of this meeting will appear in the December issue.)
County Board President Daniel Ryan, who is president of the safety commission, presented the framed
certificates to representatives of the following named
suburbs:
Alsip, Blue Island, Brennan Heights, Bridgeview, Burnham, Chicago Heights, Dolton, Evergreen
Park, Harvey, Hickory Hills, Hodgkins, Hometown,
Lansing, Lyons, McCook, Markham, Midlothian, Oak
Forcst, Oak Lawn, Orland Park, Park Forest, Phoenix,
Riverdale, Thornton, and Worth.
The meeting, which waa held in the Martinique
restaurant, 2500 West 94th Place, was attended by
350 mayors, village presidents. trustees, police chiefs
and magistrates. Joseph Tanner, mayor of Evergreen
Park, presided.

Col. William G. Edens

Col. William G. Edens, a leader in the good roads

movement from the days of mud and dust to the era
of the expressway, is dead at the age of 93.
Col. Edens became actively identified with good
roads in 1914, the year the Cook County Highway
Department was established. During all the years following he maintained close and helpful contact with
the department in the planning of modern highways
and the development of safety designs.
When the expressway from the northwest part of
Chicago to the north county line was definitely
planned, it was almost instinctively given his name. He
was present when Edens Expressway. first completed
of the countywide system, was opened to travel in
December, 1951, and his inspiring plea to motorists
to use it with safety was the high point of that occasion. This department is grateful for the great contribution made by Col. Edens to the convenience and
welfare of the people of his community.

New Speed Zone Regulation

After a word of welcome and thanks for their
coming out on a stormy night, President Ryan spoke
in explanation of how the new state speed law regulales speed zoning in municipalities. He offered the
services of the Safety Commission to suburbs wishing

Study Detects Accidents

the Making

--------------------

OTORISTS USING Congress Street and Edens

M
Expressway. have recently undergone a study
of their driving habits and mannen that probably will

Who Drives Fastest?

reveal numerous facts for their own good.

Expressway driving, as most drivers have learned
more or le88, Is different from driving conventional
surface streets. The permitted speed is higher, the
trip is continuous, without interruption of stop and go
lights and the overpasses and entrance Bnd exit ramps
are unaccustomed fealures. While the expressways
have been designed witb utmost consideration for safe
use, all drivers have not trained themselves to use the
Dew type of highway as safely as they can.
The project to detect expressway driving faulls is
being conducted by the U. S. Bureau of Public Roads.
Congress Street and Edens are among expressways in
various parts of the country being used for the study.
The S\lrveys on Congress Street and Edens, designated as ramp capacity a nd expreslf3wny capacity
studies, were made from September 3 through September 13 by a crew under direction of O. K. Normann,
The Federal Bureau's Deputy Assistant Commissioner
for Research. Arrangements were made by Leo G.
Wilkie, Traffic Engineer ot the Cook County Highway
Department. who is Chairman of the Subcommittee
on Ramps of the ffighway Research Board's Committee on Highway Capacity.
SIH'elally Designed Kt"COrders
Using electronic recorders especially developed for
the purpose, Mr. Normann and his staff checked traffic
at selected points on the two expfCssways, The data
collected include separnte records for each vchlcle in
each lane, giving its direction of travel, speed, type
of vehicle, and the time of day in lOO,OOOths of an
hour when It passed over the cable on the pavemenL
From these recordings, totals, averages and percentages can be determined, and whether drivers were
following the car ahead too close, straddling lanes,
varying speed unreasonably or whatnot.
The objective, Mid Mr. Nonnann , is to learn why
drivers on exprcssways nnd other types of highway
behave as they do, For example, some slow up when
approaching an overpass, or weave between lanes. As
a result of the study, driver education can be better
organized, or it may be found dcsirable to change
some feature of design. In this respect, he said, the
pu rpose of the study Is "To relate the geometric design
of highways to driver behavior and vehicle performance."
Study Accidents In th o Milking
"These studies," he Raid "are directed toward economy of highway construction, for they will show not
only how wide traffic lanes should be, but also bow
narrow they can be, and whether a paved shoulder
may have the effect of a greater lane width by inducing vehicles to travel nearer the edge of the pavemenL
They will also havc an equal I[ not greater value as a
means of studying traffic' safety, particularly as it is
affected by highway design.
"Practically all attempts to analyze the causes of
attidents have been based upon the questioning of
the drivers involved 01' upon attempted reconstruction
of the events immediately preceding accidents. General observation of driver behavior and detailed
studies of driving practice, lead to the belief that it

From hie studies of driver behavior, O. K.

Nonnnnn, rc.senrc.h speCialist [or the U. S. Bureau
of Public Ronde haa some commenU! on typea of
individuals at the wheel. Such as:
Men drive faster on straightaways and slow
up for curve
Women drive slower on straightaways but
speed up for curves.
y. oung women under 25 are more careful drivers
than young men of the same age.
HouBCwives Intend to drive with care at safe
speed. but Lhey straddle lanes.
The fastest drlvers'1 Salesmen with new cars
and succcssful womcn execuLives fortyish in nge.
is remarkable not that so many accidents occur, but
that they arc 80 few in number.
"While many obvious examples of faulty driving
are found whcn accidents occur, a far greater number
nre found In nonnal traffic moveme nt in which no
accidents occur. The reason that these faulty practices
did not result in misfortune ie that all the conditions
nl"Ccssary for an accident were not prescnt.
Quickel' Tha n experience
"If any features of the dCfiign of the highway are
responsiblc for or contribute to faulty driving which
occasionally produces collisions or mishaps, they can
be detected tar more readily by a study ot the behavior of the tens o r hundrt'ds of Lhousands of vehicles that move without mishap, whcther or not
safely, than by the moat critical examination of the

Thc "Brcilo WAgon"

actions of the few that are unfortunate because

conditions combined against the m.
"With the electronic analyzer:' he added, "as much
can be learned In one day a8 from fIVe years' of
experience,"
The system of recording used In the studies was
originated by Mr. Nonnann and hi8 group. The four
electronic machine~ne for eaeh traffic lane---are
housed in a panel lruck that Is called the "bread
wagon" by its crew.
(Continued on Page 6)

ELectronic Equipment In the "Bread Wagon" that record and analyze four.Lane traffic.

Federal Aid Highway Programs Proceed on,, Schedule

OF THE federal aid highway programs, InterALLstate,
Primary, Secondary and Urban, are pro-

eludes over 40,000 miles of roads and over 7,000

bridges.
"Still referring only to projects initiated since June
30, 1956, more than 2,500 jobs have been completed
with a federal and state investment of over $265
million. This has meant the building of 9,600 miles
of roads and over 1,000 bridges. Some 5,555 proj~ts
are now under contract. These will utilize more than
$1.5 billion in federal and state funds and will provide
over 20,000 miles of roads and \4,000 bridges. An additional 272 projects have been advertised for bids, these
calling for over $138 million to build 850 miles of
roads and 250 bridges.
''In the 'programmed' status, which means that all
the projects have been submitted to BPR by the states
and federal funds have been earmarked, a re an additional 3,550 jobs. When tbes~ go ahead, about $765
million in matched funds will produce 11,000 miles of
roads and 2,100 bridges.
"Also presently authorized are some $46 million in
federal and state funds for preliminary engineering
and $105 million for purchase of rights-of-way.
"These are some of the figures that tend to show
that the ABC program nationally is not lagging.
dragging or slumping."

gressing "on schedule" and "in balance," it is reported

by the American Road Builders Association on the
basis of records of the Federal Bureau of Public Roads.
"In brief, the Interstate program shows approximately $3 billion in federal and state funds 'in the
pipeline'-that is, projects programmed, authorized
for engineering or acquisition of rights-of-way, advertising for bids, under contract or in actual construction," it is stated in the association's News Letter.
"The Primary. Secondary and Urban programs show
in excess of $2.8 billion in federal and state funds
similarly programmed. These are round figures. Percentagewise, the states have obligated 36 per cent of
available federal funds for the Interstate program for
this fl..scal year (1958) and 33 per cent of the funds
for the same period for tae ABC (Primary, Secondary and Urban) programs.
"Looking more closely at the ABC programs, progress since the expanded plan (June 30, 1956) does indeed show up favorably in BPR reports. Specifically,
federal aid funds have been obligated by the states for
nearly 12,000 projects involving a total expenditure,
as stated above, in excess of $2.8 billions. This in-

Bids Received on 23 Expressway Items

IDS ON $5 million of expressway work: were reB
ceived by the board of county commissioners Nov.
bidding are structural materials for
26. The Items
13 grade separation structures on Northwcst expressway and eight on the South route expressway and
two main drains on Northwest.
The Northwest expressway bidding marks progress
on the section leading to O'Hare air field, which was
taken over by the county from the state toll road
system. It extends to the airport from the NorthwestEdens Interchange in the viCinity of Montrose and
Cicero aves.

federal interstate program, on which the cost is paid

90 per cent federal and 10 per cent local government.
Bids for seven expressway construction jobs were
received Nov. 5. The total of apparent low bids was
$5,304,350. which was $695,650, under the total estimated costs. The projects, with the low bidder on
each, we re:
Edens grading and paving between Lawrence and
Bryn Mawr Avenues, Polumbo Excavating Co., $1,183,543.
Edens grade separation at Montrose Avenue, Thomas McQueen Co., $1,069,623.

Steel Girder. Go Into P IOIce on Lawrence Avenue

EI,ton Avenue Bridge Over Ed6l'"

Cor

Grado Separilltlon Over Eden. E)(pre"way

Edens grade separation at Fore:;t Preserve entrance, McQueen, $211,951.

Edens grading and paving between Lawrence and
Kostner Avenues, McQueen, $610.654.
Congress Street grade separation at Des Plaines
Avenue, Superior Concrete Conatruction Co., $518.-

Four of the Northwest structures-Lawrence Ave.,

Ainslie St., Central Ave. and Foster Ave.- wUJ be
spanned with steel girders. By letting contracts for
steel fabrication in advance of construction contracts,
delays in material delivery are avoided, said William
J. Mortimer, county highway superintendent. In some
instances , he said, construction contractors have
waited 18 months for steel.
All the other structures will have precast, pre..
stressed concrete girders. This relatively new type of
bridge member is time saving in fabrication and in
putting in place, Mortimer said, and the county intends using it extensively.
Concrete girder bids are to be re<:eived for structures at Austin Ave., Nagle Ave., Natoma Ave., Sayre
Ave., East River Rd., Oriole Ave., Harlem Ave., Canfield Rd., and Cumberland Ave. on Northwest Expressway and al 71sl, 75th, 76th, 79th, 83rd, 87th, 91st,
and 95th Sts. on the South route.
Contracts tor construction of the 21 stnJcturea will
be ready for letting early next year, Mortimer said.
Bids will also be received on two sections of main
drain on the Northwest Ilirport lead, one extending
from Montrose Ave. to east of Foster Ave. and the
other, from that point to west of Nashvi11e Ave.
Work on the airport lead is being done under the
lederal urban highway program, with the federal government providing half the cost. The other half is
paid by the county from the $245 million expressway
bond wue ot 1955. The South roule is part of the

23<-

Congress Street main drain between Des Plaines

River and Circle Avenue, Cassidy Construction Co.,
$58<.800.
Congress Street, relocation of Broadview-Westchester water main between Des Plaines and First
Avenues, J. M. D. Sewer Construction Co., $65,545.

Accident Study - - (Continued from Page 4)

Specially designed cables with spring steel eleetric
contacts carry impulses {rom the pavement to the
machines. They look like the ordinary traffic survey
cable, but are much more accurate. Transverse placement of a vehicle is shown within 1,5 inches, as well
as " how mauy," "how often," "bow faBt," and at
"what instant" vehicles paBs over.
Impulses from the cables are recorded on punch
tapes and on scrolls. The records made on Congreas
Street and Edens have been returned to the Cook
County Highway Department for analysis. The findings will be ready for publication soon.
The bread wagon, which was hand built at the
Bureau of Pu~lic Roads, is the only one of ita kind.

Suburbs Cited for Safety

(Continued (rom Page 3)
live Jut July I , does much more than merely set
maximum speeds. Since this is the first time we have
bad a ftxed limit in Illinois, the top speeds sel by law
bave been well advertised, but I doubt whether the
motoriaLS In general know that the new statute aJso
haa other provialons of equal importance.
"Previoull to this year, the only restriction on rural
highways in this slate was 'r easonable and proper'
speed. Now we have a top legal speed of 65 milea a n
hour for automobiles and a lower limit for vehicles
of other types. One other speed limit 18 alllO fixed by
the new statute, and that is 30 miles an hour within
what the statute defines as an 'urban dietrict.' It is
important to note than an 'urban district' Is not necessarily an incorporated area. It means an area with
roed&ide development of residences or huainC811 buildings to the extent that its character is plainly that of
a built-up area, where we may expect to find traffic
entering and leaving the road and pedestrians crossing lite pavement. In other words, conditions calling
for low speed and ca reful driving.
"These two limits are the only oncs stated in the
1957 statute.
Some Variations Needed
"However, we are all aware that there are places
where traffic speeds should be lower than the statutory 30 miles an hour or somewhere between 30 and
65. Many such zones have been established throughout the county. We find 20 and 25 miles In suburban
business districts and 35, 40 and 45 mUe zones in
residential secliollB and at school houses.
"Another important change brought about by the
new speed statute Is that the county has been made
the speed limit authority on roads under Ita jurisdiction. Heretofore, the state has regulated speeds on
all highways. Now the counties lake over the roads
they maintain and the state continues to be the authority on ita system of roada.
"In Cook County there are 660 mile. of road under
the County Highway Department. Up until tbia year
we were without authority to approve or disapprove
speed limits requested on the county sYltem. Now
that authority is placed in the county by the new

Bike Program Applauded

rn Jack Mabley's column in the Chicago Daily News,
in which he praise, and castigates with a free hand,
the Cook County Traffic Safety Commission received
a nice mention recently (or its bicycle safety program
in suburban schools. Mabley, who Is mayor of Glenview, wrote:
" I'd like to publicly thank the Cook County Traffic
Safety Commlaaion for sending me a notice that two
of my kidA' bikea need horns and Hghts.
.,Apparently they put the bikes through a safety
test at our grade school, and sent parents notices of
all bikes that n~ed 8&fety equipment,
"From the title, I would have judged that. t.his was
a group that had a lot of committees and 8&t around
large tables and ponti8cated o n what was wrong with
drivers and roads and made surveys and reports.
"Instead. I find they are out inspecting klda' bikes.
" We need more commissions like this one."

statute, and it will Obviously mean a much closer

working relationship between the Highway department and the 8uburba.
"First of all, it will require a careful lucvey of all
exittlng speed limit signa. This is now being done by
tbe hJgbway department. A lisung of county roads
that run through Incorporated suburbs shows eve.ry
lawn and village a1Iected. The number of county roada
within the limits of the suburbs varies from one street
In Evanston to ten or a dozen in other placu.
"It Is essential to note at this point that the 20, 25,
35, 40 a nd 45 limits posted throughout the county
have been obtained by the local municipalities on request from tbe state. In some instances the request!
was based only on observation; that ill, the local chief
of police observed traJf!c congestion In his main street
and the village trustees approved request for a 20mile zone. In other instances, the request was based
on traffic engineering data, including preci&e counting
of vehicles.
" Under the new statute, a municipality may still
get approval of speed zonea other than the 30 and
65-mlle limits sel by the law. But it will be neceasary
to provide traffic engineering datu to justify these
variances.
"The Traffic Engineering Division of the County
Highway Department can be helpful, and I now invite
all of you suburban officials to seek luch help as you
may wish. The first step probably would be a con
sultatlon to go over your local speed signs In a gen~
era) way. When it comes to a particular stretch of
street or road. it will be necessary to file a request on
torms provided by the state divia10n of highways. Our
highway people will be prepared to help with this.
"It may well be that many of the low speed zones
now In existence will be found justified by an engi.
neerlng survey. In those instances, of course., the
zones will be justified under tbe new law. But it may
be that some zones whicb have been justified by nothIng more than observation will have to be changed
to conform with the new provisions.
"My own feeling is that complia nce with tbis new
Itatute will have a good effect. As it haa been, motorista are likely to be confused by a 20mUe sign In one
suburb and a higher speed limit in a similar street
in another town.
"The new statute is a step forward In attaining
uniformity of speed regulations. Other states have
joined in the movement for nationwide unUormity.
Here In Cook County we can make our limits uniform
for the same tra.ffic conditiona. and we can hope that
the motoriatB will do their part by recognizing such
uniformity as reasonable and deserving of obedience."
Sheriff Joseph D. Lobman, a member of the safety
commlssion. al&O spoke In approval of the new speed
zone provisions. He said that up to now too much
reliance has been plaeed on law enforcement to govern
traffie.
"We have eome too much to beUeve that the thing
lo do is cateh speedel'B," he said. "But a more realistic
view of the problem is to perceive that too low speed
limits interfere with a good, even flow of traffic.
"Under tbe new law speed zonea are to be based on
sound engineering data. That, and the unlfonnity to
be a.ttalned throughout the area, will result in better
behavior by motorist.s. The tra.ffic engineers can take
a. heavy burden from the shoulders of the poUce
omeen."

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAY S

Thl, Attractive Lake, Once.

<II

BI" Mole In the Ground, Showl What Can Be Done With

Vol. V No. VII

ill

Road Contractor'. Borrow P it ( 8ee Page 4).

DECEMBER, 1957

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook County (Ill.) Department of Hl~hwaYI
Under auspices of the Board of County Commiasioners
DANIEL RYAN , Pretldent
Jamea F. A.henden
Frank Bobrytz.ke
Charln F. Chaplin
Elizabeth A. Conkey

William N. Erickson

Fred A. Fulle
Christ A. Jensen
John A. Mackler, Jr.

Daniel Ryan

Jerry Dolezal

Clayton F. Smith
Edward M. Sneed
John J. Touhy

John J. Duffy

Arthur X. Elrod

William J. Mortimer
Superintendent of mCbwan

Published at 130 North Wells Street, Chicago 6.

FRanklin 2-7544

Extension 216

Boob of the Month

Expressway Design Group

OK's Blacktop Shoulder
SURFACING will be applied to the
BI TUMINOUS
shoulders of expressways in Chicago and Cook
County as standard practice. The decision to change
(Tom the sodded and crushed stone shoulders put down
on the first expressway sections has been made by
the design committee representing the State, City,
County and U. S. Bureau of Public Roads.
When Edens and Calumet were completed, it was
thought that sodded shoulders would be a desirable
landscaping feature and would also be adequate to
accommodate vehicles when necessary to pull off the
pavement. On Congress Street, and in some sections
of Edens and Calumet, crushed stone was used as a
"stabilized" shoulder.
In the beginning bituminous was given consideration. but it was feared by some of the agencies represented that a black top shoulder might tempt rcckless
drivers to use it as a lane for passing. The design
committee decided at that time to tryout the soft
type shoulders both for durability and driver behavior.
The Cook County Highway Department favored
bituminous, and as a contribution to the study installed test shoulders on a part of Lake-Cook Road.
The results of this experiment and experience on
Edens, Calumet and Congress Street have swung
opinion in favor of bituminous.
As with all other features of expressway design, the
main consideration is safcty. The black top shoulder
is easily recognized as a refuge area in emergencies.
It is separated [rom the expressway lanes by color
and also by the slightly rolled cmb that marks thc
boundary of the pavement. The driver who needs to
get out of traffic should have no hesitancy in SWinging
over to the shoulder.
EXI>erience with sodded .shoulders has shown that
many drivers do not know that the grassed area is
firm enough to support a car or a truck. They either
stop on the pavement or pull only half way off.
Crushed stone shoulders are more inviting to the
motorist, but they have failed to stand up under
severe weather. The heavy rains of last July washed
out shoulders on Congress Street, depreciating their

ARREL HOUSE BENNY is a standout with his

B
friends (and officers of the law) for the witty
sayings he gets off.
Especially during the holidays, which he observes
by caroling:
"You can't fiy on one wing," and, as he is about
to start off in his car, "Just one more for the road."
Benny's a card.
value as emergency refuges and also making it necessary to clean gutters and drains. Furthermore, clogged
gutters caused water to stand on the pavement.
The first of the bituminous shoulders are expected
to be placed on Congress Street, the work to be done
when the CTA installation in the median strip is
completed. On the other expressway routes-8outh,
Northwest and Southwest- black top shoulders will
be laid as the finishing touch.

November Traffic Toll 34

Is Highest In the Records

Traffic Safety Programs

Active in Many Suburbs

OVEMBER, with 34 deaths on blghways in the

N suburban area, was thc worst month of the 143

in the records of the Cook County Traffie Safety
Commission.
The sharp rise in fatalities came after an encouragIng lO-month period. Through October this year, the
death toll was 21.7 per cent undcr thut of the same
months of last year. Even with the bad November
figure , this year's deaths in 11 months are under last
year's. but the percentage has been reduced to 16.
An unusual number of multiple death accidents
marked the November record. One occurred when a
train bit an automobile, killing the three passengers
and a woman standing near by, who was hit by a
flying bit of wreekage. Two collisions between automobiles killed three persons eaeh and two other collisions killed two eacb.
Of the 34, 16 were dead on arrival at hospitals.
Seeking a cause for the sudden ris6 In fatalities,
County Board President Daniel Ryan, who Is president
o f the Safety Commission, said it was difficult to lind
anything except the behavior and attitudes of drivers.
"It was particularly disappointing to have such a
record In the month when the lIuburbrut officials eoncentrated on safety at the annual meetings of the
commission," he said. "All of the village presidents,
mayors, police chiefs and magistrates are pledged to
campaign [or safety, and r know the), are doing their
best in that direction.
"I am also convinced that most drivers practice the
principles of safety. The good record of the first 10
months seems to be proof of that. But from the
November record, it is plain to be sc('n that mistakes
by only a few drivers can bave terrible consequences.
In the multiple deatb accidents last month. five drivers
did something they should not have done, and 14
deathll resulted.
"The November accidents caB attention to a relatively new condition out in the county. tn the last
few years many Industrial plants have arisen in the
area and they employ thousands of workE'rs. This
means that morning and afternoon thcre is a heavy
volume ot traffic. On many ronds \Iscd by people going
to and from work the speed Ilmit is highe r than in
Chicllgo and the incorporated vlllnges. and driving
cruls tor greater caution.
"In my opinion. the onJy solution is for every driver
to rea!lu the need for special care. Il is irritating to
be caught in a jam on the way home, but the driver
who leta his impatience gel away with him and tries
to cut ahead of other cars or beat a lrain to the
crQ881ng is tempting deatb.
"The drivers who live or work In lh(> suburban area
demonstrated for 10 months that it is possible to
Improve their safety r ecord. Tbey can continue to
improve It they will only adjust their behavior and
attitudes to traffic conditions."
Another tragic aspect of the November record, be
aides the mulLiple accidents. was the number of pedes
trians killed. In addition to the woman killed by a
fragment ot meW flung when a train hit a car, seven
were struck down by vehleles on the pavement. Their
ages were 26, 4 , 60, 62, 65, 70 and 78.

Alderman Robert F. Jer rlC'k (le ft ) of Berwyn receivel

hi, city'. l afety award f rom Pruldent Daniel Ryall.

at November 25 meetl";. Sheriff Lohman I, at right.

RAFFle SAFETY has come Into action In high deTMore

gree in SUburban Cook County.
than half 'the county suburb8--66 to
exact

be
- bave local I8.fety councils organized to carry the
message dlrecUy to the residents of their communities.
The keynote of all these safety drives was empbasized at the two sectional meetings of the Cook

County Traffic Survey and Safety Commission held

last mont.h , It wae Slated, with unanlmoua agreement:
"Every individual on the highwaY8, whether a motorist or a pedestrian, must assume his personal share
of responsibility,"

CitaUons tor aa[ety accomplishmenls were presented

by County Bonrd President Daniel Ryan, who i.e also
president. of the Safety Commission. to 25 south and
southwest suburba at the November 18 meeting (as
reported in the November issue of Cook County Highways) and 41 west and north suburbs at the November
25 meeting. All 66 have safety councils organized and
functioning.
" I am confident that we are moving in the right direetlon to cut down highway accidents," said President
Ryan. "Ev('rybody should know the rules of safe
driving. They are preached through the newspapers
and over radio and TV by a great many agencies.
But the difficulty is to get everyone to realize that he
has a definite personal responsibility for safety.
"This is where the local councils arc elfective. They
arrange meetings for residents of their communities,
use publicity in the local papers and in every other
way possible take the safety message Into the homes
of their neighbors."
Local councils have the cooperation of the Safety
Commission. Investigators help st.udy intersections
and other danger spots and' carry requests [or remedy
to the County Highway Department and, when a state
route is Involved, the State Division of Highways.
The north and west suburbs receiving certificates
were :
Arlington Heights, Barrington. Bellwood. Berkeley,
Berwyn, Broadview, Brookfield. Cicero, Des PlainE'S,
(Continued on Page 6)

Borrow Pits To Be Scenic, Useful Lakes

'.

a.o.RRINGTOPl

PIIL"'T1Nte

Wttt(I,ING

,..-..L-- '_ _,___ I~ L____ _~, _r_,"r-r

I

j
~

'"

SCH.o.UI1I1ERG

,
j

,I

iCLK CdtO"'C

j_

..

,:OUPAGt co
Eighteen of the 19 Situ of Artificial L ake. to be
Oeveloped from Toll Road Barra ..... Pita Under Super_

vilion of the Cook County Bulldlnlil and Zoni"!! Bureau

are In the West iII"d Nor1hwe.t Parts of the County.
The Other, 30 Aeres In Area, I, In Onand Townlhlp.

Abatement Commission was consulted with the view

of avoiding conditions that might be favorable to
breeding mosquitos. A fence to protect children was
called for when the bureau deemed it necessary. All
debris must be removed from the s ite and the ground
surface above water levcl within the limits of the
excavation must be graded and prepared for seeding.
The final out.line of the lake must be pleasing and
free of pockets where water might become stagnant.
The shores must slope not less than one foot in four
and the center must be at least 12 feet in depth.
All of the lake locations were selected for having
natural water sources, either underground springs or
flowing streams. Overflow oullets, which the contractors must provide, will ma.intain wate.r levels.
In some instances, contractol'8 obtained fill dirt by
leveling knoBs. These operations a re also controlled
by the Bureau and permits are issued only when the
job does not detract from the surrounding terrain.
Permits for 14 such land improvement projects
were issued during the year by the Bureau. The
locations and acreage involved were:
Northfield Township, three, 11.5, 20 and 75 acres;
Elk Grov{' Township. one, 16.78 acres; Barrington
Township, one, 80 acres; Hanover Township, one, 40
acres; Palos Township, three, 18, 24 and 32 acres;
Bremen Township, two, 10 and 17 acres; Lyons Township, one, 40 acres; Proviso Township, one, 150 acres;
Leyden Township, one. 20 acres.

NEW CLASSIFICATION- artificial lakes- wall

A
acquired this year by the Cook County Building
and Zoning Bureau, which haa jurisdiction In the
unincorporated areas of the county.

Twenty-tbree aigbUy ponds, ranging from six to 60

acres in area, will result from controlled supervision
of excavat.ing required for the Illinois toU road system.
They will lend beauty to the landscape and some will
provide swimming and fishing. Four will be in Cook
County Forest Preserves.
The scenic lake system also, and perhaps more important, realizes an idea conceived several years ago
by County H ighway Superintendent William J. Mortimer. He proposed to excavate a aeries of ponds located so they would collect the runoff of heavy rains
and thus relieve the suburbs and subdivisions of water
standing on the surface and frequently running into
basements. Water would be impounded and then
drained off through the natural water courses. But
this desirable development would have been coeUy,
both for the acreage required and for excavalion.
The toll road contractors by thejr need for some
20,000,000 cubic yards of dirt to grade up roadbeds,
overpasses and cloverleaf interchanges have solved
the problem of costs. They have paid for borrow pit
sites and have done the digging.
Permits for excavating for any purpose must be
obtained from the Building and Zoning Bureau. In
the case of the toll roads, Superintendent Mortimer,
who is County Building and Zoning Enforcement
Officer, perceived the opportunity to control the excavating so that. properly constructed lakes would result
instead of ugly holes.
Requirements for lake excavations were set up by
Andrew V. Plummer, Assistant to the Superintendent,
and were included in agreements signed by the contractors. In general, these covered public hea1th,
safety and comfort. The Cook County Mosquito

The Fron t Cover

Murphy Lake, near Park Ridge, occupies a borrow
pit excavated during the construction of O'Hare field.
It exemplifics tbe attractive residential and recreational developments which will result Crom 23 similar
excsvatioll8 made by toU road contractors under regulation of the Cook County Building and Zoning Bureau.

Money Pinch Slows Building Out In County

UILDlNG CONSTRUCTION
the a rea under
this was not possible, the eases were referred to the
B
County regulation fell off lhi$ yea r, a9
did in
Stale's A ttorney. Vigorous prosecution by this offiot.her parts of the country. For t he most part, this
cial has strengthened compliance with the building
in

it

was attributed to higher interest. rates on mortgage

money. Another factor in t he County was the loss of
territory 8a new suburbs we re incorporated or other
s uburbs extended their boundaries.
While lhe number of permits issued did not meet
th e Bureau's estimates, it is not believed that this
indicates a lessening of the trend to build In outlying
areas. In Cook County the only vacant undeveloped
land is in the unincorporated area. When mortgage
rates become more favorable, it is expected that
developcra will resume large scale operationa.
In the fiscal year from December 1, 1956, through
November 30, 1957, the Bureau issued 5,373 permits
representing an eSlimated total va1uation of $73,133,608. The 1956 figures we re 6.132 penn its and
$87,616,461 total valuation. In addition, there were
this year 65 permits in the no-fee classification- farm
buildings, churches, schools and other public buildings
-of a tota1 valuation of $6,411.310. Last year there
were 62 no-fee perm its for $5,678,289.
The cutback in dwelling construction more than
accounted for the difference in the 1957 and 1956
totals. This year, there were 2,990 residen tial pennits
for a $57,817.787 total valuation. Last year there
were 3.881 permHs and the va1uation waa 75.564,163.
By townships, the 1957 permits were issued as
follows :
Townsh.1p
Barrlnwton
Bl oom
Bremen
Elk Gro\>l"

H a no","r
Lemont
Leyden
t.{;on s
1I111n~

New Trier
:>IlIel
Northf1E'ld
No","'ood Park
Orllind
PaJ lIllne
Palo.
Pro"l~o

['ermil !l
30

,~,

32~

""m,.
"

..,

"",
"'"
u

2n

="

""
"
><,

Rnd zoning requirements,

Approximately 2,000 fire inspections we re made
during the year in places of public assembly. Maps
in the Bureau were maintained currently. Ma p information was received from village boal'ds, County
offices, the Cook County Higbway Department and
t he courts.
During the year, tbe Bureau worked closely with
Lbe Zoning R evis:'on Committee appointed by the
Boord of County Commissione rs. Because of the many
new s ubdivisions, a nnexatiolls, incorporations, court
orders or declaratory judgments and disconnections
from incorporated villages, Lhe proposed construction
on each permit is posted o n the Committee's maps,
lhus presenting an overall picture of development in
the area.

November Building Permits

Permits for 369 building construction jobs in the
unincorporated area of the County were issued in
November by the Cook County Building and Zoning
Bureau. They represented a total estimat ed valuation
of $5,077,812. Four permits for a total va..Juation of
$941.400 were issued in lhe nofee classification, which
includes fann buildings, churches, schools and nther
public buildings.
By classifications. permits were as foJiows:
Residential-Sixty-nine with septic systems, $1,495,812; 147 with sanitary sewers, $2,812,600; 35
additions and alterations. $73,750.
Accessory buildings- Thirty-five permits. $144,500.
Business- Two with septic systems, $55.000; two
with sanitary sewers, $191,100; two additions and
a ltera tions. 594,100.
Industrial- One with septic system. $90,000; one
addition, $89,400,
Wells-8even permits, $7.250.
Moving- Th ree permits, $4,500.
Miacel1aneous-8eventeen permits, $19,800.
By townships, permits were issued as follows :

Valuation

M4.38J'j

1.HIl,99.~

~.~~9,929

'1,121.781

847.392

661,900
2.MI,415
~,~18.779

B,S!l3.136
~12,9SS
:l96,~OO

7,4(09,917
2,lfOS.'n'1
981.3:3,.'1
~,!l76.972

2.!S32.6.19

2.i:g:m
'"
"lA
30'
'"
""
Several cbanges were made during t he year to in-

Ric h
:khllum tJurg
St!('kne),
Thornton
WheeLIng
Worth

1,~O.474

6,17ll.24!:1
r,S9.M<I
~.a56.975

fI.712.7M

Towns hil)
ll1f1fJ1n
Brl'm('n

crease efficiency in t he Bureau. The area under its

jurisdiction was divided into four districts, and four
field oflices were established . Each district has a
supervisor and 8. s talf of building a nd zoning, electrical and plumbing inspectors, The new a rrangement
is expected to expedite communication with inspectors
so tbat contractors' requests (or ins pection can be
handled more efficiently.
Additional inspector person nel has been assigned to
the field. and as a result there have been (ewer instances of individuals or contractors building without
permits. Approxim.!ltely 600 stop orders were issued
during the year, for violations of the building code or
the zoning ordinance. Offenders were summoned to
tbe bureau and informed of their mistakes. In most
instances the difficully was solved in the ofllce. Wben

"n'"''

Pe.nllib
!i

~:I k
lll1novt'I'

all
:.I

Leyden
L yons
Maini'
"'('W Trier
Northl1eld
Norwood Park
Orland

12
27
16
2
34

I~monl

Palillim!
Pillos

Htrh
S('hllumhurll
Stlt'kn('),

J,'

20
l1
fi

~:.I

'rhornlon

,Ill
!'i

Worth

WhN'lIng

Ya.luation

UI

The no-fee permits were issued 8S follows: Lemont,

residential addition, $4,000; Palos, school addition,
$133,900; Stickney, school addition. $800,000: Wbeeling, moving. $3,500.

IC RR, the 31st Street bridge over the MJ, C&IW and
C&WI tracks, the 15IBt Street culvert at Spring Creek
a nd the the Hintz Road bridge at Wheeling Drainage
Ditch,

Roads, Streets Improved

in County's '57 Program

Safety Meetings ...

(Continued [rom Page 3)
Elmwood, Evanston, Forest Park, Forest View, Franklin Park, Golf, Glenview, Harwood Heig htl!l, Hillside,
La Grange, La Grange Pa rk, Lincolnwood, Maywood,
Mor ton Grove, },It. Prospect, Niles, Norridge, Northbrook, Northfield, North Lake, North Riverside, Oak
Park , Palatine, Park Ridge, River Forcat, River Grove,
Riverside, Rolling Meadows, Rosemont, Skokie, Westchel!lter, Wheeling.
Presiding at the November 25 meeting was Judge
Charles Hart of Franklin Park in the absence of Mayor
William McNerney of that l!Iuburb, who had been designated host for the evening. A retired railroader of 42
years' service, Judge Hart spoke of safety on the rails.
"Before we had a safety program, we had six or
seven men hurt every week on our division," he said.
"When the men realized they had to obey safety ruJes,
it dropped to six or seven a ycar."
President Ryan discussed provisions in the new state
l!lpeed law requiring an engineering study to fix local
l!lpeed zonca. H e invited a ll the suburbs represented
to eeek such assistance from the County Highway
Department.
Sheriff Joaepb D. Lobman, a commisalon member,
said that lrsffic engineers could do more than police
to expedite a smooth How of traffic.
"On week'cnds and holidays, 4.00,000 ca rs move out
of Chicago through the suburbs," he said. "They are
80 bogged down that slowing up traffic would only
mean that we could not move that many cars.
"The police are an external control. We need inner,
buUtln controls. At some points higher l!lpeed rather
than lower apeed is the solution . We need traffic engineering in auch specific locations 8S aehool areas and
the convergence of highways, where a slow moving
I!Itream of traffic must emerge with a fast moving
stream."
William J. Mortimer, Cook County Highway Superintendent, told the 400 village presldente, mayors,
trustees, police chiefs and magistrates that "basically,
safety rests in the communities repreACnted here."
"One thing that disturbs me 115 to see double parking in our l!Iuburba," he said. " My fri endIJ and neighbors do it, and think nothing of it. But actually, it Is
II disrespect for law that can casily be transferred to
tbe highway, where it leads to 45 mile speeding in a
35 mile zone.
" In the i88t wet'.k automobUe insurance rates have
been increased in Ulinois. The reason is a n increase in
accidents. Now the people are- being touched in their
pocket booke, and perhaps we CRn look for safer driving.
"It is natural for me to feel that r am a safe driver
and tbe other fellow is the dangerous one. AU of you
too believe that eomebody else eaU8e8 the accidents.
It COUldn't happen to you.
"We need to police ourselvel!l, and to remember the
one Important thing, that we have a peraonal responsi
bility."

Wentworth Avenue Through L anllno-One

of the Count)". 1957 ImproYlmenl Project..

ORTYSEVEN IMPROVEME1'o.'T projects coating a

total of $9,261,666 were carried out
1957 by the
F
Cook County Highway Deparlmcnt on Chicago and
in

suburban streets and non-expressway roads.

Widening joba, from two to tour lanes, required

24.476 square yards of portland cement concrete paving, 272,615 square yards of portland cement concrete
base, with bitumJnouB resurfacing, and 97,075 square
yards of bltuminOIiS base with bituminous r"Csurfacing.
In addition, 934,617 square yards of hitumlnou8 surfacing-equivalent. to 40 miles of 40-foot pavcment-

were applied to existing pavements of various types.

These joba also required grading, drainage and other
appurtenance work.
Twenty-one bridge construction jobs at a total CODtract price of approximately $16,883,000 we re under
supervision during the year. Jobs completed thia year
included the CTA underpass on Congress Street Expreasway, Foster Avenue grade l!Ieparation on Edens
Expressway, Joe Orr Road bridge at Deer Creek,
Ridgeland Avenue culvert at Butterfield Creek, and
removal of the 104lh Avenue bridge at Calumet-Sag
Cbannel.
Projects under construction at the end of the year
include the bascule bridge to carry the Northwest
feeder route over the North branch of the Chicago
River and the Halsted Street grade separation on
Northwest Expressway. the Northwest Expre88way
grade separations at Lawrence Avenue, Elston Avenue, Wilson A venue, C&NW RR, Une "B" over Line
"C" and the erA right-of-way; pedestrian bridges
over Congress Street at Albany, Sprlngfl.eld, KIldare
and Lavergne Avenues, the Congress Street-Central
Avcnue grade separation and the Central Avenue
bridge for the B&ocr RR, CTA and service drive
over Congress Street.
Four non-exprcssway bridges were under construction at the end of the year---the Torrence Avenue
grade separation over the B&OCT, nIB, and Me
tracks, the 25th Avenue grade &eparaUon over the

More Cars Than People? Heading That Way

AROUND 1985, Cook County out
EVENTUALLY,
side Chicago wut have one motor' vehicle for every
two persons living in tbe 8r-e8, or 1.5 lo every house
bold, it is estimated by Eugene Kramer, staJf member
of the Chicago Area Transportation Study. In Chicago, where high populaUon density reduces the ratio
of can to people. there will be 350 vehicles to each
thoU8llnd resident&, or one to a household.
The projections were made in the coune of the
three-year tranaportation study. which I.s sponsored
by Cook County. City of Chicago, State of Dlinois and
the U. S. Bureau of Public Roads. Two purposes are
served by the (orecasU. &aid Mr. Kramer:
(1) "They help provide a measure of future over-

PoPllhtlon a nd anor .ah1ch

..,Ut",UOII It a COIIPOIIftd
III. 'f. IMr............. proJ.e t""

w ,... r

2000.

"

""
,."
"
"

aU highway travel.

(2) ''They arc the most reliable base from which to

estimate future receipts from both of the major motoruser taxes, the molor vehicle registration tax and the
motor fuel tax."
While economic growth In ]llinoill haa cauecd a high.
er rate of increase In motor vehicle registration than
in population, Mr Kramer Jlolnll!l out that there are
definite limiting relationships between persons and
vehicles and that &Crious calculations require setting
top ratio figures, In his opinion these Iimill!l are 350
vehicles per thousand persona in Chicago, 500 per
thousand in tbe rest or the state. including suburban
Cook County, and Il state wide ratio. lowered by
counting in Chicago, of 460 per thoUAand . These points
may be reached, he be1ieve. in 1985.
The term motor vehicles In Mr. Kramer's study includes passenger automobiles, trucks and buses. In
1956, he points OUt, trucks and bu&e8 represented 12.4
per cent of the total [llinoia registration of 3,4.08,000.
"The present trenl!l shows motor vehicle registration
in Illinois increaaing at a much faster rate than population," he said. "From a ratio of 278 vehicles per
lhousand persons In 1949, it haa jumped to a 6gure
of 361 vehicles per thousand persons in 1956. The key
queetion is: For how long can this uptrend continue?"
The accompanying chart, which compares Illinois
registration cstimatee based on the <I y:! per cent
growth rate (compounded) noted in 1955, with popu.
lation projcctions. "points up vividly the implications
of any forecast which incorporates current growth
ratcs into futUre projcctions."
"While populallon is moving upward along a frurly
straight line, the 4 I ~ l>C.r cent annual registration trend
line natura1ly follows a concave upward curve," he
continued. "Such a curve leads to absurdity-more
cars than persons by 1990! Thla indicates that sooner
or later cars and persona must begin approaching
equilibrium. That Is. they eventually must increase
at approximately the same rate."
Another factor, bealdea population growth, that af.
fecta car ownership 11 the' eoonomlc atatus of the
people. In DJinoia. Mr. Kramer found, the ratio of
1.75 vehicles per $10,000 of personaJ income (in 194749 doUars) has been fairly consistent, although a
slight upward trend has been di.sc:erDible.
In arriving at the statewide figure of 4.60 vehicles
per thousand persons in 1985, Mr. Kramer found it
necessary to consider Chicago separate from the rest

lI'op.lhUOII I'roJtcUOII

- - IIowr V.h1el. r'5Ut"'!t01l

proJ.ctld 011 bad, lit
,
'NU. . ~th ... tI,

co.po

114.

UI

"

16
~ 15
0

--" "
"

I
I

1)

11

"

,,

""
-,- -,-

..- -'

11111 !tTl _

1 _ '''"

,-

of the state. In 195:5, be found , Chicago, with about

0:10 per cent of the slate's population, had a 265 ratio
of vehicles to each thousand persons. The rest of the
atate that year had a <102 mtio and the national 6gure
was 375.
In conclusion, Mr. Kramer said:
"It is not IIkcly that this statewide upper limit of
460 vehicles per thousand persons will be surpassed
within the next 30 years. 'rhe question may be raised
as to whether or not it will ever be reached. Tbis
queation cannot be answered, of course. But it can
be said that all present signs show no lessening in the
rapid expansion In the numbers of motor vehicles, and
therefore it seems reaaonable to asaume that this upper limit is not overly opUmiaUc."

Civil Defense Movie

A spectacular moving picture in tec.hnlcolor of the
first hydrogen bomb tesls In the Pacific is avrulable
for meetings of suburban reaidents Interested in Civil
Defense. The film, whJch runs 28 minutes, provides a
ringside aeat at one of the m06t momentous events
in the history of acience. Groups Wishing to see it
may make arangcmenta by writing or telephoning the
office of Joseph A. Downey, Cook County Civil Defense
Director, 130 North Wella Street, Chicago 6; telephone
FRanklin 27~44,

._, .

~cOOK

COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Conerete and Steel Mark Progress on Northwest Expreaaway Feeder Brldgel over North Branch

Vol. V No. VIII

JANUARY, 1958

of

Chicago River ('See Page 2).

'-':'"

"~--':"~r;.j~-,,~~~

"

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook County (Ill) Department of lIlchways
Under auspices of the Board of County Commissioners
DANIEL RYAN, President

James F. Alhenden
Frank Bobrytzke
Charles F. Chaplin
Elizabeth A. Conkey

William N. Erickson

Fred A. Fulle
Christ A. Jensen

John A. Mac'kler, Jr.

Daniel Ryan

Jerry Dolezal
John J. Duffy

Clayton F. Smith
Edward M. Sneed
John J, Touhy

Arthur X. Elrod

William J. Mortimer
superintendent of Hi=hway&

Published at 130 North Wells Street, Chicago 6.

FRanklin 2-7544

Boob

December Building Permits

Extension 216

0/

the Month

ERMITS FOR 212 residences and 108 other conP

Building and Zoning Bureau in December. Total

struction jobs were issued by the Cook County

valuation represented was $5,197,906. In addition,

two permits for a total valuation of $58,800 were
issued in the no-fee classification, which includes
farm buildings, churches, schools and other public
structures.
Of the total residential permits, 151 were for
homes with sanitary sewer connections and 61 with
oeptic systems. In the other classifications, permits
were issued as follows:
Residential alterations and additions, 35; accessory
buildings, 45; business buildings, 1; business building
alterations and additions, 3; industrial buildings, 2;
industrial building alterations and additions, 1; wells,
5; moving buildingS, 10; misceIlaneous, 6.
By townships, the December permits were issued
as follows:

, '''';, ~

' ' ",i

"'~'
,"., '

"
" i.J;

"",
71

e\_

,
''''''
,.,
~~
,,
~:~
,
l'i~r08
",
1~;~
,
""'"
"'"
3oti'8&
"
The two no-fee permits were for residential buildPermits

Valuation

>~

493,900
40,400
53,800
40,400

UMBLING FIT...BERT'S always late getting started.

F
H he doesn't oversleep, it's something haywire
with the car.

49,SOO
215,300

So he drives as if he were Casey Jones, two hours

late with the western mail.

1,031,2(1)

He's a lot of menace to other people, and he seldom

makes up the lost 10 minutes.

20
8
3
8
7

V;

..

537,356

169,400

the start of construction on the companion pit, for

the south leaf. The two columns that will bear the
trunnions are in place, marked by the ladder on top of
the pit. The two rear columns will carry the approach.
The bridge will be approximately parallel to that at
Chicago Avenue, the approach to which is marked by
the white retaining wall in the left background.

ings in Palatine and Schaumburg townships.

The Front Cover

The job pictured is the twin bascule bridge that
will carry Northwest Expressway feeders over the
North Branch of the Chicago River. It was designed
and is being constructed by the Cook County Highway
Department.
The picture was made on the west bank and shows
the concrete pit for the north leaf of the bridge.
Reinforcement rods, visible at the lower right, mark

Each bridge will carry traffic one way, one span

connecting with Ohio Street and the other with Ontario Street. Both of these streets have been widened
and resurfaced by the County in preparation for
expressway operation.

How Cook County Has Grown and Grown

How the government of Cook County has grown
atld changed since the County's incorporation on
January 15, 1831, and some of the problems
recently acquired were discussed by President
Daniel Ryan before the recent Midwinter Conference of the Il1Anois A8sociation of County
Officials. In view of the County's anniversary
this month and the information of general interest contained in the talk, it is printed below.

tion to provide that any county could switch to a

township form of government by popular election.
Cook County took advantage of this constitutional
revision. In 1850, by which time it had created within
itself some 27 townships, including three from the
young city of Chicago, it elected a supervisor for
each township, such supervisor automatically becoming a member of the county board of supervisors. In
1850, Cook County had a population of 43,000, of
whom 29,000 lived in Chicago. But by 1870, the
county's population had increased to 349,000, of
whom 298,000 resided in the city.
"Town Meeting" Outgrown
Thus if Chicago, with a popUlation six times greater
than that of the remainder of the county, were to
be proportionately represented, it either would have
to elect more than 100 supervisors from within its
limits to offset the nearly 30 country township supervisors then in existence, or it would have to reorganize its county governing structure.
So Cook County, bursting at its population seams,
within the span of 20 short years, had outgrown the
New England "town meeting" form of government.
It no longer was comparable, population wise, to any
of the other 101 counties of TIlinois.
Taking advantage of another constitutional revision of 1870, Cook County in 1871 did away with its
strict township form of government, substituting a
new form that embodied certain featUres of both the
township and commission form. The resulting form
was found 80 satisfactory that only minor changes
have been made in it down to the present time.
The new gov~ent retained in name the townships and permjtted 'inose in the county outside of
Chicago to elecf t. complete set of officers, but drastically curtailed their powers. The township officers,
after the change, continued to be supervisor, clerk,
justice of the peace, and treasurer and collector. The
township supervisor, however, ceased representing his
township on the county board, and the collector and
assessor became, in effect, deputies of the county
treasurer and the county assessor, respectively.
The major alteration was the supplanting of Cook
County's board of supervisors with a board of commissioners numbering 15, ten of whose residences
were to be within the city of Chicago, and five from
the remainder of the county. That is the way it is
today. The representation is fair. And if the time
ever comes when there ceases to be a balance, I am
sure corrections will be made.
The Democrats on the county board, at the present
time, are from Chicago, and the Republicans are from
our so-called country townships, which actually are
Chicago's suburbs. Chances are that if you are from
out of Cook County you'll never know, as you drive
along, when yau leave the city and enter the suburb.
AU Commissioners "at Large"
We're trying to say that a commissioner, whether
his constituents live near Chicago's loop, or in
Schaumburg township, ac.tually represents all of Cook
County's residents-in other words, no matter where
a commissioner lives he is really a commissioner at
large for all of the County of Cook.
(Continued on Page 6)

ISTORICAL RECORDS SHOW that just prior to

H
the time Cook County was incorporated on January 15, 1831, our area was part of Putnam County.

But because Putnam Caunty was in its infancy, the

affairs of the Indianinfested portion tbat
la ter was to become
Cook County were being
administered during the
1820's by the elected officials of Peoria County.
There, no doubt, are
some Peoria County officials here today-130
years later, and if you
kind folks from Peoria
still would like to take.
over the problems of
Cook County, I am sure
that Bill Erickson and I
DanIel Ryan
and several other Cook
County commissioners would be delighted to relieve
ourselves of our burdens.
.
Did you ever stop to wonder why it is that Cook
County's form of government is set up differently
from yours? We have neither a commission form,
such as 17 of you have, nor a township form, such
as your remaining 84 counties. We are a hybrid-a
mixture of both, and for a reason.
In 1831, when Cook County was created, a commission form of government was established and three
commissioners were elected from at large to manage
the young county's affairs. The county's population
then numbered about 60.

c'_

Early Settlers Use Influence

Tbat Cook County started with a board of commissioners, rather than a board of towns!lip supervisors, was due to the original state constitution of
1818, which provided that all counties be run by a
board of commissioners. This constitutional provision had been dictated by the early settlers in the
southern portion of the state, most of whom had.
infiltrated into the Illinois Territory from Kentucky,
Tennessee and other southern states where the commission form was popular.
Cook county's population swelled during the 1830's
and 1840's, however, with settlers arriving from the
New England states, where the township form of
government was in fashion. These New Englanders,
or "blue bellied Yankees", as they sometimes were
called, soon set up a cry for the type of local government with which they were familiar. Accordingly, in
1848 they succeeded in amending the state constitu-

,,

$115,960,200 Highway Jobs on '58 List

OOK COUNTY'S 1958 highway program carries a
C
total of $115,960,200 in estimated costs. This sum
is allocated as follows:

Five sections of right-of-way will be acquired for

tbe Southwest Expressway, which branches from the
South Route at about 28th St. and Union Ave. and
follows the old 1. and M. canal. Land for these
sections, which extend {rom Halsted St. to west of
La Crosse Ave" are estimated to cost 53.550,000.
li'irst right-oC-way for lhe Stony Island Exprcssway is to be acquired between 95th St. and 103rd St.,
where it will interchange with the South Route, at
an estimated cost of $400,000.
All of Northwest expressway between O'Hare AU-port and the interchange with Edens Expres."way in
the vicinity of Montrose and Cicero Aves. is planned
to be under contract in 1958. Included in the program are construction of 26 grade separation structures and two bridges over the Des Plaines River
and thf! taking of bids for fabrication of precast, pM'stressc<l concrete girders for eight structures in the
complicated interchange with the U1inois toll rond
system. Total 1958 expenditures on Northwest
Expressway are estimated at 539,610,000.
Work programmed on Northwest and Edens in the
viCinity oC the intercha.nge includes the grade separation over the C&NW tracks and two lighting and t.wo
landscaping projects, at a tolal estimated cost of
S900,000.

For construction and right-of-way acquisitions on

eight expressway routes- $106,929,200.
For 58 projects of improvement and right-of-way
acquisitions on non-expressway streets and roads
in Chicago and throughout the suburban areR~
$7,531,000.
For study. land acquisition and construction of the

",-, mile grid" expressway system----$1,500,OOO.

or the lotal estimated costs, the county will pay
$60,165,420. The county's share of motor fuel ta;'(cs
will provide 513,730,420 and the county's $245,000,000
expressway bond issue of 1955 will provide $46,
435,000. Federal highway aid programs will provide
the remainder, S55,794.780.
The program was submitted to the Board of County
Commissioners by President Daniel Ryan, Commissioner Christ A. Jensen, chairman of tile Road and
Bridge Committee; Commissioner John J. Duffy.
chairman of the Finance Committee, a nd William J .
Mortimer, highway superintendent.

County F; xlHldltes gXllressWa)' Work

"This program is evidence that the county board
inte nds to expedite completion of county sections of
the hasic expr essway system," said President Ryan.
"The total for expressways in 1958 is $3,509,200 more
than was allotted in 1957. The year will see much
activity on the uncompleted sections of Congress
Street. the important South Route and on the North
wcst Expressway section connecting with O'Hare
Airport."
On Congress Street, the program lists 14 projects
in three uncompleted sections under construction by
the county. These are Laramie--Central Aves., DesPlaines-First Aves., and Mannhcim Rd.-Elm St., Hill
side. The total estimated cost of the Congress St.
1958 work is $8,555,200.
On the Soulh Route between 67th St., where it
interchanges with Calumet Skyway, and llOth SL.
and Doty Ave., 57 projects are listed at a tolal esli
mated cost of $44,232.000. These include 21 grade
separation structures, 13 right-of-way acquisitions,
12 building demolition jobs, five grading contracts,
three main drain sections, two sections of main drain
with pumping stations and one other pumping station.
The West Leg of the South Route, which branches
off in the vicinity of 95th St., will be advanced witb
acqu.i sition of right-of-way between Wentworth Ave.
and a point just east of Cicero Ave., estimated to
cost S3.OOO,000,
Lighi$ On Calumet~Kin ge r)'
Also in t he south part of the county, Calumet Expressway between 130th St. and the Kingery Expressway interchange at 167tb St. will be improved with
installation of a lighting system. Kingery will be
lighted between the interchange and the [Odiana line.
Estimated cost of lighting both expressways is $1,120.000. The program also provides $637,000 to
acquire right-of-way to complete the 159tb St. interchange on Calumet.

List Job!l Throughout, Cou nty

Among the larger non-expressway projects on lhe
program are the widening and resurfacing of Wolf
Rd. hc.tween North and Grand Aves. , reconstruction
of South Park Ave. between Dixie Highway a nd 159tb
SL. including the bridge in Homewood over the Galllmet Drainage Canal; reSUrfacing Dempster Sl. between McCormick Rd. and Ridge Ave. , Evanston;
widening and resurfacing the Chicago-Elgin Rd. between the Elgin limits and the Du Page county line.
and widening and resurfacing Central-Carpenter Rd.
between Devon and Mulford Aves.
Improvements programmed for Ch.icago include installation of medium strips and turn channels on
Western Ave. between 79th St. and Devon Ave. a nd
on Ashland A ve_ between Irving Park Road and
Devon Ave.
The complete list of non-expressway projects on
the 1958 program, with the estimated cost of each,
follows:
Ked:.:le A'e. belw~n the Rock bland railroad and sag
Channel, Btorm "ewer and culvert.. $100.000.
central Rd. \)(!twcen ArUnJ;:ton Iielghu and NOrthwest
Hwy wldenln! to 24 reet and relurracIng, $62,000,
W01r Rd" I (lOHcv.... lt Road to Harrlaon Street. widening to
tou r laneR and J"eBurlaclng $95,000.
EMt JoRke A,'e., Waukegan Rd. to Eden. ~1"'e.uwlI)'.
widenIng 10 tour lnnl'!i ami t"elllurtllclng. $75,000.
Dundee Rd., Skokie River to HOhltelder Rd~ widening 10
four Innes and re&urtr\(~l ng , 311)0,000.
South Park Ave.\ Oble Uwy. to 1591h St:l.. reconstructIon
and pavIng, four anu, curb and guUU, .-.90.000; bridge
In Homl!wood, $150.000.
Cenlral-cnrpl!nter ltd" De"on to Mulford Ave ., whlenlng
to rour \nnu curb and guller, relurtaclng. $325,000.
Joe Orr Rd., Halsled to Slale SU.. brldge ano1 grade separation $600.000: twolane- pavement. $180.000.
Glenview Rd. and Cruwrord Avc . Hibbard Rd. to Crawtord
Ave" and Glen"lcw Rd. to Wilmette Avc" two-Jane con
nru cUon. $120.000.
Fullerton Ave . ~st Ave. to 78th Ave .. tour-lane C(Jnstruction.
$UO.OOO: 78th A'I!. to Harlem Ave., resurraclng ~OOO.
We.tern A,e .. 79th St. to De"on Ave., ChlcIIXO, m!;han slrlp,
$340,000.
State SL, Stej:l('r Rd. to Suuk TrlLll. two-Inne cons truction ,
$120,000,

WOlf Rd .. Ol:!den A,"!. to R0(I5llveit

two-lane wldtli, $l26,OOO.

Rd~

,vldenlng

to standard

How Traffic W ill Move on South Route " Legs"

--

--

JUtt South of S5th Street, the S outh Rou te Expre"way Will Div ide Into the Ent Leg , Which Will Connect w ith
Calumet. Klngery Exprenway, and the Weat Leg , Which Will Co ntinue Wut and Southwell t o the South Line
of Cook County. The I"terch,""e Will Permit Sout hbo und Traffic: to Enter Either Leg and Triilffic From the
South to ContInue North or Into the OpPolite Leg. Three Streets -Wentworth Avenue, State Street, and Mleh.
ill"" Avenue-Will Cro the Interchan ge on Over p .. nel and each W ill Have Connec t io n. with the Exp..e"way.
AI Ind icated on the Sket ch, Med l;ln Strip. In the Malin Ro ute a nd Both Leg. Ol'e DeIJlgned for eTA Track .
Wolf Rd.. BUUt',nc!d to St. Chllrle. Rds., wideni ng t o
lnmlrlrd two-IanI' "lllth. $29.()(M)
Vermont St., Dlyl.I,," W lZilh St. wIdenIng lei lourlanes
and r"",ur (aelng, $.'104.000.
2!ith Aye.. oyer lHB tl'lleks, grad!' IIeJlllralion, $500.000.
Chlrago Rd'\'h,Marlun to 159111 SU., widening to lltandard
two lane wldt
174.000; IMith to lMlh SU~ four lane rl!.-ul"faclnlf. 122,
.
Lincoln Aye. at Addllon 51 .. fl'llde 1I!P!ll'lllion lit CltSW
Uat"u. $00,000 (l9/J8 appM)prlatlon .
Collage Grove Ave. at dralna,e dlteh 1.000 rt north of
163n.J Sl. eulnn, S40,OOO.
Gardner It!!. at AddlllOn C're<-k. brlflae '140,00(1.
Central, Rldlfelnnd and Oak I'lirk Avell. iiI L1ike St.. CTA
grllde 8ennrntlons" 1100,000 (1!l58 apilroprhlllon)
Wolt fid .. Nartn t o Gr and Aves., widenIng t Q (OUf/Mell.
relur(al'lng a nd ehanneU:dng. M(lI').OOO
Central St.. Lincolnwood Ave. to C;re<-nbay Rd., fourlane

Hartl.so n St . north service drive CO njl'~~u St. EX pre.uway,

19th to 1~ 1 A\'CII., tour.lane reNur rac\ng. ~.ooo .
Shermt'r ltd .. Waukegan to Dundee Rd ~. widenI ng to ~I
tt~ reJurtat'lnlll.nd reeonllnlt'lln! brIdge, 130,000.
Chku~IIf:lli:ln
Ittl .. Elgin 11m til t o DuPage cou nt y line.
wldenlnlr to 2-1 tt. and ~Jurraelnr, $330,000.
Devon Ave.. ROle to CUmberland Aves., tourlane rt'-+
surfacing. SM.OOO: Talcott to Confteld Rds., tour lane re+
~urraclnr, 131,000.
Dt.-tI PlaIne. Ave .. 16th !:::t. t o )too$(!velt Rd~ w\Ilc nlng to
fourlanu. ~surllleing and ~oonltructlon, SUs.ooo.
Talroll Hd~ Touhy 10 western Aves., widening to tourlane.
and re.urt/ulng, $160.000.
Rieg el nrl. III hllfh. ~<!hOOI . ChlclIgo HelghU, pedestrhin un
derpan, $37,000.
We.tern Ave., 13SnI ~t. a nll R()f'k liland f ilII road) brId ge
IlIld grlllh- IlC'paraUon, $100,000 (191:18 appropriatIon: totil.!

St.. McConnkk Blvd. to Ridge .I\\e., rourlnne

11172.000
Rd.",,-,;olf Rd. 10 NQrthwest Hwy.. fourlane

brid,e over North Shon! Channel. Il200,000

Ave~ Oakton to Elm Stl~ twolane OOnSlnlctlon,
181.000.
Wolf Rd. It W('ller"1l dlttch. eul\,ert and approaehel, $60,000
Qontl'lll A\'e., 69lh St. tQ Areher A\e. widening to rourlanel!,
f(!"urtaelng and median strip, s:l78,OOO.
Ashlnnd Ave .. I r\' lng _Park Rd . to Devon Ave., medIan IItri p
and ehannelJl n R. $90,000.
Railroad rrade eroDi ng proteeUon at varloll. loeaUons,
'100,000.

cOS I.

"-"urtadng. 3M.000.
Ikmplter
rellurfaclng,
Elmhurst
fellurlaclng,
Clem'lew

In.~)O,OOO,
St~

Emerson

Lehlllh

~"'/l.I.

Rd .. 1.l nmln St, to Waukc!llIn Rd .. four-lane reo

aurtaelng, &12.000.

Lincoln An'. , Nllel Center Rd to Howard St .. fourlant'

rt'!Iurfal'lnll', $33.000.
De\'o n Av('" nt. ~ to ArHnaton Iiclghh, twO lane re o
l urfac1nl, $30,000.

Old,

County 127 Years

(Continued from Page 3)
Cook County's population growth, as you know, is
absolutely fantastic. The 1950 census showed us to
have a population of 4,508,792, which exceeds that of
all the rest of the state combined. What Cook Coun
ty's population will be by 1960 seems to be anybody's
guess-possibly five and one-balf millions, or maybe
even more.
Within the foreseeable future all of Cook County's
956 square miles of land will be built up solidly, save
for our 45,000 acres of forest preserves, for which we
can be thankful. The days of Cook County's dairy
farmers and truck gardeners are numbered. Here I
could add the hope that the staggering population
growth does not engulf and usurp all of the rich farm
lands of your counties and the rest of the middle
west, else our descendants may have little to eat.
Unable to stem the inevitable growth, our Cook
County board at the present time is rezoning all unincorporated county lands, hoping to bring about a
sensible building development that will benefit all
In the same breath with which we might point with
pride to the size of Cook County's population, let us
add tnat the situation sometimes scares those of Us
who are charged with governmental responsibility.
Many of you from other Illinois cities will know, first
hand, something of which I speak, although we hope
your problems are not as great as ours in Cook
County.
Newcomers Bring Problems
The populations of our larger cities in the northern
states are growing by leaps and bounds, not only
from increased births, but also from the influx of
literally hordes of persons from the southern states.
The preponderance of these newly-arrived southerners
are Negroes, although a goodly segment are underpriviledged white people, and a substantial number are
Latin-Americans, including Puerto Ricans. Many of
these people arrive with insufficient funds, have not
yet adjusted themselves economically, and above all,
are pregnant!
What can we do about it? The law makes it clear.
The county must care for them while they are in want.
During the past year, County Hospital has cared
for 96,971 bed patients. An additional 156,934, though
not admitt'ed as bed Patients, were treated at County
Hospital, and 67,977, representing 202,525 patient
visits, were cared for at the county's outpatient clinic.
Thus in 1957 Cook County, principally at the expense of the taxpayers, treated a grand total of
321,882 sick persons at County Hospital and its outpatient clinic. This is more people than the combined
populations of the entire cities of Peoria, Rockford
and Evanston.
Nor does this include the 2,600 long-term patients
we now care for at our Oak Forest Hospital. As you
may know, our poor farm no longer is in existence,
having been licensed by the state in 1956 as chronic
disease and tuberculosis hOSpitals.
During the past year, more than 12,000 major
operations have been performed, and approximately
18,000 babies delivered at County hospital. Of these
new babies, some 90 per cent were born to Negro
mothers. The percentage of other Negro patients at
the hospital was 56.

Still Booming

To focus upon a point, these 18,000 babies exceeded

the population of anyone of the following TIIinois
cities: Cairo, Centralia, DeKalb, East Moline, Lombard, Mount Vernon, Ottawa, Streator and Wheaton.
More People, Greater Needs
There are dozens of ways in which fast-expanding
populations create major problems for all of us. Cook
County badly needs additional hospital facilities, a
new court house to augment the present one, and
above all, additional funds for our corporate or
"housekeeping" budget.
Thanks to federal aid and proceeds from Cook
County's portion of the state gasoline tax, our county
highway building program is proceeding satisfactorily. In 1958 the Cook County board will spend about
$116 million for road building and repairs. Of this
amount, some $106 million will be used for our great
superhighways leading into the heart of Chicago.
These include the Congress street, Southwest and
South route expressways. Good roads, whether they
lead to Cairo, Rock Island, or Waukegan, help all
of us.
You and I are banded together in our Illinois Association of County Officials because we have mutual
interests. That means that we are and can be of
help to one another in many ways.
There is one thing that too often occurs in our
state legislature, especially in the closing hours of a
session when bills, bearing last-minute charges, are
jammed through without our having a chance to
analyze the far-reaching effects of the amendments.
A prime example of what I am talking about is the
recently enacted law (House Bill. 472) that compels
us in Cook County to place 17-year-old boys, who
are charged with serious crimes, in our juvenile home
instead of the county jail, and try them in Family
Court, instead of Boys' Court.
Such a law may be tbe proper tbing for your
county, due to different conditions, and if it is what
you want, you should have it, but this is what
happened to us:
It forced us to take these tough "hoods," numbering 200 per month, out of our county jail and place
them in the Arthur J. Audy Home for Children, where
they mingle with younger boys of 14, 15 and 16 who
are awaiting trial for lesser offenses. These older
offenders are tried in over-crowded Family Court and
their large numbers become an additional load on our
already overworked probation officers.
The entire setup is unwholesome and is costing the
county some $7,000 per month more than otherwise
would be necessary.
That is why, at the next legislature session, we
are going to try to have Cook County exempted
from this law that does not work properly in our
huge metropolis.
In correcting such mistakes, some of you may be
in a position to help us, and I know that we on the
Cook County board, including our legislative Committee chairman, Commissioner Bill Erickson, will be
only too glad to cooperate with you in your legisla.tive
p!oblems.

,>,-

--.-::

, .-,,i

Traffic Deaths Cut 14 Per Cent

The total of fatalities through December 31 was 198
as compared with 232 in 1956. It compared with
other yearly totals since organization of the Cook
County Traffic Safety Commission in 1946 as follows:

1949~159

1951--181
1952-216
1953--223
1954--197

1950--203

1955~199

In view of the heavier volumes of traffic on

'57

careened across the median strip and struck a northbound car headon, killing three of its passengers.
Another driver lost control, the car overturned and
one of the two passengers was killed. A man driver
was killed when his car struck a concrete railing. The
sixth death was that of a pedestrian.
The low fatality scores on the expressways appear
more impressive when related to the traffic volumes.
In the table below, the rate of fatalities per 100 million miles of vehicle travel is shown for each expressway for 1957. By comparison, the nationwide rate for
1956 (the latest compiled by the National Safety
Council) was 6.3.

s MEASURED BY the death toll, highway traffic

A
safety in suburban Cook County improved last
year over 1956 by 14.65 per cent.

1946--192
1947--191
194&---192

sub~

Expressway

urban highways and streets resulting from growth

in population and the daily travel of workers to and
from newly located industrial plants in outlying areas,
the 1957 improvement was probably greater than the
bare total of deaths indicates.
Some of the better showing can be attributed to the
expressways, which attract travel from older parallel
routes on which intersections at grade, lack of directional separation of lanes and marginal interference
make driving hazardous. The 1957 record on the
expressways was good.
The first death on Congress Street between the
Loop and Laramie Avenue occurred in October, 15
months after that portion of the expressway was
opened to travel. On October 26, -a car running west
in the inside lane struck the median strip guard rail
100 yards east of Laramie Avenue; bounced across
the two other lanes and up the embankment, stopping 180 feet from the point of impact. The driver,
who was alone in the car, was taken by fire department ambulance to Loretto Hospital, where he died
five days later of severe head injuries.
Edens Expressway had one death, that of a truck
driver who attempted to fix a tire while his truck
stood partly on the pavement. He was struck by the
fender of another truck.
One accident caused by a car out of control caused
three of the six deaths during the year on Calumet
Expressway. In the triple fatality, a southbound car

IAlngth

VM'r

(miles) (millions)

Edens
13.3
Congress Street {east and 8.79
west sections)
Calumet-Kingery
15,2

227
193

lIl3

Fatali_ Fa.tality
ties
Bate
1
0.44

-1".
6

-~

5.8.'1

"The evidence that expressways afford a higher

degree of safety as well as convenience and time
saving is gratifying," said County Board President
Daniel Ryan, who is president of the Safety Commission.
"The year's improvement in driving throughout the
suburban area is also greatly to the credit of agencies
and individuals who are actively promoting highway
safety the year around. These include the 66 local
safety councils cooperating with the Cook County
Traffic Safety Commission and the mayors, village
presidents, police chiefs and magistrates of the suburbs. They repeat over and again the message that
safety is every driver's responsibility.
"The 1957 record is proof that careful driving pays
off in lives saved. Somewhere in Cook County are 34
persons who would have died had the 1956 fatality
rate continued. I earnestly hope that 1958 will be
an even better year and I ask the cooperation of
every driver to that end."
The final month of 1957 saw 20 fatalities, three
fewer than in December, 1956. Six of the dead were
pedestrians, 10 were killed in collisions, two when a
car struck a tree, one when his car was hit by a
train and one when his car overturned.

Fabrication and delivery of prestressed concrete

girders for grade separations at Natoma and Sayre
Avenues and East River Road-Material Service
Corp., $280,264.91.
Fabrication and delivery of prestressed concrete
girders for grade separation at Harlem, Oriole, Canfield and Cumberland Avenues-Material Service
Corp., $483,129.88.
On Congress Street, contracts were awarded as
follows:
Storm Sewer from Des Plaines River to Circle
A venue----Cassidy Construction Co., $584,800.
Relocation of Broadview-Westchester water main
between Fir:st and Des Plaines Avenues-J. M. D.
Sewer Construction Co., $65,545.45.

7 Expressway Contracts
EVEN CONTRACTS for expressway work and
S
structural materials were awarded by the Board
of Commissioners January 7-five on Northwest Ex-

'I~'"'-'"
~ "

r:'-

pressway and two on Congress Street.

Awards on Northwest Expressway, with the low
bidder for each, were:
Main drain between Foster and Sunnyside Avenues-S. A. Healy & Co., $1,593,080.
Main drain between Nashville and Foster AvenuesPaschen Contractors Inc., $1,009,760.
Fabrication and delivery of prestressed concrete
girders .for pedestrian bridge at Austin Avenue and
grade separation at Nagle Avenue-Material Service
Corp., $136,014.40.

,~

~,

['

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

The Morning After the Snow Fall-Bode Road In Schaumburg Township (See Page 6).

..'';-,0

Vol. V No. IX

FEBRUARY, 1958

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook County (DI.) Department of HighwaY8
Under auspices of the Board of County Commissioners
DANIEL RYAN, President
James F. Ashenden
Frank Bobrybke
Charles F. Chal3lin
Elizabeth A. Conkey
Jerry Dolezal
John J. Duffy
Arthur X. Elrod

William N. Erickson

Fred A. Fulle
Christ A. Jensen

John A. Mackler, Jr.

Daniel Ryan
Clayton F. Smith

Edward M. Sneed
John J. Touhy

William J, Mortimer
Superintendent 01 Highways

Published at 130 North Wells Street, Chicago 6.

FRanklin 2-7544

Extension 216

~365

January Building Permits

Boob

0/

the Month

ERMITS ISSUED in January by the Cook County

Building and Zoning Bureau for building construcP
tion and related work totaled 195 and represented an
estimated total valuation of $2,876,000. In addition,
seven permits of a total valuation of $1,352,700, were
issued in the no-fee classification, which includes
.schools, churches and fann buildings.
Sixty-eight permits, total valuation $1,195,700, were
issued for residences with sanitary sewer connections
and 43 permits, total valuation $889,500, for residences with septic systems. In other classifications,
the January permits were issued as follows:
Residential additions and alterations, 33 permits,
$137,400; accessory buildings, 27 permits, $65,100;
business buildings, five pennits, $339,700; business
building additions and alterations, two permits, $135,000; industrial building additions and alterations, two
permits, $98,300; wells, five permits, $5,000; septic
systems, two permits, $1,000; moving buildings, two
permits, $5,500; miscellaneous, six permits, $4,500.
By townships the January permits were issued as
follows:
Township
Barrington
Bloom
Bremen
Elk Grove
Hanover
Lemont
Leyden
L;'ons
Maine

Northllelrl
Norwood Park
Orland
Palatine
Palos
PrOviSO
Rleh
Schaumburg
Stickney
Thornton
Wheeling
Worth

Pennits

,,
,
2
3

,~
'-"/",';1

WRAP-AROUND visibility emanating

ALLfromTHAT
Detroit these days hasn't done too much for

Pete the Peeper.

He still goes through the winter with a peep hole
on the windshield and a deposit of rime on the rear
window.
Out in traffic, Pete lets other drivers take the
responsibility.
Why not? They can see and he can't.

Value
$ 35,800
114,000
19,200
34,100
4,200

',000
H

""

"5
,8,
2

,
3

44
2

20

"

116,350
165,100
474,650
227,300

January Traffic Deaths

Highway safety in suburban Cook County started
the new year in encouraging fashion. The January
death toll----eight-was the same as in January, 1957,
and last year ended with a 12-month total 14.65 per
cent under that of 1956.
Three of the January victims were killed in collisions between automobiles and two in auto-truck
collisions. One was killed when a car was struck by
a train, one when a car left the pavement and hit
a tree and one when a car hit a viaduct.
In January, 1957, two of the eight dead were pedestrians. Last month there were no pedestrians among
the victims.

"",900
13,200
114,900
77,100
125,000
13,200
87,200
_3<JO
31,100
357,100
178,000

The no-fee permits issued were: Lyons Township,

three, total valuation, $28,000; Lemont Township,
one, $456,000; Maine, one, $450,000; Norwood Park,
one, $65,000; Orland, one, $53,700.

'1

,,,1
:i

r
I

Ryan Plan to Maintain Expressway Work

This Location Map of Congress Street Expressway Through the Consumers Company Quarry was Prepare~ for
Courtroom Use and at the Request of the Lawyers was Headed South Instead of North. The Westward Contl,",!ation of the Expressway From Its Temporary End at Man,nheim Road Is, Therefore, to the Right. Ground needed
for Right_af_Way Is Shown El'lclosed By the Quarry Property Limits and the Two Lines Marked R. O. W. Parallel to the Frontage Roads. Also Shown Is the Bridge to Carry the C. A. &. E. Railroad Over the Expressway.

President Ryan's plan is to use the 1955 bonds to

finance the County's share of construction until federal money is again available in adequate amount.
By using proceeds of the bond issue, the County would
be able to forego its share of federal funds now on
hand, which would leave the State and City enough
to maintain their schedules on the expressways. The
County would be repaid from future federal ailocations.
"I shall urge the County Board to approve this plan
because 1 believe it urgent that we improve our urban
transportation facilities and at this time it is especially important to maintain our level of employment,"
said President Ryan. "I make only one stipulation.
The State must not use this as an excuse to withhold
the County's share of federal money when it again
becomes available."
The bond issue originally totaled $245 million.
Bonds in the amount of $40 million have been sold

By Hugo J. Stark
Chief 5ngineer
Cook County Highway Department

OOK COUNTY'S 1955 expressway bond issue would

C
serve, under a plan proposed by County Board
President Daniel Ryan; to keep construction going

on Congress Street, Northwest and South Route Expressways during a temporary shortage of federal
aid funds,
As parts of the interstate highway system, the
expressways qualify for federal aid in the amount of
90 per cent of the cost. At present, however, federal
money available is not sufficient to continue work on
all three routes, and the next allocation from Washington is not due until December. In the meantime,
the State of Illinois and the City of Chicago-joint
participants with the Bureau of Public Roads and
Cook County in the expressway program~are without funds of their own to make up the deficiency in
federal aid.

(Continued on Page 7)

New Median Divider Saves Time and Cost

"""'t '
I'

----

--

1-

:"17 :

...
.-

..-

..-

.1
Median Divider and Left.Tu!'"n Bays Formed With Circular Domed Castings.

At the Forward End of Each Bay

is a Concrete Island Five Inches In Height, the Width of the Median Strip and 20 Feet in Length for Accommodation of Pedestrians. Each Island Also Serves as a Barrier to the Opposing Bay. Cars Entering the Bay Are
Thus Required to Make a Left Turn and Prevented from Usi,ng the Bay to Make a Quick Takeoff Straight Down
the Street. As Shown, the Bays Vary in Length Accol'ding to Left Turn Frequency at a Particular Point.

concrete will be installed this year by the Cook County

Highway Department on two of Chicago's busiest
streets-Western and Ashland Avenues. A test in
stallation was made last autumn on Western between
Roscoe and Grace Streets. With minor revisions, it
functioned successfully, and as a result Western Av
enue will be given the new treatment between 79th

Two new methods of marking the center

of the road have been tested by the Cook
County Highway Department and approved
for further use.
One is a low cost, permanent median strip

for multi-line streets of high traffic volume.

The other is a striping material more dur
able than paint. It is being used instead of
paint on streets where a center line on the
pavement is adequate as a guide.
Advantages of the two new ideas are discussed on this page and the opposite page.

(Continued on Page 6)

By William J. Mortimer
Superintendent of Highways
Cook County

permanent median dividers and

leftturn bays on major streets has become well
T
recognized in recent years, and such improvements,
HE NEED FOR

where installed, have proved their value in smoother

traffic flow and lower accident rates.
On most local streets and country roads, a painted
center stripe is sufficient to keep opposing traffic safely
in the proper lanes. As traffic has increased on major,
multi-lane streets, however it has become apparent
that something more positive than a painted line is
necessary to hold streams of traffic well apart in the
center of the road and also to prevent dangerous U
turns and to guide drivers into protected position for
turning left.
In the last several years a number of important
Chicago streets have been channeliZed with median
strips and turn bays of concrete. While details of
design and construction vary, the principle is the
same-a raised median divider that curves near an
intersection to fonn a recess one lane in width where
cars intending to turn left may stand out of the
current of traffic. Some of these improvements have
been done by the City of Chicago and some by Cook
County.
New System Saves Time, Money

Andrew V. Plummer, Assistant to the -Superintendent,

Cook County Highway Department, Displays One of
the Di.c. Fitted With Reflector Tube and Button .

A new system of street channeling that can be put

in place at less cost and in less time than continuous

4
-

',:'

,,; - '
"";",.f'.>i..:

Center Stripe Made Brighter and Safer

By Andrew V. Plummer
Assistant to the Superintendent
Cook County Highway Department

I""\NE OF THE flUldamentals of highway safetyV the stripe down the center of the pavement-is
also one of the most persistent problems of highway
maintenance, Painted lines deteriorate rather rapidly
under traffic and weather. Where wear is heavy, in
fact, it is necessary to paint two or three times a
year, a matter of inconvenience to motorists as well
as an item of cost.
In 1956 this department made an experimental
application of a new product called PermaLine. The
manufacturer (Vean Ch,mical Corporation) asserted
it would last in good condition six to eight times as
long as paint, that it had superior qualities of visibility and would save time in application. In the

1956 test program, 3,725 linear feet of center stripe

was put down. With Perma-Line, the stripe was dry
and ready for traffic in about 15 minutes and it remained bright and distinct, both white and yellow,
through all seasons of the year.
On the basis of this trial, all of the resurfacing
jobs done by the County in 1957 were striped with
Penna-Line. The surfacing material is bituminous,
popularly known as "black top." In wet weather
ordinary striping on "black top" is difficult to see.
Penna-Line overcomes this objection satisfactorily.
Altogether, the Perma-Line striping done in 1957
amounted to 48,350 linear feet of white center line
and 79,425 linear feet of yellow center line. The
work was done on a contract that guarantees definite
performance. Further applications are planned this
season.
Center striping has been standard on American
highways almost from the beginning of the automobile era, and motorists have come to rely on this
universal safety measure so much that a dim stripe
or lack of marking constitutes a hazard. In Cook
County the striping of roads under county maintenance has always been an important item in the year's
upkeep program. In an average work season, this
department, using its own crews and equipment,
paints more than 500 miles of center stripe.
Painting, of course, must be done when the weather
is favorable, which in this climate means a short
work season. As a consequence, stripes that have deteriorated during the winter remain in bad, dangerous
condition through the spring. The use of Perma-Line
assures a visible stripe the year around.
The Penna-Line striping done by the County thus
far has been on routes of relatively heavy travel,
where painted stripes had required frequent renewing.
Use of the new material, in addition to providing a
more satisfactory stripe, will eliminate much of the
inconvenience to motorists caused by painters at
work. At the same time, the crews will be free to do
more work on less important routes where paint
continues to be used.
Besides long wear, other qualities claimed for
Perma-Line are speed of application and brilliant
appearance.
The material, which is a mixture composed of a
binder of various resins and an aggregate (white

Perma.Line prepared on the job and spread with

oneman applicator.

sand) comes to the job in 25-pound cakes and is

prepared in a kettle carried in a truck. The compound, in fluid state, is laid at 385 to 430 degrees F.
by means of a lightweight applicator heated by propane gas and operated by one man. It is dry to the
touch in six minutes and in 15 minutes the street
being striped can be opened to traffic.
Penna-Line is available in white and yellow, and
both colors resist fading. The white, in fact, becomes
whiter because the compound has the quality of
bleaching in the sun.

1957 Vehicle Safety Check

One out of every five vehicles safety-checked during the 1957 National Vehicle Safety-Check program
was found in need of maintenance attention for safe
driving. An all-time high of more than 2,600,00() cars
and trucks is included in the report of vehicle checks
made at community safety-check lanes and in dealer
service departments during the most intensive voluntary safety-check program ever conducted.
For the third consecutive year, rear lights led the
list of 10 items checked and found most frequently in
need of immediate service attention. Brakes, front
lights, exhaust systems, and tires were the next items
most frequently found inadequate for safe driving.
Other items of the voluntary 10-point safety-check
were steering, windshield wipers, glass, horn, and
rear-view mirror.-Inter-Industry Highway Safety
Committee (1200 18th St., N. W., Washington 6,
D. C.), News Bulletin No. 57.

~I

January Snow, Wind Make Quite a Chore

By Paul G. Robinson

New Median Divider - --

Assistant County Highway Engineer

(Continued from Page 4)

Street and Devon A venue, a distance of 17 miles, and
Ashland between Irving Park Boulevard and Devon,
a distance of three miles.
The basic unit of this system is a circular, domed
disc, 14% inches in diameter, 3% inches in height
and approximately 20 pounds in Weight. The discs,
which were developed by the Riner Corporation (8
South Michigan Avenue), may be placed in any desired
pattern. They are bonded to the pavement with a
special adhesive, which is mixed on the job and applied as needed. Curing time varies from two to four
hours, depending on the air temperature. Once cured,
the pavement ruptures before the bond breaks
Construction Delays Shortened
The disc system eliminates the costly construction
of concrete median strips, bays and safety islands and
supplants striping, saving the costs of restriping.
Citizens accustomed to streets torn up and restricted to one-lane traffic during the long period of
concrete channeling will readily appreciate the simplicity of the disc system. There is no need to break
up the pavement or to resurface after the job is done.
The castings go into place as fast as a man can set
them on the pavement and a fellow workman apply
the adhesive. Even concrete islands at intersections
are held down with adhesive, a further saving in
money and construction time.
The test installation on Western Avenue between
Roscoe and Grace was placed by a six-man crew from
the Highway Department's sign shop. Discs were
positioned from a working plan giving distances from
the curb and were outlined on the pavement with
chalk. The adhesive was brought to the job in the
factory container and stirred with an electric drill
paddle attachment. At 60 degrees air temperature or
warmer, no heating is required. The adhesive was
spread on the pavement in the chalked outline and
the discs placed on it and settled with a hand turning
motion.
On the basis of the test it is estimated that installation cost of the disc divider is about one-fourth
that of continuous concrete.
Visible At All Times
The markers are conspicuous day and night, summer and winter. They are painted highway yellow
and at intervals-about every fifth or sixth disc-a
reflector button is added to enhance nighttime visibility. If a motorist should fail to see the markers
and stray onto them, the raised grid surface will set
up a rumble and a jiggle sufficient to warn him
without damaging the car.
A special device for winter is a flexible rubber tube
18 inches in height that fits into the center of a disc.
At the top of the tube is a band of reflective material.
When there is an accumulation of snow, the tubes
will outline the channel, guiding snow plows as well
as regular traffic.
On Western and Ashland Avenues, discs forming
the sides of the median strip will be placed 10 feet
apart, center to center. The strip will vary in width
according to width of pavement. Where the street is
(Continued on Next Page)

ECEMBER WAS a mild month. The first heavy

snowfall was on the 31st, and this was followed
by storms on January 21 and 26. All tl;tis snow remained late in February. Continued cold had prevented any serious thawing.

High winds which accompanied and followed the

January snow caused serious drifting, which continued for a week or 10 days after the snow stopped.
Northwest and southwest winds blocked both northsouth and east-west roadS. Wind switches made it
necessary to blow drifts on one side on one day and
on the opposite side the next day.

The storm on Sunday, January 26, was wet and

sloppy, and the prediction was for a heavy freeze to
follow. It was necessary to work fast to clear the
roads before freezing could cause icy ruts. This was
accomplished with the cooperation of all maintenance
division personnel.
Sixty-three trucks and 10 power graders operated
over the county's five maintenance districts, covering
650 miles of asphalt and stone and 25 miles of concrete pavement. The trucks were equipped with cinder
spreaders, straight plows or V type plows, as found
necessary. Forty-five of these trucks are equipped
with two-way radios.
Approximately 15,000 cubic yards of cinders and
750 tons of salt will be used for ice control during

this period. The material is spread when necessary

on hills, intersections and roads with he:lvy traffic
after plowing operations or following freezing rain
or hail.
Cook County roads have at least 500 cars in a 12hour period. People have to drive to work or to a
railroad station from where they can proceed further,
and exacting cooperation by governmental bodies is
necessary to protect heavy traffic.
Charitable calls due to sickness or death are numerous. Children must get to school, and we must be
as helpful as possible.
Our forces have much trouble with icy conditions
and drifting snow. We spend two-thirds of our time
either fighting ice or attempting to remove snow
away from the roadways to make room for the next
snowfall.
Motorists can help the snow plow crew in two
ways. Parked cars are a nuisance that is especially
noticeable in small villages and communities. When
a snow storm is anticipated, cars should be removed
from the through routes.
When private vehicles, cars or trucks, meet snow
plowing trucks, every consideration should be given
the plow truck. The drivers on these trucks work
12 hours a day for several days at a stretch. They
must proceed at the rate of 20 to 25 miles an hour
to remove snow.
It's a good rule not to try to pass a plow truck.
Tbe driVer must keep his eyes on the road, and cars
that get in his way are likely to calUle accidents.

1
j

,
I
I

I
I

Ryan Expressway plan '- --

Nicholas Virgilio

(Continued from Page 3)

and the proceeds applied to costs of the Northwest

Expressway section connecting with O'Hare Airport,
which is being constructed by the County with 50
per cent of costs provided by the federal government.
Progress on Congress Street
First bids for construction of Congress Street
through the Consumers quarry at Mannheim Road
will he received by the County Board March 11. Work
on this section is to be pushed even though final settlement of the County's right-of-way condemnation suit
still is pending.
A Superior Court Jury before Judge Donald S. McKinley awarded the company $625,000 in January.
Dissatisfied with the figure, the company gave notice
it would seek a new hearing. Since the only point at
issue is the amount to be paid, the County deposited
the amount of the jury's judgment and thus was free
to start construction without further loss of time.
Bids to be taken March 11 will be for grading and
paving between Mannheim Road and Elm Street, Hill~
side, and for a bridge to carry the Chicago, Aurora
& Elgin Railroad's quarry spur over the expressway
(see map above). Bids were received February 9 for
grading and paving between Elm Street and Howard
Street, Hillside.
The March 11 advertising also includes the bridge
to carry Congress Street over the Des Plaines river
and the relocation of the nearby CA&E RR bridge
over the river.
Other Bids To Be Taken
At the same time bids win be taken for two non
expressway improvements-the widening to 24 feet
and resurfacing of Wolf Road between Ogden Avenue
and Roosevelt Road and the paving of State Street
between Steger Road and Sauk Trail. The improvement will be portland cement concrete 22 feet in width.

Nicholas Virgilio, an engineer for the Cook County

Highway Department 20 years, died January 30 after
an illness of two days.
He joined the department in 1939. In the latter
part of 1945 he was placed in charge of the Soils Division, which he developed by his research and planning. Subsequently, he also headed the Eatimating
and Landscaping Divisions and acted as co-ordinator
between the Department and the Illinois Toll Highway
Commission.

Mr. Virgilio was born in Chicago February 1, 1914.

He was a graduate of Armour Institute of Technology
and a member of Chi Epsilon, honorary civil engineering SOciety. He was a member of the Illinois SOCiety
of Professional Engineers and an associate member
of the Highway Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council. During
World War II he served as a project engineer for
Consoer Townsend & Associates in defense work.
Mr. Virgilio is survived by his mother; his widow,
Lucille; a daughter, Domencia; two sons, Alphonse
and Louis, and a brother, Louis.

New Median Divider - -(Continued from Page 6)

55 feet curb to curb, the strip will be three feet. and
where the street is 70 feet, the strip will be four feet.
At intersections, a concrete island five inches in
height and the width of the median strip will extend
20 feet back from the cross walk line. This will serve
two purposes. It win be a haven for pedestrians and
also will prevent cars in the opposing left-turn bay
from making any maneuver but a left turn.
Left Turn Made Positive
It has been found by experience that left-turn lanes
or bays from which a car may continue straight
across the intersection have been misused by drivers
seekiD& an advantage. They contrive to get a fast
start, but while awaiting their go signal. they dam
the left-turn facility. When each left-turn position is
opposed by a concrete island, as in the design for
Western and Ashland Avenues, cars entering the bays
will be compelled to complete the left-turn movement.
Each intersection on Western aod Ashland has been
surveyed by County traffic engineers 'and will be
treated according to voltune counts and the frequency
of left turns tallied. Where the proportion of left
turns is high, as in the case with southbound Western
Avenue traffic turning east into Addison Street to

reach Lake Shore Drive, the left turn baya will be

150 feet in length. Where feWer turns are made and
the need for "storage" is less, the bays will be 85 feet.
At some intersections, a left turn will be permitted
in only one direction and at still others there will
be no left turn. In each instance where a left turn is
denied, it has been found that few cars make the
movement and those who desire to do so can be
accommodated at the next intersection. a block away.

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook County (Ill.) Department of Hilrhways
Under auspices of the Board of County Commissioners
DANIEL RYAN, President
James F. Ashenden

William N. Erickson

Fred A. Fulle

Frank Bobrytzke
Charles F. Chaplin

Christ A. Jensen
John A. Mackler, Jr.
Daniel Ryan

Elizabeth A. Conkey

Jerry Dolezal

ClaytCHl F. Smith

John J. Duffy
Arthur X. Elrod

Edward M. Sneed
John J. Touhy

William J. Mortimer
Superintendent of HIa-ilwBYI

Published at 130 North Wells Street, Chicago 6.

FRanklin 2-7544

Boob

By Way of Correction

Extension 216

0/

the Month

ONGRESS STREET'S fine reputation for safety

in the January issue of

C was damaged
by the statement that one fatality occurred
Cook County

Highways

on the expressway in 1957. This was an error. The

death cbarged against 1957 occurred in 1956, and up
to the middle of this month, at least, was the only
death on Congress Street since it was opened to travel
in December 1955.
Removing this black mark leaves the 1957 record
on Congress unblemished and yields a fatality rate
of zero, which, considering a traffic volume up to
114,000 vehicles a day, may be without parallel in
the whole history of highways.
A highway fatality rate is the number of deaths for
each 100 million miles of vehicle travel. On the 8.79
miles of Congress Street between Michigan and Laramie Avenues, the 1957 VMT was estimated at 193
million. Had there been one death, the fatality rate
would have been the extremely low 0.52. Nationwide,
for all types of highways, the 1957 rate calculated
provisionally by the National Safety Council was 5.9.
The 1956 death on Congress Street was that of a
driver whose car struck a guard rail just east of
Laramie Avenue.

C. D. Gets Some New Blood

Cook County's youngest two --Civil Defense volunteers were enrolled this month.
"I want to belong to the C. D.," said a letter received by County Director Joseph A. Downey. "I have
heard that you are prepared for everything.
"My friends and I are starting a club for children
our own age. We want to call it the 'Junior Civil Defenders.' Our ages are 10 years old. We would like
to get all the information on C. D.
"My father has a short wave receiver. He may get
a transmitter. I am a Cub Scout. I am a lion. If you
don't know what that is, it's a third rank.
"I live at 8825 South Lowe Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. My name is Robert J. Szyman, and I want to
serve my country. In army equipment, I have a helmet
and a gas mask. That is all I can say for now."
County Board President Daniel Ryan, who is president of the Cook County Civil Defense Commission,

LOUIE louses the line every time he turns

right.
LOOPY

In preparation for the maneuver, he swings over

half way into the lane on his left.
Then he sweep-r"wide in fine imitation of the admiral's barge.
Thus he not only confuses drivers behind him, but
also comes head-on against approaching cars in the
cross street.

and Director Downey decided Robert was wogh holding onto. So they sent him his credentials asa C. D.
volunteer and a package of literature.
Five days later came a letter from Robert's 6-yearold brother. "I am not old enough to be a Scout,"
he said, "but I want to be like my brother. Your boy,
Charles R. Szyman." He got his card, too.
The Front Cover
The piers in place will carry Congress Street Expressway over Central Avenue. The long boom crane
in the left background is at work on another bridge to
carry the CTA and B&OCT tracks over Central. The
construction is in the Cook County section extending
from Laramie to Austin Avenue.

C.D. Survival Plan

IS

Given to Suburbs

At the Speakers' Table-General Woodward, General Homer, Mayor Kriz, President Ryan, Mr. McCleverty,
Commissioner Erickson, Director Downey.

"If the daytime warning is more than one hour and

53 minutes," he continued, "most lives will be saved
by starting an evacuation, even if it is not possible
to get all the people out. Every person got out is
a life saved."
The question of where the evacuees will go, how
they will travel and who will feed and house them
is solved by the survival plan, said General Homer.
"Twenty counties in northeast Illinois would be reo
quired to take in the evacuated population. The capacities for feeding, housing, medical care, etc. have been
examined and assigned.
"The aiming area has been divided into drainage
areas from which the population will move on designated evacuation highway and rail routes to designated reception centers."
Russian capability to attack is a continuing threat
to the United States, said General Homer, who as a
major general of the regular army was concerned with
missile warfare.
"The international situation is ~ubject to continual
shift and change," he said. "The probability of a hostile attack fluctuates widely. During the Korean and
Suez crises, the situation was very tight. However,
the capability, not the probability, of the Russians to
attack the United States is less fluctuating, and it is
on this base that all defense of this country is established."
General Robert M. Woodard, state C. D. director,
took the occasion to present Mr. Downey with a certificate of merit, signed by Governor William G. Stratton, for his part in achieving 100 per cent organiZation
in the suburban area. It was the first such award to
a county director in Illinois. In accepting the token,
Downey said, "the credit really goes to all of you
local directors who have served faithfully as volunteers."
Others at the speakers' table were Mayor William J.
Kriz of Berwyn, host for the evening; County Commissioner William N. Erickson, former Board president; Frank Broucek, Berwyn C. D. director; John
W. Raleigh, Cicero C. D. director; John J. McCleverty,
director of the Cook County Traffic Safety Commission, and Carl Freeberg, county C. D. coordinator.

HE SURVIVAL PLAN prepared for Cook and five

T
neighbor counties by the Illinois Office of Civil
Defense with the aid of the federal C. D. administra-

..

tion was presented to local C. D. directors of Cook

County suburbs at a meeting in the Sokol-Tabo-r hall
in Berwyn the night of March 12.
County Board President Daniel Ryan and County
C. D. Director Joseph A. Downey welcomed the attendance of 350, which included mayors and viIlage presidents as well as C. D. personnel.
"I want to thank you all for your fine cooperation
in the seven years Civil Defense has been operating
out in the county and for your loyalty in coming to~
night," said President Ryan. "I doubt whether as
large and enthusiastic a meeting for Civil Defense
could be had in Chicago."
Survival planning for the six counties that comprise
the Northeast Mutual Aid Area-Cook, Lake, McHen~
ry, Will, Du Page and Kane-is part of a nationwide
program approved by the President and the National
Security Council, said General J. L. Romer, executive
of the state agency.
"Accordingly, there is authority as well as good
reason for the preparation of a plan, otherwise known
as a statement of requirements, for the protection of
the people of this community against natural or enemy
caused disaster," he said.
In the Chicago area, the "aiming area" is centered
at Madison Street and Kedzie A venue. A "clearance
line," beyond which people would be safe from the
fall~out of a nuclear bomb is 15 miles out generally
from Madison and Kedzie.
"Existing studies show that the daytime population
of the Chicago aiming area can be got beyond the
clearance line in 13 hours," said General Homer.
"Transportation facilities now exist for such-a move~
ment."
But, he added, the chance for a 13~hour warning
is "very small."
With a warning of one hour or less in the daytime,
most lives will be saved by taking cover in the nearest
available shelter, he said. With a warning up to one
hour and 53 minutes, most lives will be saved by going
home.

Survey Indicates Auto and CTA Usages

\". '-:EKlNG THE REASONS why people choose be~

.J tween automobiles and mass transit for trips to
and from work, the Cook County Highway Department
obtained detailed information from 1,957 households
in six interview districts covering the City of Chicago
and the suburban area.
The findings, which, with maps, charts and tables,
make up a book of 72 typed pages, were presented
in January at the annual meeting of the Highway
Research Board in Washington, D. C., as a timely
contribution toward solving the growing problem of
suiting transportation facilities to the needs of the
citizens.
The main objective of the study, as stated by William J. Mortimer, Cook County Highway Superintendent, who initiated it, "was to secure information
to aid in the assignment of traffic both to arterial
streets and expressways as well as to mass transportation facilities. This will subsequently implement
the development of a long range transportation plan
for the greater Chicago area."
"This study," he said, "was designed to probe
directly into the attitudes and personal reasons involved in the choice of mode of travel. People making
INTERVIEW
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _-":;ENERAL

trips (other than walking) can be divided into three

broad categories: (1) those who must use some form
of mass transit, (2) those who must use a car, and
(3) those who have a choice of using a car or using
mass transit. There are, of course, numerous smaller
categories within each of these broad categories.
"The category of those who have a choice between
car and mass transit is of particular value for assignment purposes. When improvements are made in
available facilities, this group tends to redistribute
itself over the -various forms of mass transit and
auto transportation. This redistribution can best be
explained in terms of the personal reasons involved
in the choice of mode of travel. This study includes
an evaluation of those reasons."
Collection and analysis of data were under direction
of Andrew V. PlUmmer, Assistant to the Superintendent; Leo G. Wilkie, Traffic Engineer, and Robert
F. Gran, statistician. Mr. Wilkie took the completed
report to Washington and presented it to the Highway Research Board.
The Chicago area was divided into six interview
districts selected as having approximately the same
population. They are shown on the accompanying
map.
In each household selected for sampling, all persons
over 16 were interviewed. personally on trips made to
work, for shopping, recreation and other purposes.
The first portion of the study to be published concerns
work trips only. Other findings will be published later.
A grand total of 2,313 work trips was shown in
the general sample tabulation as follows:

DISTRICTS
9AMPL

NOIIYH

Out-

Mode
Auto
Elevated-Subway
Bus (CTA)
Suburban Train
Suburban Bus
Walking

CBD
128
136

.,

Percent.
29.0
30.9
20.6
18.6
0.2
0.7

441

Total
Percentage Auto
Percentage Transit
and Walking

100.0
29.0
71.0

CHICAGO
COOK COUNTY
INTERVIEW DIIlIUCTS

"There- are very sharp differences in the mode of

travel to the central business district as opposed to
the mode of travel to the outlying areas," it is stated
in the published report. "Automobile trips account
for only 29 per cent of trips to the CBD, while they
account for 63.5 per cent of trips to outlying areas:
30.9 per cent of trips to the CBD are made by elevated
or subway, while only 2.9 per cent of trips to the
outlying areas are made by this mode. CTA bus is
about 20 per cent for both CBD trips and outlying
area trips. Suburban train drops from 18.6 per cent
to CBD to 1.9 per cent for outlying areas.
"These changes in the percentage of usage seem
to be, in part, a reflection of the directness of mode
of travel. Mass transit facilities are, for the most
part, CBD oriented, so that the relative attractiveness of transit over automobile diminishes rapidly
for trips with destinations outside of the central
business district . . .

82
1
3

lying Percent.
1,188
63.5
2 .
55
20.0
375
2.
1.3
35
1 .
10.4
195
1,872

100.0
63.5
36.5

"In about 37 per cent of the automobile trips to the

CBO, either the car is necessary for business reasons
or there is no other reasonable means available. The
other 63 per cent might be induced to switch to some
form of transit if the time and comfort factors could
be altered to make the transit facilities more
attractive.
"This is not an unreasonable approach for trips to
the CEO. However, with the advent of the comprehensive expressway system, automobile travel to the
Central business district will be on a much more competitive basis with transit facilities with respect to
both time and comfort factors. This could easily lead
to a drop in the percentage of transit trips to the
CBD.
"The problems facing the transit companies with
respect to trips to the outlying areas are much more
difficult. Since so many of the trips will involve one
or more transfers, the automobile has a definite advantage in total time required.
"Transferring may also be avoided from the standpoint of comfort. Since the bulk of those who could
shift to transit are made up of the 'time' and 'comfort' groups, it seems that the transit companies are
at a loss for an adequate solution.
"It should be pointed out that one factor definitely
in favor of transit for trips to the CEO is that of
cost. Almost 20 percent of all transit users (to the
CBD) reported that cost was the priIne factor involved
in their choice of mode. This is clearly a reflection
of the high cost of parking for the motorist. If, as
has been suggested, some sort of inexpensive parking
facilities were provided in the vicinity of expressway
interchanges, the transit lines could lose a portion of
those riders who are primarily influenced by the cost
of the trip."
A majority of people seem to be willing to pay
twice as much to ride in their own cars, and the cost
advantage must be heavily in favor of transit to
attract riders, it was found.
"For all trips (CBD and outlying), when the cost
of transit is one-tenth that of the cost by automobile,
about 60 per cent of the trips are by transit," the
report states. "When the cost of transit is one-half
that of the cost by automobile, 15 per cent of the
trips are by transit, and when the cost by transit is
equal to the cost by automobile, only about 5 per cent
of the trips are by transit . . .
"The main point is that when the cost of making
a trip by automobile is close to the cost of making it
by transit, the preponderance of people will make it
by automobile, but when a large difference exists, a
(Continued on Page 6)

.. _ii "ii_ii_ .. iiiiii; ..

COOO

CCUMTY

TRANSPORTATION
USAGE
STUDY

",G.WOY
Ol"ARTMtMT
C.,C O,
'L~'MO,I

.. " .... . "

,

"In all six interview districts, the bulk of trips to

outlying areas are made by automobile."
A general cross section of the reasons given for
choosing one mode of travel or the other is represented in the following tables:
Reaso~

Less Time
Comfort
No Other Means
Less Walking
Less Cost
other
Total
Reasons
Less Time
Comfort
Car Necessary
No Other Means
Less Walking
Less Cost
Other
Total

MASS TRANSIT
eBD Outlying

127
34
2
34
58
59
314

92
15
12D
95

5
0
4
133

6.1

126

49
122
129
102
185

15.1
16.0
12.7
22.9

492

806

100.0

44

AUTOMOBILE
eBD Outlying

38
37
41

Total Percent
27.2
219

428
281
222
140
35

Total

56

466
318
263
148
40
9
60

1171

1304

Percent
35.7
24.4

20.2
11.3

Survey Manual Available

3.1
0.7
4.6

The procedures followed. in the transportation usage study discussed on this page have
been compiled in a manual which is available
to any municipality wishing to survey its
own area. The book contains both office and
field procedures, including the forms to be
used by interviewers, and the methods followed in Cook County may readily be adapted
to any other community. Copies may he obtained free of charge by writing to The Superintendent of Highways, Cook County, 130
North Wells Street, Chicago 6, Illinois.

100.0

"For transit users, time being less was a very significant reason for choice of mode of travel for trips
to the CBD, but was given relatively less frequently
for trips other than to the CBO," the report states.
"For the motorists, the time factor is much closer to
being of equal relative weight for all trips, although
those trips to the outlying areas represent 90 per
cent of all automobile trips.

Flexible Fin Eases Rush to the Track

Jeep Conveyor Moves the Fi,n, Reversing the Lanes

as Traffic Changes Direction.

Flexible Fin Divides Wilke Road into Two Lanes One

Way and One Lane the Other.

HE SAME cast iron discs that form a permanent

T
ways, February 1958l are also performing as a move-

for Arlington starting in the forenoon. When that

parade is over, the fin is shifted and two lanes provided for the homeward rush.
The versatile disc makes a connected chain with
the use of iron links 12 inches in length that hook
over and lock onto cast-in male studs. The fin is
shifted with a jeep conveyor that picks it up from
one position and relays it one lane width to the left.
The jeep used on Wilke road was converted in the
Highway Department's shops in La Grange Park.
The satisfactory performance on Wilke Road suggests that the flexible fin may solve similar short-time
traffic problems at sports stadiums and other places
that attract large numbers of motorists. A fin of
sufficient length for the particular job could be taken
to the location by truck, used as long as needed and
then picked up for use elsewhere.

median divider on city streets [Cook County High.

able divider on a suburban highway with alternating

high volumes of traffic.
Wilke Road, which is the east boundary of the new
suburb of Rolling Meadows, is a main route to Arlington Park racetrack, and when the horses are running
there is heavy travel, first in ODe direction and then
in the other. During the short racing season, traffic
is of four-lane dimensions, but not during the other
11 months. The problem was to convert two-lane
Wilke to four-lane efficiency for its peak month without going to four-lane costs.
The first step last summer was to widen Wilke to
30 feet, three traffic lanes. With the flexible fin
divider, two lanes are marked off for traffic headed

close to that of making it by mass transit, the difference in income levels is much less marked."
Besides the bother of transferring, lack of seats
was given as a reaSon for discomfort, and the interviewers found a substantial percentage of people
will use their own cars rather than stand up in an
elevated, subway train or bus.
As for walking, the interviewers found that the
distance walked at the origin end of the trip plus the
destination end did not differ significantly between
the transit riders who could have made the trip by
automobile as opposed to those who could not.
Persons who ride frequently to the CED, make
more use of mass transit and those who travel regularly to outlying destinations use their cars in
greater percentage.
"The difference in sample size should, of course, be
taken into account, but it appears that the relative
importance of mass transit as opposed to automobile
varies with the frequency of the trips. The occasional
trips to the CBD tend to be made by automobile,
while the daily trips tend to be made by transit. For
trips to the outlying areas, while the majority is
always by automobile, the greatest proportion by
transit is for occasional trips, and this proportion
progressively decreases as the number of trips per
week increases,"

Transportation Study - -(Continued from Page 5)

substantial number will still choose to go by autorn,vbile."
Household income by itself was rated as not a
good measure of transit usage to the CBD. However,
for trips to outlying areas, household income was
very highly correlated with transit usage. In general,
it was found that transit usage decreases with increase in income. However, the highest average
household income was found among those using the
suburban trains.
"This is not consistent, since the difference between
the time required by automobile and the suburban
train becomes quite large (in favor _of thc suburban
train) as the distance from the loop area increases,"
it is stated. "The average distance for trips by suburban train was 15 miles, with many running as high
as 25 or 30 miles. The number of people choosing
automobiles over' suburban train for trips to the
loop area is relatively small.
"The bulk of those making automobile trips to the
CBD had as alternate mode, either CTA bus or elevated (subwaY). This is where the influence of income is most significant. For trips to the outlying
areas, where the cost of making the trip by car is

1957 Fatalities Analyzed

February Building Permits

T
61 passengers and 44 pedestrians.

HE 198 PERSONS who met death on highways in

suburban Cook County in 1957 included 93 drivers,
Among the drivers

ERMITS FOR BUILDING construction of an estimated total value of $3,902,200 were issued in
February by the Cook County Building and Zoning
Bureau, which has jurisdiction in the unincorporated
area of the county. The total compared with $2,391,087
in February last year.
Of the 200 permits issued last month, 125 were for
residences totaling $2,533,100. Twenty-nine permits
totaling $95,500 were issued for residential additions
and alterations. In other classifications, permits were
issued as follows:
Accessory buildings, 16, $27,350; business buildings,
21, $995,200; business building additions and alterations, 1, $140,800; industrial buildings, 2, $59,900;
wells, 4, $4,000; building movings, 2, $4,000; miscellaneous, 10, $9,250.
By townships, permits were issued as follows:

killed, men outnumbered women six to one, but among

passengers there were twice as many women as men.

These and other significant facts are contained in an
analysis of the year's fatal accidents just completed
by the Cook County Traffic Safety Commission.
As in other years, most of the accidents in which
death took a hand occurred in clear weather and on
dry roads. The weather prevailing at the time of
each of the 198 deaths was: Clear, 137; fog, 5;
rab, 22; snow, 5; cloudy, 27; mist, 2. Road conditions
were: Dry, 147, wet, 44, snow, 3, ice, 4.
More than half of the drivers killed were in the age
brackets between 25 and 55. Nine were under 18;
and 15 were in the 18-24 ages. Ten were in the 56-65
bracket and 11 were over 66.
The most dangerous time of day, the records indicate, was the afternoon rush period, from 3 to 7 p. m.
Forty-eight of the 1957 fatalities occurred in those
four hours, as follows:
3 p. m. to 4 p. m.-12
4 p. m. to 5 p. m.- 9
5 p. m. to 6 p. m.-U
6 p. m. to 7 p. m.-16
In the morning, the volume of motorists bound for
work was approximately the same as the afternoon
traffic, but the rate of death was less than half, the
hourly figures being:
6 a. m. to 7 a. m.-3
7 a. m. to 8 a. m.-8
8 a. m. to 9 a. m.-4
9 a. m. to 10 a. m.---4
The higher death rate later in the day is attributable to two factors. For one thing drivers are not
physically as fit as in the morning. A second cause
is the low visibility in early evening during half of
the year.
More fatal accidents happened on Sundays than
other days of the week, reflecting the heavier volume
of week-end travel. Occurrence of fatalities by days
in 1957 was:
Sunday-36
Monday-24
Tuesday-26
Wednesday-22
Thursday-33
Friday-24
Saturday-33
Collisions between automobiles caused more deaths
than any other type of accident. Sixty-nine were killed
in two-car crashes and eight in three-car accidents.
Trucks figured in collisions in which 19 were killed
and a bus was in one accident with a car in which
one person was fatally hurt.
Thirty were killed when cars-in one instance a
motorcycle---Ieft the pavement and crashed into various wayside objects. These included trees, posts,
guard rails, bridge rails, buildings, embankments and
ditches. Three deaths were caused by cars overturning.
Forty-six pedestrians were killed by automobiles
and three by trucks. More than half of the victims

Township
Barrington
Bloom
Bremen
Elk Grove
Hanover
Leyden
Lyons

MaIne

l'erm.lts

,3
W
3

W
9

Valu~

:$

1,00:)
44,700
49.600
164,150
79,500
28.500
149.300

528.300
"",,
Palatine
",,
",
"
"'"
In addition, two permits totaling $33,200 were issued

Northfleld
Korwood Park
Orlanci
Palos
Proviso

R1<:h
SchaumbU!'g

Stickney
Thornton
Wheeling
Worth

269,500
l[i.1,050
15.600
280.700
94,500
497,500
444.300
76,700
2.'57,400
222,000
285.600
229,100

in the no-fee classification, which includes churches,

schools and farm buildings.

were elderly or young, perhaps unable to understand

the danger of venturing onto a highway. Ten were
in the 56-65 bracket, 14 were over 66 and eight were
younger than 18.
Trains killed 13, of whom 12 were riding in automobiles and one in a truck.
Three bicycle riders and one motorcyclist were
struck and killed by automobiles.

February Traffic Fatalities

Eighteen persons were killed in highway traffic
accidents in suburban Cook County last month. The
toll was 10 higher than in January, but was under
February of last year, when 21 were killed, and
February, 1956, with 20 dead.
Four of those killed were pedestrians, three hit by
automobiles and one by a truck. Seven were killed in
collisions between automobiles, two were in cars
struck by trains, one in an auto-truck collision and
one in a crash involving a truck and a tractor trailer.
Three were killed when cars left the road and struck
wayside objects.
Total deaths in the first two months this year Wf!re
26. Last year in the same period the total was 22.

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Nice Boo st for 1958 Cleanup Campaign by L.aurl e Wahon, rece ption i st In Prealdent Dani el Ryan's Office ( See Pag e 3) .

Vol. V No. XI

APRIL, 1958

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Publiahed by the Cook County (UI.) Department of Hig'hwaYI
Under auspices of the Board of County Commlsaionen
DA N IEl.. RYA N, Presl dllnt
James F . A.henden

William N. E rlck'o n
F red A. Fulle
Christ A. J e nISon
John A. Mac'kl er, Jr.
Daniel Rya n
C layt o n F. Smith
Edwa r d M. Sneed

Fra n k Bobrytzke
Char les F . Chaplin
Eliza beth A. Conkey
Je rry Delera l
Joh n J. Cuffy

J ohn J . T ouhy

Arthur X. Elrod

Wil li am J , Mo rtimer
S u pe,in tendent of lll;-hwu)'.

Published at 130 North Welle Street, Chicago 6.

FRanklin 2-7544

Extension 216

Bo ob of the Month

March Building Permits

wo
permits for
T
ing construction
the unincorporated area of the
County, r epresenting a n estimated total valuation of
HUNDRED AND NINETY

build-

in

$3,913,955, were i SBUed in March by the Cook County

Building and Zoning Bureau. Seven permits of a
total valua.tion of $593,900 were issued in the no fee
classification, which includes farm buildings, churches
and schools, bringing the month's total to $4,507,855.
In the various fee c1ELSSifications, permits wer e
issued as fol1ows:
He HldenUlll , H9 permits, $3,741,000.
...ReBiaentlnl a ddltiona an d alteration s, 68 permlh. $1 9~.490.
Aecell&ory building!, 45 perm lu $8!i,46!!.
8u ~ ln(>8s bulldln&,s. liev"n penults, $846,700.
Hus lnc!s addlUons and olteraUo ns, tour permit s, 515,600.
Inuustrl a l addi t Ion! ana alterations, one perm it, .$13,200.
Well a, two permlt~, SlI,Ooo.
Mov l ns::- buUdln..:s. three permits. S7,500.
Mllcellaneoul, 11 permlts, $8.000.

By townships, permits were issued as follows:

'I'ovmship
Bl oom

Bremen

Elk Grnve

Lemont
Leyden
LYOnl

Mai ne
N iles

Northt'leld
NorWOod Parlt

Orlan u
Pa' aune
PnJ08

Proviso
Rich

Schaumburg

Stic kney

T hornton
Wheeling
Worth

,,
,
"""
",
"!
,

Permits

Value

M IDDLELANE
MILDE W has never run
pavement or been caught fo r speeding.

off the

Not that he is overly respectful of regulations; he

jUst likes to plug a long in the Inner lane.
He hasn't yet caught on to t he idea that the outer
lane is intended for drivers who want to go s lower
than the limit.
On the expressways especially Mildew is an out
s tanding feature of the passing parade.

16
1

73

The nofee permits included three school additions

The t wo other fata lities occurred when

a bridge abutment in one instance and
in another.
The l\rarch deaths brought the total
quarter of 1958 to 36, one Jess than
same period last year.

in Leyden Township, $365,000 ; one church in Lyons

Township, $180,000; one residence in Bloom Town ~

ship, $27,500; one resi dence in Rich Township, $19"

800, and one residence addition in Worth, $1,600.

a car struck
a bridge rail
for the first
that f or t he

March Traffic Fatalities

llYear Journey by Car
At an aver age rate of 30 miles an hour, it would
take an automobile 11 years to travel over the
3,012,520 miles of rur al roads in t he United States
today.

Twelve persons wer e killed in highway traffic accidents in suburban Cook County in March.
Three of the victims wer e pedestrians who werc
struck by automobiles. Five were k illed in collisions
between aut.omobiles and two in autotruck crashes.

Good and Bad Spots

PRAISE FOR PICKNICKERS and a word of warn-

ing for country-side residents with do-it-yourself

garbage disposal are contained in reports from various
sectors of the drive to "Keep Cook County Clean a nd

Green."

Cleanup Drive

Tras h Bags for Motori sts

Attractive bags designed to hang in the car
and hold a day's yield of food scrap:;;, cleansing tissues, candy and cigaret wrappers may
be had free of charge through the Committee
to Keep Cook County Clean a nd Green.
Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts throughout the
county will deliver them to city a nd village
halls, where motorists may obtain them. Or,
anyone may get a bag by writing or phoning to the Committee Chairman, Joseph A.
Downey, 130 North Wells Street, Chicago 6;
FRanklin 2-7544. The Committee is also promoting the anti-litter drive with placards at
F orest Preserve entrances and in conspicuous
places in t he su burbs.
Numerous suburban chambers of commer ce
and other business men's g roups have notified
Mr. Downey . that they will provide trash
containers in their own localities.

As the outdoor season opens, President Daniel

Ryan's anti-litter committee, the County Highway Department and the Coun-

ty F or est Preserve District are preparing their

annual tussle with trash.
SiDce the litter they contend with is man-made,
in clud ing women and
children, they find themselves dealing with people. As in previous

years, the main effort

will be gentle persuasion
in the hope that people
who instinctively scatter
their rubbish in picnic
spots and along roadDani e l Rya n
sides will come to prefor cleanliness in these public areas. If persuasion
fails, there are laws to be invoked.

ing progress ," said President Ryan when announ cing

the start of the 1958 campaign. "The solution, of
course is in the hands of the people themselves. What
we hope to do is t o demonstrate that cleanliness can
be achieved witb a minimum of effort, everybody picking up for himself, and that it is very much worth
the effort.

Three Kinds of Litter Bug s

The sponsors of cleanliness see three categories of
litter bugs: (1 ) Picnic parties, principally the many
thousands who use the grounds in the Forest Preserves; (2) motorists who munch tid bits as they
roll along a nd toss the leavings from the car window,
and (3 ) residents of subdivisions without scavenger
service who sack up their garbage and place it where
a highway patrol must pick it up.

Beauty Spots Deserve Cleanliness

" Here in Cook County we have a special reason to
strive for cleanliness. The tracts of natural woodlands preserved for the use of the people afford one
of the largest a nd finest r ecreation areas to be found
close to a g reat city. I am sure our people are proud
of this splendid system, yet if the p icnic grounds wer e
not cleaned up regularly they would be ankle deep
in trash by the end of the summer . We know you
can't have a picnic without making some litter. All
we ask is that everybody put h is own trash in a
barrel. Then the cleanup crews can handle it and
furthermore the ground will be fit for the next picnic
party.
" I believe that the picnickers are showing a disposition to cooperate. Otherwise, it doesn't seem likely
that a larger area could be cover ed for the same cost.
I ho pe this coming season will see even further
improvement.

In the Forest Preserves, improvement is noted. The

picnic gr ounds used in 1957 were larger in area than
the previous year, yet the cost of keeping them clean
was about the same, approximately $45,000, which
indicates that picknickers a r e learning to use the
barrels.

New Source of Roadside Rubbish

The County Highway Department has an overall
task as great as ever. Possibly there is less litter
tossed from moving cars, but to offset any improvement in that sector, a relatively new source of roadside rubbish has appeared. P eople moving into some
of the new subdivisions which have sprung up
throughout the county have found garbage disposal
to be an individu al problem. The easiest solution is
to save the big bags from the supermarket, fill them
with garbage and tote them over to t he highway.

In

Police Watch for Litterers

"The practice of some people leavfug garbage along
t he roads for the patrol crews to haul away is a
different problem. Some of these new residential
developments no doubt will make arrangements for
scavenger services, as other communities have done.
In the meantime, the -households cannot be permitted
to put their garb,age along the roads. It is plainly
against the laws governing disposal.
" County Highway Police have been a lerted to watch
for such violations and to act on complaints."

Last year, it cost the Highway Department $75,047.20 to pick up litter along t he 650 miles of road
maintained by the County. Twenty-eight patrolstwo men and a truck- spend one day each week
collecting trash.
"While ther e is still a big job to do, and we cannot
afford to relax our efforts, I believe that we are mak-

Work on Expressways Makes Jobs for Men

CIT'!' ll"' l1S

I<IGG'I",S

!-

o , '

or
0

0
0

ru~

0'

'P'

~VN M,l..WR

"' ...... 01

<

it

~
~

, ,.,
C~" ,e
<

,g

,,~

0.___...;""..==...;Ji
...__""......;= d! Mil(!;

Northwest Expressway Ai rport Lead. Lines Extended from Location Pla n Indicate Grade

S e~

Disposal of Surplus Earth Between Canfield and O'Hare Airport. The l ocation Plan Also Shows
By Dan iel Ryan
Pre,ldent
Board of County

of providing needed employment. The Commissioners

look for a banner year on the expressways. The Highway Department has done its part by getting plana
prepared on time, and I am confident that the contractorfl will be just as eager as we are to pueb
the work.

Com m l ., i oner~

N MAY 6, the Board of County Commissioners

will receive bids for construction of expressways
and improvements on other roads of the t otal estima ted cost of $12,369,000. This wor k will mean jobs
for men who need them and will therefore be a CODtributl.on toward relieving the unemployment problem.
The projects listed Include 12 grade separation

In addition to the $12,369,000 of projects ready for

bids, there is a considerable amount of other work to
be started this year, both on expressways and on
other roads and streeta throughout the County. There
will be jobs at the sites for men now unemployed,
and t he demand for steel and other structural materials will open up jobs with the producers. All In
all, the County's 1958 road program will contribute
significantly toward easing unemployment.
The Northwest Expressway projects up for May 6 "--",
bidding are on the eight-mile section between Edens
Expressway a nd O'Hare Airport. The grade separ a-

str uctures, one pedestrian bridge, two main drains and

a sewer relocation on Northwest Expressway. a grading a nd paving contract on Congress Street and widening a nd resurfac ing of two important non-expressway
roads. It is planned to award contracts later in the
month.
While the Board bas always urged a ll reasonable
speed on t he expressway program, we a re especially
desirous of expediting the work this year as a means

(Continued on P age 7)

Economy Planned

Huge Dirt Operation

M~'

-"I

rations. Profile Shows Excavating to be done Betwee n Cicero Avenue and Canfi e ld Road and
e Entrance and Exi t Ra mps a nd Inte rcha nges With the Tri-State and Northern Illinois Toll Roads.
The profile reproduced a bove shows t he rela tion be
tween t be present ground surface and the expressway
grade. In the southeast portion, where the expressway is to be depressed, t bere will be a surplus of soU.
Instead of acquiring a dlUDp site at some cost and
hauling the surplus to it, the County Highway Department has planned the operation so the dirt will be
used fo r fill needed at the other end of the section.
Tbe profile shows that between Cicero Avenue a nd
Canfield Road the expressway is held constantly as a
depressed section, undulating gently from about 20
feet below the existing ground at grade separations
to a somewhat lesser depth between the structures.
It is from this section, Cicero to Canfield, that surplus
excavation will be obtained. If no provision was made
for its use elsewhere, it wou1d be wasted.
West of Canfield, the proft1e shows a gradual rise
in grade, at first to approximately ground level in
the vicinity of E ast River Road until at the approach
(Continued on Page 6)

By William J. Mortimer
Superinte ndent of H ighways
Cook Count y

lRT, MEASURED IN hundreds of thousands of

D
cubic yards,
start moving this spring on the
Northwest Expressway between Edens Expressway
will

in the vicinity of Cicero and Montrose Avenues a nd

the O'Hare Airport. This eight-mile "Airport L ead"
is being constructed by Cook County and will cost
$44,500,000 exclusive of r ight-of-way and demolition.
It ls Intended to complete. i t by t be end of next year.

Work to be started immediately includes grade

separation structur es, main drains and a sewer relocation (see page 4), Excavating will begin at the
bridge sites t o provide space for the substructures
and will then continue until 1,600,000 cubic yards of
earth bave been taken from one end of the section
a nd moved to the other.

Huge Dirt Operation

Legion Post at Home

(Continued from Page 5 )

to the Des Plaines River it rises to about 30 feel
a bove the adjacent terrain. Continuing its sweep westward, t he profile is held to 20-30 feel above ground
a t the crossings of the R iver and t he Tri-State T oll
Road and then is dropped to pass under the Soo Line
tracks a nd fina lly to enter the a irpor t.
It is in this portion, between East River Road and
the Soo Line, including the elaborate and expansive
arrangement of ramps connecting with t he Toll Roads,
that about 1,600,000 cubic yards of carth will be required for emban kmen ts. In Borne expressway projects
it bas been necessary to find a place t o dump excess
earth and in others it has been necessary to buy fill
material. On t he Airport Lead both problems have
heen solved at no cost. The operation worked out by
the Highway Department is also conformable to a
schedule that will save construction time.
To elaborate briefly on the planning problems which
must be considered in such a give-and take operation,
it must be emphasized that the coordinated efforts of
all individual contractors a long the line is of great
importance. Between East River Road and Cicero
Avenue are 18 grade separation structures t o be built
under seven separate contracts. There are two grading and fo ur paving contracts. Between the Sao Line
and East River Road are 10 grade separations, a
paving contract a nd t he Toll Road connections.
Even by pr escnt day standards, when we have become uscd to seeing big jobs done in a big way. this
list of projects is impres sive, es peeia lly in view of a
tight time schedule. With so many contractors involved, good tcam work will be required. and this, 1
a m confident, we will get.
When the big dirt movement gets under way, residents of that a rea will have the opportunity to be
s idewalk superintendents of an interesting job. They
will also, unavoidahly. be somewhat inconvenienced
in their daity trave ls. This problem has been consider ed, and the Department has planned to keep m ain
streets crossing the expressway right-ofway open
wherever possible. When it is necessary to close a
main street, a temporary pavement will be provided
to serve nntil the expressway is completed and r eady
for quick travel into the Chicago Loop.

Comma nder Ja mes F. Kell y of Edga r A, Lawrence

High way Post No. 646, Ameri ca n Leg ion (ce nt er) with
Edwa rd Brau sch, Adjutant (l eft) , ;a nd Anthony Altie r,
Past Co m ma nder In the Post's New Mee ti ng Place.

After meeting in various places fot" 30 years, Edgar

A. Lawrence Highway P ost No. 646, American Le
gion, has found a landing place In the home sectorthe conference room in the County Highway Depart
ment's quarters at 130 NOltb Wells Street.
The post, whose members are employes of the Department , bears t he name of a fiyer who was Idlled
in France in 1918. Lawrence , a civil engineer g radu
ate of the University of illinois In 1916, was employed
in the design division of the Depar tment. He enlisted
in the Aviation Corps, as i t was then called, in Sept ember, 1917, and became a pilot. He was sent over
seas in May. 1918. A month later when returning
from an early morning patrol. his plane went into
a spin a t low altitude a nd crashed.
In its new setting, t he post is embarking on a
membership drive. All employees of t he Department
who a re vetera ns are invited to join. Meetings arc
held the th.lrd Wcdnesday of each month at 6 :30 P. M.
Commander fo r 1958 is J ames F. Kelly, Assistant
County Superintendent of Highways, who was a sailor
in World War 1 and a major in the Engineer Corps
in World War II. Other officers are:
Senior Vice Commander, James O'Brien ; Junior
Vice Commander. J ohn J. Dore; Adjutant, Edward
Brausch; Finance Officer, Vito Genis; Service Officer,
Walter Treptow; Sergeant-at-Arms, Hilmar Anderson;
Chaplain, LeBter Roeser.
The post is planning to participate in the a nnual
sale of veteran-made poppies, to be held May 22 a nd
23, and needs woman volunteers for duty in the loop.
Volunteers may register with Anthony Altier, past
post commander a nd past First Oistlict commander,
in Room 1114, 130 North Wells Street; telephone
FRanklin 2 7544; extension 309.

County CD to Test Radio

The short wave radio system installed by the Cook
County Highway Department last year will get its
first tryout in fL Civil Defense exercise when county
a nd suburban officials partiCipate in the nat ionwide
" Operation Alert 1958" on May 6 and 7.
The two phases of the test in which Cook County
Civil Defense organization will take part are concerned largely with communications, spreading the
srm ulated a larm of enemy attack a ud further meso
sages directing various emergency activities.
Sirens on 8uburbllll village halls and fire stations
and whistles on numerous industrial plants throughout the county will sound the a lert. The county control center, located in the Highway Department garage
in La Grange Park. and the local suburban directorEI
will then carry out the prearranged s urvival plan as

far as practical in an exercise that is largely a paper

activity.
One spectacular activit y will be the mobilization
of subUlban fire fighting equipment at O'Hare airpor t
the morning of May 6. Thirty-two west and north
west suburb!; will participate.

Paul G. Robinson

CAREER OF highway building t hat reached from

nd gravel roads to concrete ended April

A dirt a death
2 with
of Paul G. Robinson, assistant county
the

highway engineer
in charge of maintenance.
The oldest member of the department in point of
service, Mr. Robinson died in the
midst of his work.
He was in his office
a ll of the preceding
day. busily planning

jobs

to

Work on Expressways
(Continued from Page 4)
tions are grouped in five contracts. With the estimated cost of each g r oup, they are:
Lawrence Avenue and Ain6Ue Street, 81 500.000.
Central Aven u e ami Foster A VlInuc, sdiOii,ooo.
Austin Avenue pelle strlan b)'hl>:1! a nd Nagl'! Avenue grlllie
s epa ration, f150000.
Natoma lind Sayre Avenu e. and fAt.1 R i ver Hoad , $l .~OOO.
H arlem Avenu!~ Oriole Av en ue , C8nl1eld Road und Cu mbe r land Avenue, ,2,...,0,000.

The Northwest sewer and drain project s are:

Reloca tion or sew er be t ween Ilarlcm A"enu ~ anel Mobile
Avenue. 1.41 milcI, 8600.000.
Matn drilin bet"'~n Canl1cld Huml and NaslwlllC Avcnue,
1.66 ml\e8, $950,000.
Main drain oe lw~n the Del Plaines River and Cre~ce n t
_~\'enue, 1.30 m ll u. 8475,000.

The Congress Street projects for May 6 bidd ing a r e:

Grading and paving b\.'twcen Flrn An'nue. t he prl!s(, lIt
east t erminus ot t he Con gress Slrcllt ~cetion IhrQugh MuywOOd,
lind D~B Plaines AVIlnue .94 mll!! $1,009,000.
Grading tor t1x ,~ d rai l ruduticB between the Des P lru nd
River and Des Pl ai nes Ave nue, .M mHe, $75,000.

Thc non-expressway improvements for which bids

~ he taken 1iay 6 are:
WOI! ROll d between Nor th Av enue lind GL'and Avenue, 1.85
mile,;, w\d enlne: to two 24- 1001 pa\'em,mts with a 4-foot med ian
s t ri p a nd resur rlleing, $850,000.
Fullerton Aven ue between Flnt Av" n ull and H arlem Avcnue.

be

done this season.

Next morning he
b a d e aten his
breakfast and was
preparing to leave
his home in Har~
vey t o g o to his
c om mute r t r a in
when he was stricken with a heart a ttack.
Mr. Robinson was born in Ha r vey June 22, 1892.
He a ttended t he University of Illinois and played foot
ball on the university team . After serving a short
time as city engineer of Harvey, he entered the County Highway Department as a n engineer on August
23, 1916, only two years aftcr the department was
organized, a nd when t here we re only a few miles of
concrete pavement in the subur ban area. In his earlier
years in thc department he served as construction
engineer, in the design division and in drainage, traffic
and landscaping.
Since F eb 1, 1944, he had been maintenance engineer and in that post supervised a ll work on the 650
miles of cl'ushed stone, blacktop and concrete I'oads
maintained by the County.
In his home community, Mr. Robinson was a cUve
in civie affairs a nd particularly as a leader of sport sm en's groups and a sponsor of conservation movements. He helped launch "Ducks Unlimited," a n
or ganization to protect wild life. He was president
for ten years a nd a member fo r 22 years of Snicarte
Island Lodge, on the illinois River near Havana, a nd
president for s ix years and a member for 28 years
of the Blue Park Gun Club in Ma rkham . He was
instrumental in bringing to the Blue Park Club
n umerous shooting events, including the National
Registered Shoot, the State of illinois and the illinoisIndiana trap shoots. An upper class " A" trap shot,
he compet ed in the Grand American Trap Shoot a nd
other major competitions and won numerous prizes
a nd medals.
"Sportsmen will long remember Paul as the hardest
to beat in the Handicap Trap Sboot, wher e natural
skill and the ability t o meet cha nging conditions eliminate better than average shooters," said one of his
associates in t he gun clubs. " And he was not only

1..50

mlle ~ .

wldenlnK t o f our lilnes lind L"uurfaeing, 8."100,000.

Contracts fo r three Congress Street jobs were

awa rded by the County Board on April 1 as fo llows:
Expre nway bri d ge over the DIlH PI nines R\ \'II T uml ZClll(.'lI tllIn ot the prese nt C. A, II, E. Railroad bddge 0\"111' the L'l ver,
now on the expreuwny line, HOllert R. Anderson C()mpllny,
8670,081.
Grad e separation al the Consumers Company quarry 10 "arry
track" ot the C. A. & E. freight branch lind t he company's
priv ate railroad O\'er the expreuwoy, Robert n. Anderson
Company, $163,564.
Paving betw ee n Elm Street, Hillside. and Mnnnhelm Road,
RobHl R. Anderson Company. $1,196,991.

Also on April 1, the Board r eceived bids for girders

for eight South Route Expresswa y grade separa tion
st ructures a nd for eight r esurfacing projects and onc
culvert construction job on non-expr essway roads.
These ite ms, with the low bidder on each, follow:
Ch icago-Elgin Road- WIdeni ng to 24 r~t and resurfaCing
betweelL Witn. nl Avenue, Elgin, and Devon AV~'nuc, Cook-Du
Page line, Arrow Road Construction Company. mn,5<11.34.
Elmhun t Road, M t . Pr os~et-Four-Illn e r esur facing lll'lwet"n
GnU Rond anC! Northw est Highwa y. Arrow Roud COnstruction
Comp nny, .'37,484.40.
Gl env iew Rond, G len vl('w-rOur-lane resurfacing betw ccn
Lin col n Stree t and Wnuke gll,n Road. Uoi oo Con(ract1ng Ii<
lCn!!inecrlng Compan y, $18 ,9t>6. 60.
Dem p5ter Strlle l, EVRn~ton _Four_lan e r e ~ u rfaclng between
McD anIel Avenue and Rid ge Avenue, Arcole MJdweat Corporati on, S32,!s26 . ~.
L1nooln Avenu c Skoklc--Four-Iune relurraclng betw~n Nnes
o, ntcr Road nna1 H oward Street. Arrow Road Construction
Company, $1 .798.10.
o,ntr al Street, E"anst on_ Jo'our_]nne resur1aclng belwc<'n
Lln~"'lnwoOll
Drive and Green Boy Road. Arcole Midwest
Corporation, 827,1!s7.~.
Devon A\'e nue, P ark Rhl ge-f'n ur-lan.. r ..surracing between
Ros e Avenue and Can field ROIlU, maek Top Roads Company,
856,643.10.
Devon Avenue, J':ik Grove T,)wn lhlp-Two- Ianc re~urfad nJ:
be t weeu Rohlwlng llon d and Arlington Heights Road, MlLl wc8t
Conslructlon Company, $25,653.2!i.
K ..'<I~le A"enue-<.:ulvertll al Mldlolhlan Creek, Thuma. M.
Madden Company, SH5,368.25.

a fine ha nd with a gun, he was a lways r eady to help

beginners."
Mr. Rohinson served ill World War I as a n ensign
in the navy. He was a charter member of Edgar A.
Lawrence Highway Post 646 , American Legion. He
was a member of the Elks in Harvey for 30 ycars and
was activc in their programs of community service.
Six associates in the County Highway Department
served as pallbearers: Raymond J. Budinger , Thomas
J. McHugh, Hugh P. McAnljf, Carl H. Stenwcg, Glenn
R. Williams, a nd John J. Kavanagh.

~;COOK

COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Springtime In Full Bloom In Cook County Forut Preaerves.

Vol. V No. XII

MAY, 1958

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

PubHMed by the Cook County (TIl.) Department of Hi~hwaY8
Under auspices of the Board of County Commillioners
DANIE L RYAN, P ru ide nt

James F. A.henden
Frank Bobrytzke
Charles F. Chapli n

Wi ll iam N. Eri ckson

Fred A. Full e
Christ A. Jense n

John A. Mad'kler, Jr.

Daniel Ryan
Clayton F. Smith
Ed w ard M. Sneed

Elizabeth A. Conkey
Je rry Dolezal
J ohn J . Duffy
Arthu r X. E l rod

John J. T ouh y

Will i am J . Mortimer
Superintendent of HI~hw"y5

Published at 130 North Wells Street, Chicago 6.

FRanklin 2-7544

Extension 216

Boo b of the Month

April Building Permits

ERMITS ISSUED IN AP RIL by the Cook County
P
t ion in the unincorporated area of the County tota.led
Building a nd Zoning bureau for building construc-

551 and represented an estimated total valuation of

$13,108,598.
Two sizeabl e projects appeared in t h e no-fee classification, w hich includes farm, church and public
buildings. One is the Lutheran General H ospital,
$4,150,000, to be built at Dempster Street and West ern Avenue, north of Park Ridge, and the other is
S1. Alphonsus Church, school and convent, $475,200,
at Willow and Wheeling Roads, Prospect H eights.
Residential pennits totaled 337, 240 of which,
valued at $4,585,998, a re to be conn ected to sanitary
sewers and 97, valued at $2,260,600, to have their
own septic systems.
In other classifications, permits were issued as
follows:

Residential additions and ruIN'aUOnS, 104 permits, $2 62,150.

Accessory bullO:lngs, 69 permits, $132.750.
Business llulldlngs, six permits, $782.5 00.
Business additions and alterations. six permits, $53 ,'100.
Industrial buildings, two permits, $126,200.
Wells, eight permits, ;,s,J)OO.
Moving of buildings, three permits, ~,OOO.
SepUe systems, two permi\Ji, $ 1,500.
:"1I~"el1nneous, 10 Jl(!rmlls, 5254,300.

LIPPERY SIMPKINS pulls all the slick tricks of

cutting in a nd out, passing on hills and curves,
honking everybody else to one side.
He rates himself an ace, and cherishes the delusion
that he is envied and lookcd up to by the slowpokes.
Actually, Slippery is a r ej ect.
The vast maj ority of drivers respect safety_ The
only attention they give Slippery is to avoid him.

By townships, fee permits were issued as follows:

Township
Barrington
Bloom
Bremen
Calumet
F.lk Grove
HanavH
Leyden
Lyolls
Maine
New Tl'ler
Northfield
Norwood PIl.Ik
Orland
Palatine
Palag
Proviso
Rich
Schaumburg
Stickney
Thornt.nn
Wheeling
Worth

Permits
3

"",
",
"",
""
"",
"

Valuation

240,650

2'29,900

2,042,G50
66.000
887,'1SQ

134,800

<0

209,000
3,500
593,100

39

"
hospital and church,

Seventeen perBons were killed last month ,in highway traffic accidents in suburban Cook County. Th.e
total was one higher than in April of last year.
Six of the dead were pedestrians, all of them struck
by automobiles. In April last year only two of the
fatalities were pedestrians.
Seven were k illed last month in auto-truck collisions. Six of them met deat h in one crash, Three
were killed in collisions between automobiles, one in
truck-motorcycle accident and one was in car that
left the road and hit a building.
For the first four months of the year, the total of
fatalities in the suburban area was 55, In the same
period last year, it was 56 and in 1956, it was 70.

1,4~~:~gg

61
7

April Traffic Fatalities

71,900

101..000
J78.!*lO
35,000

".COO

_500

9>750

551 ,800

57,600

~~:rag

Besides the
there were two
other no-fee permits totaling $12,700.

County Board Speeds Work to Make Jobs

ARKING ITS BUSIEST session on highway matM
ters within memory. the Board of County
Commissioners on May 6 acted on jobs estimated to

Git!

exceed $18,000,000 in costs.

The immediate effect will be to make work for men
who need it as well as to maintain t ime schedules on
County sections of Northwest, Congress Street and
South Route Expressways. By approving the proposals submitted by Highway Superintendent William
J. Mortimer, the board expressed its desire to make
the fullest use of avalJabJe funds to create employment, said President Ryan, who added that in his 30
years on the board be couldn't remember another day
on which so much highway business was t rnnsacted.
While most of the work acted on was contained in
the year's program previously adopted by the Board,
22 additional projects were approved as a supplementary program estimated to cost $7,200,000. Details a re presented on page 4 of this issue.

Bids $3.000,000 Below Estimates

Bids for 16 construction items on the Northwest
Expressway O'Hare Airport lead and two on Congress
Street were opened. The low bids, which totaled $8, 603,778, approx\nla t ely $3,000,000 under engineers'
estimates, were ap proved by the Board and submitted
to the illinois Division of Highways with the expectation that contracts can be awarded soon. Bids were
also L"eceived for two important improvement projects
on non 'expressway routes in suburban territory.
Contracts were awarded May 6 for g irders for eight
grade separation structures on South Route Expressway, and for 10 resurfacing jobs on suburban streets.
The board also approved work amounting to S81,30B.08 on 17 township roads.
Expressway projects for which bids were received,
with the low bidder on each, were:

Reprinted Ily Courtesy

Du.lI,.. New ...

Contracts awar"Qed May 8 were as follows:

,\ '

SOUTH ROUTE EXPRESSWAY, precRl t, prestresud concrete illrders tor ernd e separation. II I itst, 75th , 76th. 79th,
83rd. 87th. 91ft, and 95t h Streets, Mal erlal Servll'e Corporation,
$81S 108.48..
COr.CRF.SS STREET EXPR ESSWAY, Maywood nnd Droa dv iew. north service d r ive between l sI and '19t h Avenues rourlane rcsu rlaelng, Seneca Petro leum COmpany, ~J993.20,
EU.fHURST ROAD, Mt. PI'ollpect, between Coll ROad and
Northwest Highway, 1.35 mllel. tour-Jane resurradn&. Arrow
Road Ccn~tructlon Comvany, $37.464.40.
GLENVIEW ROAD, Glenview, between Lincoln Street and
Waukegan Road, 0.32 mile, four-l ane reaurfarl ng. Union COntracting &: Englneerlns: Com pany, $18.9:56.60.
DEMPSTER STr..EET, Evan ston, between I'IIcDa nlel and
Ridge Avenues, 1.18 miles. lour- Lane resurt aclng, Areu le MId west COrvoraUon $32.5261iO.
LINCOLN AV'E.'-:UE. Skokie, Nllu Center Road to Howard
St ree t, 0.54 mile. rour-Iane resurta clng, AITOW Road Construc
tion Company. 817,i9S.:rt>.
CENTRAL STRJ::E'l"; Eva.ns ton, between Uneolnwood Drive
and Green Bny nOud. 0.90 mllc, tour_l ane resurfacln&. Areole
Midwest Corooratlon $27,157.30.
DEVON AVENU, Park RIdge, be tween Rose Avt.nue and
Canneld Road , 1.315 mlleB, lour-lane resul"fnelng. Slnek Top
Ro ads Companv l S:5~ 643 . 10.
DEVON AVJ.,NUJ:, Elk Grove TownShip, between Rohlwlng
and Arlington Hellht~ Road. 1.50 mllesJwo-lane re!urtaclng,
Midwest Conltruct on CompanYb525,653,;m.
ty or Elgin, Hanover and
CHICA GO-ELGIN ROAD,
Schaumburg Town611lpl, between ....VHlard Avenue ( Ela-In ) a nd
Devon Ayen ue, 9,00 miles, wIdening to 24 feet and resurtaclng,
Arrow Road COnstruction Comvany, 8270,547.36.
KEnZIE AVENUE, Bremen TownshIp, c u lverts at Mid loth Ia n
Creek between 137(11 and lS9th S t reet . Thomas H. Madden
Company, S,14:5,868.~.

Northwest Expressway
Grad e separations at Lawrence Avenue a nd AlnBlie Stret.'tArcole Mldwe~t CoroorntJ on, $955.567.91.
Grade geparatl on~ at Centra l and Fo~ter Avenue_Ar~ole
Mldwe~t Corporation, 51 03O.030.23.
GOlde separatI ons a t Austin a nd Na&le Avenues_ Areole
MIdwest Cor porntlon, ~569.l4.
Grade separations at Sayre and ND.toma Avenues and EII~ I
River Road-Areole Midwest Corpo raUon, S877.0'29.50,
CI'ude separatio ns a l Harl em, Otlo le a nd Cumberland Avenues und Can neld Road - Areole Mldwen Corporation,
81,682,638.79.
!:l~w ~r relocation between Hal'lem and Mobile Avenues, 1.41
mllea_UeVltn Co n ~tructlon ComplIny, 869,617.&1.
Main drain between Cll nncld Rnlld and Na6h"I11~ Avenue,
1.66 mlles- JOhn 'l'ull y. $9701.770.50.
Main dra in betw een the Des Pl aI nes River and Cres cent
aven ue, 1.30 mlles- Abbotl Contrnlt<Ju, in c .. $403. 416.40.

Conl;ress Street

(lhl car~

Eleven Contracts A wa rded

}I';xprC S.<iway

Gradlng a nd pa'n na- bct w(!!n 1s t Avenue, MllywtHld, a nrl

0<.'5 Plaines Avenue, :M mlle--An:ole MId wes t Corporation,

8804,899.40.

GradIng for Ilxe(l rali f aci lities between t he Des PlI. lneM
A\'enue .. 56 mlle--Hobert R. Ande rson

iUv~r und De~ Pllllm!~

ComVlln~' . .$~,853.60.

Towuship Road Jobs

Wolf Road and Fullertou

The Board on May 6 approved Improvements on

township roads as f ollows :

Low bidders for two non-expressway improvements

were:

LEYDEN TOWNSHIP, Scott St reel, Ruby Street, P almer

Avenue, Atlantic Avenue, Cat Wagner Avenue, Gustaye Avenue. MedlH Avenue. Lyndale Avenue, Dickens Avenue. a nd
Landen Drive. Mll b<lrn Brothers. Ine . $.<;1,078.49.
ORLAND TOWNSHIP, Elm Street.. 80th. Avenue, Redonda
Lan~.1. and Laguna Lane, S. G. Hayes &: Company. $14, 791.37.
BREMEN TO\VNSHIP LaramIe Avenue. Lockwood Avenue,
an d HI~land Avenue, Skokie Valley Asphalt Company Inc.,
$15,538. .

WOLF nOAD. North Lake and uni ncorpora ted area, between Nortn and Grand Avenues, 1.85 miles, wldenlng to two
roadways with rour- loot median Itrlp a nd resurlaelng.
SlandlU"d Paving Company. S599,TIO~O.
FULLERTON AVENUE, Elmwood Park and River Grove,
between 1st and Harlem Avenues. 1.~ mlluA lour-lane con
structlon and resurtaclnll. J. A. R o~s. $220,620.00.
21\-(00t

$7,200,000 Added to 1958 Road Program

OOK COUNTY'S 1958 highway program has been
expanded by addition of improvement projects on
C
22 streets and roads
Chicago and the suburbs esti-

Bonds Sell at Premium

in

mated to cost $7,200,000. The Board of County Commissioners approved them on May 6 and then submitted the list to the Illinois Division of Highways for
its approval. It is intended to have all the jobs under
contract before the end of the year, said President
Daniel Ryan.
The supplementary figure added to that of the
program adopted by the Board last December brings
the 1958 grand total to $123,209,200, the largest
ever programmed by the County in one year.
The additional work is to be done with money not
antiCipated when the year's program was made up.
At that time, $6,199,420 of motor fuel tax funds was
marked as the County's 10 per cent contribution to
1958 expressway construction under the Federal Interstate Highway Act. Then it was learned that federal money to provide 90 per cent of this year's costs
on Congress Street, South Route and Northwest Expressways was temporarily insufficient. This shortage,
which now has been overcome, found the City of Chicago and the State lacking funds to continue work on
their sections of the three expressways.

Cook County's high rating in the bond market

was reB.ected in the bidding for $25,000,000 of
expressway bonds, sale of which was effected by
the Board of County Commissioners on May 6.
High bidder was a group of banks headed by
the Continental illinois National Bank and Trust
Company, which offered 2 %. per cent plus a
premium of $409,975. With the premium, the
County will pay net interest at the rate of
2.54065 per cent.
Streets for which channels only are proposed:
CANAL STREET between 28 th and 18th Streets, 0.95 mill',
~160,OOO.

PULASKI ROAD betwl'en Milwaukee and Lawrence Avenues, 1.87 miles, ~90,oao.
I,AWKENCE AVENUE be tween Austln Avenue and Lake
Shore Drive, 6.~8 mUes .'J.43.'i 000.
CENTRAL AVENUE between Harrison S t reet and North
Avenl!.e~ :.1.55
mUes, also to be widened where ne~e~sary,
.'$485,Qw.
KOSTNER AVENUE between DiviSio n and Palmer Streets,
L25 mlles, also to be widened and rcsur!aced, .').49<1,000.
IRVL"IG PARK rrOAD between PUlaski Rond and Ashland
Avenue, $100,000.

The two other Chicago streets listed are Kedzie

Avenue, where intersections will be improved between
U1th and 103rd Streets, 1.00 mile, $25,000, and Addison Street between Cumberland Avenue and Forest
Preserve Dri.ve, 0.50 mile, curbs, gutters and intersection re turns, $40,000.
Partly in Chicago and partly in unincorporated
area:

County to Use Bond D-Ioney

President Ryan then proposed that the County sell
$25,000,000 of its 1955 $245,000,000 expressway bond
issue and use the proceeds for its portion of expressway work this year, thus permitting the City and State
to make use of available federal aid. Since this arrangement is in the nature of an advance payment,
the City and State will repay the County from federal
grants. By foregoing its share of federal aid, the
County has been relieved of its 10 per cent obligation.
The $6,199,420 previously tagged for that purpose is
thus released for additional motor fuel tax work and
is the basis of the supplementary program.
Eleven of the added jobs are in Chicago, six are
within the limits of incorporated suburbs and five are
in unincorporated areas, one of them extending into
Chicago and one into Park Ridge. Olle of the suburban projects was first scheduled as a two-lane
improvement and now has been revised to four lanes.

FOREST PRESERVE DRIVE between CUmberland and Narragansett Avcnues, 2.95 mIles, w idening, channelizing, median
stri p nnd rc!ur!aclng, $700,000.

Projects within suburban corporate limits:

OAK PARK AVENUE, Oak Park, Erie Street to Augusta
Bouleva"d, 0.41l mllc..... tour-lane resurfacing, 1j;2<i,0IXl.
216th-MAIN STRI!iET, Matteson. Govcrnor's Highway to
l'IIaln Street, 0.55 mil ... , an d 216th Street to Lincoln Highway.
0.71 mile two and thr ... e-lane resu rfacIng, $30,000.
DEVON AVE...... tJE. Park Ridge, Cumberland Avenue t o Talcott Road, 0.27 mile. tour-lane resurlacinj";, !15,000.
CHICAGO ROAD Thornton, South Hoi and. and Colton
Marlon Street to Sillley Boulevard. widening to tour lanes and
resurtacing, $600,000.
KIRCHOFF ROAD, Roiling Meadows, Hicks Road to Wilke
Road, 1.47 tour-lane reconstructlon... _1j;l75,OOO.
CENTRAL "ROAD, Arlington Heights an d Mt. Phospect,
Arlington Heights Rontl. to Northwest HI l<hway 1.80 mHe5 ,
widening to tour lanes and re BUl'Cacln g, 862,000 (Federal Aid );
originally programmed lor widening to 24 teet.

PartIy in unincorporated area and partly in Park

Ridge:

Channels For Chicago Streets

Nine of the Chicago projects are channel installations at intersections. This relatively Dew method of
traffic control is suited to broad, heavily traveled
streets and has been installed by both the City a nd
County on numerous main routes in Chicago in the
last few years. Essentially, it provides a bay with an
extra lane for cars turning left and also a pedestrian
island. On some streets a continuous m edian strip is
also installed as a directional separation and to prevent dangerous U-turns.
'rhree of the nine channelization jobs listed include
median strips. With estimated costs, they are:

CUMIlERLA1'o:"D AVENUE HiggIns Roatl. to DeVOn Avenue,

0.63 mile, tour- l lUle reL"<lnstruction with median strip, $170,000.

The largest project on the supplementary program

is Palatine Road between Rohlwing Road and the
Des Plaines River, 6.90 miles, in unincorporated territory. The plan includes two lanes with median strip,
grade separations at intersecting highways and the
Soo Line Railroad and a stonn sewer. Total cost is
estimated at $6,000,000, of which Federal Aid will
provide 50 per cent. Work progra=ed for this year
is estimated at $2,000,000.
The two other added jobs wholly in unincorporated
area are:

LINCOLN AV&""IUE between Foster Avenue and Peterson

Road. 1.35 mUes $130000.
F ULLERTON AVE~ betwee n Grand Avenue Rnd Halsted
Street '1.20 mUes, :u 170,000.
COTTAGE GROVE A VENI. . E between 95th' and TIst Streets,
3.00 miles, $240,000.

ROHRSON ROAD, bri<lge at POpJar Creek, north or ChicagoEl gIn Hond, $60,000.
PLAINFIELD ROAD betwcen 5~th Street and W!Ilow
Springs Road, 0.80 mUe, Btorm sewer.

Tri-Level Structures on Northwest Expressway

"",,[NAY
, .

"' -" : )I~ I-' l

a.

,r.HI<; 4= IU.J<H'IJ

<.

'

eotX Ca.lIfV

- .... ::t."AfI'. l.1ri C!

1tD<'l.\~

'.

""'N o

,.

.t=ffEE5!;!.!
"

~OlIN ry

'Q[!:r.lffl r. j'J,.

Ul G,IW4T$

Bid, Will Be Rec eived By the Board of County Commissioners In June for Conatruc;:tion of Two Complicated
Sets of Grade S e pa ra tion Structure. on Northwest ExprclSw.lIy Betwee n III Junction With Edens Expre ..way at C icero and Montrose Ave n ues and O' H are Airport. The Ex presllway Will Be in the Bllllcment at Each
LocatiOn, S loping Gradually to the Undcrp .. n lind Returning to Ita Grade. At Mayfair, Where the Expre:s&way Panes Beneath th e Trac1cs of the Chicago &. North Western and Chicago MllwilUkcs St. Paul &. Pacific;
Railroads, the Structures are Just West of Edens, Which From That Point NorthwlI.rd Parallels Cicero Avenue.

Stream Cleanup Praised

CCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE Cook County Clean
Streams Committee in 1957 are cited by President
A
Daniel Ryan of the County Board in a letter thanking

Traffic Markers Abroad

Americans traveling in Europe by automobile find
a strange but interesting system of highway signs.
A collection of cards on which the various signs are
reproduced in color was
made in France, The Netherlands, Germany, Norway
and Sweden by Ralph Syn~
nestvedt, landscape designer in Glenview, and sent to
Thomas J. Roche, 2114
Prairie Street. Glenview,
who is head of the estimating division of the
Cook County Highway
Department.
In the four countries represented, the signs are
uniform. Two shapes are used generally, a triangle
for warning of specific hazards, such as pedestrians,
rail crossings, draw bridges, bad curves and slippery
pavements, and a round marker where positive obedience is required, as stops, forbidden turns and restricted traffic.
On the biangular signs the message is expressed
graphically, as the warning of children at play reproduced here. The colors used are bright red, yellow
and blue.

the citizen committee members for their public service

and pledging his continued support.

"1 wish to compliment the Clean Streams Commit

tee members on their accomplishments," President
Ryan wrote. "It is evident t hat t he work of this group
of citizens has contributed greatly to the improvement
of our streams. I ful ly realize the time and efforts
that each of you spend in the field, searching out

sources of pollution.
"Your monthly meetings of representatives from
all of t he agencies r esponsible for the control of pollution have received national attention. This approach
is unique and indicates the intrinsic value of cooperation among civic bodies.
"I am impressed with the work of last year. During
that time at least 14 new sewage plants were placed
in operation and several others enlarged their capacity. Twenty other sources of pollution were connected
to Sanitary District sewers. Five cases of serious oil
pollution by industry were corrected and 50 or more
small cases of stream pollution were eliminated. This
i'ndicates fine progress.
"You will continue to receive my support in your
work and it is my personal hope that your work continues to be as successful as it has in the past."
Governmental agencies and civic groups that cooperate wit h the committee include the Cook County
Forest Preserve District, State's Attorney, U. S. District Attorney, Cook County Department of Public
Health, U. S. Public Health Service, Metropolitan
Sanit ary District of Greater Chicago, minois Division
of Wat~rway s, Illinois Sanitary Water Board, Chicago
Regional Planning Association, North Shore Sanitary
District, North Shore Mosquito Abatement Committe., t;;lean Streams Committees of McHenry, DuPage
!j.nd Will Counties, the Prairie Club, illinois Outdoor
Mfm's Association, Izaak Walton League, North
Branch Civic Association, Tinley Creek Committee,
Upper Des Plaines Committee, Lower Des PlainesSalt Creek Committee, Lower Chicago River Committee, Thorn Creek-Calumet Committee.

"2. The most common types available for use by

the public are chlorproma zine and meprobamate.
"3. Studies of chlorpromazine indicate some effects
on human behavior which could influence driving
safety. Studies of meprobamate have not revealed
these same characteristics. H owever, it must be
emphasized t hat comparisons of dissimilar studies
while suggestive, are not necessarily conclusive.
"4. Physicians when prescribing a tranquilizer
should advise patients of the possible effect on driving
ability.
"5. Public officials, while waiting the more conclusive evidence from the scientists, should stay a lert
to this new influence on the American scene, observe
carefully any apparent relationship to accidents or
violations, and take whatever medico-legal steps are
finally indicated to control any harmful influence on
the accident rate."

pills Safe When Driving?

Millions of Americans will take billions of tranquilizer pills this year. Many of them will drive cars
while under the influence of these new anxietyreducing drugs, yet no one knows what such mass
use will mean for highway safety, the National Safety
Council has warned.
The best information thus far, the council says,
has resulted from a project conducted at the University of Michigan, in which a control group was given
driving tests 30 minutes after taking tranquilizers.
No significant changes were noted. But until there is
more knowledge of what happens over a period of
time following the pills, the council proposes "a tentative conclusion on their implications for traffic safety."
That conclusion Is summarized as follows:
"1. Not all tranquilizers are alike. Various types
have different chemical makeup, even act on different
pam of the brain and nervous system.

Bridge Nears Completion

The Torrence Avenue bridge at H3rd Street is expected to be ready for use in August.
The bridge is 588 feet 8 inches in length and spans
the tracks of the Michigan Central, Indiana Harbor
Belt and Baltimore & Ohio Chicago Terminal railroads. The roadway is four lanes in width and there
is a sidewalk on each side.
Contract price was $1,271,224.50. Because the
bridge was necessitated by the Calumet-Sag ship
channel project, the federal government is . bearing
most of the cost. The contribution of Cook County,
which did the design and construction, amounts t o
$400,000.

Work Progresses Westward on Congress Street

T he V iew is Sout h along t h e L.ln e of Ce ntra l Av enu e. Five Bri dge s a re re qu ire d t o Car ry Congren Stree t an d Re.
loc a t ed Railroad Tracks ove r Contra!. In t he F oregro u n d ar e Two S t ruc t ure s fo r t he Exprestwa y . Just Bey o n d
are A b utm en t s of Two Span. t o Ca r rr t he ra ilr oad. Wh en Re loca ted . S t ill Fa rt he r S ou t h Wil l be a Bridg e fo r
the E x p resaway Ser-v lce Driv e . o u r lnll Conat ru(:t io n. C e nt ral Av e n ue t ra ffic fo ll ow15 th e by-pa .. at t h e left.

Detours

In

J OE ORR ROAD between Hal. ted Stree t and State St reet

In Ch icago Halght_5: bridge construction; eutbound traffle de tour 50uth on U a.!lIt~ d Street to Lincoln Highway eost to
State Street and north tn Joe Orr Road; w~Hboun<'! reverse
ord er.
LA I<E COOK ROAD between Sander. Road and Pflnrston
Road, t oll Ioad cons tr uction; t!utbound t ralIk detour north
on Sander~ Koad to Det>rfield Road1 co.lit to Waukegan ROlld
a n d. ~outh to Lake Cook Road; wl!I\bound Te\'(~ne order.
OLD PLUM GRuVE R OAD between P lum ,Grove Road
and Menl'ham Road. culvert construction; northbound trome
detour south o n Plum Grove Road to Algonq uin Road (route
62). east o r Meaeh"am Road a nd north to Old Plum Grove
Road; 1I0uthbound reverse order.
0 1110 STREET betwel'n Hni81ed and U" lon Streets, brlda:e
construction tor No rthwest Expreuway F eeder; eaatbound
tra me tOllow the marked de tour golna: north on Halsted
Street to Erie St reet, elUi t t o Union Street a nd. south to OhiO
Street; west bound tram e reverse order.
:l.51ST STREET betwe en Wll1 Cook Road and Walt Road
culver t construction; east oound tram e detOUr south on WIl!
Cook Rood to l.591h Street, eut to Wolf iRoad and no rth 10
151.:1t St ree t ; westbound reverse orller.
RIDGELAND AVEl''1UE between Vollmer Road .nd L1nL'OJ n
Illehwa)'. culvert cons truction; nor thbound lrame detour well
on LInCOln H ll\h""lI)' to Harle m Avenue,north to VOll mer ROOd
lind east to Idgeland A,enue; southoound reverse onler,
STATE S1'REET between Lincoln Highway a lld Steger
Road, road COnltructlon; cloaed to tTalfle.
STEGER ROAD between cotlaa:e Grove AvC'nue and Unloll
Av enue, road reconstruction lit Intenectlon of stnte Street;
wd tbound lrame lI e tour north on cottage Grove Avenul' to
Lin coln 1-I:lgllwo,)', WI'Bt to UnIon Avcnu~. and 8{)uth' to Steger
Road; e astbound reverse order.
TORrtENCE AVE."'WE betwee n 140th and 14-1tll Street.,
bridge const ruction; a bypas$ d elour wllh one-way streets;
northbound follOW t he mnr kl'd d etour route using sa,lnnw
Avenue; loothbound follow t he mllrked de tou r uslne: 10"le
Avenue.
WI LSO:-1 AVENUE between Kilpat rick and ctcero Avenues
br idge eonli trueUon (or NOIth weat E"pre5swa),: ellitbound
ttnlDe detour south on Cicero Avenue to Sunn),!ldc Avenue,
eas t on Sunnysl!'le ,\ve nae to KUpaltlek Avenue lind north to
Wilso n Ave nue: we~ t l>oun d reverse order.

Effect

Work in progress by the Cook County Highway

Department and the illinois Toll Road Commission reo
quires det ours as follows:
BARTLETT

ROAD

be

tWHn Shoe F actory Road

and Higgins Road , toll road
conllructlon; northbound
tra.me detour west on Shoe
Fac tory Road to Sutton
Roa d, north to Higgins
Road
nnd southcn~t to
Bart lett Road: southbou nd
r~v(!rse nnl H.
BUFFALO GROVE
ROA D between Aptnklslc
Hoad aUll Mcllenf), Noad (rou te 83). bridge cOns tructlon;
Ilorthbound lrn me dc tour e ast on Aptnklsle Road to McHenr),
Road and northwest to nuItaJ o Oro\'e Road; southbound reo
verse ord er.
BUSSE ROAD hetween RifKin. Road (route 72) a nd AI
I::onquln Road \ route (,"2)... to l road L'<Inltructlon; northbound
trallle detour WCBt on tlla:il:l ns Road to Arllna:ton Hela:ht~
Road north to Alronqul n Road, southellst to Dempster Street
lind east to BUSAe Hoad; sou t nbound trnffic detour eut on
Algon quin ROad to Elmhu rst Rand. south to Oak to n Street
IInil west to Busse Rontl.
GARDNER ROAD be tween 22nd and 12th St ree ts, cui
vert construction; northbound trsme detour I'asl on 22nd
Street lo 17th AvenUe, north to 12th Street and wes t to
Gardner Rond; southboun d revene o rder.
I{ll<.'TZ ROAD between Wh .... Ung Road li nd l!:.I..mhu r!lt ROad.
road repairs; eastbound traffic d etour sout h an Elmlrurst
Road Lo PalatlnO Rood, cast to Wheellna: Road and north tu
Hlnlz ROad ' wl'stbound Te\'en;e o rder.
I1n,,~z ROAD between Milwaukee Avenue a n d WOIr Root!,
bridge cOllstru c::thm: eastbou nd tralnt! de tour HOuUl on Wol f
Road to palatinl! Rond, I'RB t to Milwaukee Aven ue a n d north
to Hintz Roa d ; wCllbound rev eue order.

SORRYTO INCONVENIENCE
YOU ... jP'W'j,
THIS RESURFACING

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

',,:

....

They're Really Moving Dirt on Congress Street \Vest of l'tlannheim ROll.d

Vol. VI No. I

JUNE, 1958

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Publi!hed by the Cook County (Ill.) Department of B lehwlya
Under auspice! of. the Board or Count., Commiuionen
DANIE L RYA N, President

William N. Erie k,on

J amu F. A'hende n
F ra nk Bobt)'uk e

Fred A. Fulle
C h riat A. J e nse n
J ohn A. Mack le r, Jr.

Charles F. C hapli n
Ellubeth A. Conkey

Dan iel Ry an
C layton F. Smith

Je rry Dolezal
John J . Du ffy
Arth ur X, Elrod

Edward M . Sneed
John J . T auhy

William J. Mortimer
Superintendent 01 fUrhwa )',

Published at 130 North Wells Street, Chlcas-o 6.

FRanklin 2-7544

Boob

This Child Growing Up

Extension 216

0/

the Month

ITH THIS ISSUE, COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

W begins its sixth year of publication. Although

sUIl a toddler, as years go, the monthly bulletin has

spanned the interesting new era in which the people

of this community bave been given expressways, and
now looks forward to even more accomplishments to
write about in the near future.
Sponsored by the Board of County Commissioners,
the publication was launched as a regular medium
to inform the public about activities of the County
Department of Highways. This has been done in large
measure through cooperation of the newspapers, both
Chicago and suburban, which have used material from
the magazine on many occasions. This has been much
a ppreciated, and the Department hopes the press will
continue to reprint freely.
Gratifying recognition of t he magazine's role has
come also from technical journals throughout the
country, particularly the monthly publication of the
U. S. Bureau of ' Public Roads, which have reprinted
articles about projects of this Department. These included as examples, the rumbler pavement warning at
stop signs, a study of the influence of parallel roads
on expressways, a Chicago area transportation llsage
study, an extensive survey of stop sign obedience, the
early use of prestressed concrete bridge girders, the
engineering feat of supporting an elevated line during
expreassway constr uction and the use of a moving
vehicle t o count traffic.

DRIFTER, the tumbling tourist, is

DREAMY
mopy menace of the multiple lanes.

the

He drifts across the stripe on his left and then

across the stripe on his right.
To other motorists, he's a tumblin' tumbleweed.
Tumbleweeds a re shortlived.

dlUng the construction of facilities eagerly desired

by the public but, particularly in t his recession year,
is also providing much employment for workmen.

When Vol. I , No. 1 was issued, the first sections of

expressway to be put in use, Edens, Calumet , a nd
Kingery were still new. Since then two sections of
Congress Street have been opened and as Vol. VI,
No.1 goes forth, completion dates are in sight for
Congress Street to the west line of the County, Nortnwest Expressway to O'Hare Airport and Edens extension to its junction with Northwest. The County is
proceeding with work on the South Route Expressway, a nd the Southwest a nd Stony Island Expressways are programmed for early construction.

Highway building has caught the public interes t

probably more than a ny other County activity. In its
first fiv e years of life, this magazine has endeavored
to Bel've in two principal areas~to pass a long to other
highway buUders matters of technical interest and to
tell motoriats of facilities provided for their convenience a nd how to use them efficiently and particularly with safety.

With an annual expenditure of well over 100 million

dollars on highways, Cook County is not only expe.

The past Ove years appear to have been profitable,

and the future looks promising.

-"

Litter Drive Notes

County to Check CTA

NUMEROUS signs that the public is reA MONG

sponding to the " Keep Cook County Clean and

west side residents who now drive to

Howthe MANY
loop and back on Congress Street Expressway

Green" drive is the dema nd for litter bags to carry

In cars. The first supply has been exhausted. An additional 30,000 have been

,,

<

"'

"

,
L~

acquired and will be distributed fr ce of charge.

'

.=

will use the open cut subway line in the Expressway

median strip once they get acquainted with this new,
fast traction ser vice?
The answer to this and other key questions in the
adjustment between mass transportation and automobiles will he sought by the Cook County Highway
Depar tment in a postcar d survey to be made at CTA
stations in the expressway. It will be done about two
weeks after the June 22 opening of thc subway, to
permit ample time for the riders to decide whether
they prefer the trains over their own cars.
On a typica l w eek day, employes of the traffic en gineering division of the Department will pass out postcards to all who enter the CTA stations between 6
a _ m. and 1 p. m. The 13 stations between Des Plaines
and Racin e Avenues will be included in the survey.
Ten questions will be printed on the cards. Riders
will be asked to write the answers and drop the cards
in the mail. The questions follow:
Origin of trip; destination of trip, origin CTA station, destination CTA station, frequency of trip, mode
of travel used for trip before thiE facility opened ,
purpose of trip, money saved by taking CTA, time
saved by taking CTA, time of day.

For t he most part, the

bags are handed out by
organizations civic
groups, improvement
associations, veterans

posts, Boy and Gir l

Scouts - and thus the
bag de pa rtment is an
educational movement
of much value.

The bags are made of

strong paper with a loop
E ileen Burke Boosts
to hang on a dashboard
Car Bag
fitting. They a r e l arge
enough to hold a day's accumulation of candy wrappers, cigaret packages, cleaning tissue a nd the like.

P icknickers in the Cook County Forest Preserves,
who have begun to show an encouraging tendency to
handle their own litter, are fUrther inspired this
season w ith a leaflet carrying the following admonition on its back page :

May Traffic Fatalities

DANIEL RYAN , President

Twenty traffic deaths last month marked the seasonal upturn in fatal it ies on suburban streets and
highways. A lthough the month's toll was the highest
for May in the 13-year records of the Cook County
Traffic Safety Commission, it was only slightly above
what seems unfortunately to be predictable as summer
traffic increases.
There were 18 deaths in May last year and 19 in
May of 1955, 1954 and 1952. If the trend of previous
years continues, fatalities wi ll furt h er inc r ease
through the season of heavy weekend vacation travel.

BOARD OF FOREST PRESERVE COMMISSIONERS

says!
"Good
are a

out

0'

door manners

mar. of distindion,"

THIS IS YOUR
FOREST PRESERVE DISTRICT
HELP KEEP IT CLEAN AND GREEN
L.t us linger

But not litter

Let us R.s'

But not Mole st

L.t us Enjo y

But not Destroy

At the end of May, total 1958 deaths in Cook

County as a whole stood at 180, which compared with
208 in the same period. last year. The improvement,
however, is credited to the City of Chicago, for the
five-month total in the suburban area, 75, was an
incr ease of four deaths over last year.
Six of the 20 k illed in May were pedestrians. Two
were 3-year-old boys and one was a man of 83.

LEAVE NO LITTER

Six were killed in auto-auto collisions, three in

crashes between automobiles and trucks, one in an
n.uto-motorcycle collision and four were in. cars that
left the road and struck wayside objects.

Wherever yo u are, leave the oreo cleon ond orderly

so tho t othe rs moy en joy it_ You sho uld be a cu stodia n a s we ll o s a user of YOUR Fo re st Pres erve.

"In short, 20 centuries of 'progress' have brought

the ave rage citizen a vote, a national anthem, a Ford,
a bank account and a high opin ion of himself, but
no t the capacity to live in high density without befo uling and denuding h is environment, nor a conviction
that such capacity, rather than such density, is the
test of whether he is civilized."

______

A longtime foe of litter, R oberts Mann, Conservation Editor of the Forest Preserve District, contributes the following sharp comment from the book
"Game Management" by Professor Aida Leopold of
thc University of Wisconsin :

County Starts Study of Speed Zones

~==~==~======~

HE COOK COUNTY Highway Department will

T
start traffic engineering studies
month on the
650
road under its jurisdiction as the first

this

miles of
s tep in setting speed lim its in accordance with the
1957 stat e speed law. The revision will extend into

93 suburbs. in which county roads are streets or parts

of streets, as well as the unincorporated area.
One requirement of the new act Is that any speed
restriction other t han 30 miles a n hour in an urban
district and 65 in a non-urban must be warranted by
engineering data. Previously, in many instances,
speed zones were determined by suburban officials on

I
I

observation and limits fixed largely by guess work,

said William J . Mortimer, County HIg hway Superin-

tendent.
"Frequently, restrictions were so low as to be
ridiculous," he sa,jd, "Motorists couldn't see any
sensl! in them. They were difficult to enforce and
undoubtedly bred disrespect for all speed signs.
Drivers Obey Reasona ble Signs
"Speed zones established on the basis of engineering
studies are realistic and consistent. They are set up
wilh full consideration of safety a nd also of the need
to keep traffic moving smoothly. Experience has
shown t hat motorists obey signs they understand as
being reasonable."
An extra force of college engineering students on
summer vacation will be employed to make the survey
and 10 radar units will be acquired for their use, aaid
Mortimer. After a course of special training, they will
be organized in teams of three, each with a radar
unit a nd measuring devices. They wiH be sent into
the field this month.
To a degree, motorists themselves will determine
speed limits, said Leo G. Wilkie, county traffic engineer. The regular daily flow of traffic indicates the
rate of speed most people believe proper for a given
section of road, he said, a nd this indication has been
found by engineering investigations to be reliable as
a guide to what the limits should be and what limits
can be enforced.
Average Driver Is Reliable
"The average driver can be counted on to use care,"
said Wilkie. "He pays attention to the job of driving
and adjusts his speed to changing conditione. When
he enters a built-up area, for example, he slows down,
whether there is a speed sign or not.
"Careless drivers are a relatively small minority.
When the speed studies are under way, they will
be detected by radar and will not effect the findings."
It is planned to study one township at a time. Two
weeks before the engineering crews start their work,
a U existing speed signs will be removed, thus affor ding motorists sufficient time to exercise their own
judgment of proper speed. While the firs t townships
are under study, existing signs will remain in the
others. Suburb and township officers will be notified
before studies start in their areas.
Data on vehicle speeds will be coUected with the
radar equipment. At the same time, a traffic engineer
wil1 drive a test car over the section of road under
study to determine whether the public's idea of speed
is sound.

Mi chael Scrhlin (r ight) , Cool' Co un ty Hlg hwa.y Depar tment Engineer , Who Will DIrect the Speed S u rvey Cr ews tn the Field, Instl' ucts James \ VUkiru;on,
Uni verl!llty or T or on to S tuden t , In Ra da r O llerntion

The study team will also use a measuring device

t hat is essentially a rolling wheel meter with a long
handle. Measurements a re necessary to determine
wbether a road is in an urban or non-urban dismcl
Under the new law, said Wilkie, the definition of an
area as a n urban district is Independent of corporate
limits. Instead, it is defined as "the t erritory contiguous to and including any s treet which is built up
with structures devoted to business, industry or dwellIng houses situated a t int ervals of less t han 100 fe et
for a distancC! of a quarter of a mile or more."
Statute Sta tes Limits
Under the 1957 act, the County is authorized to
establish speed limits in urban districts of not less
than 20 miles an hour and not more than 65, and in
non -urban districts of not less tba n 35 and not more
than 65. [0 each instance, the County Board's ordinance is to be submitted to the s tate for approval.
[n addition to speed data, the study crews will also
list other considerations of proper speed in a given
section of road. These include t he road surface, width
of lanes, road shoulders, curves, hills, s ight distances,
intersecting roads and roadside culture.
Appr oximately 100 miles of t he county road system
nre within incorporated SUburbs snd additional mileage runs t hrough areas that are urban districts under
the law even though not incorporated. While speed
limits are important in built-up districts, the study
will cover the entire 650-mile system.
County Roads in SlIburbs
Ninety-three suburbs in all parts of the County will
be included in the speed survey. The list, with the
streets, 0\' parts of streets, affected is as follows:
ALSIP_ Rldgcland Avenuc, ll~th. 123rd and 119lh StreeLs. --.....-..
ARLINGTON H EIGHTS-WIllo w. Wilke a nd central Roads.
BARRINGTON- Hillside Aven ue and Otis Road .
BARRINGTON HILLS-Otis, Bartlett and BrI nker R oads.
BARTLE'T'T_ Wrst Bartlett and Bartlett RoadS.

nELLWooD-Madison Street.

BERWYN-Wesl 31lt Strcct.

'1

.r--.

Public Hearing on Billboard Issue

VERYONE WISHING to be heard on the issue of
E
billboards alongside expressways will have the
opportunity to speak up at a public session of the
Zoning Board of Appeals of Cook County to be held

July 7.
The hearing will be on two proposed amendments
to the county zoning ordinance. It will be held in the
assembly room of the B oard of County Commissioners,
room 535 in the County Building, starting at 10 :30
July 7 and continuing until everyone with an opinion

to express has had his chance.

More than 300 notices have been sent by Secretary
Walter T . Popjoy to groups presumed to be interested.
These include civic clubs, community improvement
associations, garden clubs, advertising agencies, and
unions that work on bill-boards.
The entire membership of the appeals board will
conduct the hearing. They are Andrew J. Dallstream,
chainnan; Robert S. Hunt, Russell B. James, Richard
L. Weldon, and P opjoy. At the conclusion, the board

will submit its recommendation to the County Board.

300 Feet From night-of-Way
The proposed amendment to restrict the location
and s ize of billboards and signs would add a paragraph to section 17 of the zorling ordinance to read
as follows:
"No advertising device shall hereafter be erected or
BLUE ISLAND-1l9th Road, 1:l3rd and 139th Streets, Kedzle
Avenue and Thornton Road.
BRIDGEVIEW- Roberts Road, 71.st a nd 87th Streel.ll.
BROADVIEW-Gardner Road and 9th A venue.
BROOKFIELD-Eberly, Maple and PrairIe Avenues, Plainfield Road and :l6th stre~t.
CALUMET CITY-MIch igan City ROlld.
CHICAGO HEIGHTS---Holll rook, J~ Orr and Vollmer Roa d s.
State and :l6th Stre ets.
CHICAGO RIDGE-IDSrd Rood, 107th Slreet and Central
Avenue.
CRESTWOOD-MidlothIan Turn/Ike and 139th street.
DES PLAINES---Mount I'rosp~~, seeger and Campground
Roads, Lee Oakton ami Thatcher Streets.
DIXMOOR- L'i9th Street and Thornton Road.
DOLTON-I38th Strecot, Cottage Grove Avenue, and Green wood Rand.
EAST CillCAGO HEIGHTS--Cotta ge Grove A venue.
EAST HAZEL CREST- Ashlanr! Avenue, 171st and Center
Streets.
ELGIN-Bode and Gl lI'or r! Roads .
anl~n~~ ~~~?nkton street, Arlington Heights, I..andmeler
EVANSTON_Harrison Street.
FLOSSMooR-Kcdzle Avenue, Flossmoor, H olb rOOk and
Vollmer Roads.
FOREST PARK_Madison Street.
FOREST VIEW-South Central Avenue and Wes t 47th
Street.
FRANKLIN PARK-A ddison stre~t, Franklin, Fullerton and
Paclft~ A venues.
GLENCOE-Lake Cook and Hohlteld~r Roads.
GLENVIEW_ Lehigh and Washington A\"enuf!S, Glen view,
HnrmBJ...~~.nBet Ridge and Wagner H.oads.
GL""~wooD---State Street.
HARVEY-Thornton Road .
HARWOOD HEIGHTS--Fost..r Avenu~ .
HAZEL CREST- Kedzte A venue, 167th, 1711;t and 175lh
Streelll.
H ICKORY HILLS---88th Avenue, R oberts Road, 87th and
10Jrd Streets.
HILLSIDE-Harrison Street and Woll R o ad.
HINSDALE--Cook-Du Page Road.
HODGKINS--67th and East A venues.
HOME'NOOD---Center Street, Holbrook Road. Ashland and
Kedzle Avenues.
JUSTICE---88th A venue and Rober'-'s Road.
LA GRANGE-Brainard, Eberly and Gilbert Avenuc8.
LANSING--18Sth Strcet and WentwOI'th Avenue.
LINCOLNWOOD---Craw!ord and Lenox Avenu es.
LYONS--39th street and Plalnlleld Road.
MARKHAM-Ked~lc Avenue, 151st and 167th Streets.
MATTESON-Centra l Park Avcnue.
MAYWOOD---Madlson Street and Gollvlcw Avenue.
McCOOK-Plaln!1eld Road.
MELROSE PA RK-Div ision Street, 17th and 25th Avenues.
MERRIONETTE PARK-1l9th Street.
MIDDLEBURY- Bateman Road.
MIDLOTHIAN-Kedzlc Avenue and 1518t Stre~t.
MORTON GROVE-Chureh street, Lehigh, Narragansett and
WRshln g ton Avenues, Beckwith, Hanns and Shermer Roads.

relocated within 300 feet of t.he right-of-way .line of

any limited access highway if the face thtJreof is
visible therefrom, and advertising devices located at
a greater distance than 300 feet from the right-ofway line of any limited access highway and visible
therefrom shall not exceed in gross area in square
feet 1/200ths times the square of the distance of
such advertising device from such limited access
highway."
A second proposal would add to section 22 of the
ordinance paragraphs defining limited access highway and advertising device as follows:
Limited Access Defined
" LIMITED ACCESS HIGHWAY: A limited access
highway is a trafficway, including expressways and
t.oll roads for through traffic, in respect to which owners or occupants of abutting property or Jands and
other persons have no legal right of access to or from
t he same, except at such points only and in such manner il.S may be determined by the public authority
having jurisdiction over such trafficway,"
"ADVERTISING DEVICE: An advertising device
is any advertising sign, billboard or poster panel
which directs attention to a business, commodity,
service or entertainment not exclusively related to the
premises where such sign is located or to which it
is affixed."
MOUNT PROSPECT Linco ln S t reet, Mount Prospect Avenue
and Mount Prospect Road.
NILES-North Newark Avenue, Howard Street and ShennH
Road.
NORRIDGE-Montrose Avenue.
NORTHBROOK- Grant, Happ. Lce , Sunset Ridge, Ter.hny,
V{)lt~ and Walteu Road8 .
NORTHFIELD-Happ. Sunset Ridge, Wagner find Winnetka
Roads .
NORTHLAKE-Mou nt Prospect Road .
NORTH RIVERSIDE--9th A venue and :l6th Street.
OAK FOREST---Cen tral Avenue and 131st street.
OAK LAWN--Centrul and Wabash Avenues, 54th a nd 103rd
streets.
OLYMPIA F IELDS--Kedzle Avenue, Olympian Way, Joe Orr
and Vollmer Roads .
ORLAND PARK- 100th and 1~ 1 st Stree'-'s.
PALATINE-Brockway Street, Baldwin, Pnlntlne, Qulntens
"nd Rohlwlng Roads.
PALOS PARK--8Sth Avenue.
P ARK FOREST_Central Park Avenue, Monee Road and
sauk Trail.
PARK RIDGE-Dee Road.
PHOENIX_ Thorn ton_Blue b land Road.
POSEN- Kedz.\e A venue and 139th street.
R ICHTON PARK--Central Par k Av~nue and Sauk Trail.
RIVERDALE-l38 t h Street.
R IVER FOREST-Madison Street.
RIVER GROVE-Fullerton Avenue.
ROBBINS-Ked>:le Avenue, Mid lothian Turnpike and 139th
street.
ROLLING MEADOWS-Klrch olT, Roh lwln g and WJtke Roa ds.
SAG BRIDGE-Bell Roar!.
SAUK-Torren~e

Av~nue.

SCHAUMBURG CENTER-M cacham, Plum Grove, Roselle

and Schaumburg Roads.
SKOKIE--Craw!ord Avenue, Gross Point Road , Church,
Harrison and Oakton Streets.
SOUTH CHICAGO HEIGH1'S-A5hland Avenue, Sauk Tra il
a nd state Street.
SOUTH HOLLAND---Cottagc Grove Avenue, Greenw ood a nd
Thornton_Blue Island Roads, 187th and 171st Streets.
STEGER-Steger Road
STONE PARK-DIvision street,
STREAMWooD---Bartlett and Schaumburg Roads .
THORNTON- l71st Street and Thornton -Blue Island Ro ad.
TINLEY PARK- Rldll:eland and Sou th Oak Forest Avenues,
167th, 1711;t and 175th Streets.
WESTCHESTER-Gardner A venue.
WESTERN SPRINGS-Wolf Road .
WHEELING--Buffaio Grove and Schoenbeck RoadS.
WILLOW SPRINGS--Nolton Avenue. 87th Street. German
Church an d Wol t Roads.
WILMETTE--Glenvlew , Happ, Hlbba!"d, Illinois, LoCWll and
Wilmette Roads.
WmNETKA-Hl!I and Winnetka RoadS.
WORTH-Ridgeland Avenue. l07th and ll5th Stre~l.G.

Also under County maintenance and included in the

speed study are the frontal t'Qad~ of the various
expressways.

Key Jobs Ready for Bids

For Pedestrians Only

ROMPT COOP ERATION by two rnilroads, the

United States Bureau of Public Roads aDd the DII
nais State Division of Highways hl\.S made it possible
for Cook Count y to maintain its schedule aiming for
completion of the Northwest Expressway section to
O'Hare Airport by t he end of next year.
The schedule depended on getting two key str uctures under way without loss of time. These are the
complicated, thr ee-level grade separ a t ions to pass the
expressway under Cicero Avenue and the Chicago &
North Western and Chicago. Milwaukee. St. Paul &
Pacific tracks at Mayfair and under Milwaukee Avenue and the North Western at J efferson Pa,k.
Both railroads made extra efforts to complete their
fj,grcement forms in time for a special meeting of the
Board of County Commissioners on June 10. At that
session, the Board acted unanimously to accept thc
agreements. Approval by the federal bureau a nd t he
s late, which is r equired under the three-party expressway program, was given I.n time to advertise for
bids to be received J uly 8. It will now be possible to
bulld the structures within lhe timc set for completion
of the a irport lead.
"The board is most appreciative of the cooperation
given by the railroads and t he federal a nd state
nuthorities," said President Ryan. "The airport lead,
which will cut the time to the loop for northwest
side r esidents as well as airline passengers, is an
important expressway section. We had promised to
have it ready t o use by the end of 1959, and it would
have been a keen disappointment if these agreements
had not been ready."
The two structur es wiU a lso make employment in
linc with the County Board 's intention to expedite
expressway construction as a n anti-recession move,
Ryan said.
Both railroads worked their legal and engineering
staffs overtime nightl:l and weekends to prepare the
agreements, said William J . Mortimer, County Highway Superintendent. In the federal and state highway
agencie.!;, extra effort was given to processing the
agreerrents to avoid delay in the County's plans.

Foot Brltlge Itt

S]lrillgfield Avenue

Four pedestrian overpasses on Congress Street Expressway are nearing completion hy the Cook County
Highway Department
One of them, at La Vergne Avenue, also leads to the
CTA station on the open cut subway line. Some of
t he metal ha nd railing was lacking when the transit
line was opened June 22, but wooden ralls were installed fo r the time being and the bridge was put
In use.
Those at Kildare, Springfield and Albany Avenues,
will be completed about August I, well before the
opening of the school year. The pl'incipal demand for
the bridges, which are located between s tructures
carrying s treets over Congress Street. came from the
pa rents of children cut off from schools by lhe
expressway.
The bridges have a gracefu l camber and the walk is
enclosed for safety with a high screen of a lumi.num.
The a pproaches are steps enclosed in a concr ete wall.
visibility and slippery road conditions that exist during rainy weather.
"The rela tive decrease in the frequency of traffic
casualties during faU and winter rains, as cont rasted
to the annual average under comparable weather con
ditlons would seem to indicate that during prolonged
per iods of wet weather t he drivers show evidence of
some learning a nd adjustment to the hazards of wet
weather,

Rain Found Riski er Than Snow

Rain on the road, which has been frequent enough
In this region this year, makes ri skier driving than
snow, the National Safety Council has found in a
study made in Seattle, Washington. Although Seattle
has more rain and less snow than Cook County, t he
conclusions a pply to this locality as well.
"It seems apparent that most dr:ivers base their
driving habits upon the vis ibility and road conditions
that exist during dry weather," it was stated in the
council's Traffic Saf e ty Res earch Review. "The
changes that occur during snow are sufficiently dramatic that it soon becomes a pparent to most drivers
that, in effect , they a re d r iving on strange and dangerous streets. The changes that occur with rain
apparently are not generally rc~ognized as constituting a ser ious traffic hazard. Consequently, many
drivers fail to make sufficient allowance for the poor

" However, the seasonal difference in the impact of

wet weather accounted for only a fractional difference
in the proportion of traffic casualties, so the learning
and adjustment tha t did take place were entirely inadequate. Also, the improvement in wet weather driving after prolonged per iods of ra in was partly offset
by the negative adjustmenL that was apparent io t he
frequency of casualties immediately after rain,
"Under snowy conditions, most d rivers plan and
adjust their driving to th e hazardous road conditions.
A similar adjustment is indicated during rainy
weather."

Detours

Effect

May Building Permits

Wor k in progress by the Cook County Highway

Department a nd the DUnois Toll Roa d Commission
requ ires detours as follows:
B ARTL ETT ROAD b etween Shoe Factory R oad

SORRY TO INCONVENIENCE

YOU .. ,fold"j>
THIS RESURFACING

lln d Hlgcins Road to ll road

con l l rucCion; nort hb o un d
traffic det our w(>sl On Shoe
Factory

Roa d

to

Sut to n

ROil .... nor th to H 1Wn! R OIId,

lind southeast to Bartl ett
ROlld; IIo uthboun d rev"", ...
BUFFALO GROVE ROAD
belw~n Aptakislc Road nnd
McHenry Road (rou te 83),
bridge constnu:tlon: n orth oound Lmllle detour Cili l <In Ap t aklsic Road LO MclIcnn' Road
I1ml. norlhw,,~t t o Buffalo Crove Rultd; sou t hbQund rever"~ .
BUSSE ROAD betw~n Hlggln~ Road (route 72 ) an d Algon_

621_

Q.uln Roa d (rou te

to l! roail constru ction,,' northbound t ram"
detour wcs t on HI;:I( 01 Road In Arlin{:"ton eight. Road, north
to Algo nqu In Rond, southCIl8L to DcmJ)$tcr Street a nd east to
nus~e Road,' ,outhbound trame detour enst on Algonquin Road
to Elmhurs Hnad, ~o uth to Oak ton Stree t a nd w..sl tu Bus!*!
Road .
GARDNl-;R RO AD hetween 12th untl 22nd Street~ culvert
cons tructiOn: north uounll tr ume detou r elUl t on 22nd Street to
17th Aven u e. north to l:.lth Stree t anrl west to Gardner Road :
southbound reverse order.
HINTZ ROAD between Wh ee ling Roa(\ and Elmhurs t ROut!
rOEl d r ellal ... : ell8tboun(\ trallle dlltour Jouth on Elmhurs t Road
to PEllatlne Hoan, eas l to WheelJng Roa(! and north to Hlnlz
Ront! wettbou nd reverse order.
HTh"T2 ROAD between Mllwa ukee Aven ue und Wolt Road
brldlt e construCtion : eRitbou nd trome detour south on Wolf
Roail to Palatine Rood, enlt t o Milwaukee Avenue and North
to Illn tz ROfld : westbound re\'erl<e orde r.
JOE ORR ROA D between HsIs11!'<! St reet a nd State St reet
In Ch icago HeIghts. bridge corutru eUon ' eastbound t raltlc delour souo. on Halsted Street 10 LIncoln HIgh way, east to SUIte
StI'(!(!t !lntl nor th 10 Joe Orr Road : westbou nd r CveIll<' onl er.
LAKECOOK ROAD be tween Sanden; Road ant! pnngs ton
Road, toll road constructIon: eastbound traffic det our north on
Sanders Road to Deerllcltl Rood. east to Waukegan Road and
south to Lo ke-COok Road ' we3tbound reverse order.
OLD PLUM CROVE ROAD between Plum Grove Road and
Menchflm Hoad , culven construction: north l>Ound traffic detour
"ooth on P lum GnlVe Rood to AlltQnquln Road (route 6:<1,.
Clllt to Mll!lehllm Road nnd north to Old P lum Grove Rood:
soutttbOund Te\'e"e order.
OHIO ST H ~:I':T between Halsted ao d Union Street!!. brld ge
cOIUll'u cllon for Northwest ExprtllSwe.y Fee(ler;.eastbound l raf
Rc tollow the mU I'ked detour going north on HaistI!'<! Street to
Er ie Street, east to UnIon Street li nd outh to Oh Io Street;
we~tbound revl!l"U! uTtler.
lS1ST STREET between WIlI COOk Road amI wulr Road, eul~
vert conltruetloni eastbound tram e delour south !In Will-COOk
Road to 111Elth SHeet., elUl lu wulf Rood and north to 1511t
St reet : weslbn und reverse order.
RlDGELAND AVENUE Delween Vollmer Road and Lincoln
Highway. cu lvert con. l rucllon ; nurthbound traffic detour west
on LInColn HI/:hwuy In Hut'tem Av enue, n orth to Vollmer I{oad
a nd east to m tl Rc\nnd Avenue: sou thb ouml reverne ord er .
STATE STREET between LIn co ln Highway an d Steger Road.
rO"~ cons tructlun ' Dilen to loea! traffic only.
ST EGER ROAD bet ween CO tta ge Orove .. nd Unhm Av~nues .
rOlld conatrUC Uon a t Int ersec tion or StIl te Str~et 'l westbound
tra mc de tour north on Cuttajl:c CrovCl Avenue to L neoln HI gh
way, wot to Un Ion Avenue a nd South to Steger !toad: east
IlOuntl reverse order,
TORREl'o'CE AVE.."IUE between 140th and 144th Streets,
brlnge constructio n ; a bypalla detour with one way ~treet!;
north bound t raffic toUOw the marke(! (lelour rou te u~lng SagInaw AvenUe: southbound follelw the marked detour u..lng
HoxIe Avenue.
WlLSON AVENUE between Kllpatrlck and Cicero Avenuell.
brltlge construction tor Nor thwe. t Exp resswlIY ; Mstbound trante
(letour sou t h on Cicero Avenue to Su nnyside Avenue, eaBt to
Kil patrick Av enue lind north to Wilson Avenue: westbound
rev~rse order.

ERMITS FOR building construction of a total

P
esUma t ed value of $9,643,225 were issued in May
by the Cook County Building and Zoning Bureau.
wh ich has jurisdiction in the unincorporated area of
the County.
Scbaumburg, with 131 permits and a total valuation
of $2,131,050, led the townships. Stickney was second,
with 105 permits and $1,039.845 valuation.
The permit totai fo r t he month was 668, of which
4.11 wer e for residences. In other classifications, permits werc issued lUI fo llows :
Residential additions and a lterations-106 permits,
$355,095,
Accessory buildings-85 permits, $166,550.
Business buildingS-Three permits, $131,600.
Business building additions and alterations- Two
permits, $42,000,
Wells- Nine pel'mits, $9,600.
Septic systems-Two permits, $2,000.
Moving buildings- Four pennits, $7,000.
Miseellaneous- 34 permits, $171,570.
By townships, permits were issued as follows:
1'uwn ti hlll
llarrlng ton
Bloom
Br em .. n
); Ik GrovlO
B,. nover
Ll.'munt
Leyden

k?;01U
ni ne

Ne w Trie r
Northneld
NorwOOd Prorok
Or land
Pilla l lnl.'
p",~

Provllo
H.lch
Seh llllmburg
StiCkn ey
Thornton
Whl'etln g
Worth

,,
n
,,
,.,"
"n,
"
"'",
'"
'",
" 10
the totals were
I' ",r ", lt~

38

V .. l uBI!/)n

~'M:8

166:300

""."'"
14~.OOO

40.300
15'1,300
304.370
181.8:10
34,100
S'18.100
213.300

104,900

50

" 2,131.0M
1130:100

46

460,300
221,800
:l3 3,<;0

1,039,845

7~~:rJg

317.100

Included in
pennits of a total
valuation of $809,800 in t he no-fee classiftcation, which
includes schools, churches a nd farm buildings.

At Far End of Congress Street

Traffic is permitted while work proceeds on the

fo llowing na med roads in the s uburhan a rea :
CHICAGO ELGIN HOAD {roule 19 ) between Ka ne COu n ty
line Ilnd D u Pillte COunty line, wIden to tour lan l'S and bitumInous rl.'J urtacln ir.
DEVON AVENUE bCltween Arlingto n He ights Roa.d alld
Rohhvl ng Road, bltuml nOutl res u r tacl ng.
DEVON AVNU E betwee n !'tOlle Aven ue and Cnn tleld Road,
bitum inous n!lurtacln 2,
ELMHURST ROAD bel ween Golt Road (route 58 ) a nd North
We!l t H[ghwllY ( roule 14 ), bit umInous r..surfac[ng.
HARRISON STREET between Lst .. nd 19th Avenues [ n
Maywood b ItumInous re!lurtac[ng.
LINCOLN A VENUE between Huwllrl,l St.reet a nd NIl ..s Cen
ter RO!lt!, I)ltum lnous res ur tac[ng .
-...--.... WOLF ROAD bct",.een Ol!den Avenue and R[)osevelt Road.
wldcnlnjl: and 1)l tumln ous rcconatructJon.
WOLF ROAD between Gra nd Avenu~ !lnd North Avenue
widen In/: lind bltumlnnuR rernnstructlon.
.
WOI.-,;' ROAD between Harrison Street a nd Ro~cv~ll H.oad
widening Ilnd bltumlnnus reconBtruction.
.

Wh ere South T..cg of Gon grc"s Street at Wcs t

County Lln o )leeL! Pave ment on I1l1nois T oll Rost!

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Vol. VI No_ 2

JULY, 1958

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Coole County (Dl.) Department of ruahway.

Under aurpicea of the Board of County Commiulonel"l
DANIEL RYAN , Prulden t

Jlmtl F. "'Ibende "

Frllnk Bobrytzke
Chari .. F. Ch.plln
E llubelh A. Conkey
Jerry Dolenl
John J . Duffy
Arthur X. Elrod

Wllli;JIm N. E rlcklon
Fred A. Full.
Christ A. Jenn"
John A. Mackl.r, Jr.

Dlniel Ryan
Chlrto" F. Smith
Edward M. Snud
John J , Tauh)'

William J. Mortimer
Supuhoteadent of II l.h .... J I

Published at 130 North Well. Stre.et, Chlcaro 6.

FRanklin 2-7644

Extension 216

Boob of the Month

June Building Permits

FOR building construction of n lolal esUPERMJTS
maled. value of $5,677,700 were Issued in June by
the Cook County Building and Zoning Bureau, which
has jurisdiction in the unincorporated area of the
County.
or the 431 tolal, 219 were Cor residences estimated
to cost $4,M3.300. There also were 97 permits taken
out for residentia l additions and alterations estimated
to coat $233.850.
In other elauitiea.tions. pennita were issued:
Busine8l!l bUildings, eight pennlta, $285.300; buaineu
additions and alterations, five permits. $94.BOO.
lnduatriaJ buildings. lwo permits. S88,700.
Wells. seven permita, $7.500.
Septic ayateltUl. one permil, $600.
Moving buildings. tilree permits. $6,500.
Miscellaneous. 26 permits, $39,850.
By townshlpa, pcrmita were Issued:
TU ''-'I~hlp

Barrlnlltln
Bloom
Bremen
"~lk

Gro""

Hllno\t!f
IAyden

"fo0n'

to Illne
Now Trll!f
Northll"ILI

1, .. t",l1~

2
6
12

... :1
7

28
:lH
43
I

,1~,200
~OOO

324,000
OOINJ(I
32,400

PLIT SECOND SPINNEY ia lightning on wheela.

SOther
He stopa on a
a nd takes off in a flash.
people. especially pedestrians, are on their

12

181JIOO

own.

Pro\'11IO
fUt:h

I
I.!.I

Stickney
Thornton
Wheetln,

877,800

"Oft.~

14
2
23

Sc!haumbu...

2.~

MI,!!oOO
119,100

29

NorwU(ld J'llrk
Orland
PlllaUne

"11.10,

\.Iut'

18

71
6
lI3

dime

68,........
lU,800
375,&"-'

2,000
1lJ9,6&)

SpUt Second has no time left for emergenclea.

He'. an indlviduallsl---one brain cell working.

~711O

622,100
90,600

SOO,8IIO

One dealh resulted from an auto-train collision, one

from a c.rash between two ears and one when s car
lelt the road and rolled over,
At tbe end of the first six months of 1958. total
death. In the suburban area slood at 82, one leas than
the comparable figure last rear.
Only five of the 39 drivers killed, but 11 of the
21 dead paasengers, were females. As in previous
years, most of the fatalities occ.urred on clear days
and dry roads--67 in frur weather and 6B on dry
pavemenL
Sunday continued to be the worst day of the week,
with 18 dealha. The most deadly times of day weN'
early morning and evening, There was only one death
between 11 a, m. and noon and none between noon
and 2 p, m.

Three pennlta were iuued in the no-fee classification, which Includes farm buildings. churc.hea and
schools, totaling $305.700 In estimated costs.

June Traffic Fatalities

A new low record for June traffic fatalities In
suburban Cook County was made last month. The
number of dead six- was the 88me 8a in June. 1946,
hut oon!lIdering the (ar greater number of can on the
road thl. year . lasl month'. performance ratea superior. It comparOO with 20 deaths in May this year
and 12 In June last year,
Three o f those kiUed last month were pedeslrlana-a girl o f 14, and two elderly men, one 76 and one 57.

Neighbors Cheer New Bridge Opening

RIbbon Ceremony OpenIng Torrence Avenue Bridge-Left to R igh t, Otto HeIgl, Former City Clerk of Burnham;
Jamu F. Kelly. Assl,tant County SuperIntendent of H ighway.; Col. J. B. W. Corey Jr,. Chicago Dis trict Engi neer, U. S. Corps of Engineer.; T . P. Cunningham, A" I,lan! Chief Engineer NYC Syltem (Jul t Bade of Col.
Corey); Arthur Blackburn, Mayor of Burnham ; Daniel X. Marlowe, BurnhOlm Trultte ( Jult Back of Mayor
Blackbu rn ); Daniel Ryll" , Pruldent, Booard of County C"mml .. lone r.: County Commlliione r Fr.ank Bobryt%ke:
L. T. Schmidt, Alli'tant to Ihe General Manager IHB Railroad: A. W. L;JI8koake, General M;IInager IHB Rail.
road: 00u91a .. Campbell. VIce President NYC System; County Commlilioner William N. Erickson.

HE TORRENCE A VENUE bridge built by Cook

T
County to carry that busy artery over the tracks
of three railroads at 143rd Street was opened to

supervision, was $400,000. The three railroads involved- the Baltimore & Ohio Chicago Terminal, Indiana Harbor Belt and lttichigan Central- will
contribute S1l4,870 to the cost of raising their tracks
10 feet to conform to the grade of a new railroad
bridge over the Little Calumet River.

travel July 2. There was a brief program of speaking,

a proper ribbon snipping and a turnout of officials and
residents of neighboring suburbs that amounted to a
comm\mity celebration.
First in the day's festivities was a soap box derby
on the long north approach. The winner, David Johnson. was; conducted to the speaker's stand and preented with a trophy cup by Daniel Ryan, President
of the Board of County Commissioners. Second and
third placers were given prizes by Daniel X. Marlowe,
chainnan of a Burnham citizens committee formed
for the occasion.
A .L ong Felt Need
PresidclJl Ryan said the need for grade separation
at the Torrence Avenue crossing had long been recognized by the County Board, both to speed traffic and
to eliminate a railroad grade crossing that has been
the scene of numer ous fatal accidents. It first was
proposed. he said. under his predecessor as board
president, Commissioner William N. Erickson. The
project was exJ)(!dited when it became necessary to
raise the railroad tracks to meet a new grade set in
construction of the Calumet-Sag ship channel. Since
this is a federal government development. the Corps
---- of Engineers contributed approximately two-thirds of
the cost.
Total contract price was $1.271.224.50. Cook Count y's contribution, including design a nd construction

Bridge 558 Feet In LenJ;,'tb

The new Torrence A venue structure is of steel and
concrete in nine spans of var ying lengths. Total
length is 558 feet, 8 inches. The roadway is 44 feet
in width, affording two 11foot lanes in each direction.
There is a 3-foot sidewalk with handrails on each side.

A Th ing of Beauty
When Edens Expressway was opened to travel in
December. 1951, it presented an appearance to the
neighbors that wall new, strange and soml!what on
the raw side. The Cook County Highway Department,
which constructed Edens. promised it would not remain a gash on the countryside, but would develop
beauty with each growing season. Now the fulfillment
of that promise is evident in the green sward, trees
and shrubbery of the embankme.nts and interchanges,
a.nd the many new homes built a long the expressway
telltify to its attractiveness as thc central fcature of
a residential community. The front cover view is
south from just north of the Touhy Avenue interchange.

Engineer Counsels Realty Developers

Followiny i." in part, the tut 01 (J '(llk gitlCl'l
by J fltll f18 P. K elly, A8<!UlaJlt Supcrilltend,m l 0/
Iligll1vaYf1, Cook COlmty, be/oro (l threeday Com"Icrcial Property Cli'l fc cotldllctcd ill Chicago
rl!CCTltly by the Natiotlal. iJl,dihltc of Real SlItat"

emanating from tbt' central business district of COOcago. These five prongs did not gel tbere by accidcnL
They are the resull of 1)lanning. One of these routesthe Congress Street Expressway-was Included In
what was known as the D. H. Burnham plan and was
coneeivcd back in 1907. The four other radiaJ roulE'S
were conceived in 1927.

BrokerlY.

HAVE ALWAYS considered rcal estate brokers as

the men who changed the Chicago Metropolitan

Area. Whether It is a huge
skyscraper, a residential or
industrial developmtlnt. the
brokers are a lways there.
A broker. in my opinion,
Is a man of many fac ets.

New Project. New lliv; hway

We think as highway engineers that any plan you

may have should be correlated and coordina ted with
the highway departments. I associate plans and finnncing as the two major items. You can get you r financing for s mast erful undertaking, and your project
can be com pleted and sudde.nly you find It necessary
to get a highway built to serve this new a r ea, or a
highway must be revamped o r modernized. What
happens? Let's see.

H e musL tK> able to apeak

to m en 11kI:' Mr. McHugh

(Glenn McHugh, Vice P resIdent, Equitable Life AsSUnlnce Society, a previau]

s peaker) , who r e pr ese nt s
the EquiLlIble, with its
many millions of Insurance
dollars to be invested. and
be mu st be able to present
plans to have the loan va]
ucs determined. You remember Mr . Mc Hugh's
parting words were, " We
would like to see your
plans. grandiose as they
ma y be . We have tbe
moncy, and if interested will give it to you," Tbe
funds as pointed out. by Mr. M.cHugh, are available,
a nd there must be some guarantee that a profit will
be realized on the inveslJnent.
J was thinking about this new type of servlce----the
key in the door plsn. I could see where you could
make one mistake in your basic consideration, pa.rticuln rl y from the transportation viewpoint. [should
like to stress, therefore, that in my opinion the broker's thinking lind actions must be closely correlated
with transportation, and by transportation I mean
the fou r phases-highways, waterways, rails Bnd air.
He must constantly think in terms of transportation,
fo r nJl the sche mes and plans of brokers- the beautiful sites for development, the assembling of large
a reas and the construction of bu11dings thereon- will
mean nothing unless you can gel people to and fMm
t.hat place.

t was talking with Mr. McHugh and we spoke of

Chicago being behind in the construction of cx-prea.'1ways. We are far behind New York in tenns of ex'
pre68ways to move mass volumes of peopll:' quickly,
modernly, conveniently and safely. Howe\'er, in order
to construct modem highways we musl get back to
financing. In New York there was conceived the New
York Port Authority. Propel' legislation W88 developed a nd a source of revenue made available. Quick
constr!ction a nd quick financing, and the people wer e
hsppy to pay a charge for this modern lype of hig h.

(Conlintled on Page 6)

Trn nSl)Ortnti() 11 a Basic Factor

When 1 think of this place or business, t think of

three major Items with which we In the highway business must concern ourselves-People, Products and
Purchases- and you may substitute the word servo
icet! for products. You musl keep these Items In mind
constllnUy. and above s l1 the tranaporlation means
to get there.
The s ubject of this morning's se88lon is "Development of Pla nned Commercial and Industrial Districts."
In his introductory remarks. Mr. Brown ( L. Heidi
Brown , Balon Rouge, Louisiana. moderator of the
session), pointed out that we have five expressways

Congre .. Street at the Poatoffice

Expressway Work Nearing $100,000,000

By Hugo J. Slark
Chief Engineer
Cook County HIghwa y Department

OnlrnClS for construction on Northwest Express(

way tOlaling 13.425,160.5 were awarded by the
Board of County Commissioners on July 14. It was
the largest single
day's letting of ex-

pressway contracts
to date and assures
completion of the
iIIlportanl lead to
O'Hare Field by
the end of n ext
year.

In the case of
two key slnlctures,
the complicated,
lri-lcvel grade sellarnlions at Mayfair and Jefferson

Park, the conLracts

were closed earlier

than bad been exl>eeled.

Hugo J . Stark

Bids were

reech'cd by the
Board o nly six
days before: and it

was anticipated
that at least two weeks would be required by the U. S.
Burt'au of Public ROfIds and the Illinois Division of
HighwllYs to cXllmlne the low bidden!' figures and give
their apllr oval. [nstead, these agencic.s expedited their
functions and made it possible for the Board to act
0 11 July 14. Th is instance of cooperntion among the
agencies pa.-licil)~ting in lhe expr~sway program was
espeCially gratifying because It s unstains Lhe County's
work schedule on the route to Chieago's international
airport.
foJ II J.:"l lI eerill~

Shllf An }O'-;lIIcient- Team

Action on the contracts at It favorable dat.e also

reflects credit on the engineering staff of the County
Highway Department. Pluns for these jObl, as well
as those for which contracts were awarde:l previously,
w('re completed on time In the drafting rooms. The
amount of work involved was unprecedented, and may
be measured by the total of contracts let tbus far this
year as compared with that for thl' whole of 1957.
lncluding the aW:lrds of July 14. the County's 1958
expressway contracts amount to S29,592.247. Tbe
1957 total was $15,017,64 .
Back of the construction stage is a vast amount of
planning and designing . AU of the plnnning on County
~tion8 of expressways. and on o ther highways as
well, haa been done by the regular staff's of the High
way Departm nt. working smoothly as a team. These
include the Bridge Design Division. under Milton F.
Page ; Hlghwny Design, under Harold A. Pollock ;
and Utilities and Drainage, under William T. Lynch.
The efficiency of t hese dlrectol1j and their assistants
at the drafllng tables Is Icflected In the amounl of
building und~r war t hia season 911 (;QJlWe" Street,

Northwest. Edens and South Route Expressways.

These numerous jobJJ also realize t he policy of the
County Board to speed construction as s means of
I)rovidlng employment in 8 period of recession.

100.000.000 Under Collj rnci a t; .: nll of l"ea r

The total volume of work under way by the Department, including jobs contracted last year, stood at
approximately $73.000.000 after the July 14 awards.
Before the end of this year it is expected that an
additional $27.750,000 plus will be under contract,
includjng S24.25O 000 on expressways, $2,000,000 on
noncxprcssway roads and $l ,5CO,OOO on Palatine Road.
a fedcral aid project providing an eXilressway type
Imllrovement, with grade separations. between RohlIving Hoad In Palatine and the Des Plaines River Rond.
These additions will make a tota l of $.100,750,000 of
oonslruetion under contract at year's end. In addition.
the County lhis year will spend at least $20,000.000
on rlgh18-of-way for expr<'SSWRYS. including the Southwcst Route. At the same time, the Department is
carrying out an extensive program of improveme:nt of
nonexpreasway roads in ull parts of the County, including streets in Chicago and suburbs. and also is
performing regular maintena nce on 650 miles of
County roads.
On August 12, tbe County Board plans to advertise
ror bids on South Route Expressway gr"d.de separation.!!l
at 71st, 75th. 76th, 79th. 83rd. and 95th Streets estimated to cost, altogether. S5.ooo,OOO, aDd on the east
Approach to the bridge carrying the Northwest feeder
over the North Brunch of the Chicago River. estimated
to cost 1.250.000.
.lobs Rell10i ning 011 A irJ.ort Lend
Contracts xpeeted to be Ict late r this year lnc1ude
all of the remaining con&truetion on the Northwest
airport lead. These jobs, estimated to cost a total of
S12.515,OOO. Include eight structures carrying t.he
expressway over the Des Plaines River and over the
IJllnois Toll ROAd routes, fl bridge over the Soo Line
Railroad and three Ilaving contrtlcts.
Four jobs on the South Route Expressway are listed
ror eontmcting this year. These Items. with estimated
C0818 ar~: Gruding betwee:n 7lst and 79th Streets,
1.040,000; grading between 87th and 96th Stroets,
$1,184,000; Wentwo rth Avenue: grade separation at
99th treet. $818,000, and the Michigan Avenue structun> at ]OOth Street.. S832,OOO.
It is expected also that conlnlCts will be let for
lighting CttJumet Expressv.'ay betwccn the Calumct
River and 167Lb Street., the Calumet-Kingery interchange Ilnd Kingery Expressway betwccn the interchange and the lndiana line. This wo rk, plus S237.000
for grading at the 159th Street interchange. is esti
mated to cost a total of $1,357.000.
On Congrcss Street. five items are listed for 1958
advertising. They include lighting and landscaping
betwccn First and Des Plaincs Avenues and between
Manllheim Road And Howard Avenue and removal of
CTA barrier Islands west of Sacramento Avenue and
west of Kostner Avenue. These jobs are: estimated to
eost S405,000.
(Continued on Page 7)

Initial Planning

Highways Essential

main routes. The plant goes up and is completed ,

but the only way it can operate is to have materials,
the raw materials, hauled in by truck. The men in
the plant can't get the materials, tbe assembly lines
can't operate because the trucks are caught in a
traffic jam out In front of the plant. Suddenly a
frantic appeal is made to the Highway Department
to get. a rood in the next dAY. These t.hings just don't
happen that way- It takea time.
In eacb of these two inslancea, the priority fnr
development of the County higbway WM far in thc
future. Had we known there was a planned vehicular
movement to these areas, our assignments and recommendations for appropriations for ncw roads would
have been amended to satisfy these new requirl!:ments.
for after all we highway engineers and the Board of
County Commissioners recognize that the safe, convenient nnd economical movement of vehicles to major
pointJI of traffic destination is our obligation,
I should like to leave this thought with you genUc'
men, that part of your responsibility to your clients
Is to make cc.rtain tho t the picco of pro))(!rty or the
development thereon which you propose will be
adequately served by the proper type of highway.
in summary. four types of tran.8portation are neces
sary - waterway. railway, ai r and expressways. 1
Iminted out the need for coordinating your thinking
from a transporLntion- 1 repeat transportation- viewpoint, not necessarily one of the four but a combination of the four.

(Continued from Page 4)

way or bridge-it saved them money and it saved
them time. Here in Ulinois and in many other states.
we must follow the dictates of the constitution. Our
highway financea and the limitations imposed upon
them must be recognized.
Public Must

i\ppron~

Perhaps some of you genllemen have seen the taU

highway activity here in minols, perhaps you have
seen the Calumet Skyway at the IndianalIIinols slate
line. This skyway and the taU roads are resuJts of
(1) knowing thp need fo r the modern type highway
and (2) getting the runds as quickly IlB possible by
selting bonds to build these highways and charge the
people (or their usc. All this activity is the result of
proper legislation. We in the highway business on
the governmental level must follow the rules sct down
in th(. statutes, and until they are changed we have
no c.hc.icc. We must get to the No. 1 man in the
picllIre, J ohn Q. Public. for he bas to pay the bill.
If John Q. approves of the higbways through proper
legisJe tion we can get the financing.
I should like to dwell fo r a moment on what haa
talum rlace in Cook County and the City of Chicago
and what we bave done through our planning phaacs
to modernize our traWlportation facUities .
Populatloll ExceWs Estimates
(Slide) Here we see the location of our expressway system with reference to service to populated
areas. Notice how the five prongs hit these various
centers. It is inte resting to note that population
growth along the Calumet-Tn State and Edens Expressways Is exceeding our 1970 estimates.
(Slide) in this aerial view of the cenlraJ business
district we see the Congress Street Expressway at
the Postoffice bull ding. Pint construction of Congress
Street was started in this area from Canal Street to
Desplaines Street and was undertaken by the County
of Cook. We bad to move many buildings in this seclion, many industrial and business establishment;a,
nine- and ten-story buildings. It took courage to tell
theS(! people they had to move, Utat they would bave
to seek other locationll. We urged them t.o employ
competent counsel and real estate men to advise them
and we suggested that they locate out and away from
their present locations, about 10 mUes or 80. They
were astonished t.o hear that as [ar as their labor was
concerned, driving to the new location would be faster,
safl!r and easier, and that. incidentally. in the consLruction of expressways. industries musl learn that
new labor pool arellB are being opened.

Find

~Ispy

Prefer Rail!!

1 refer to a transportation usage study made by

our department. We found thllt a lot of people make
a choice and have a definite reason tor their choice
of mode of travel when coming down to the central
business district. That choice is fixed rail facitities.
It is gratifying to note that we made this prediction
many years ago when we were planning the Congress
Street Expressway and decided that lhere would be
built-in rail facilities.
The economic jU.8tification of a highway is of prime
importance. On Congress Street Expressway we had
to take out many heavy tax producing industrial and
commercia] Installations 8S well as many bomes. The
right.of-way for Congress Street bas been expensive,
not necessarily in tm'ms of the number of vehicles
it is carrying. In that respect It Is cheap. But relatively it is expensive in comparison with R fixed mil
facility.
Congress Street ha.s a capacity of 1.500 vehicles
per lane per hour. There are four lanes in each
direction and simple arithmetic shoW8 we can toke
6,000 vehicles per hour in each direction. U each
vehicles carries, aa we show in our study, sbout one
and one-halt persons, all we take Is about 9,000
persons. Our studies indicate that the crA facilities will ha\'C a maximum capacity of 40,000 persons
per hour, This study. IncidentaU}f, is for the central
business district.

Pla nners Who Forget About Roads

( Slide) Here we !We Edena Expressway and 8
shopping center that was buill after the expressway
W8.8 completed. As I pointed out before, lhis type of
thinking should take place long before the expresaway
ia built. 80 that if there are going to be major points
of traffic destinations, such as sbopplng centers.
proper facilities may be provided In the initial design.
While on the subject, I can cite two typical cases
of major manufacturing concerns locating plants on
old farmto-market bJghways at intersections with

If- and these are possibilities, these lIs about which

I am 8peaklng- we had to move 250,000 persona out

Jobs Near $1 00,000,000

Detours In Effect

(Continued from Page 5)

ORK
PROGRESS by the Cook County HII,--W
way Department and the Illinois Toll Road
Commission requires detours as follows:
[N

Contracts for Northwest Expressway construction

awarded July 14 were:
Mayfair grade separation under Cicero Avenue and
the Chicago & North Western and Milwaukee tracksW. E. O'Neil Construction Company. 53,128,098.50;
steel for the s tructu re, Allied Structural Steel Companies, $841.899.
Jefferson Park grade separation under Milwaukee
Avenue and the Chicago & North Western ra.ilroadRobert A. Anderson Co.. $5.246,310.75; steel fo r the
structu re, Philip Zweig & Sons, 267,908.63.
West approach to Ohio Slreet feeder bridge over
the Chicago River, 570 feet in length.....--..consolidated
Construction Company, 51.226, 98.15.
Structure to carry Chicago & North Western tracks
over the eXI)r eesway feeder 296 feet cast of Halsted
Streel. 186 feel in length- E. J. Albrecht Company,
1,408,906.65.
Grading between Moody Avenue and Edmonds
Street. 4.632 feel-W. J. Sheppard Company, $562,.
328.20.
Grading between Normandy a nd Bryn Mawr Avenues, 3,845 (eet J . M. Corbell Company, $l50,8S3.70.
Main drain between lh('. Illinois loll road and the
Des Plaines River Road- Latrobe Engineering Company, $197,477.
Demolition to cle:u- right-of-way betwee.n the nHnois toll road and the Soo Railroad, 65 buildings-Atlas Wrecking Company. $14,<150.
Also awarded Ju1y 14 were five contracts for removing 245 buildings from the South Roule right-of.
way. The various sections and low bidders were:
9Ist to 96th Streets, 68 buildings- Speedway
Wrecking Company, 514.420.
83rd to 87th Streets. 12 buildings- Cleveland
Wrecking Company, S3.960.
79th to 83rd Streets, 52 bulldings----.-Speedway
Wrecking Compa n y. $14,250,
75th to 79th Streets, eight bulldings--Sl>eedway
Wrecking Compnny, $1,845.
71sL Street to 75th Street, 105 buUdings-Cleveland
Wrecking Company, $44,770,
The apparent gap between 87th and 91st Streets
did not require a separate de mollllon contract be
cause l.hal section will be cleared as part of a bridge
conslrucLion projCi:L.

BARTLETr RO AD between Shoe F'a~tory ROad and HllI&lns

Road , toll road I'Onstru~Uon; northbOund tramc: detour we-I
on S boe Fa~tory Road 10
Sunon Road, north to HIII:Iins Road a nd soulheast to
BllnleH !load: southbOund
reverR or der.
B USSE ROAD between
IIlgglnl Hoad (route 72) and
Alg<mqu ln ROftd trou te (2).
toll rOlld cn nstru ctlo n :
northbound tumC dt' tour
weat on IllKlllns Road to
Arllniton l.elllhu ROad,
n orth to AlKonquln Road,
lOutheast to Dempster StreE't and eall't to Bualle Road, lQulhbound trame detour ean 00 Alxonquln ROlld to Elmhurst ROll d,
aoulh to Oak ton Stree t and wri t to Bune Road.
GARDSF.:.K HOAD beh....:en 12th Itlld 22nd StnoI:!ll, ('uln!M.
mn. truc u on: northbound l rame dtlOur cast o n 22nd Street
U1 17th A"enu(', north to Ullh Slr l't!t a nd W/ln to GllrliTler
ROlld; lIu uthbouniJ !'evene ordl!r.
Hll'OTZ IIOAD between Wheeling ROlld and Elmhurl t Road,
road repairs ' talltbQund tralnc ddour south on ~.:tmhursl Roau
to PalaUne Ruad, eut 10 Wheellnr Road Mnd nt)rth to IIln tz
Road : wutbOund ",,'etll(! unler.
H[NT/. ROAD M lween Milwaukee Avenue and wolt Road,
bridge ronlitrueUon : ealtboun,1 trame detOur IOUth on Woll
Road to " alaUTle ROlld, (OUI 10 MLlwauk('C' Avenue and north
to IIlotz HOlld. wClltbollnd reverN ord('r.
JOE ORR ROAD ~t"'~n lIalltl'd SlUet a nd State Strl!et
In Chlra lro lIellhU, bridge conllructlon; eaJltbound traml: detour suut h on I alliled Su.et 10 Lincoln III~hway, cut to SUlle
St reet und north to Joe Orr Itoad: wellbound reve~ onl/lr,
I.AXE COOK ROAD betWtlen SlInden Road a nd Prln g.ton
Road , toll rond mnlit ruc:tlon, l'I. alhound trame detour nor l h
on Sanders Rllnd to OeerflrJu Road. elull to Wa ukl'Klin HOlld
and luth to Ll!ike Cnok ROIllI; ",eatt,,;,und revel"llt' unl ..!".
15IST STREET bl!twern Will Cook Hoad and w o lr Road
~ulvert conltru('tto n; eaa lbo uml tram e detour 1I0Ulh on Will
COok ROAd 10 l!i9th Sln'@t, eallt to Wolf Road and north to
1:5111'1 Stnoet: westbound I't!Vl.'rat order
RIDGELAND AV.;,,\,IJE tlll!twl:!f!n Vollmer Road and Lincoln
Ulghway, cUhcrt con.trucUon: northbou nd traml" det our W6t
o n Un""ln Hllhwa)" to Harlf'm A\'CnUI': north to Vollmer ROad
and eRi I 10 RId,eland ,\ venue ; .oulh bound I'(!\'erae ord t r.

Traffic is permitted while work proceeds on the

following named roads in the suburban area ;
CHICAGO ~:[.(;IN ROAD froute 19) ~I .... et!n Kan t County
line aTld Du PI,!'! Coun t y Unf'.
DE\'OI'O A\' NUE between ArJlnaton HtlifhtJI !toad lind
Rohh.. lnJl' Roall
DF:VO:O< AVENl'E bc.'I""N!n ROR AVeTlUe and C8nnl!lll Road .
-U.MItURST ROAD betwe-en Golf Road troutt' 581 and
North"'e~1 IIlllhwat .route 1"') .
LINCOLN AVEN UF. betwt'en 110... .,d Str('l!t and NUts Ci!n
ler ROld
WOLF nOAD i)et"t'C.n Ol(den A\'e nue a nd ROOIIC!,.dt 1t0lld,
WOLF' nOAD iH!lwet"n Grand ",'cnue and North AveTlUe.
\VOL.- ROAD be lweI!n HarrlllOn Street and Hoollllvelt RORd .

Richard E. Schultz
Richard E. Schultz, e ngineer In charge or Ma intenance District No. 1 of the Cook County Highway
Department. died June 23, He was 56 and had been
employed by the department 36 years. His district.
with headquarters ncar Palatine, covered Lhe northwest arca of the county.
Mr. Schultz, who lived at 110 Morse in Bartlett , is
survived by his widow, Cora Louise ; two daughters,
Mrs. J ean Ha rrison and Mra. Joanne Heron ; a brother
Martin, and a sist er , Mrs. Nora Buelting.

of the cen tral business district at one time, and If all

fixed rail facilities were eliminated and if everybody
had to get out in a motor vehicle on the Congress
Expressway, we wou1d have to have 1 additional
U'8.ffic lancs in the outbound direction.
Here is my parting word. Your thinking has to be
projected many years in the future. Regardle88 ot
which side you represent, the buyer or the seller, you
will always be dealing with t.he three P's--People,
Producta, Purchascs. Your plans may be grandiose
in nature when yOU think about sbopping centers,
industrial or commercial areas, but. they mean nothing
If people cannot get there. to purchase the product
you have. You have to think in terms of transportation. Don't be afraid to think big in terms of the type
of legislation needed.

John J. Sullivan
J ohn J . (Lefty) Sullivan, 65, a traffic Investigator
for the Cook County Traffie Safety CommJsslon, who
pitched for the White Sox In 1919 and later for several
semi-pro teams, djed Ju1y 1 In his home, 7350 Phillips
Avenue. He is survived by his widow, Anna; two sons,
The Rev. Timothy R. Sullivan, O. P., and James P.;
t.wo daughters, ister Joanne Ma rie, O. P., and Sister
James Timothy, O. P., and five grandchildren.

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

T .... entyoone Months Without One Fltlllty I, Scored on Bu., ConllUU Street Exprulway. (See Page 3). Vie"", I, E.,t. Toward the Loop. and
OYUp.u In F O ~lJround, With eTA Stlltlon. I. Pulaski ROiild. JUt' a eyond I, One of Four Newly Completed Pedutrlln O".rpIIIH&.

Vol. VI No. 3

AUGUST, 1958

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook Cou.nty (Ul) Department of H1rhW1lY.
Under au~iceJ DC the Board of County Commlalonen
DANIEL RYAN, Pruldent
WII1film N. Erlck,on

Jamu F . A.hendon
Frank Bobrytzke
Charln F. Chaplin
Elizabeth A. Conkey
Jerry Ooleul

Fred A. FuUe
Ch,r.,. A . Jenlen
John A. Mackler, Jr.

Oulel Ryan
Clayton F. Smith
Edward M. Sneed
John J. Touhy

John J. Duffy

Arthur X. E lrod

wlll r.. m J . Mortimer

.superintendent of IU,hw. ),.

Published at 130 North Well. Street, Chicalo 6.

Extension 216

FRanklin

Boob of the Month

Behind the Scenes

N PAGES and 5 of this issue Is a pair of picO
task of assembling property on wbich to construct a
':I.

turf'S that illustrate in striking (aahlcn the great.

broad expressway through 8 city area.

All of this mUSt be done according to the leller of
the hw, Crom thc IllinoiB ConsLitulion of 1870 on
Ihrough- the numerouc
sl!1tutes of later years,
And because humtul bl'
Ings-bome owners, lenants, businessmen la rge
!\nd small-an> involved,
the spirit as well os thf'
leuer caJls for thought.
ful consideration,
Cook County's progrnm of purchuing
rlgbt-ofway propertie'l
hIlS been successful on
three counls: The lask
haa b ee n carried on
wHiloul 11ndue delay,
owners
have been dealL
BlaIr Varnu
with fllil'ly. and lhe COSL
of acquisition has been
kept low. While lhl: job Is a responsibility of the
Highway Department. othl'rs outaide its organization
have contribut.cd greutly,
The Board of County Commissioners and partlcularly President Daniel Ryan and Chairman John J.
Duffy of the Board's Financl' Committee have acted
promplll' on right-or-way mntters brought to them
by the Department. They have also supported the
I)oli cy of awarding the fa.ir cash mnrkel value fOr all
property tnken and have been solicitous for the home
owners a nd tenants displaced by the expressways,
The day after dal' task of negotiating with o ....'TIers
and agents, going to court. completing the purchase
and all the numer ous extra tasks are in the capnble
hands of Mr. Blair Varnes, the Assistant State's Attorney 8S!!igned to County right-of-way maUe l"S, Mr.
Vurnca is an outstanding specialist in his fi eld. At
one time or another he headed every department In
the State's Attorney's oRice. For four years. 19'18 to
1952. he was trial attorney for lhe State or Illinois
in t he office of the rlllnois Attorney General and arter

NOWN TO FRIENDS Ilnd enemies alike as Up And

K
At Em. thia character Is a Boob of the Second
Degree.
Ordinarily he is a reasonably safe dnver.
But he can't resist the cha llenge of a First Degree
Boob.
When one tries to
And At 'Em erupt.a.

CUl

around or CUt him orr, Ull

He'll show 'em. no matter whaL

that was associated with the law finn o f Kirkland,

Fleming. Green. Martin and Ellis acquiring property
fol' the Illinois Toll Road systfl-m. At the request of
State's Attorney Adnmowski, Mr. Varnes took appointment as right-of.way aUorney for the Highway Department in ~'larch. 1957.
The good progress made by the County in Its rightor-way program reflects Mr, Varnes' talents 88 a diplomat as well as a practitioner in an inlricate nroa of
law. Under his guidance. the whole opeMl.tlon. has
gone ahead smooUlly, from the property owners at
one end to tbe U1lnols Division o f Highways and the
U. S. Bureau of Public Roads at the other,
(Continued on Page 6)

No Death In 21 Months on Congress Street

N AUGUST 9. the 8.79 miles of Congress Street
O
Expressway between the Loop and Lammie Av.
enue ended its sccond year of use and its twenlytirsl

This compares with a nationwide rate on rural expressways, toll roads and freeways. of 2.6, a nation
wide rate on roads of all types of 5.9 and an Illinois
statewide rate of 6.2.
T raffic Count Da:\' By Da;\'
The bus iest day on the Michigan-Laramie section
was March 7 this year, when 112.0-15 vehicl~s were
counted. A typical week, day by day, is shown by
the following table:

month without a fatality.

While safety was a paramount consideration in design of the. expressway, a perfect year in respect to
fatal accidents had scarcely been hoped for on eight
lanes of roadway carrying up to 112,000 vehicles in
24 hours. Now that the record is in the book, it stands
to the credit of both the engineers and the many

n il)'

thousands of motorists using the expressway.

l>ltmdoy
TueKdoy
WednestJll>'
ThuUdn}
Frldny
Saturd,,)'

The one black mark against Congress Street is the

death of a motorist in October 1957. This accident
was attributed to excessive speed in a construction
zone. a condition that will nol exist when the expres!;way is completed in 1960.
No Den UI On Mal'wood Sec tion
At the same time the Loop-Laramie section was
compiling its perfect record, the two and one-balf
miles of Congress Street between First Avenue, May-

SUnthlY

t:II. ~lho""d

Wc~lh .. ""d

49.983

4-1.58J

4:\,230

92.8010

49.3N

-15,970

93',344

48,590
19.195

47.26'1

42.678

40.489
35.0.11

(>2,999
33AIn'

48.59S

" 0 1'"

93.9('>'1

1)6,459

101.597
83,167
68.878

On the Maywood section, daily counts for the same.

week were:
II",

l>'ondii)'
Tuesday
Wednl'sdllY
Thun.day
Frldn)'

Salurday
Sundny

.....,"h" ""d
1:J, 772

13,483
1S,669
13,775
la395
t2.111
11.-131

\\ I'~II",u"d

12.281

12,]57
12,646
12.376
12,4T.Z
U 336
9::>15

Thlnl
26 053

25:6-10
26.:'115
25.fl!n
25,867
23.400
'20,976

As a possible explanation of wby the daily east

bound totals exceed the westbound, traffic engineers
point Ollt that westbclund entrance rnmps a re not yet
fully in use a.nd that motorists going west on short
trips find it more t.'Olivenient to use other streets.
When the expressway is completed over its enUre
length, it is eXI>ccted that traffic will be much the
same. in both directions.

Trees and Shrubs on Ed ens

Numerous readers have said they liked the picture
of landscaped Edens Expressway on the fronl cover

C'f the July issue and mnny have inquired for details
the plantings. Morris Cherner, landscape engineer
for the County Highway Department. s upplies the following int~esting facts.
In the 14 plus miles of Edens from just north of
Foster Avenue to the CookLake line there are 2,382
shade trees and 2,314 flowering trees. an aver age of
310 trees to the mile; 38,145 shrubs, an average of
2,530 to the mile: 480 acres of seeded grass and
200,000 square yards of sodding on steep embank
ments.
The trees are representative of native midwest
species and include sugar and red maple. white and
green aflh, honey locust, red and pin oak, linden, haw
thorn of sever al varieties. cherry and flowering crabapple. No elm trees were sel out t)eeause at the time
there was mucb concern over the Dutch elm disease.
The shrubs include dogwood, ....-ild roses. honeysuckle,
viburnum, snowoorry. coralberry, buckthorn a nd elderberry.
Now in its fifth year of growth, the landscaping has
made Edens a sightly panel of parkway at.tractive both
to motorists and home builders. The cost of landscaping, which a mounted to 1 per cent of the lotal for
the expressway, was borne by Cook County. Us upkeep. along with general maintenance of the route.
has now been taken over by the Illinois Division of
Highways.

(,r
Congre .. Street ;It 25th Avenue, Maywood

wood, and Mannheim Road continued without a death

to mar its 43 months in use, Opened in Decembcr,
1954, this section is carrying approximately 26,000
vehicles daily at a posted speed of 60 miles an hour.
On both sections, mechanical counters inBta11ed at
val;ous points by the Cook County Highway Depart
ment record traffic movements in both directions.
Using the counts at Central Park Avenue, the Depart
ment's tmffic engineers calculated the daily average
of vehicles on the Loop-Laramie secUon in the first
year at 84,500 and the total volume of traffic at
16i,OOO,000 vehicle miles. In the second year, lhi'
dtLiIy average rose to 87.000 and the vehicle miles
to L72.000.000.
Fatality Rate Low In Nation
The fatality rate for II. given highway is the number of deaths fo r each 100,000.000 vehicle miles. On
Congress Street in its second year, the rate is zero.
For the two years combined, the mte on the Loop-.
Laramie portion is 0.3 and if the Maywood section is
added. bringing the two-year total of vehicle miles to
379,000.000, the rate for all of Congress Street now
in use is 0.26.

Clearing Expressway Route

;..~~

Tbr<

Thtle Identical Photograph, Show the Area Between 6Srd an

South Route Expre"wllY. W ith lUI Conneet lng Ramps to the '
Street. The Non.h Boundary of the Sect io n T o Be Cons tructed I
lind the Overpa ..el South of the Skyway are 67th and 69th Str
of State Street to the Welt S ide of Lafayette Avenue. Appro)

BEfo'ORE THE bulldozers start work on a n

LONG
expressway, property for right-of.way must be

acquired a parcel a t a time. The process is detailed.

oftcn complicated. and Utuc known to the citizen who
eagerly eycs the progress of construction and wonders
when the job will be finished .
The coun ty-wide exprc86wBY aystem-Congr efl8
Street. Edena, Northwest , South Route, CalumelKingery, and Southwest Roul&-is a joint undertaking
by the Stale of Illinois. City of Chicago a nd County
of Cook. Each agency is 8asigned certain sections to
construct. Their participation Is equa l 88 t o costs.
The federal go\'ernmenl, through the Bureau of Public
Roads, gives financial aid, rangIng [rom 50 per ClaDt
unde r the older Urba n Aid program to 90 per cent
under the 1956 Interstate Highways AcL Motor fuel
taxes provide tbe local agencies' sha rcs, which mea.ns
that the expressways are being built with no lax on
real estate.
Cook County has been buying city and rural prop
erty ror expressways ror 20 years. In that time, 5,000
parcels have been acquired . All of this has been done
under a policy or paying every owner the " rair cash
markel" value, whUe at the same Ume following a

stated procedure that protects the County. 'The sue

cess or lhls program is measured by ( 1 ) the low cost
of acquisition, whjch Is believed to be a.s low us t hai
achieved by any governments agency a nywhere in
the country, ( 2 ) the very s mall number or Ins tances
in which it has been necessary to go to coun . a nd
(3) the minimum of appeals from court decisions.
there being onJ y one.
First step in the assembling of property tor an
expressway, or any othe r highway, Is to prepare a
righlolwny "strip" map s howing each parcel needed.
together with a description of t he improVements.
Authority to buy the designated properties by ncgotl
ation with the owners or by court action If that be
comes necessary, is gmnted the Highway Deparlment
by resolution of the County Board.
Two separate and independenl appraisals are made
of each piece!. The appraisers employed are Bpecia list8.
of long acquaintance with local realty values, current

)U

h City

IS

Big, Involved Job

69th S treet . . . It Appear, Now ilnd .... It Will Be When t he

Skyw.)'. I, Completed. Th e Overpa . . . 1 t he T op I, 63rd
.)' the County . The North ' nd South arldge I, Wentworth Ave nue
.ell. South of 61th, the Rlght-of.Wily Extend, From the Eil n Side
Imilt!! l)' 85 Per Cent of the County', Sect ion H Becn Acquired.

lola bought for eXllreR8wnys have been found to be

lax delinquent in I\mounts exceeding the value. The
purchalle mon"y 18 handed to the County Treasurer,
who accounLS for it u tax collection. Thus the County
haa benefited by gPltlng funds from otherwise hope-

. ~Iumel

Ii8IH, construction costs. t hr clutnging character of

nf'ighborhooda and similar facto ... a1fecting the mark
et. In the courts the,)' art' oc:eepled &II expert. witnclU3e8
Ulling the two IlPPl'1li8('rs' I"t'porls. lbe County High
way Superintendent and lhe SlaLe'!! Attorney's offict'
In llll' Highway Department determine the offer to lxmAde. Ln tbl' g reat majority of instances, the owner,
who may consult his own ex)X'rt, finds the offe r to b('
fair. Many owners of hom(lll, unfamiliar wilh the real
estate market a nd not nwa~ that the value of tbe.ir
property has increased alnce they bought it, have, In
fact, bci>n found ready to llell for less than the offer.
N('Yl!rlh('less, th('y are givt'n the offered price in ful6Umpnt of thE' policy of paying the [air cash market
valuE' for all Ilroperty acquired.
If t.he. owner dooa not 8c:ct'pt, the case goes to
court, It may be that he wanta more moncy, but in
other InRlunces he 115 unabl(' to deliver clear t!Ue
and court action Ie nCOO88t\ry to clear It.. Many vacant

h'lIB sources.

Sometim{'a an owner cnnn 1 be found. The' amount

of the offer Is then del>08ited with the County 'J'rt>asure'r to be claimed by the owner when be may appeAr.
and the prope.rty la taken and used.
M01It owners who at first have insisted on going to
court have been persuaded to accept a pre trial conference to save lime and money. This gives the prop
erly holder tbe opportunity to appear with hla own
appraiser and pl'('sent evidence of value or damages
which he believes justifies a higher offer. The confer
e nce method hal5 been auCi:ess(u! In reaching settle
ment In all but a (t'w inatances. If the CIUW! does go
to court, either aide m3Y mtueat a jury, and It 115
CUlIlomary to take the jurors OUl to view the propE'rty
i.n dispute.
When an owner appealll from a court decision fixing
the price to be paid . th(O highway agency may enter
(Continued on Page 6)

Right-of-Way Big Job

(Continu~

July Traffic Deaths

PERSONS were
highway
TWENTY-ONE
traffic accident. In suburban Cook County lut
month. 15 mOn> than in
killed in

(rom Page 5)

upon the property for construction purposes without

awaiting outcome of the appenl. This bas been done
by the County on the IIlrlp througb the Consumers
Company's quarry needed (or Congress Street Weill
of Mannbeim Rood.
As the final step, all settlements by the County are
submitted to the Dlinois Division of ffighways and
t.he U. S. Bureau of Public Road. (or their approvaJ.
Within the city. clearing Jor an expressway mean.
unavoidably the dLsplacemcnl of families. Although
the problem of helping these people find other qulU'ters
lies beyond lhe acqulalUon program, the partieipat.
Ing agencies, Slale, City and County, bave assumed
responsibility.
Not all t he fnmlllc8 that musl move need help.
Home owners, wiLh the purchust' price in pocket, go
eJaewhere Rnd buy another hOWle. Tenants. how('ver,
may have n difficult time I( left on their own. Prac
tical 8Jl.8lstAnce is offered them by the Tenants Relo
caLion Bureau under O. E. Mackelmann. And in the
lut 10 ye&r'll, he says, lbe operation has been the m06t
lIucceasful of its kind In t.be country.
Wben an area ill marked for demolition, the Bureau
lists every (amily aIrecled, noting the number of per&ons, Income, school needs and similar matters. The
But'('au t.ben seeks another place that will meet the
family's requirements. Families to be moved are
allowed slx weeks in all Instanc(!8. longer U demoliLion
18 nol lmmediate.
"We are concerned with lbe welfare of e:tch indio
vidual family," says Mr. Macklemann. "We know
lhere are inconveniences, even hardsrups, in moving.
and we make every effort to' minimize them by conelderlng the particular situation of ("ach (amily."
On Congre88 Street. the BUl'f'au relocated approxi.
mately 3.500 families. and the accomplishment Will
the greater because there were only three cases or
eviollon. Virtually all the ram Illes displaced on Northwest EXllrc88way are In new homes. The Bureau 115
now giving aUention to thE" South Route Expressway
and will have branch offices at 18th Street, 57th
Stn.>et and jUllt south or 63rd St.reeL

June and 12 more than

In July last year.
Three of the dead were
pedestrians and one was
a boy on a motor scoot.
er. Five were killed in
collisiona between automobiles, five in can; that le(t
the road and struck waytlide objects, tbne in a car
struck by a train. two In aulo-truck crashes Rnd two
were motorcyelisus,
Another death not chargeable to traffic Wll8 that
of a child run over in " private driveway.

Rough on Ribbons
Ribbon ceremonies marking completion of express
ways and bridges remind Sam T. Brush of the time
when Ge.neral George A. Patton. Jr. colorful commandf'r of the Amcrlcnn Third Anny. performed thE"
rite at 8 bridge over the Rhine.
Brullh, now an engineer in the Administrative 01\11vision of the Cook County Highway Department. was
a captain in the 34ith Engineers. In the spring of
1945, his unit was parent regiment of a force or
~.OOO troops aasigned t.o put a rnilroad bridgE' over the
Rhine at Main.t to replace 8 destroyed span. The
n(Ow structure was ready ror use on April H. and
Patlan. with other generals, came to dedicate IL
"We had erected a tI~ake.rs stand and someho"
or other had got a band logt'lher, which wasn'l too
ensy In thal area," Bruah recalled. An honor battalion
of engineers was fonned In front of the stand and
other troops were poated around the perimcter of
thc bridge aPIH'ORch juat In ease the Germans got
back that wny.
"After the sl)cRking, Genentl Pallon and hill party
boarded a car pushed by a diesel locomotive lo ride
up to the bridge. At that time, 1 was in command
of the bonor battaUon. relieving the colonel 80 be
eould join the ribbon party.
"Just after the ear reached the bridge. a lieutenant.
oolonel came on thft run toward the battalion, shouting, 'Give me a bayonet.' One of the men handed him
a bayonet, and be .. printed back to the bridge.
"I WDS told aJtenvard that when General Patlon WIUI
handed a pair of shears, he threw them down. 'What
the - _.!! I'm no
tailor. Get me a bayonet.'
And Lhat waa how the bridge was opened."

Behind the Scenes - - {Continued from Pagl' 2)

Thl'8e t",o agencies, whieh are required by law to
pfl.88 on the County's right-of-way negotiations, bave
been most cooperative. Prompt nction on their part
has avoided delays that could have been costly in
lime loet on exprese:way eonstruction.
MOloriata using t.be expressways already completed
see the pavement and the sightly structures that
afford continuous travel by eliminating intersection
al grade. The righloOr.way haa been provided. but
there Is nothing visible to tell of the vast amount of
work Involved In acquiring It, That's the job of Mr.
VarnCJI and his staft'. less spectacular than buUdozlng,
but neverthe.less the first. stage in bringing a n exprcsa
way lnlo being.

000-0 ll d5 n a nned FrOID Oars

Windshield omamenll lIuch as baby shoes and dice

are now illegal in California. A nc'" law prohihlts
driving a motor vehlclt' on a highway with any object placed as to obstruct the driver's clear view
through the windshield. Equipment required by law,
lIuch It. rear view mirrors, 18 expected.-Traffic Safety,

Effect

Detours

July Building Permits

ORK IN PROGRESS by Lhe Cook County High .

way Department and the lilinois Toll Road

W
Commission requires deloUJ"IJ as foUm>.'s:

SHARP UPTURN in permits issued in July by

A
t.he Cook County BuUding and Zoning Bureau for
building construction in the unincorporated area of

aARTL!:.'"TT ROAn Ill'l'IPoI.'t'l'l ShoO! I')Ic l Ol")' ROIld and HllIglns

It..... d. loll I'0Il1' ('O,'nslru('Uon; l'Ionhlouun!l t.f1lJIk dlHt)ur Wi'll! un
Shoe Fl!.clot)' Rood t o Sutlon
HOllO. n<'lrth \<) Hl gglnl MORd

the County brought a

total of estlmated valuations more than double
that of the preceding
month and well above
July, 1957.
The comparable figlU'eS were : July, 605
permits; total valuation,
$12,213,650: June. 431 permits, valuation, S5,677,700 :
July, t957, 575 permits ; valuation, $7,207,645.
Included In lut month's items were a mauaolcum
in Guardlsn Angels Cemetery, Proviso Township, $2,500.000. and a hotel In NorUlflcld Township, $1,440,700.
Booated by the hotel. NorUi.lield led the 23 townships
represented In thc month's business, with a total
valuation of $2,295,900. Fast growing Schaumburg
township led In residential permits and had Ii total
valuation of $1.953,700. Also in the miUion-dollar
class was Stickney Township, with i l l permits and
$1.043,150 total valuation.
Of the total permits. 360 wC!re for residential oon
struction. 2 ] of the new houses to be connected with
sanitary sewers and 79 to have acptie systems. There
were
permits for residential additions and altera
tions, valued at $239,250. In other classifications,
permits were ULken out as foUows:
ActcS8Qry buildings, 105 permits, S191.2OO.
Business buildlng8, 9 pennits, $1.660.000: business
additions and alterations, 2 permi18, $25,100.
industrial buildings, 1 permit. $15,000: industrial
additions and alterations, 4 permits, S165.5OO.
Wells, 8 permits. 8,000.
MIscellaneoUS, 21 permits, saO,700.
By townships, permila in fee classifications were
Issued 8S follows:

and

SORRY TO INCONVENIENCE
YOU . ) ,'';' 'j>
THIS RESURFACING

ROild;

aoutbl'Ut to &rUen
lOuthbOund rru'rse

om!'!t_

aUSSE

ROAD

bet"'~

Hlgll1lU1 Koad (route T..l1 lrut

"!onQUln RQRd {route S:U,

tol tORtI InstrucUon, northbound U'1lmt' detour ...~t "I'l

"'IRlns

Rl)a.d

to

Ar1JnKtun

He Shu HMdl north to AIlOuthl!.!l/l' to

~ml18ter Slr~l Rnil el ' tn Hulllit' Road; lOuthbouml lrame
tlt-Iuut NII I un Ai8unquln Roo,,1 UI t!lmhu",' ROllO, loulll 10
it"nQuln ROIl"

()/lkton S t reet lind Well \0 BUJiIJf' ROOd.

GA.RO!'tEIl kOAD 1K.'1"et'n l :itll Ilna Z2nd Sl~la. eu l" .. r l
~nllrucllon: northbOund Imine dt-Iour ('''It on :t2'nd SII'I"('I

III 17th A\'enue, nnttll til l:!th Strlt Il1Id H.,I( til Caro ner
RO/III; .uulhlK)untl I'(!\'enc Ol'll ... r.
HINT'/" HOAD belwl'i'l1 WhecUI1R Rood a nd Elmhunn lluad
road I'(!pllirll' i'a.IIKIUnd I rflmC t1~IIIU r .oUlh on Etmhunl roll a
to P alll.tlne )toad, CUll \0 \Vhct!llnR ROlid and n.,rth 10 HIntz
Hf)lld: wnihoulld re \'enll~ "rdeT.
H ll'I'T'Z !tOAD ootwoon Mll wauk l'e An!nu!' a nd WOlt ROut!
brldlC' ron.lruc Uun; cUIU(llInd trllmt" d (,Wll r ftIulh on w ol r
!tCMld to Pll la tin e ROI'Id, ea .. 1 to MU ~'uUkt"l:! ..hTtlue a nll n"rth
10 HIntz HUIIOI, wetl t buund revenle oroer.
LAKE COO K ROAD bet .... een 5111111"", flnad and Pllngllol1
Road. toll rolltl C('nUT\Jellon "Illilbound tram .. detnur nflrth (In
Sandl'/'S I{()ftd In ~rTleld iload\ "an to WIIUkt>gWl Rand Rnd
Iklutn tu Uke Cook ROlltl. ",e.tllOuml ",ver~e order.
L.DNOCOlIMON ROAD, bridE" oon.lT\Jo;:t111n .wer Ih'" De.
PI.ln" RIver In lUH!rllld"; northbound u1!.me dctour .... H' on
Olld .. n Avenut! III Flnt A\",nut'. north LO Fo~t AHmu nd
ellJl to LunJCcommon RUlld: .IOulhb"und ",V..IV order.
I~ST .!'lTRP.ET between WIll Cook rullid .nd W"lt RoAd
('ulv.n Nln'lnletion; l'a'lbllund l!'aml: dl'!lour II<JUlh tln WHI
COOk ROlld to 159th Ii~(,
10 WoU Ro.d and flW"lh III
1$1" Street; ....Mthound I't'verw unler,
RIDGELAND AVE,.... t'E b(otwC!1!n \fuUmrr Road and Unroln

ell.'

HI.h..... y culH'rt ml1.llnltllc. n, northbound Lnlflk det<lur ....rJt

on Un...,ln IUKh ~'ay 10 Ia.rlem "'I'l'nu.., n/'lrth to Vollmer n OOd

and Ka' In Rldgelaml Avenu .. ; .IOuthbound re,t'~ o",.. r

Traffic is permitted while work proceeds on the

foUowing named roads in the suburban EU'e a :
CUICACO ELCIN ROAD (route UH be tween Kane CoUnl)'
line and I.>u Pall'! County IInl'!,
DES PLA I ~ES AV~:NV~: Oel wei!n Jnd{lOn Boule.,,", lind

Ibrrl,un

Str~l.

DEVON AVE..... UE bet .... een ItoN! A"enueo anti Canlleld ROad
OUNDEr. ROAD trOUle 68l ~l",H'n Hohlteld fr Routl and
the $kt)kle nht'f'.
ELMIIURST ROAD bc lw oon ("ri.! lt Road trOUljj~) and NorUl
Wdl Hllh .... II)' (ruu te 14 ).
LINCOLN A\'t:NU~~ hf' l ween Howard Slr(!(!llInd NU,.. Cfl':n
tcr Rolltl
W01.F nOAD between 0ll:d ... n A"' .. nue li nd RooI-I.'\.lt Road.
W(1I,~' ROAD oot .... ecn Grnnd A\enue and Nor t b Avcnut".
W() I.~- ROAD 1ll'1\\t'en H"rrlllOn SIn",1 and nooseveJ t Road

To .. .. ~hlp
SlUTln,l!)n

Bloom

alYmen

Calumet
f:lk Ol'l"'l'
IIl1no,cr

J..emont

Pat on the Back

Llo}Ii('n

Lyona

Nice words for pcrsonnel of this Depa,rtment EU'e

containl!d in a lette r from George L. Douglass. 646
East Hillside Ave.nue, Barrington, to Supe.rintendent
William J . Mortimer.
" In t.hese days when it Is 80 easy to criticize our
politieians and public officials, it is a pleasure to be
able to make a commendation Inatead of a condemnation," Mr. Douglass wrote.
"In the p88t few weeks your higbway department
haa been installing 8 storm sewer along Hillside Avenue In rront of my property,
" I certAinly compliment you upon your selection of
the members of your depRrunent. Mr. Kaiser and aU
his employcs have treated us with the utmost in
respect and neighborly consideration.
"This Is jU8t n word [rom It voter who is appreciativc.. ..

Mlltn ..
:'iew Trier
!\'orlhncld
Nor..... ood "lIr k

Orland

1'lIllItlne

Palo,
l"rovlso
Iltch
SchaumbuI'J
Stlekne)
Thurnion
WhC'C'lIna:
W,nh

t '''r ",ll~

'"
",

18

""
62
,
""
..l
w,

."

. '"'"
""" t" nUIl"

"'.300

"'.000

HI,OOO
761,100

"'20.'"
.900

141.300

.....'.000'"

""".300

......

2.29ft.9I1O

701.000

368,250

".200
'.000

1~~
1,~=

In the nofee classification. including churches.

schools and farm buildings, there we re seven permits

totaling 3.166,400 In valuation. Besides the $2,500,000
mausoleum, there were one school permit, Schaumburg Township, S106,600; one churc.h, ~haumburg,
525,400: one residence in Northfield. $30.900 ; two
residences in Stlc.kney, $32.300 and onc school addlUon In Stickney, $471.200.
j

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Plened Younll CycU" Reee lllU Safety Club Memb:r.h lp From Pruldent Olnlel Rrln _ ( See Pilge IS).

Vol. VI No. 4

SEPTEMBER, 1958

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Publlshed by the Cook County em.) Department of Bleh.... y.
Under auapiclI of the Board of County CommluloDen
DANIEL RYAN, Prnldent

Jamu F. "."end,n

W Illia m N. Er lck.on

Fred A. Full.

Fnnk Bobrytzke
Charlu F. Chaplin
Ellubeth A. Conkey

ChrllJt A. Jenlen
John A. Mickler, Jr,
Daniel Ry an
Clayton F. Sm1t~
EdwlIrd M, Sneed
John J . T ouh)'

Jerry Dolen I
John J . Duffy
Arthur X. Elrod

William J . Mortimer

Weh"'I,.,.
PubUahetl .t 130 North Well, Street, Chicago 6. fo'Ranklin 27544
Superinten d"'"t of

Extension 216

Boob of the Month

August Traffic Accidents

PER ONS w{'re killed and 812 injured in
ELEVEN
highway traffic accidents in 8uburbn n Cook County
In August. The dealh
toll was a marked ~.
dUelion from thut uf
July and also (If August
last

Yl:nr,

In

both

ur

which rnunlh" 21 losl

lht'll" lIW8.

Six of the August

deBths occurred o n
County roads, two on
ruml U. S. nnd nUnois nignways, one in Chicagu
H!'ighla, olle In Bridgcvio'w and on~ in Hickory Hills.
Reportable nccidents of nil types totaled 2,597. On
County ronds, where spt.>ed rutes arc likely to be nign,
tlu~re were 318 uccldents nnd 216 persons Wt'rf> inju red in nddilloll to tnc s ix d~lld.
E.\'UnSLOn rcw,rtcd more accidents 8111.1 more injured
titan lUI)" ot'U'r suburb-157 IlccidenlB nnd -15 Ik'rsons
hurt. Cic ... ro had 144 accidents and 38 injured.
Five Oi those killed lUst monUl were pedestrians.
One, a young mlUl. was riding a horlre lilat .....a9
struck by iW automobile. T..... were victims of collisions between a.ulomoblles a.nd trucks, one was killed
In lUI auto-au to cl'ash, onc wlu~ n a ca r wenl into a
ditch and one when a car struck a post.
Tbe August casualUes brought the suburban urea
lotnls for the first se,'cn months of 19
to 19.978
uccidenlS, 113 dculhft a nd 6,824 injUred.

WILBUR classifies in the subdivision oC

W ISTFUL
Dopes.
He knows all the lmlne rules a nd signs by heart;
lhl're hua nev"r been n mark on his license.
He U! all e nthusiastic exponenl of Rafe driving, but
imp rfl~licuj.

Wistful cherishes lhe dream that everyone else

prnetiC4":H ClluliClIl nnd courtesy, a nd he is never preImJ't'd to encounter n Boob.

As Ir,ng 8B Boobs inCest the Wghways, Wlnful will

be n dope.

Scouts Aid Civil Defense

Boy Se(lUtS throughout the County will do n good
turn for Civil 1)(.ft 'nsc on October 11 by distl'ibuting
t he newly I)ublished " Hnndbook for Emergencies" to
homes.
At each door, Il uniformed Seout. Cub or Explorer
will ring the bell and walt until nn aduJt nppelU''S.
Then he IVil! say :
"Plcuflt.' join with the Boy .scouts of America
and make 'Be Prepared' your motto too. Here is
a handbook you CSD USE' to make your home a
snfe one,"

FollOWing the October 11 distribution. the new

handbook will be supplied to suburban Civil Defense

organi7.lltions by tht: Cook Coullty Traffic Safely Commission. Copies will also be available to interested
citiJo:ens. sa.ld Joseph A. Downey, County Director.
The new booklet cov!'rs varloUlI' mallers of faml!}
Ilreparedness aguinsl enemy air attack or natural
disaster. the system of warning signals, conelrad instructions, fa.JloUl protection and community pinns.

Detours In Effect

1958 Rumbler Jobs

ORK IN PROGRESS by the Cook Count~' High ..... lIy Depunmcnt s nd the Illinois Toll Road
Commission reqllires detours as follow!!;

lThffiLER PAVEMENT, lhr I)('bbly surface lhnt

alerts molorists at approachclI to s top s igns. will

bt> 8ppJied this reRr al36 intersections in Cook CQunty.
T his number will bring to 134 the lOlAl of lOCH 10M
lrl'nted since the County Highway Department iniLl
aled the pracucc In 1955.
T he rumbler errett- an audible roar-Is obtained by
embedding particles of slag in a coating of 8sphalt.
The application IItar18 300 feel from the stol) sign.
Besides lohe warning sound it proouccs, r umbler SUf(1\"(' a lso a l1'ords beller braki ng and starting, Clilwcialtr in winter. An incidents! advnntnge. not a nticIpated, is that lhe anchored slag does not "push" inln
ripples. as aaphall pavement frt'qu cnlly does unde r 111('
impact of CRrB coming 10 a stall.
After 8('\'crai experiments wilh matcriala, the Depn rtmenl'1I I)rocedllrc has become standardized for the
present. The bi nder us(>d Is Jlrtrolcu m aspha lt with fI
penetration of 100- 120 and the rumbler material Is
]-Inch screen stag precoated with ASphaltic liquid.
Each rumbler strip onc lane in width nnd 300 feet In
length requires 117 ga.llons of asphalt and nine tons
of slag. This formula has bfton found economical in
first cost Rnd satisfactory 8S to wesr.

GARONEJt kOAD tletw'n 1'Jth /lnti ?Jntl Slr""t.. I'ul,'ert

... ,,,-,,lrUtlI,,n: nurttlbn!>nd trnrtt<' tll'lour {'All on 22nd StrN,,1 In
nih AHnut'. north to 12"th
Slrt't'1 and WeI'! \n r; .. r.IOIr
!t.,.,d; so')ulhbtJunti ....,'(:nIt'
nnll'r
JOt:; OkH HnAI) bc!h,~n
HAIIII'd Slroel nnd Sta ll'
~ l rt'O' In OIlrA!.!" ll .. l~hl.ll.
hrlllgl' C<lolt ru tUon
~""1_
~.und
Il"/IJtlr .ll' l nur o " Ih
00 11I11lIl('1I !'ltrl"Cl II. t.IOI"ln
IIIJ:hwA~'
NUll
tit <;hHf'
l'lIrHI ami norlh 10 J(M' Orr
/(Ulul; ...~I Ib"U"d 'I"Il'1"M'
"'rot'r
L ,\KI-; COOK ROAn b(ol"~n .' ndl!n! Road Ind rnnKilOn
Unoll. 1,,11 ..... rt ('onslrul'll"n' eftlltJnund tramr df'tour n(lrlh
<In Sandr... ... d Iu OterO ...,,,\ IlflIt (1. f'A.t III Waukl-'KAn UN,d
a nti .. Iulh In l..bkp Co"k ROAd , wl'tltbnunrt I"P"I-'nw!- (ordrr.
I.ONGCO:>'lMOS ROAD. brldf(t' ronlilructlt.n nver Ihr I)MI
lWntlll RII"I-'r In Rlv(!t1Ild(!; northbt.und IrAI!\f' dl-'IOUr wetl nn
)g'len AVl'nul' 10 1,1 A\'l'nul-', n"tlh I" FUI'~..1 A,'I-'nu,' ;lnll PAlIl
In LonSl,'ommun H'lIIrt; lIOulhbuund tlJ\('1"lt1' Qr(I{lr
"'110 ~Tllf:"" l"\o'l""<'i'n ""I'll'd IInll ,'nlnn StMt~ hr!!I,H'
N1n~l .. urll"n rOt North .. ut ExpI'('Q\\ft)' Ft'ti!\ll'r; e.,;I1Il>uncl trllt
III' roll,l\\ Iltt' mArkt'(l u.. tour go\nl north on lIollltetJ Slrl-'N h)
torlt' ~lrt'l'l. I'lIJl to Union SIJ ......1 and II(KIlh to Ohll> J;(re..'I
l'IeI'lbnunrt 1't!1"1-'1'IW' urder
Wll..SOS A\,t:'''UE br("'t'I-'n Kt1~lrl"'k a l\d Clrt'ru Avt'nu ....
Iorld!:!' ((Jn~truI'Unn tor North ...." ' E>:pn'M'u", ; t'III,lbtlund lnIlfIl'
!I\'llIur INIUIII t'n CI~1"r.> AI'enul-' In Sunn>ald{, AV('nU(', I'ILII 10
Ktlllllirldl A,,('nup nnlf north 10 ",II.OHII ,\\'t""UI' ; ",,,,,t"',und
r l""pl'IIe nrot'r.

SORRY TO INOONV.ENIEN[[
YOU ... .fo'U"j1
THIS RESURFACING

Traffic is pprmitted whilf' work proceeds 011 lhe fol

lowing namPd roads in the suburban a rea.

O h f'l llf' lu:e li t S i ~lIs hlll)rO \'e~

DES f-'I.MNr.s A\'E.''1 ' ~: bl-'I\\t'(' n In('Jo;on RIIuII-'\',ud lind

Hllrrlaon !'itret'l b)'p ... ~ del,.ur, brIdle ronJlrurlion f7\'l'r ("lInIU"t'IlI SII'('I-'\ ~xprt'uwllJ.
DUNOEf. ROAD lmull' 6Ih lM'I\"''l'n Hohlrrhh'r n"lul .ctnd
Ih~ SkOkIe RI\'f'r. bltumln"o, rt'IiurrllrlnA!.
The follOwing Ch icago street is 01)(:11 dllJ'ing work:
CE:-''TIlAI_ A\'E.,....UE bt'IWf'f'n lI11rrllon SI""'t And 111I0Il('\,,11
HOIlrt. a b)'l"IAU df'tour. brlll!!1' t'<ln~lru('lIon ml-'r ("onltrl'~. ~II'f'1-'I
l':"IIt1'lI!IWA)

This season's progrllm is expeclPd to yleJd further

that rumbler approaches are a positive [aclor
in accident prevention. Previous to the first installations, a survey by the Traffic Engineering Dhislon of
lhe Department produced a bad reeord of stop sign
disobedience, ranging from 20 per cent at some IOCA
tions to 62 at the worst. There WRS reason to susprct
that many who did not stop fAiled, becausc of IRek
of Attention, to 3(>e the signs. After rllm blrr treAt
ment . ch('Cks at the same Intersections have shown
"no stop" per(onnllnce completely ellminatro in some
instances liml vast improve ment In voluntary stops,
Involuntary slop.' and rolling stops.
Before the start of t his season's rumbler program,
the Traffic Engineering Division observed traffic flt
('aeh of the 36 locations lIsled, Another check will
be made afler treatment.
Intersections selected for nImbler treatment lhis
year are as follo ....'S:
No rth a nd Nortlm e ... t
~viden ce

HARt.EM A\.:.... r&----Snu lh olde nr lJnMlln IIISlltwlt)

.IOF.: O!lft lI(l.\D f:IuI l lIlIll' "r W.. ~ll"rn "'\I'IIU<
SAl'K Tll"'II.--E/I!!1 nml ",... 1 "IIIl!! n r Gl','{'rnor'. 1I1I:lIwII)'.
I'allt IIml wt'~1 .. I dt,~ "r W{'!IIl'r n Annu .., wetl ~jlll' or UJxlt'
HllfhwA}'. " n,1 'Ide of IInrtpm A\('nue. cll~1 and "1'111 Ilde~ " r
Indhlnw'tOIl IlIlAd
.!IT~r.F:R ftOAI)
",,,,I liltle .. r Inullmn lIllIlp IITIf'
TORHf:.... C'E A\'~:Nl'f:.Norlh .ltll' ot St"lfl!r RflIlo1l
W&"'T\\'OltTIl A\E.,..... l'E.---- :-;orlh lillie nr CII'n,,",>d'U\Mlnlt
1I<l/1r1

The total of materials for U1(' season's n)lplics tion8

Is CAlculated at 497 tons of rumbler pnrticles Rnd
6,46] gallon8 of asphalt.

c!"'..

BARTLTT ~OAD-SIIulh Iltlt lit nnule 59. 1Irn'ln anll

iiiI.uln Iide. o f IIIlerln. II1)0d. nnrlh .111 .. <It l.JIk.,. A\"l'nut, nu r l!!
IInli ....... 10 ,Ide. (If Routt' ~
PE..... SNy HOAD- F'.lUt ant.! Weill ~Idt" of Burlll'lI }.Im,,1
SIiOE F'ACIOHV ROAD_ EnH "ml '~t~1 _hIe" of Unnlrll
ItO"d,
liAPf> ROAo--~:U'1 .lde Ilt Sun~1 RIII!:l' IlflIlU.
!i;t':-:S~:r IUDCE ItOAD-Su Ulh ~ule of Sknkle it..""I . nnrlh
"n,1 WUlh ~hl('~ of Wlnnl'lk~ .\nnul'
\'OLTZ HOAD W"fl side lit Sunsl'1 nldlle !lulUl
WACSEII JtOAD--N"rllt /lml IIfIUIIt Itlle_ M Wlnnt'lka
,\"I"nol'.
F.O:....S F'_XI'RF:SSWAY, "'e.1 UI"'lte IIrht !lim1h Killf' nf
C"nu,,1 A"pnur
WINNETKA ... \ENI&----.F.iL~1 An,1 "1"_1 IIIII"~ M Sun~el fUtllU'
RnAd .
EAST FU\'~:H RCIAD----W .. _1 ,1111" nt ("umbt'rlnnll .\\('nue.
nnrlh nnll . outn ~hl,.s I"lf IAWI'I!II':I' A,'pOllO', norlh BIHI lI .. ulh
,1111,'t1 o r 1I111f(ln~ Houd, nnrllt AM IJllUllI lIldf'~ or De",'n ,\HnUI-'.
1>I ONTHOS ~; ,\\'~;NI'E--EII~' sldr ur ('umlll'rl"nd All'nuc.
'\'~" Jl rte lit lI.,rlcm "',cnull

S IICf'd l.Ji mlt'f'd, 1>'1I 1:a lltle ... ('III

8harp dpcline in t r affic deaths in Kansn8 was I'e
enrd('(l for the fint three months after Lhe new state
wide maximum speed limits became effective there.
FA.talities in the May-July p'rioo nBS7) dropPed 27
per cenl belo", the avern~e or the pasl liVt.' "ears
for lhoso months. In titl' four months before the
8pet>-d la", walJ passt.-d, fatali1.i{'S were runnin~ 3 pc.r
cent abo\'e the five-year avernge.-Tratfic Saf ly.
A

We'it Alltl South AreA."

'26111 STHt:t:-r

Wt'Olt sldl' Ilf 0111 A\'('n ue. I'ut lUll" ur

A .. ~nup
BL'RNIIAM A\'.:Nl'~;'- Sorth ltlt ut :S1f'~l-'r RotlO.!
C'OTTAGF. (; ltOV A\-.,.. l N"Mh find ,..,ulh lIltlt'~
IIIlU(p t!3
FLOSS:>.I Of)n nOAD-Elllot nnd "'!'AI Iidu or t;It"f'rn

HI~tt~WOoD-I.ANSI NC
n'n<,~ Avenu~,

f'l1~t

O ut i\I f'II'i llrf' R oa tl~

We'rE' losing ground in the battle to obtain more

m.abl' hl't"h ....sy 8pace. Sinc~f' W<irld War n, we've
added about 53,000 milrs of highway Ifllles. BUl
autoR produaPd In the same period would stretcb
"baHt 200,000 miles buml)t!r to bumper. U can:!
today wen' TlO longer than 1946 models, the lIn{'u of
all rroduced would be estimated 85,000 miles shorter.
According to American Motonl President George
Romney ; Extra length fllone of typical cnrs today.
comparrd witil 1946 modehl, has swallowed up ('ntire
mileage of ndded Innes of nt'w highways. Natlon's
Blisinp"s.

I~I

Itr
.r~

!lOAD_ EllII! /Inti "" ....1 qUit.. ur -rur

4 1111 \\,HI ,1111', ' It Hurntlllm A,'{'nul-'

Scooter Training Added to Bike Program

8y John J. McCleverty

The Front Cover Picture

ElCccu t !Vt Secretary

Cook County Traffic Safety Comml ..lon

Elementary school I>upils who take lhr leclu/,('

and paS!! the prnclical riding l8LA given
by lhl' Cook County Traffic: Safety Commission
are Cl'rtified Il8 competent to ridC' 10 trnffic and
an' enrolled in lhc BicyclE' Safely Club.
In the pictUre is Chief Leslf'r F10wcrs of Lincolnwood, who. like. police officials in All other
county suburbs. endorses lh{' program and cooperates in all its stages.
The membership card carries II pledge signed
by lbe pupil to obey oil of the 12 rules of 8Mp
bicycle riding. It also ~8.rs the watchword of t hE'
progrnm- "Remcmber. the child behind the hondlebars will be an adult behind lhe wh('('1 of Jl
car."

ITH AN ESTrAlA TED 8.000 scooters &cooli ng

COUf'8(>

A..round Cook County, the jllv('nile mOlor bike

become II matter of concern In Sl'v('ral quanerl'!.

Some 8ubnrI'J.'1 have already adopted ordinances rprtuirl ng driver's license and rRising till' minimum age
of scoote,' pilots from 14. as sci by the 1957 statr
hlill

88!\embly. nnd Chicugo, too, Is considering

age and olh!'1' restrictions. At lht' same time.

1\

highrl'

move-

ment is und{'1' way to requE'fIl the 1959 legislatll!'e to

Rm('nd the statute.
Tht' Cook County Traffic SaIf'ty Commission. of
whieh County BoArd President DRniel Ryan III PI'{,8\'

dent, has Its own 81)proa~h to the Ilroblem. which it

considers to be basically one of saJr use of the popular scooter within til(' requirements of state Jawor
local ordinance, whateve.r they may Ix>, now or laler.
With the support nod cooperation of County School
Superintendl'nt Noble J. Puffer and the police chiefs
of all th(' s uburbs, the Commission believes the hazards of BCooting can hi:! eliminatt'd by training young
riders of legal nge in the principles and I'ules of tmfflty
nnd persunding thl'm to accept responsibility.

be B toy alongside an automobile, it can be ulK'd dangerously. Whntever should be done in line of legisla'
lion. however, Is outside lhe Commission's area. We
are nol a law-making or lawenrorcing age.ncy, but onc
devoted to safety on highwnys by everyane who U8t'8
them.
"This Is our objective with the l'oungate.rs who have
scooters. We hope to train those wbo meet legal
requirements to use the highways as good citizens
should. We wanl to enlistlhem In the eause of aa.fety
with such conviction that their respect for trn.ffic
rules and the rights of others will make lh'm safe
automobile drivers later on."
Sconote.rs li en' 10 S l a ~'
fo.lr. Puffer, who took part in designing the' scooter
training progrnm, urgf'd that It be started wlthoul
delay.
"A start on thia program i8 extre.mely important."
he said. "Some bugs will be found in thc beginning,
but they can Ix! eliminated, Th(' big thing Is to get
it under way."
Speaking for lhe Ulinois PoliCe Chiefs' AssociAtion,
of wh ich he ia l)resident, Chid Milan Plavaie of Park
Forest said:
"Scooters and motor bikes ore here to atay. The
best thing we can do Is to try to eduCIlte tbt' yc;lung
riders and require them to pnss safety testa."
Tht' csllmate of 8.000 scooters in Cook County is
based on manufacturers' estimates of 10,000 In the
state. One County districl school superintendent rel)Orted that about 500 pupils in onc high 8chool have
scooters.
Fnur Uik~ LoII.ned fo r Tralnln ~
The training program ",111 be practical. with inslruction in operation and care of lhe .8Cooter lUI well 1\11
class room lectures on lraffic rules and signs, the principles of good driving ond courtesies of lhe rood, Par
lh' practical course, fOllr scooters have been Ion ned to
the Comml88ion by the Cushman Motor Scl)oter Company of Lincoln. Nebras.ka. Two are the stradd le type.
similar to an adull motore.rci', and two of the' "walk
in" type.
lnalrueUon will be givell In all high s.ehuultl In th '
suburban areft lbHt requeal IL The first requlremenl
of the pupil will be to take the Rilla driving {'Ourse

T MtI Il I Il ~ I~ ro~m ltl ICelltl)' No\\

" We have put this thinking into action," said President Ryan. "A scooter traimng program haa been

worked out by the Commission. the County school

authorities and lhe suburlmn police chiefs aDd will
be a\'aJlsble lo all the 56 public and pnrochlnl high
flchools stRrling with this term.
" Instruction will be given by 8. s lnO' provide-d by
the Commission. I have great hOl)Ctl that the scooter
program will be lUI SUCCessful as the bicycle training
we havt' conductt'd in grammar schools.
"We reaJizc that the scooter hlUJ rat.her suddenly
become immensely popular. While It may appear to

KId, Do Ride Bike. to School

School, Police Officials Are Joint Sponsors

A D~ monl l ratlon Run Throullh p,rt of the Scooter T nt Courle Dnlilned by t hc Cook Coun t y Traffic Safety
Comml .. lon w.u made September 11 for the Benefit of School and Pollee Official. Cooperatlnll In the New
Tra lninll Program. Scooter Rider. were Wlllyne Fell of Rwer.lde ( L.eft ) ;tnd L.addle K.olll'r of North Rivenide ,
Supervlllnil w;al Jon" J. MeCleverty. Com",I .. lon Execut ive Secretary (C(,I'1ler Wearlnll Hat ),

give.n in the school. All of the 56 high schools now

offer driver inslrllcti()n coveri ng at least the basic
principles of handling an 8utomobile in traffic. Tht'
pupil must nlso be physically able to control a scOoter.
If there Is a question of eyesight, he will be lested by
illl oculist provided by the s late.
When the pupil hAS COmpleted the drh'er course
find haa met physical requirements he will receiv' II
certificate signed by his school principle. the poUce
chief of the suburb In which he lives and the Safety
Commission. A sticker on his gcooler wil1 further
certify his competency,
From our experience with the bicycle program ,
which has been received enthusiastically by grade
school pupils. teachers a nd parentIS. we expect II good
response to our offf'r of scooter lralning. The boys
and girls now in Lh~ scooter uge reallu that they will
soon be driving CArs. and they are bright enough Lo
know that tntining in traffic will Ix> of great practical

The bicycle tmining bas won nationwide attention

88 the largest and most successful program of its

kind. II is held up as

model by the Bicycle institute

of America nnd has been endorsed bv the Grenier

Ch icago Safety Council and Parent-Teacher lind

Policl' associations, I\mong olhers.
OUf "'w program with the 80001N'8 is also II 1}lonl'cr
elTorL It will be watched by people throughout lht'
country, and I am confident that It will demonstrate
again that )'oun, people will coopef'Rle eagerly in 8.

movement to promote the number one principle of

highway safety, which i8 personal responsibility on
the part of ('very driver.
Uicyt'le l'rR.i nin \.t He,.<o; ulllcd

Up to lht'

o~nlng

of this school year, 105.463 cle-

menlar)' school pupils hnd tx-cn instructed. It''St.ed and

ct!rtifit!d under the bicycle program. Furthermore.
they had voluntarily signed pledges of safe behaviour

in lr1lffic. For two years, the Cnmmissioo

benefiL

.{'unllnut.'d un

".JlI' IU

WfUJ

able to

Scooter Safety Program

August Building Permits

- -

for an estimated total valuation of 6,Pt-::RMTTS

410,400 were i&sued in August by thf" Cook Count)
BuUding and Zoning Bureau, wbich hfUI jurtfldic.
tion in the unincorpor.
aLed area of the County.
Of the 418 total per
mits, 274 were for neW
residences . Northfield
Tnwnship led In reslden
tial construction with 62
permits totaling 1.257,000, Olher LOwnshlp8 In which
home building was Rcllve wcre: Palatine. 20 permits.
$541 ,700; Stlckne)', 35 permiLs, $539,200: Northfield,
20 permils, $403,600, and Maine, 20 permlla. $395,000,
In other classlficatlon8, permits were token OUl al!
followl!:
R('8idential Itddltlonl! nnd alterations-8t p~l'mits,
':210,500.
Acee8sory blilldlnga-81 permits, $135,000.
Btlslneaa buildings-4 permits, $164.00.
Busint'88 building additions and allerations- l per
mit, $41 .100.
Wclls--lU permils, $10,500.
Sel,tic systems 1 permit, 2,500.
Moving buildlng- l lM'nnit. 2,500.
Miscellaneous- 18 IlCrmh8, $44.400.
By to ..... nshipl!, permits werf" issued as 01l0W8 :

::,." ' :

Pupil, "lUnd S"ety Lecturn

,ClInllnu('t1 from '''IU' 5)

boast that no youngster who had passed the test had

been involved in II fatRI Bccld('nL. That fine record
W8S marred last year when A boy mem\xo.r of thl'
Bicycle Safety Club wall the victim of a hit-and-run

T .... n~hlp
IIlIrrlnlflon
IJlonm

l .. rmll~
I
111

t:lk G .... VI'

"Ifi

IJr~nw.'n

III

r.

motorist.

lI.no~'l' t

Bike safety tl'lLining. both tht' lectures and the lesl.Jl"

IItRrtNi with the opening of the 8Chool term. As In
previous years, instruclion ill given at the request of

l.I'yl1l'n

13

:U.lnf'
North"l'ld

7/;

~mon'

1. )l'Inl

Ledul'e8

Ent~rt.ainillJ:.

1M

'-1

11';1.1110
P'NI."OIl
fitI,600
!\I,7M
Bn,1ll1O

212_<t30
1)7,100
1.2H2.8lIO
fiM.1OI1

NorwOlMl ".rk

Ii
A
:III

PalM
Pl"fwl.o
Ulrh
S<' hIlUmbu r"
S'lrknc)'
Th(,rntnn
WhccoJinx
Wnrlh

1M

'''~./W)

!l2
111
:1

2'J'J, 700

Orlllnd
r.I.l1nl'

AChool RuUmrities. In thE' beginning the police In some

suburbe preferred to conduct their own bicycle l)rOgram, but now all have recognized the value of the
county-wid program not only for the thorough tmlnIng offered, bill because It promotes unifOl' mily
throughout the area. F'br example, a motorist may
feel Bllfe that 8 boy on 8 bike will stay on the right
sidt' of the street whether in Barrington or Chicago
Height8.

Ii

\",I"a'h'n

2Vl!M.
T7,'XIf)

1
7

'r1

III

IIlUflO

~9N)

4.0no
00.900

722.1!4111
4.1011

:r111,8(Ml
~ ~',tI1'"

In the no-fet' cla8llificnliQn, which Includes churehea,

schools and fArm buildings, there were eight permlu,
totaling $307,000.

Too

Lecture material is en tertaining a8 well as instruc

th'e, Il InciudH chart8 Uhl8traling proper behavior
..... hen riding in streeta and alllO t .....o movie reels, in
one of which R chimpa.n~ on B bike is the star. The
Commiulon also has a movie made by lhe Disney
studios of the Cook County Program in operation thal
Is shown to interested adult groups. Arrangements
tor a showing of this fUm may be made by ..... rlting
to the Cook County Traffic Safety Commission. 130 N,
Wells Strt'('l. Chicago 6, or by telephoning, FRanklin

2;544.
Thitl lK'allOn a new jeep truck painted in eye-ca tch.
Ing color Is enhancing the Instruction staff's efficiency.
It is used mainly to trnnSJ)Ort the testing lane equip.
ment from on{' school to another. lind will msk.,. It
IlO881bll' to do lhl' job In n larger number of achoolt'l.

New Truck Advertll1eJ Silfety

A Good Log Road, a Shorter War-Civil War, That Is

ACK LN 1862, when the Union army was trying OUI
B
various routeA to reach Richmond. the need of 40
A Bridge Moves Over
mile. or 80 of good wagon road loomed as large as
the pretK'nl day federal program of 41,000 mill's of

Interstate highways.
In November of that yea r, after the failure of the
Pennin8ular campaign nnd wben the Northern forees
were llB&e.mbling at Fredericksburg, a.n engineer offl

cer, Lieut. Col. B. S. Alexander. submitted a road

plan to Brig. Gen. J. G Barnard, ehid engineer of
the Ocfenscs of Washington. Alexander's communication. which is preserved in the Official Records, is
Interesting both tor his opinion that the chief I"('sson

for McCleJlan's fail ure on t he Penninaula was wn.nt

of good roads a nd a lso for his details of road construction of that period.
Alexander proposed an Improved route from Tappahannock, on t he Rappahannock, to Ashland or Honover Junction, near Richmond. As a first step. he
suggesti'd adding 20,000 recruiu. "whose primary
duty it shR.lI be to make roads, but who may be called
upon to fight In case of absolute necea.sity."
" I would build t wo roads," he continued, "both oC
them with a double track wide enough [or t wo teams
to be d ri\'cn side by side, or for troops to march in

The Chicago, Aurora & Jo:;lgin Railwsy's bridge over

the Des PhlincB River is shifted to make way for lht!
Congress Street Expressway. The movement, which
was accomplished with rollers on timber false work ,
carried the double-track structure 100 feet 3.5 inches
to the north and 35.6 feet to the easL
Instead of demolishing the bridge to clear the expressway roUle, the County decided to salvage il and
relocate It for possible railway use in the future. ThE'
Count)' also is providing a railway grade between the
bridge and Forest Park.
Congress Street will cross the Des Plaines wht:re
the railway bridge fonnerly stood. The new brldgt'
will be 192 feel In le ngth and will provide lhret:
tramc Isnes in each direction, 8-Cool median strlll nnd
walks on both sides.
In other' stretches of the route, Alexander proposed
plunk r ouds. using 3-inch plnnk In lengths of 8 1 :! feet
Instead of the 2-IIICh, 8-fOOt plAnk used generally for
roads.
" A s to time required to make the proposed road,"
he continued, "I a m of the opinion. j udgi.ng from my
experience III making roads with soldiers since the
wur commenced. that we may safely say that ea..ch
man can make 15 inches of road per day. ThiB may
seem like u very small estimate, and it is smal l. I am
aware lhat there will be many places-where the soli
Is sandy. o r where the common roads of thl:' country
lend themselves in direction to the route of our propoged rood that a man can easily make three feet
of rond per day. but on the other hlUld there will be
streams to cross, 8wumps to pass. and culverts to
build. which will require more labor IUld retard the
work probably to the above estimate.
"Assuming this, thererore, viz.. 15 Inches o( road
per man pel' day WI Ii safe standard. it [01l0w8. as
there are 5,280 feel in one mile, that 4.224 men will
makl' one mile of road in onl' day, or 8.44 will make
two miles of road in one day a nd that double the
number of men (or 16.896 mcn) .....ill duplicate this."
Col. Alexander's plsn was forwarded through channcls by Gcn, Barnard. and that seems to have been
the end of it.

1sections of eight, one road to be uscd by thl' trains

advanCing, t.he other by those retu rning."
As to type of const.ruction, Alexander said, " Where
the soil is sandy a good road can always be easily
made if we only throw up the roadway a fOOL or IB
Inchea above the nutural surface and pay pl'Oper
attention to the drainage. Where the soil is swampy
and the roadway would have to be raised above the
water, we would reaort to corduroying, but this, In
ord~ that it mny stand the travel of a large umy,
should be carefully put down and always supported
on longitudinal timbers o r stringers. It was just this
oversight, the omlSBion of the 10ngitudinaJ tinlbc.rs,
that caused the fearful rOllds we had while we were
before Yorktown.
"A corduroy rood. if eareJully buil t. is: s very good
military road, pArticularly if the logs be covered with
about 6 Inches of brush Ilnd then with about 6 inches
of sny kind oC earth over the brush. In a wooded
countrl! with a large force, It can be made very
rspldly."

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

A Stri k ing E)(;tmpie of the Mode ls Used t o Represe nt Com):llieated Expreuway Con.truction In T hree Dimensions a nd In E xa ct
S cal e. T h is Min iature Presents a Preview, on the Sca le of 50 Feet to O ne Ine h, of th e SOllth Ro ute E)(pressway In te rc hange a t the
Eas t and West Legs So uth of 95th Street. North Is t o the View er'. Left, and t he O ve r pass at th e E xtJ"e me Left [s 95th St.-eet. T he
Other Overpasses Shown, Starting at t he Top, Are S ou t h Pa rk Avenue, Michiga n Avenue, State St reet, and Wentworth Ave nue .

Vol. VI No. 5

OCTOBER, 1958

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Co'ok County (lil.) Department of Highways
Under auspices of the Board of County Commissioners
DANIE L. RYAN. President
James F. Ashenden
Frijnk 60brytzke
Charles F. Chap l in

William N. Er ickso n
F re d A. Fu ll e
Christ A. Jensen
J ohn A. Mack ler, Jr.
Dan iel Ryan
Clayton F. Srnit f>

EI ,zabeth A. Conkey
Jerry Doleza l
John J . Duffy
Arthur X . E l r od

Edward M. Sneed
John J. Touhy

W i ll ia m J. Mortlmer
Sup e rintendent o f Hi;:-hwaH

Published at 130 North Wells Street, Chicago 6.

Death Toll at

FRanklin 2-7544

Extension 216

Boob of the Month

New Low

ONLY THREE deaths in the month, SepW ITH

tember stands as a bright new high point in the
drive for safety on suburban Cook County high-

ways.
Th e p r e vious low
monthly figure in the 13-

year records of the Cook

County Traffic Safety
Commission was 6,
which was reached in
June , 1946, in the month
of January. 1951, 1952, a.p.d 1956 and in June _of this
year, The highest toll in one month is 34, which was
reached in September, 1950, and again in November
of last year.
One of the September dead was a pedestrian, a man
of 75, who was r;,truck by an automobile on t he 9th of
the month. Another was a man killed in an auto-auto
collision on the 3rd and the third victim was in a car
that struck a bridge abutment on September 4. Thus
there was a period of three weeks without a single
fatality , \vhich sets another r ecord in t he area.

BOBBLE is the Boob Behind.

BUMPER
Day or night, rain or shine, he's right at your rear.
H e's particularly prominent at night, when he can
shine his bright beams in your mirror.
If you stop or slow down, it's smash, or maybe
SMASH!
And if there are several Bobbles in line, it's one
of those front page, multiple car spectaculars.

Better Roads, Better Drivers

In seeking the safety factors that contributed to the
good September showing, County Board President
Daniel Ryan, who is president of the Safety Commission, cited improved highway facilities and a growing
sense of pride on the part of drivers.
"We know from counts made by the County Highway Department that much traffic has been diverted
to the expressways from more hazardous routes," he
said. "The expressways have demonstrated that by
design and construction they are safe for safe drivers.
For example, at the middle of October, there had not
been a single fatality on Congress Street in 23 months,
and the traffic volume there is r!l.Rging between 85,000
and 100,000 vehicles every 24 hours.
"Out in the suburban area the County is continuing
to improve non-expressway roads. One bridge completed by the County this year, carrying Torrence
Avenue over three sets of tracks at 141st Street, has
eliminated a railroad grade crossing that had a high
record of deaths. The installa tion of rumbler pave-

ment at stop sign approaches is another safety factor

of proved value.
Pride P r OmlJts Good Driving
"However, these Improvements alone w ill not make
safety. Drivers must do their share. In my opinion,
the September record is a sign that behavior on the
road is getting better. I believe that more and more
people are taking pride in being good safe drivers
and I think one of the best ways to promote safety is
to sell the idea that a reputation for good driving is
desi rable."
In addition to the dead, 724 persons were injured in
highway accidents in September. The total of reportable accidents- property damage of $100 or personal
injury- was 2,505.

Auto and Rails-Need for Both of Them

The following article i3, ill part, the te$t 0/ a paper
presented by Hugo J. Stark, Chief Engineer of the
Cook COlmty Highway Department, before a traWl'1)ortatioll forum conducted by the TTaf!i,c OZltb 0/

Some steps have been tak en to accomplish this:

L Mass transportation is included in the Congress
Street Expressway. Thus far an increase in r iders
has been shown and further increase is expected when
this facility is completely grade separated all the way
to Des Plaines Avenue.
2. The Northwest Expressway is planned to permit
operation of mass transit from Logan Square to
O'Hare Airport.
3. The Sout.h Route Expressway Is also planned
for mass trs.n.sit.
A consolidated air terminal in the loop would eliminate the excessive number of buses that clog main
thoroughfares.
A consolidated railroad terminal
would further relieve congestion in the loop.
Outside of the loop there is room for improvement
as far as railroads are concerned. Our survcy shows
nearly a tholls3.nd railway-highway crossings in Cook
County. A good number of them are separated, many
are protected with lights and gates, some with lights
only and some with no protection. The cost of separating a ll grades would be fantastic and might be
unnecessary because many of the railroads operate
side by side. It is suggested that a careful study be
given this situation with the thought of consolidation.

Ohicago.

automotive transportation because

P affords comfort,
convenience and flexibility, hut
EOPLE USE

it

we feel that with

an improved mass
transit facility
they can get the

same comfortable
ride.
Public transit
flourished before

automotive transportation became

generally availab l e. Transit
helped create the
mass origins and
destinations in

cities and in turn

was sustained by
them. Expansion
_ of concentrated

mass origins and

mass destinations
has now practically come to an end, especially in the larger cities.
Hugo J. Stark

Ncw Idea of Changing Area

We of the highway agencies are building express
ways, but we realize that in addition to expressways
and an integrated .transit system, it is necessary to
have an integrated highway system. The Superi~ _
tendent of Cook County Highways has proposed a new
conception for highway planning in this area.
Our present system is basically a grid pattern, with
state aid roads on section lines a mile apart. When
most of .these roads were constructed they were in
sparsely populated areas with infrequent farm entrances and a scattering of business at Important intersections.
In the past 15 years subdivisions have mushroomed
through the county areas and there is very little left
of Cook County that is not urban in character. Highways such as Waukegan Road, Milwaukee AVenue,

Automotive transportation has given people a wider

choice of places to live, work >and trade. More and
more of them are choosing to live in low density areas
of predominantly single family homes beyond the
limits of central cities. Industrial plants and large
department stores have moved to outer sections of the
metropolitan area, where land still is available in quantity for all their needs, including parking. Public
transit cannot be adapted to serve economically the
transportation needs of modern metropolitan areas
whose growth patterns are infl.uenced so strongly by
the availability of automotive transport.

No One Mode S ufficient

It should be pointed out that no large city could sur-

vive with only onc mode of transportation. The real

question is what emphasis should be placed on each
mode. Each has its limitations. Mass transit must
have mass origin and mass destination, and when
these do not exist or cannot be stimulated, the private
automobile has a distinct advantage.
On the other hand, freeways with the capacity necessary for priVate automobiles require vast tracts of
land for rights-of-way, with additional space for
storage, and cannot possibly handle all the load in
peak periods.
The urban transportation problem must consider all
forms of transportation-expressway, toll road and
mass transportation, electric or diesel. Transportation must be discussed as a unit, for unless it is millions of dollars will be spent in improving each facility
without solving our problem to any great degree.
Neither expressways, toll roads nor mass transportation can do the job alone, but planned to complement
each other much can be accomplished at a substantial
saving to the public and the transportation agencies.

Mass T ransit Rails In An Expressway_An Artist's

Conception of the Installation In Congress Street.

Irving Park Road, Halsted Street and Dixie Highway

as originally constructed and then widened were
capable of carrying adequate traffic volumes free of
stop signs and lights. These highways have completely changed in character. Subdivisions, shoppiJIg
centers and urban type business developments have
(Continued on Page

~)

_ _ __

Congress Extension

IS

wo
sections of limited access high
T
way were opened on November 21 about as fast
as the official cutters of ribbons could speed (65 mph)
IMPORTANT

Opened to Traffic
..
\

from one point to t he other.

First t o be dedicated was the State's East-West
Tollway linking Chicago with Aurora. Governor Wil
liam J. Stratton and his party participated in a program in Aurora and then traveled over the new
pavement to the extension of Congress Expressway
west of Mannheim Road, which Cook County had
completed in t ime to facilitate entry to the tollway_
President Daniel Ryan of the Board of Cook County
Commissioners was host at a ribbon cutting ceremony
held on the grade separation structure at Woll Road.
A sizeable gathering made up largely of officials and
business leaders of neighboring suburbs heard Governor Stratton and President Ryan speak of the belle
fits motorists will enjoy on the new routes.
How Did They Do Without!

"A few years from now people will wonder how

they ever got a long without these splendid facilities,"
said the Governor.
"Soon you will be able to ride all the way into the
Loop on Congress Street," said President Ryan. "The
work still to be done is the most difficult on the whole
of this expressway. The County is making every ef
fort to expedite its construction section and I am
sure that the State is just as eager to get its work
finished speedily."
William J. Mortimer, Cook County Highway Super
intendent, who presided at the ceremony, said the
County had completed the Congress Expressway ex
tension five months ahead of schedule and had made
a n extra effort to have it ready for the EastWest
tollway opening.
''We regarded this piece of expressway as the key
to full use of the tollway," he said. "Together with
the section of expressway between Mannheim Road
and 1st Avenue. it provides entry to the tollway and
gives motorists not only additional mileage but also
affords access to important artelial streets.
"When the work was started last April, it was ex
pected it would take one year, and that was the schedw e set up. However. we tried to beat that time and
with the cooperation of the contractor, the Robert
R. Anderson Company, the job was made ready for use
five months ahead of schedule."

Go ve rn or Stntton, Superint endent Mortimer and P ru.

ident R Ylln (left to right) Snip Ribbo n Open ing
Cong re .. Exp ressway E I<te nslon.

McGowan, District Engineer, DUnols Division of Highways.

The BUl'eau of Public Roads, which participates with
the State, City of Chicago and Cook County in ex
pressway construction, was r epresented by C. S. Man
nier. District Engineer a t Chica.go, and I. J. Ulak,
District Enginecr at Springfield.
Besidcs Prcsident Ryan and Superintendent Mortimer, representatives of the county included Commis
sioner James F. Ashenden; Andrew V. Plummer, Assistant to the Superintendent of Highways, and other
members of the Department.

New Speeds on County Roads

The first list of new speed limits on roads maintained by Cook County was approved by the County
Board t his mont h and fonvarded to the lllinois Divi
s ian of Highways. The new speeds, wWeh range
from 30 to 55 mph, with slower on some curves, were
determined by engineering investigations in accord
ance with the 1957 state speed law.
On the fil'st list were 52 roads in all parts of the
COWlty, with a total mileage of 142. Field work on
the 650 miles of County roads is virtually completed.
It is planned to submit about 100 miles of new speed
zones to the County Board each month.
During the speed surveys, all limit signs were
taken dowll. The work of putting up new signs will
start when state approval is received. It is estimated
that some 7,000 signs will be needed.

Ribbon Cut, Traffic Rolls

Immediately after the ribbon cutting, which was
performed by Governor Stratton, President Ryan,
and Mr. Mortimer, the Congress extension was opened
to traffic.
Governor's Stratton's party at the ceremony in
eluded Mrs. Stratton, Austin L. Wyman, Chairman,
a nd Orville Taylor and Charles M. Burgess, members
of the minols State Toll Highway Commission; E , A .
Rosenstone, State Director of Public Works and
Buildings; Attorney General Latham Castle; Charles
L. Dearing. E xecutive Director of t he Toll Road commission; Merwin Shurberg, Executive Asaistant ;
George W. McGurn, Commission Secretary; George L.
Jackson, Chief Engineer of the Commission and D. S.

,..--..

Provides Entry to New East-West Tollway

Opened to T n.ffic November 21, this s ec tlon of Cong ress EICpresaway ext ends from Mannhelm Road to the In.
tercha nge w ith t he East-West T ollway o pe ned th e same day, an d the T r l-State Tollway. which is to be ope ne d
early in Janua ry. T he new co nst ruct ion on Cong resii Street, w h ic h was done by Cook Cou nty, in c lu des a fu ll
c loverleaf at Ma nn he lm Road, grade l'I c par-a tlo n struc t ures at t he quarry bra nch of the CA&' E RR, at the
H illside Cente r parking lot , the Lake Strcot ex t ens io n, Ie RA ilnd Railro a d Aven ue a nd pavemen t t o Taft
Avenue. T he Lake S treet extension , shown o n th e milp In light li nes , Is t o be co nstr uct ed by the State. Th e
new Ccm"rc Bs Street lection ilddl 1.3 miles to t he 2.5 m iles from 1st Avenue t o Ma nnheam Road , whi ck wu
o pened in Decembe r, 1954. It se r ves a t o nce al a feede r to tke tollway. and a lso, by m ea nl o f ramps ( lIg kt
black lines on map), accom modates [oca l traffic t o a nd from Roose velt Road .

Auto and Rail s - --

County. It would aJrord a fast, safe, continuous flow

of through traffic, separating it from the strictly local
traffic, and would appreciate values of property about
both types of hJghwaya.

(Omtlnue<1 rom Page 8)

turned them into city streets. They have become

dotted with signs a nd lights and parking has reduced
the capacity of a four-lane highway t o less than the
fonner tWo-lane r oad.
If we were to fo Jlow the type of planning now in
force, we would attempt to alleviate traffic congestion
by widening existing pavements and constructing
others on the half or quarter- section lines. This
type of planning is no longer satisfact ory in Cook
County. It merely crea tes additional hazardous and
complicated intersections a nd brings more through
t raffic to streets that in the main should be used to
serve abut ting property.
We are presently planning a control1ed access freeway located In a grid pattern spaced approximately
f our miles apart. These highways would provide two
lanes in each direction s eparated by a median strip,
no left turns, no cross traffic and access limited to
control pOints. Service drives would be constructed
when necessary to serve a but ting property.
This construction would provide a limited access
highway within two milel'l of any resident of Cook

Faster, Safer a nd Cheaper

On a facility such as the proposed grid highway,
three times as much traffic can be moved as on a
parallel boulevard in half the time, at half t he cost,
and with onefift h the fatal accident rat e.
The method I)f financing the four-mlIe syatem is still
under discussion. Under urban stand'ards, it could
be financed 50 per cent from F ederal funds if the state
a pproved.
As to financing an integrated mass transit facility,
that is being investigated and s tudied by the Randolph
Committee's Mass Transportation Committee, and
their recommendations will undoubtedly be made to
the next legislature.
In t he County Highway Department we have discussed the financing and believe it should be termed
a transportation tax, to be levied by a transportation
a uthority and used as this agency sees fit to provide
the best economical transportaUQn.

Electronic Brain Aids County Engineers

How maltY hOUTS of time Is saved ill the Cook
County HIghway Department by putting engineering
problems throu.gh at~ electronic compllter is told ia
the following article, which was flTepared "tnl EI(f}BjlC
Palermo (tnd John K . Cralle, computer operator!!;
Robert Grrm, staUsticiall of tile- Department's Traffic Eligineenng Bureau. alia George W. Guderly of the

Drainage and Ut11.itie8 Division.

BRAIN", which computes in a

A Nfew"ELECTRONIC
minutes the results of numerical problems
which would require several hours of the time of an
engineer, bas recently been acquired by the Highway
Department for use in its engineering divisions. The
machine, a G-15D, built by the Bendix Computer Division of the Bendix Aviation Corporation, is a general
purpose, stored program, electronic digital computer.
It uses punched paper tape as the basic input medium. This tape is used for the storage of infonnation used in the solution of problems. This infonnation is referred to as a program. Numerical data can
also be stored on tape. Frequently used program tapes
are stored in magaziJ?es for ease of handling.
Connected to the computer is an electric typewriter, which is used to introduce the variable data
.for each particular problem. This typewrites is also
used in the original preparation of tapes, so that programs can be prepared by the computer itself, and n o
other equipment is essential. The results are typed
out by the typewriter.

Left to R l ght_Guderly, Crane and Gran

written and are in use by the Design Division. Each

problem of this type requires about three minutes of
machine time and represents a saving of approximately two man hours. Profil es ranging from 1,000
to 10,000 feet have been computed for this division
using a library program. A prOfile of 5,000 feet was
computed recen.tly in 18 minutes, saving approximately
4 man hours.
Another program is being prepared for the solution
of interchange ramps, which will allow the engineer
to examine many more diffcrent design possibilities
for a given location than is possible by manual
methods, and result in better layouts. This t ype of
machine use emphasizes ano ther advantage of elec~
tronic computation. Improvements in design quality
are possible by allowing examination of several acceptable solutions.

Users' Library Supplies Pro,l,'Tarns

The Bendix Corporation and other users, by means
of a uscrs' organiZation, make many programs available to all users. For example, one of the programs
we have obtained from the library is a Traverse
Closure Solution. Various divisions of the Highway
Department encounter traverse problems in their work
and have found this program useful and time saving.
The program will compute and balance a traverse at
the mte of about two minutes per side as compared
to an {~stimated 45 minutes per side manually.
One of the most time consuming problems that must
be faced for every bridge design completed by the
Structural Division is the preparation of a table of
elevations at hundreds of pointe on the bridge deck.
The calculation of this data requir es one to two weeks
when computed by an engineer, and then must be
completely checked. A program received from the
library and modified to suit our particular methods is
now in use to arrive at the same results in one to
three hours.
A specialized program for calculating depths from
a roadway surface to a plane surface, for use with
box section precast prestressed concrete beams, has
been written and is in operation. The use of these
beams is new to the department and in some cascs
the complexity of the solution would have made it
very difficult to proceed with their use without the
aid of the computer.

Time Sa.\'ed On Drainage Programs

The Drainage and Utilities Division utilizes several
programs written for problems unique to this division,
and some otbers of a general nature. One drainage
program computes an accumulative runoff coefficient
from many incremental drainage areas as part Of a
program in stonn sewer design. As an example of
the time saved by this program it has been estimated
that a storm sewer design problem involving 25 sepa~
rate drainage areas would ordinarily require two days
of computation time yielding an answer which could
include errors due to the laborious repetitive type
of computation involved. Using the computer this
fatigue factor is eliminated, and the computation time
is reduced to one hour.
Work is underway to expand the scope of this pro~
gram to determine pipe sizes and slopes required: The
same type of computation is involved in an expressway
lighting program which computes line voltage drops
between expressway lighting standards, automatically
substituting new constants for larger sized cables
when certain maximums are exceeded. A rainfall intensity pfOgram and a semielliptical stonn sewer

lO,OOO-Foot Promes Computed

The solutions for the coordinates of intersections of
two lines, a line and a circle, and two circles have been

(Contlnuei:l on Page 7)

_.

September Building Permits

Faber 70, Still Useful

PERMITS
estimated $12,273,900
BUILDING
total valuation were issued in September .by the
for aD

Cook County Buil ding

lind Zoning Bureau,
which has jurisdiction in
the unincorporated area
of the County.
Included were a no-fee
permit for construction
at Maine Township High
School estimated at $6
million and $652,000 for addition to an industrial plant
in Northfield Township. There wefe 242 permits for
new houses, re"presenting S4,416,500 total. Of these,
102 permits totaling $1 ,046,050, were issued fo r
Stickney Township, In other classifications, permits
were issued as follows:
Residential additions and alterations- 113 permits,
$299,750.
Accessory buildings- 99 permits, $171,150.
Business and industrial buildings- Seven permits,
$333,300.
Business and industria l additions and alterationsSix permits, $762,000.
Wells-Seven permits, $7,000.
Moving buildings- One permit, $2,500.
Miscellaneous, 20 permits, $100,900.
By townships, the September fee permits were issued as follows:
'l'owll ~hl p

I'erm lu

Bloom
Hremen
- ------Elk Grove
iIan"ver
Leyden
Lyons

Maine

New Trier
No rlhfield
Norwood Park
Orland
Pa latine
Palos
Provlsn
RIch
Schaumburg
Stickney
"horn t on
Whcellng
Worth

,
",
""",
,."",
",,
'"",
""

"Red" Faber, Tra n s it Ma n

For the last five years, Urban "Red" Faber has been
a transit man for the Cook County Highway Depart
ment, running lines with his instrument as straight as
the way he played ball for the Wh ite Sox a generation ago.
When caught by the photographer he was with his
survey party laying out proposed improvement of
Cottage Grove Avenue in the vicinity of Sauk TraiL
The occasion was his seventieth birth anniversar y,
which he reached. in August.

Val "a tl on
.$ 31,S~
138,SOO
219,400
50,200
306,100

The big, amiable "Red", an outstanding pitcher of

all time and admired for clean sport smanship as well
as h is mastery of batters, has acquired new fans,
the men who work with him and a bunch of up and
coming young ball players whom he coaches in off
hours. Another redhead, "Red" Smith, the sports
columnist , recently quoted a man who had watched
Faber and his youngsters: "These kids in the Little
L eague, they're 9 to 12, couldn't any of them been
born when Fabel' was p laying, but they know about
him somehow. You ought to see the way they look up
to him."

279,!\OO

549,2S0
49,300

l'~ij~:~

44,400
28S,95O
467,300

',000
49,700
208,800
l,046,O:'iO

',300

449,000
494,900

Death's Message
as never before. I nitiated by the Cook County Traffic
Safety Commission, a program of presenting weekly
accident figures for every community is being carried
out by local safety councils with fine cooperation on
the part of the newspapers.
One of the most effective presenta.tions is by the
Skokie News group, of which Ronald Moore is publisher and Robert Moore is editor . Each week a
dea t h's head calls attention to current accident figures
in the papers' territories.
Supporting this idea is the Niles Township Safety
Council, which includes Skokie, Morton Grove, L incolnwood, N iles and Golf.
"We still have accidents in our area, 40 or so every
week, but I believe we have got people to thinking,"
said Alvin Friedman, director of the safety council.

The importance of highway safety as news matter

is being impressed in subu rban Cook County this year

_COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

,

-~

T ra ffic Rolls on Newly Open ed E xte nsi o n of Congress Expressway (See Pages 4 and 5).

Vol. VI No. 6

NOVEMBER,

19~8

COO K COUNTY HJGHWAYS

P ublished by the Cook County (liL ) Department of Bi&,hW'aYII

Under auspices of the Board of County Commissioners

DA N IE L RY A N, Presi dent
James F. A she ndcn

Willi a m N. E rickso n

F l"il n k B obry tzk e

F r e d A. Fu lle
Ch rist A. Jen se n
J oh n A. Mac k ler, J r.
Dan ie l Ry an
C la yton F. S mIth

Ch a r les F. C ha plin
Eliz a b e th A. Con k ey
J erry Dole zal
John J . Duffy

Edwar d M. Sneed
J ohn J . T ou h y

Arth u r X. E l ro d

W ill Iam J, Morti m er

Su perintende nt of H it"hwu y l

Published at 130 Nor th Wells Street, Chicago 6.

FRanklin 2-7544

Bo ob

October Traffic Fa talities

Extension 21 6

0/ th e Mont h

EN MOTORI STS and t wo pedestrians were fatally

hu rt in h ighway traffic accidents i n suburban Cook
County in October.

Although the total was

nine above that of September, which was the
lowest monthly toll in
the is-year records of
the Cook County Traffic Safety Commission, it was one under that of October of last year.
One of the pedest rians killed was a man of 72, who
was hit by a motorcycle. The other was a boy of 6,
struck by an automobile.
Six fatalities resulted from collisions between automobiles and two from tru ck -auto crashes. One was
killed when a car left the road and struck a tree and
one when a car h it a wayside post.
In addition to the 12 dead, 665 persons were hurt in
highway accidents in October. The total of a ll reportable accidents was 2,346.

.-

EEKABOO PARKER bu rsts out of a parking space

like a fu llback needing five yards on third down.

It's a quick opener, with good deception . '

Some t il]l.es he gains ground; some times t he hole
isn 't there, as many a dented fender testifies.

Detours

In Effect

Work in progress by t he Cook County H ighway

Depar tment a nd the TIlinois Toll Road Comniission
requires detours as follows:

LONGCO:lrTh!ON ROAD, bridge const r u ction ov er the Desplaines River in Riversldf'; northbound tra.ffl c de tour we st on
Oll"(]f'n Avenue to lst Avenue, n or th to Fore5t Avenue and cas t
t o Lon ll"common Road; southbound reverse order.
OHI O STREET between Halstcd a nd Unhm Streets, bridge
cons truction [or Northwe st Expressway Feeder; eastbound
tmfflc f ollow the marked. det<lur going n orth on Halsted Street
to Erie Street, ea~t to Union Street and south to Ohio Strcct;
westbound reverse order.
WOLF ROA D between Harrison Strf'ct and R oOse v!!lt Road,
road construction; northbound traffic d etour west on Roosevelt Road to Buck Road, north to Harrison Strect and east to
Wol! Road; southbound reverse order.

DES PLAL'1ES A VENUE between Roosevelt Road and 22nd

Street, roud construeUon; northbound trame det our west on
22nd Stn!el to 1st Avenue,
north to Roosevelt Road and
east to Des Plaines Avenue;
southbound reverse order.
Funeral cars may pass
throuil"h the barricade .
GARDNER ROAD be tween 12th and 22nd Streets,
culvert construction: northbound traffic de to ur cast on 22nd Street to 17th Avenue , n orth
to 12th Street and west to Gardnar Road; southbound reverse
order.
JOE ORR ROAD between Ha lsted and State Streets In
Chicago He ights, bridge cons t ru ctlon: eastbound tramc detou\" ~outh on 'Ha lsted Street to LIncoln Highway, cast to
Stat e Sireet and north to J oe Orr Road ; westbound reverse
orner.

SORRY TO INCONVENIENCE

YOU ...

Jt'W'j,

THIS RESURFACING

T raffic is permitted while work proceeds on the following named avenues:

CENTRAL AVENUE between Ha1"l1son Street a n d Roosevelt
Road. a bypass detour, bridge const ruction over Conjl:ress St reet
Expresswa y.
DES PLAINES AVENUE between Jackson Boulevard and
Harr ison Street, a bypass detour, bridge construcUon over
Congreu Street Expressway.

Scale Models Simplify Complex Projects

Mode l of t h e Tri _Leve l Stru ct u re at Je ff erso n Pa rk, Where No rt hwest Ex pressway W il l Pass Uroder Milwaukee
Avenue and t he Chicago &. Nort h Weste rn Tracks. T h e Scale 18 16 Feet to On e Inch.

It should be noted that a model, such as those illustrated, is an exact, scaled representation of the final
result, after construction has been completed. Everything shown on the models is in scale, from t he
smallest shrub to the largest bridge, thus producing a
true, accurate " realness" ,

By Hugo J. Slark
Ch ie f En gi n eer
Cook Co u nty H ig h way Dep artm en t

models reproduced on the

THEfrontEYECATCHING
cover and on t his page a re the latest of
DU -

mero'us miniature representations of expressway projects on Cook County sections of the expressway
system .

Detours In Effect

Models a re usually a necessity at intricate interchanges in order to clarify at a g lance the traffic How,
grading, drainage and lighting problems for the engineers. This simplified method of third dimension also
shows the general public how these problems are
solyed. Since the inter pretation of blue print analysis
requires specialized engineering training, models enable the layman to understand with ease the engineer's
solution of these complicated problems.

Work in progress by the Cook County Highway

Department a nd the lllinois Toll Road Commission
requires detours as fo llows:
Cor,GRESS STRmIT E X-

SORRY TO INCONVENIENCE
YOU ...
THIS RESURFACING

P'fo

PRESSWAY at IIIannhelm
Rond. constructlon or Congress Street Toll Road can
nection ; detour for west
bound
traffic only; use
northbound ramp to Mann.
heim Road until about Nov.
>'.

Models are a lso very useful in court in clarifying

right-of-way problems, in portraying access and egress
movements for adjoining property owners, and in
vividly demonstrating the parklike quality of an expr esswayas a means of enhancing value and liveability
of property adjoining the right-of-way. A model a lso
points out the relief of congestion at existing intersections and demonstrat es the easy, non-stop flow of
traffie on an expressway.

DES PLAINES A VENUE

\Jet ..... een Roosevelt Road and

Zlnd Stree t, road reconstruc
tlon; northbound trnmc detour w l'S t on 22nd Sireel to ~ 5t A,'enue, north to Roosevelt
Road a nd ~ast to De ~ Pl a ines Avenue; southbound reverse
Ilrder. Funerni cars mll Y pass through barricade.
GARDNER ROAD between 12th Rnd 22nd Stre~ts culvert
construdJon; n orthbound traffi c detour eltst on :nnd St"""t to
17th Avenue, north to 12th Street and west to Gllrdner Rood;
~ o uth bo und, reVel"1le or der.

New Speed Limits on Cook County Roads

--.

By Daniel Ryan

- '.

..-:'""-:---

...,.

'.

P resident
Board of County Comml"loners

LAW enacted by the 1957 assembly Is

T BEnowSPEED
in the process of being applied to roads under
jurisdiction of the County Board. The results thus
far give promise of benefits in the form of realistic
speed zones that will afford safety on the highways
without unreasonable restriction of traffic .
The new law hal! two important requirements :
(1 ) All vehicles must be operated at speeds
"reasonable a nd proper" with regard to highway conditions irrespective of B posted speed limit.
( 2) Maximum speed limits must be based on engi neering principles; speeds so determined cannot be
legally or safely exceeded.
In this discussion I am dealing with the roads under
authority of the County Board; regulation of traffic
on Illinois and U. S. routes within the County, as elscwhcre in lllinois, is the respolUlibility of the state.
Our County systcm includes 650 miles of concrete ,
blackt op and gravel. For the most part, they are sec
ondary roads, but the system a lso includes streets or
parts of streets in 93 SUburbs.

Two District Cla!lsifications

The new law sets up two a.reas of application, deaignated as urban and non-urban districts. An urban
district is defined as a locality wbere roadside buildings
a re not more t han 100 feet apart for a distance of a
quarter of a mile or more. Because a "reasonable
and proper" speed is a function of roadside development, t he boundaries of incorpol'!lted areas are not
considered. An urban district may be within an incorporated t own or may be in unincorporated territory, as is the case with many new subdivisions. AJso,
a non-urban district may he inside corporate
boundaries.
The real effect of the 1957 act is to permit reason
a ble speeds on roads of all types, speeds .suited to
surface, lane width, sight distance, traffic volumes,
and wayside development. For the first time, county
-.- ~ .

---

-_ ..

~-

---

-_
.......
........

Bri nker Road, a Winding Country Type of Road ,

Formerly Unlimited ali to Speed . A. I. Result of En
gl.neerlng Stud Ie., 40 mph Speed Hu Been Determined.

This Sect io n of P la infie ld Road lII ulit rates H ow CUNei

in R o ili ng, Wooded .... reali Shorten Sight D1.taneeand T herefore Call for Moderate Speeds Even Th ough
the Road Surface i . Good a nd Lanes art: Wide . . Engi.
neered Speed on Such Road. Ie Expected to be 50 mph.

boards a nd city and village authorities are auth9rized

to establish speed zones within their jurisdictions.
There a r e, however, definite limitations, these being:
In urban districts-Basic speed limit of 30 mph may
not be lowered to less than 20 mph.
. In non-urban districts- Basic speed limit of 65 mph,
with permissible variations not to be less t han 35 mph
or greater than 65 mph, except on expressway t ype
roads, which may carry a maximum of 70 mph.
.
Old Speed Zones Are Out.
The former specified limits of 20 mph in business dis
tricts, 25 mph in residentia l districts and 35 mph in
suburban districts are no longer in effect.
In order to obtain state approval of variations from
the basic limits, local authorities must make engineering and traffic stu dies of each road for which variation is sought. Such studies are now under wayan
County roads.
Since our County roads, though generally in nonurban districts, vary in wayside culture and topographical character, it was believed that posting the
non-urban basic 65 mpb limit would permit speed excessive for conditions in the majority of cases. The
program initiated by the County Highway Department
this year to study a ll County maintained roads is,
therefore, intended to assure posting the appropriate
speed limit on all sections of the system.
These engineering studies have substantiated our
belief in the matter , and bave indicated that appropria te speed limits will be considerably less than 65 mph.
The studies thus fa r a lso indicate that the law is adequate in scope, with only a few modifications possibly
required.
School Zones Slleclal Problem
One of the most serious concerns is the protection
of school children. Many of the fine new schools built
out in the County in recent years are in areas defined
by the speed law as non-urban. They fron t on roads
t hat will carry a maximum speed limit which, a1tho"tlgil
appropriate for the greatest part of the day, are too

Schools and Police Cited for Bicycle Safety

~

youngsters met death in 1954, only fou r were fatally

injured in 1955, six in 1956, three in 1957 and nona
thus far this year.
"Moreover, out of the total of 13 k illed in the four
years, only one was a safety card holder, a nd our
investigators found that this lad was blameless. He
was struck down by a h it-and-run driver who never
has been found."
Mr. Barrett, who became general chairman this
year, said t he commission has been effective in providing leadership and coordinating the safety program of a ll the suburbs.
"When I was secretary of state I had the opportunity
to observe the progress made under the leadership of
this commission," he said. "In my opinion, Cook
County is well ahead of any other county in the state
in the matter of organization for traffic safety, "
Speaking at the October 27 meeting, William J.
Mortimer, County Highway Superintendent, said:
"Safety is not a job for anyone person or group.
It requires full and continuous cooperation. In Cook
County we have a really fine safety movement, one
that m eets the objectives of the classic three E's of
highway safety--education, enforcement and engineering. The schools, the sub urban police departments
and thc highway department work together in this
field with good results.

c rrATIONS of merit for aiding in the county's

bicycle safety program were awarded to 468 elementary schCKiI officials, and to 107 suburban police
departments at the annual dinner meetings of
the Cook County Traffic
Safety Commission.
The south area meeting
was held October 20, in
the Martinique restau rant,
with Mayor J oseph Tanner of E vergreen P ark
presiding. For the nQrth

and west areas, the meet-

"__

ing was held October 27,

in the Club Hollywood,
with Mayor William McNerney of Franklin Park
presiding.
Pre61tient Rya n
County Board President
Daniel Ryan, who is commission president, and County Clerk Edward J. Barrett, the general chairman, were speakers.
Before the bicycle program was fully organized, 14
children were killed in bicycle accidents in ODC year ,
1954, in suburban Cook County, said P resident Ryan.
He continued:
"In 1955, we board members decided the bicycle pro
gram could be made highly worth while, so we assigned 16 men to carry it to all the 544 elementary and
junior high schools in the County outside Chicago.
Operating in four-man teams, these instructors
achieved results a lmost immediately, whereas 14

" We must cont inue to be sincere. It isn't enough

to end this meeting with three cheers. L et us all go
back to our communities and spread the message of
safety. Impr ess it on your uncles, aunts, and cou.sins,
and all of your n eighbors."

be authorized to place a speed limit sign, which would

be removed during the time school is out.

high when children are present.

Obviously, if a school arca is protected with warning signs and all motorists move at a speed reasonable
a nd proper for conditions, there is no problem. But
if it is found that vehicles are operated at an unreasonable or unsafe speed through the area, it will be necessary to post a restrictive limit considerably less than
the maximum pennissible for the road.
As a preliminary to seeking consideration for schools
not permitted as the law now stands, I have asked the
County Highway Superintendent, William J. Mortimer, to send his traffic engineering crews to school
roads to make a second survey. The first studies were
made during school vacation, when motorists naturally
drove faster past school houses. A second survey will
produce findings more accurate f or calculating the
hazards to children.

Another possibility to safeguard school children that

is reported to be working out in other states, is a
marked-off section of the road in front of the school,
with a striped cross walk in the middle of the zone.
When ch ildren are in the walk, motorists are required
to come to a fu ll stop a t the boundary lines. This
arrangcment not only gives children protection in a
high degree, but also, I have been told, gets ' a good
response from drivers. They understand the purpose
Rnd obey willingly.
Thc fact that the new law requires "reasonable and
proper" speeds a t all times, which I mention ed in thc
opening paragraph, does not seem to be well understood by drivers or even by all enforcement authorities.
What it means is that a motorist may Dot go at the
posted speed if some condition of t raffic or roadway
calls for lower speed in the light of good judgment.
Article 49 of the statute, under the heading "General
Speed Restrictions," states:

iUay Seeli Amendment

If furthe r studies within school areas, made w hen

schools are open, show the need for speed zones less
than the minimum permissible under district classificat ion (20 mph in urban districts and 35 mph in nonurban), then amendment of t he 1957 act will be required. In that event, ] shall have legislation prepared and introduced by the legislative committee of
t h e County Board at the 1959 session.
A special schc.ol speed need be in eff ect only during
hours when school.s are open. School authorities could

" No person shall drive any vehicle on any public

highway of this state at a speed which is gr eater than
reasonable and proper with regard to safe use of the
highway, 01' endangers the safety of any person or
property."
(Contlnued on Page 6)

Edens Partly Closed for New

Ramp

Work
N

necessitating t he closin g of no rth bound lanes. Also

to be constru cted I. a permanent ramp t o carry
traffic westbound In F Olter Avenue In to the expre ...
way go ing north ilnd a lo op affording exi t from north.
bo un d Ed e ns Into wes t bound F oster, w hic h will be
p ut In use w he n the southw.ard e)(tenslon of Eden s
to Its connection w ith Northw est Expresswa y is com
pl eted.
T hlli I. expected wlthln th e next year.
Shading Oil the m a p Indi cates new pavement. The
for ked road crossi n g E de ns Just north of Foster Is
.an e n trance to t he adjacent Forest Prese rve.

T he: fin al j obs of co nst r uct i on on Edens E x pressway,

j ust n orth of F oste r Ave nu e we re s ta rted October
16, re qu iri ng partial c losing of th e ro ute. It is esti.
mated that t he wo rk wi ll take ,Ix w eeki. During t he
fi rst ha lf of the ecmstruetion period, the ram p leadIng from th e southbound lJ.nes of t he expressway
Into Cicero Avenue ( Ra mp Ole" on t,he map ) will be
recons t ru cte d. Whil e t hl, work Is go ing on, the
southbo und lanci wil l be eloted at Petel'lio n AVCl'lue,
nor t hboun d la nc s remai n ing open . T he tempo rary
ramp from Cic e ro ( Ramp loY") will the n be rem oved,

As I have already stated, the new law, broadly cons idered is good. Motorists on open roads are restricted
to 65 mph or less whe re former ly t heir idea of reason
able speed was up to 75, 80 or even 90. Since we
have learned over the years that speed. kills, we may
expect benefits that can he stated in terms of lives
saved every year.

New Speed Limits - - (Continued t rom Pllil) S)

Other Cook County Problems

In addition to school zones, there are other situations
in Cook County that complicate traffic regulation.
These include the Forest P reserves, which attract large
crowds of picnickers, t he new shopping centers, race
tracks and outdoor movies. Some of them are in nonurban district s, as defined by the Jaw, where the maximum speed would be great er than "reasonable and
proper" during periods of high volume and heavy congestion of traffic. It isn't sufficient to say that beavy
tra ffic, such as accum ulates at tbe a pproaches to picnIc
grounds and race tracks, will s low down of itself. There
is always someone determined to drive the posted
maximum speed. A supplemental limit may be required during these heavy traffic hours.

Overall Improvement Expected

The requirement that speed limits differing from the

basic rates be warranted by engineering investigations
will result in improved overall traffic opera tions. A
speed zone established on engineering data Is calculated to afford safety without needlessly hampering vehicle traffic. Experience has shown that when speed
limits are realistic, drivers understand them and canfonn.
In some instances, particularly within incorporated
places, the engineering survey will result in higher
speed limits. This Is because limits formerly posted
were decided merely on t he opinion of local officials,
and were found to be unreasonably restrictive. Motorists saw no good reason to obey them a nd so ignored
them, and also lost confidence in other traffic s igns
as well.

Commute r Rush Hours

Similarly, in the suburbs s erved by commuter trains

there is the problem ot heavy movements to and from
the slatlons mornings a nd evenings. This is a special
difficulty not encountered outside the Chicago metropolitan area and requires special treatment. The
studies of routes used by commuters have been made
at off-peak hours, in accordance with state procedure,
a nd therefore do not re8ect the heavy morning and
evening t raffic. Further study, no doubt, will indicate
the need of special zones.

The maximum speeds established by the new law

meet a statewide need. H ere in Cook County we still
have problems that require special treatment and
these, I am confident, can be solved.

Spelling

IS

Right at Last

October Building Permits

UILDING PERMITS for 437 r esidences estimated

were issued in OcB at $8,409,200 total valuation

tober by the Cook Coun-

ty Building and Zoning

Bureau, which has jurisdiction in the unincorporated area.
Fast - growing
Schaumburg led the
townships in home perm its, with 131 of a total
estimated valuation of $2,454,500. Stickney was second, with 108 permits and a total valuation of
$1,715,400.
The month's total of permits for a ll classes of construction was 96 and the total valuation was $11,089,950. Included were 10 permits of a total $978,600
valuation in the nofee classification, which includes
farm buildings, churches and schools.
Permits other than residential construction were issued as follows:
UST AS- PLAIN as the sign on the crossroads emporium, the spelling is Q-u-e-n-t-i-n, not Quintin,
Quinten or Quenten.
Mr. Quentin's Cheap Variety Store, with its complete line of needles and stick candy, hOfse collars
and grindstones , has been gone these many years.

The name survives in a road that extends in Cook

.--.

County from Algonquin Road to Lake-Cook Road and

continues into Lake County.
On Cook County Highway Department maps the
. favored spelling was Quintens, but in various subdivisions it appeared as Quintins, or Quenlens. Recently
the Palatine Historical Society undertook to achieve
accuracy and uniformity. and the Highway Departm ent agreed that Mr. Q. must have known how to
spell bis name when he lettered his big sign. A
resolution making Quentin official was passed by the
County Board. Hereafter all County maps and road
signs will conform.
The store was in business around the turn of the
century at the intersection of Quentin and Rand
Roads, in Lake County. The sketch of the building
was done by Tom Kennedy, a County Highway Department draftsman, from a photograph in possession
of' the Palatine Historical Society.

Electroni c Brain - -(Con tin ued trom PR2"e 6 )

hydraulic elements program are also being used by

the engineers as design tools.
The data r eduction work of the Traffic Division is
ideally suited for computed processing. To date,
several programs have been prepared for use by this
division. One expands holiday traffic samples to
county totals, giving hour by hour traffic volumes into
and out of Cook County for a holiday period. A
typical three-day holiday count previously required
three or four man days of labor, whereas the machine
permits this opcration to be completed in one or two
hours.
Another program makes hour by hour comparisons

RcsIdential addItions .md aJterations-120 pennIts, $311, 3~.

Ac('cssary bu!1d!nl!"!Y--96 pHm!ts, $177,100.
Bus!n~&9 bu!1 d!ngs--S!x permit., 51,065,700.
Bus!ness ad dItion s a nd a!teraUons-One permit, S18OOO.
Indu s t r!al additions and altc ratlons--Qne permit, $2,400.
Well s-Ten permits, S9,~OO.
Septic Systems--Two pr-rmlts, $1,900.
~roY!nf b ulldln ll: s--T wo pHmIts. 89,500.
Mlscr-l aneous--n permits. $107,Il.o().

By townships, permits were issued as follows:

-ro"'n~hil)

Barr! ng t on
Bloom
Bremen
Elk Cro v.,
Hanover
Lemont
Leyd<!n
Lyo ns
"'blne
New Trier
Northfield
NOI"\'iood P a rk
Orland
Palatine
Palos
Proviso
Rich

S chaumburg
S tickney
Thornton
Wheeling
Worth

Pennih

:2

Valuat!nn
.$ 48,100

140,100
797,100
47,000
89,100
120,600
252,100

7
9
17
3
16
37

56

~7,OOO

666,451)

1~1
1 ~7

64,500
812,930
296,400
ll4,SOO
45 8.700
196,300
25,000
7,100
2,809, 500
1,863,000

44
48

598,700
624,600

59
21
8
26
18
1
3

26,300

The no-fee permits included two for churches, in

Leyden and Northfield Townships and two for schools,
in Elk Grove and P alos.
of manual traffic counts with mechanically taken
counts. This program may be used as often as five
to ten times a week. About 20 minutes of computer
time is required for on e set of these comparisons as
compared to two or three hours if done manually.

Department Contributes To Library

Most programs developed by the Highway Department will be submitted to the Bendix users' library.
Several other programs from the library will soon be
put to use for various divisions.
The programs now in use make it possible to estimate that one hour of machine time represents about
20 man hours of computation. Present usage is made
,u p of traverses, vertical alignment problems, traffic
count checks, intersection problems, runoff problems,
bridge deck elevations and miscellaneous non-repetitive type problems.

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

J
,

"

'"

,
'.'

"

,~

'

...

'.

.'

- ,. '

.~.

"

Cook County Country81de Becomes a Winter Wonderland.

--

VoL VI

No.7

DECEMBER. 1958

. --

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook County (Ill) Department of Blahwaya
Under auspices of the Board of County Commis9lonen
DA NIEL RYAN, P res ident
Jamel F . Ashenden
Frank Bobrytzke

William N. Erl~k .o n
Fred A. F ulle

Cha rles F. Chapli n

Ch rist A. J enn n

John A. Mac'l<ler, Jr.

Daniel Ryan
Clayton F. Smith

EIIl!abe t h A. Conkey

Je rry Dolezal
JOh n J. Duffy

Edward M. Sneed

J ohn J . T o uhy

Arthu r X. Elrod
William J . Mortim e r

SUJH!rlnlendent ot ffilrhwaYI

Published at 130 North WeUs Street, Chicago 6.

FRanklin 2-7544

Extens ion 216

Boob of the Month

November Building Permits

FOR BUILDING construction
the unincorporated area of the County totaling $11,631,950
PERMITS
in estimated costs were
in

issued in November by
t he Cook County Building and Zoning Bureau.

The total of permits

was 535, of which 365
were fo r residences,
totaling 87,245,500.
Schaumburg Township,
where residential development has been brisk in
recent months, led the townships in valuation with
$2,090,300, and Stickney was second, with $r ,487,400.
In classifications othe~ than residential, permits
were issued as follows:
Reside~tiaI additions and a lterations- 54 permits,
$174 ,350.
Accessory buildings-76 permits, S152,050.
Business buildings-Six pcnnits, $239,100.
Business additions and alterations-Two permits,
$173,600.
Industrial additions and a lterations-Eight permits,
$358,350.
Wells-Six permits, $6,000.
Septie systems-Two permits, S2,000.
Mjseellaneous- 10 permits, S14,600.
By townships, permits were issued as f ollows:
To"'n ~h l p

Barrington
Bloom
Bremen

E lk Grove

Hanover
Lemont
Leyden
Lyon,
Maine
New Trier
o\Jorthneld
N'orwood Pn lk
Orland.

~~~!Ine

R ich
5ehnumburg

Stick ney
Thornton

Wheeltn~

Worth

IPPING SOLLY is t he Boob of the YEAR.

S
During
months and three weeks
makes it a
point pride to be sober at the wheel.
11

But in Christmas week he unbends to the extent

of taking a sip here and a s ip there in the spirit of t he
season.
Being sober most of the time doesn't count in the
split second of disaster.

November Traffic Toll

l'crml ll
Va luallon
2 . $ 22.200
10
77 sno
8
254;700
24
474.000
1

1
"09

B.500

1~,200
g27,7~O

H53,OtiO

2H

:!53,:'5()0

:n

2,300

"

413.600
36.:11.10

"
116

2S,SOO
2,090.300

~~
107
5
,.~

Twenty-two persons, including five pedestrians, were

killed in highway traffie accidents in suburban Cook
Co unty in Novembe r .
The toll compared with
12 in October and 34 in
November, 1957.
Collisions between
a utom obiles accounted
for 11 deaths. In one
accident, four cars were invoh'ed and in another,
three. Three were killed when automobiles were
struck by t rains, one in an auto-truck crasb and two
when cars left the road and struck wayside objects.
The total of reportable accidents in the month was
2,574. In addition to the 22 dead, 731 persons were
injured.

. 42.800

54

he

of

Wo:~

l,487.400
49.600
537.loo
716,000

No-fee permits, whieh are issued for churches,

schools and farm buildings, are included in the $11,621,950 total. Largest of these was for a school in
Northfield Township, $3,000,000.

$104,693,000 on 1959 Highway Program

OOK COUNTY'e 1959 program of expressway a nd
highway impr ovement, carrying a total of 8104,693,000 of estimated costs, was approved December 9
by the Board of County Commissioners and baJIed by
President Daniel Ryan as outlining " the greatest year
of road building in the County's history."
It will be the second successive high record year .
At the present time, the County has under contract
morc than $100,000,000 in expressway construction,
including 1957 a nd 1956 contracts still in progress,
and is cOInplcting more than $6,000,000 of non
expressway projects.
The 1959 total includes 85,313,000 for construction
and r ight-of-way on eight expressway routes and
$19,380,000 for non -expres s way i mprovcmcntastreets in Chicago a nd s uburbs, rural roads, bridges
Ilnd culverts. Also included among nen-expressway
items are 24 purchases of right -01'-way for 1960 work.
When submitting the program. Highway Superintendent Willia m J . Mortimer said it was anticipated
tha t t he year's work wou ld complete the Northwest
Expressway lead to Chicago O'Hare International AirPQrt, the southwar d extension of Edens Expressway
to the interchange with Northwest, and the Congress
Street section between Des Plaines Avenue, R iver Forest , and First Avenue, Maywood. The gap betwecn
Laramie Avenue and Des Plaines, however, is not
expected to be completed unW 1960 because of difficult
work, in volving the shifting of railroad tracks, in the
State's section between Austin Boulevard and Des
Plaines.
Work programmed for 1959 on County sections of
the various expressways is as follows:

Northwest E xprelllway F eeder Bridge ove l' North

Bra nch of th e Chicago Ri v e r I:t Oh io Street, Under
Co n 5tru ct lon by COOk County.

South Route West Leg; Total estimated costs,

$9,336,000.
Morgan Street to State Str4X't.-Maln draIn.

9!3th Street to 119th Strl't't_Rlght_or _way and buUdlng

demOlition.
1191h Streitt 10 I!IISI or Cicero Av~nue near Kilpatrick
AVl!nl.le- RIg h t-oI-way and d emolHlon ot build ings.

Southwest Route; Total estimated costs, $3,872,000.

East bank of Sanitary and Ship Canal to west ot La Crosse

Avenue-Rlght -ot-way and bulldlnl! demulltton.
California Avenu., to Hals ted StrllCt-Rlght...,r-\\'AY and
bullollng demolitio n.

Northwest.Edens; Total estimated costs, $712,000.

Ko~tner

Avenue to Bryn Mawr- LIghting.

shou lders.
Br yn Muwr to t oll tond-Slgnlng.

lanrl ~ca pln g

~lab\ll1.ed

Congress Street ; Total estimated costs, $3,042,000.

and

Calumet.Kingery ; Tot a l estimated costs, $2,011,000_

Des Plnlnes Aven ue t o Wl'st of Des PlaInes Rlv(,T-ReloclItlon DC n",('d rail mass transit facili ty .
Des PlaInes to FIrst Aven u<,--Lig hUn". La ndsca pIng amI
s tablll,.ed shouhl ers.
Mannheim Rond to Elm Street, fllI l. ide-Llghtlng, land sca plog and 8hould('u.
~~ Plaines to Elm-Slll'n Ins t a llatio n.
Elm to Howa rd St.-Slf{tllng.
L aramie Av~nue to C~ntral Avenue-C radlng a nd paving.
Centl'lll to Au8tln Boulevard-Crarltng and paving.
LaramlC t o Auatln_ Llghtln". lQnd~rli.ptng, shoulders a nd

1 30th St ree t to I ndiana ~ I ate line-Lighting.

147th St ree t to ind iana $late llne-5l"nlng.
159th Street-CQrnpl('Uun or Inten:hllnge.

Calumet i Total estimated costs, $810,000.

Glenwood -Dy('r Interchange-LI ghti ng.
Linculn Highway Interchange-Llght!n!:.
Suuk Trail Interch'ange--Llghtlng.
KlniCI'Y Exc ressway to SlI.lilc TraU-5lgn tn g .

Stony Island; Total estimated costs, $3,800,000.

~Ignlng.

9!5th Street to l07th Strl!f!t- R !ght-of-wa)' and demolition

or bU ll dln l "

Sacramento Boulevatrl to Larllmle-5lg-nlng.

Northwest ; Total estimated costa. $23,458,000.

Stony Is and Connection to Calumet-Kingery;

Montrose A,"enue tn Mannhe1m Rond -G radlng and pavlna.

Trl-S tate Tollway Interchange -F i ve grade S('paratlon
! truclures.
Northwest Tollway connection- Crade Separation a nd Des
Plaln~s R l v~r bT1 dgc.
Mannhelm Roa d_R elocatlon betwe en Ir vi ng Pllrk a nd
Hlgglns Road .
Montros ~ to 500 U ne RR- LIllhUng and lantlsCaplng.
Montrose to welt ot Eust RiveI' Road-Shoulders.
Montros e to Mannheim-Signing.
Canfield Avenue ' t o Mannhelm_ Rlght_ol _way .

Total estimated costs, S3,642,000.

Along lOOth. S~e t from calumel-Kln gery near Creenwood
Av('nue to Stony Island_R l ght~t_way and demolitio n or
bull d lng~ .

Northwest Feeder; Total estimated costs, $55.000.

Orlean ~

Orl~anM

Street to IIflch!glln Avenue-SIgning.

tu Halst('d Street- Lighting.

South Route; Total estimated costs. $34,530,000.

63rd Street to 71at Street- RllI'ht-ot-wny and demolition ot

buildings.
63rd Street to 70t h Pla('c--Maln dm ln lind pum pIng 8talion.
69th StreH to 87th Street-Grodln g and paving.
S7th Street tl) 96th Street-Grll.dlng.
99 th Street Interchange be tween cast an d we~t l('g&--EIR'ht
i'l'nde ~eJ!aration stru ctu res and gradlni.
MarqueUe R()ad_ Hlghwa y I~parlltlon.
69th Street-Highway sepllTIlUon.
Nort h or 911t Str ee t- Rallway 8eparoUo n over C. R. I . & P .,
C. &. W . f" and Belt LIne .
I. C. R. R: wes t o r CO ILD ~e Grove Avenue-Railway sepa raUon.
93rd Stn.-et to eust or Cotl.llge Grove Avenuc--JI.-laln drain.
Cotta"e Cruve to UOt h Smet a nd Do t y Avenue--M al n
d rain and pumping $tatJon.
69th Stree t to 96th Streel-I.and 8caplnc Itnd Hgh UnK.
9th Slre('t t o l07th St n!e t ami Doly AVl'nu<,--Rlgh l 'O!-w(l Y
and bullrtlng rtemol1t1on.

3 1st Street Project Open.

A $1,553,000 improvement project extending 31st
st. East of Cicero Ave. and elevating it over three
sets of railroad tracks and one street, was opened
to travel December 18 by Cook County Highway Depar tment . The new roadway extends from Cicero east
to Kastner Ave., one-half mile. One structure, 492
feet in length, carries the street over tracks of three
r ailroads, a nd another, 170 feet, spans Kilbourn ave,
The approaches at both ends and the section between
lhe .railroads and Kilbourn Ave. aTe ea rtb fill .

TV Control of Traffic
Foll.()witlg i.s the text of a taZk, "Surveillance of
Traffic Conditions by Television:' given lnj Wil
liam J. Mortimer, Cook County Superintendent of

IS
;--

Recommended
~

Highways, at the annual meeting of the American

A ssociation of State Highway Officials in San

Francisco early this mont h.

Following his r e-

marks, the Association voted to appaint a committee to conduct a nationwide study oj the possibili tie.s of TV contTol of traffic, particularly on
expre&swuys,

EFORE DISCUSSING the s ubject, I should like to

B give you some background data that led to our

Department's investigation into thls medium.
The Cook County H.ighway Department started
to plan expressways in 1938 and had reached the
point of preparing contract plans when a black Sunday in December, 194.1, altered our plans and the
design of the world. After hostilities had ceased, it
took a couple of yearljl to get our ship back on an
even keel, and in December, 1951, we opened our firs t
expressway, a modest 14 miles, cost $28,000,000.
We had in the interim entered inlo an agreement
with the State of Illinois and the City of Chicago to
share the costs of a system of expressways in Cook
County estimated at one billion dollars, and the Bureau
of Public Roads matched our funds. The split was
three ways in the City, and State 'nnd County outsidc
the City. Progress was relatively goad outside the
City, but largely due to Inadequate financing, the expensive sections inside t he City lagged.
The year 1955 brought relief in the shape of a
$245,000,000 County bond issue and the opening of a
four and one-half mile section of our east and west
artery, Congress Street in the City of Chicago. We
were starting to move in the right direction, construction wise, but operatively we wern and st ill a re
in the same conforlable rut.
" ,-".~
County E Xlleriments Wi t h TV
I felt that the time had come for us to do something
about operating a modern expressway, and we began
our tclevision experiments. With the advent of the
Intcrstate money we really went into high gear building expressways. As an example, our Department,
exclusive of the State and City, has one hundred million under contract at the present time and our 1959
program contemplates another one hundred million
expenditure.
These developments served to expedite our thinking
conce rning our operating inadequacies, and our Deparbnent made further television studies, cUlminating
in the study by the Admiral Corporation, with the
Bureau of Publie Roads and the State of lllinois participating. I will discuss t he studies in more detail
later. The discussion will be brief inasmuch as the
technical details are completely foreign to me. There
a re any number of qualified electronic geniuses to
provide technical infonnation, I run interested In results, and here are a number of reasons why.
Wit hin the next two years expressways constructed
at a cost exceeding three hundred million dollars wiU
be opened to traffic. Each will carry in excess of
120,000 vehicles a day. Within the next five years
two more will open, approximately same cost, same
traffic. These highways a re as modern in design as

The Th ree Plcturea, Mad8 From the Same Point on

Congress E xpressway In Less Than T hree Second.,
Illust rat e t he Possibilities of Traffic Surve illance With
Television . The Camera was Equipped With a Manu,
ally Oper-ated Zoom Lena Sim ilar to the Automatic
Lens With Which the Operator in the TV Control Ce n,
ter Cou ld Reach Into Di,tance to Insp ect Traffic.

Brigitt Bardot, but with fewer sharp curves. Togethcr

with our existing outer drives, t hey will carry more
t han a million people a da y. How do we make ce rtain
t hat our billion-dolla r investment operates at its
maximum efficiency?
Pollce Patrols Inadequate
We ask an undermanned police department to control this overwhelming mass of traffic. I am in no
way criticizing the traffic police. Given the proper
tools they can do the job. The tolls given, a limited
number of radio equipped patrol cars. Relatively
speaking, this system Is as modern as button shoes,
and sending a traffic officer in a patrol carta straighten out a mess on a crowded expressway can be compared to sending him aut anned with a corn stalk to
subdue an enraged grizzly bear.
Many of our new office buildings and hotels control
their elevawr traffic electronically, aided by television.

A.A.S.H.O. to Make Nationwide Study

manner and realize the greatest return on our large
highway investment we must have continual traffic
surveillance. Television with a central control was the
obvious answer.
To determine the feasibility and economy of using
television for traffic control, the Cook County Highway Department conducted two experiments. The
first, with a single camera mounted on a mobile unit,
surveyed traffic on Edens Expressway. The picture
was carried over a wire of the Bell T elephone Company and viewed at a point 15 miles from the location
being surveyed. The quality of the picture was excellent, and we were greatly encouraged.

These electronic controls speed the cars to the floors

with the heaviest traffic loads. Russia put Sputnik and
Mulnik into space, and we shot Explorer I and II into
the great beyond. The Army is about to shoot the
moon, and usually reliable sources predict that within
a very short t ime it will be possible to put a man on

the

mOOD.

I don't have the slightest idea of how many

people are desir ous of reaching the moon, but I do

know that more than 200,000 people every day are
trying to reach their homes or businesses on Congress

Street Expressway.
Certainly we have the technical ability to modernize

our traffic control system.

The next consideration,

money. Billions of dollars have heen spent and many

more billions will be spent to modernize our military
equipment to preserve peace for the world. N o sacrifice would be too great to guarantee peace and our
way of life.

State And U. S. Join Tn Study

The next experiment was made on Congress Street.
It involved the use of micro wave video communication. The performance was poor , but inasmuch as
none of our staff was qualified in the field of video
communication we accepted t he word of the experts,
who advised that our equipment was improperly installed and the poor picture was not typical of micro
wave video. I then decided that we had reached the
limit of our capabilities and we had better consult
qualified video technicians.
We called upon the Admiral Corporation, informed
them of our problem and asked them if they would
undeltake studies to determine the feasibility of using
television to survey our traffic. I was informed that
they would undertake the task and that their out of
pocket expense would be in excess of $10,000. I prevailed on them to accept $6,000 and consider the rest
as public servicc. In the middle of the negotiations,
\-vith the help of Mr. H. A. Radzikowski, Chief of the
Bureau of Public Roads' Development Division, the
Bureau entered the picture, together with the State
of lilinois, and a contract was signed for Admiral to
prepare the report.
As I said earlier, I am not familiar with the technical details. The report has been made, and any
highway agency desiring a copy of it may contact
Mr. Radzikowski.

Peac'e On IDghway Desirable, Too

Considering that it is logical to spend billions on
research a nd more billions in producing weapons to
maintain our way of living, it is wholly illogical for
us to spend but $6,000 on television research and
practically nothing on new control devices on the
highway front. If traffic congestion keeps on increasing we shall develop a nation of emotionally disturbed
individua ls unable to enjoy the way of life we are
preserving. What can we do to get off dead center?
The first step was to set up the problem: Should.
an accident or other emergency occur, the normal flow
of traffic is disrupted and a very costly jam results.
In terms of time lost to thousands of motorists, and
t o avoid congestion and possible further accidents, the
emergency must be detected and analyzed withont
delay. Correct steps must be taken immediately to
divert traffic from the congested point and to dispatch
emergency vehicles. Several different vehicles may be
required-ambulance, fire department or tow truck,
depending on the nature of the difficulty.
Finally, after the difficulties are removed, drivers
must be advised that normal traffic patterns are in
operation. Because of the high volume of traffi c, a
minute's delay in solving a problem and taking the
necessary corrective measures can result in costly congestion, thereby preventing or making difficult, thc
t ravel of emergency vehicles to the troubled area.

A Lesson From Experience

We are not satisfied with the report, and I believe
the blame rests with our Department. One of the
serious deficiencies was that during its preparation
it was isolated rather completely from members of
the State and Cook County Highway Departments.
The report completely catalogued the electronic technical items and despite the great wealth of detail, no
practical conclusion seemed to be contained, either for
erection of a television systcm or for continuance of
the study.
I urgently recommend that all highway agencies
engaged in the planning or construction of expressways invcstigate the need for advanced traffic sensing
and control devices and that a project be set up on
a national scale to continue the studies.
Considering the results of our studies, I definitely
recommend close cooperation between the electronic
and highway engineers, and I am confident that from
this study can come a medium that will control traffic,
save dollars and lives and grcatly reduce the number
of frustrations and disturbances caused by traffic
congestion.

A\'aUlI.ble But Not Used

All of us know that closed circuit A.M. radio is
available to advise the motorist of the type of emergency just described. However, to my knowledge, this
valuable electronic aid has not been used on any of
our highways to date. Speed signs that may be
changed electronically by merely pressing a button
are available. During peak traffic it may be necessary
to lower the speed limit for safer operation. It may
be necessary to reduce the speed of vehicles app roaching a section of expressway where the number of
lanes has been reduced by an accident or stalled
vehicle. Here again, to 'my knowledge this systcm
has not been installed.
Despite the development of these facilities, they
cannot be used efficiently unless the problems are detected immediately. We reached the conclusion, therefore, that to serve the motorist in the most efficient

New Speeds Listed on County Roads

ECOMMENDATIONS FOR establishmen t of speed
zones on 100 miles of County maintained roads
were appr oved by the Boa rd of County Commissioners
December 9. Previously the Board a pproved new limits on 142 miles. Thus, 242 miles of the County's 650mile road system have heen appr oved for control" in
accordance with the 1957 state speed law. Posti ng of
the new speeds will start when final confirmation has
been r~eived from the illinois State Division of High-

Message to Motorist
T hc following l~tter has come to Presiden t
Daniel Ryan of the Board of County Commissioners from Mr. A. M. Grasse, vice p res ident of
t he Goodman 1fa.nufacturing Company, Ha lsted
Street and 47t h P lace:
" May I compliment you on t he excellent article
'New Speed Limits on Cook Count y Roads,'
which appeared in the publication COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS.
"U every driver in Cook County would read and
understand this article, t here would be a vast
improvement in our accident rate!
In the article President Ryan pointed out that
revision of speed zones on County roads in ae
eordanee wit h the 1957 state s peed law will set
up limits that afford safety without unduly hampering traffic. He emphasized that r egardless of
posted speed, mot orists are still required to
adjust speed to a rate that is proper a nd reasonable in view of conditions of the road.

ways,

The December 9 list follows:

Proposed
Speed
Limit

Roa(lwsy

Section

Addison S1.
Alltllklsl" Rd.
Aahlund Avc.
Baldwin R d .
Bufl'alo Gr ov e Hod .

Mannhelm Rd . 1,0 Rose St.

ButrllJo Grove Rd . t o M~Hen r y
RIdge Hod. t o ]71$( 51.

nd.

Rnnd Road to Rt. 53

Rand Rd. to Hint..:.: Rd .

HInt? Rd. to

nund ~

Rd .

D undee Rd. to Ap l aklal c Rd..

Apl a klslc Rd. to Count y L ine Rd.

Lawrence Ave. to Fos ler Ave.

Mll110lh!an Turnpike to J47th St.
147th S t. tu l:19th st.
If>9Th St. to 167th SL
]671h 51. t o 175tl1. S I.
]7!lth S I. to Vollmer Rd.
Central Park Ave, 21Sth St. to Snuk Tra.ll
COttage Grove Ave . 159th St. to 167th st.
Lin co ln Ave. to 1581h St.
Dempster St.
AlgonquIn Rd. to /1ft. Pr05tl ect Rd.
M t . ProBtlect Rd. to Wlll"rrn gton
Can field IVI .
CCllt1"!l1 Ave.

R d.

Ia

Rd.

E vergreell Ave_
Greenwood Rd.
Harlem Ave.
Hnrms Rd .
minols Ro.
Lee Rd.

Lec u81 Rd .
Napervill e ltd.

Warrington Nd. to wo lr Rd .
cerltrnl Rd. to All:onquln Rd.
AlgOnQuin Rd . to Palo.tl ne Rd .
P !llatine Rll. tu Bratlwell Rd.
Bradwell Rd. to DundCll Rd.
Northwest Hwy. to Lake-COOk Rd.
Hay e. Ave. to Touby Ave.
Chicago Rd . to. 1:19th St.
Steger Rd. tn SlIuk Tr ail
SuuK Trnll to Llnceln Itwy.
EllHt Lake Ave. to. Demp~ter St.
-"'erth Sho~ RR to
we.t sid e ef Eden,.
Erlen. E..'(pw}'. Ie Locust Nd.
Wa lters Ave. to. Dund~ Rri .
Dundee Rd. to. Lake-Cook Rd.
nllnni ~ Rd. to. Winnet ka Rd .
West Dartlett Rd. to La ke SI.
(Rt. 20)

Na r raga nsett AveBeekwlth Rd . Ie Simpson Ave.

Sauk TraIl
Ilurlem Ave. Ie Ridge land A"e.
R1dgelllnd Ave. to Central Ave .
CCntral Ave. to Cicero. Ave.
Cleere A"". to 1 mil e west of
Governor's Hwy.
~!. mile west of Governor'. Hwy.
to Governor'1i Hwv.
Governor's Hwy. to Westwood Or.
Westwood Or. to Wedern Ave .
Western AIe. 10 Ashland Ave.
,\shlllnd Ave. to Vincennes Ave.
Sehllumburg Rl'I . Melll' hftm Rd . to Roblw lng R d .
BarMngton Rd. to ~ mire west
ot Roselle Rd.
~,.
mlle west er Roselle Rd . to
Plum Grove Rd.
Plum Gro\'" Rd . to Mell!:hRm Ril.
Shnps(}n St.
Fore~tv!ew
Rd. t o Pioneer Rd .
Dixie Hwy. to Hulem Ave.
Vollmer Rd.
Glenview Rd . to Lake Ave.
Wagner Rd .
I.ake Al'e. to Winnetka. Nd.
Wlonclko. Rd . to. Willow Rd.
Walters Rd.
l'IH!lVllukee Line traek~ ("'es t ot
WnukegRn Rd.) to Lee St.
Wilke Rd.
Northwest Hwy. to Rand Rd .
Rand Rd . to Dundee Rd .
Winnetka Rd.
Waukegall Rd . to. Hlbbard Rd.
HibbaT(l Rd. to Locu st Rd.
LOeu ~t Rd. to Church Rd .
State St. to Enst End Av e.
28th St.
78th Ave.
1,91h 51. t n li:l-5th St.
80th Ave.
15at St. to 188rd St.
9<lth Ave.
L"1st s1. to 17lSlh St.
Kean Ave. to Reberts Rd .
103rd St.
Robertl< Rd. to. Ilarlem Ave.
100th Ave.
151$1 S t. to. Ca l -Sa):!" Rd .
1:;91h St. to 11l7th SL
IG7th St. to 17!lth S1.
Keto n Ave. to Rol~rt8 Il d.
l07th s t.
Clecro Ave. to. Pulaskl RI! .
1151h S I.
151at St.
l OOt h' Ave. to. 811t Ct.
81st ct. to Harlem Ave.
Wll1-COok to Wolf Ild.

"'"

"
""
""

<lj)..2Qo

30

""
"

40-20*

"

80

40
40
50
40

""

3.5-20'
,10

Road way

Section

50-30'
53-30

183rd S!.

76th Ave. to 80th Ave.

40-20'

J.
1

Proposed
Speed
Limit

,.

<0

""

The first list of proposed speeds is as follows:

51;

83-20'

A5hlund Ave.
BachelOr Grev ..

so
so

Rd.

Steger !-td . to Sauk Trail

l48n] St. 10 135t h St.

Ela Rd . til Northwe!ll Hwy .

New Sullun Rd. to
Schaumberg Rd .
Schllumburg Rd. to Ch1., F:l gln ltd.
Chl.-F:liln Rd . to Loke St.
Batemuo Rd .
Penn y Rd . to Algonquin Rd.
Algonquin nil.. to Lake-Cook Rd.
Beckwllh Rd.
Harlem Ave. to Lehlah Ave.
Lehigh Ave. to AWltln Ave.
8,,11 !-td.
Will Counly Li n e to Areher Ave.
&verl y Rd.
lUgl:1ns Rd. to Shoe Fo.ctory Rd.
Blesterfiel (l nd.
Rl. 1>3 to Dls oer Rd.
Bbner Hd. to Arllogten Hghts. Rd .
Rlsn..r Rd .
J-Ugglns Rd . to Blestertleld Rd.
B l urt nil..
Stephen s S1. to WtJ1-Cook Line
BI"Il('w ~ J1 Rei.
Barrington Rd. to Hamnn Rd .
Brinker Rd .
Al/lonquln Rd . to L a k e-Cook Rd .
Brockwny St.
Con l llX Ave. to B"ldlY\n Rd .
camp Ground Rd . AH:onq\lln Rd. to NOrlhwesl Hwy.
Camp )1 cDonald
Rand Nd . to Elmh\il"$t Rd.
Rd.
Elmhurst Rd. to Wheeling Rd.
WhN!lIng Rd. to River Rd.
Cen t rol Rd.
Barrington Rd. to Ro~ellc Rd.
Church St.
Austin Ave. to I.lnder Ave.
Linder AVI!. to. Gro~s Point Rd .
Gross POint RI!. to
Nne" Center Rd..
Niles Center Rd . to Crawfonl Ave.
O~tby R d.
Mecarthy Rd. to 151st St.
Deven Ave.
Rohlwlna Ad. to Arlington
His. Rd .
Arlington H ts. Rd . to
Etmhurn Rd.
Doolea Rd.
Bateman Rd. to Sutton Rd.
Sutton Rd. to. Lak l!-Coo k Rd .
East River Rd .
CCntrnl Rd to. Un lve n lty St.
Ion EtI~t River Rc!. .)
&. Bender Rd.
UniversIty St. to Rand Rd.
(on Bender Rd.)
Central Rd. to Eta Rd.
Freeman Rd.
G I,," \\"ood -Dyer Rd . to
GlenwoodColtllie Grnve Ave.
Lansin g Rd.
Co ttag~ Grave Ave. to
Torren ce Ave.
Torren "" A"e. to Bu r nham Ave.
Rumham AVf!:. to Wentworth Ave.
Harr ison St.
Hums Rd . to Rld)::e Rd.
!{Idge Rd. to crn wford Ave.
air! H!galn~ Rei. to Dundee Rd .
Healy IHI.

'"50

Bald win Rri .

B,\\ rtletl n d.

"an

."

30

'"
"
"
'"so
"""
50

<0

55

SO

.,"

so
50';
<>

.,.,"

25 -15'

"'"

.."

2!i-1S
40

'"'"
"
""'"
'""
50

50

5;;

"

<15-20 '

45-30

,..20
55-20'
30
<0

<0

.,"40-20 '
'"4:1 -20'

55
40-20

'"
""

"'"
'"
<0

30

"

2.';

30

50

"'"
"'"""
"

30
40-20

Veteran Retires

Detours In Effect

E dwa r d A. Cisar, engineer in the Cook County H ighway Department. retired December 15 after 29 years'
ser vice in the department and 57
years of employment in his profession from chainman up.
In World War I he was commissioned first lieutenant of infantry at the first officers training school at F ort Sheridan and
served one year overseas. He
W AS a charter member of Edgar
A. Lawrence post, American Leg ion, which is composed of employes of the Highway Depa rt-

Work in progress by the Cook County HighWay

Department and the Dlinois ToU Road Commission
requires detours as follows:

Ed w ard A . Claar

ment.

Mr. Cisar sta rted as chainman, r odman and drafts-

m an fo r t he Illinois Central R ailroad in 1901. From

1905 to 1906 he was an assistant engineer for the

Minneapolis a nd Rainy River Railroad and t hen r et urned to the 1. C. as assistant engineer on construction of a line In Louisiana. In 1910 he went" to the
Philippines as a sur veyor in the Island Bureau of L and
and wor ked t here f oUl' years. From t hen until he
entered the a r my he was in the surveying business
in Chicago and suburbs.
After the war, he was successively office manager
of the Pan Motor Company, St. Cloud , Minnesota;
assistant engineer in the land and industry department
of the Texas & Pacific Railroad a nd office manager
of the Champion Pneumatic Machinery Company of
Chicago.
He enter ed the County Highway Department August
7, 1929, as a junior engineer a nd s ubsequently was
promoted to senior map draftsman, struchrraJ detailer,
structural engineer senior grade and highway engineer
senior grade.

Roadway
nlllJ! dc Rd.
Hohltelder ltd.
HOl h roo k Rd.
Lake-CCok Rd.
L andwehr Rd.
Ave .
Lincoln S t.
L ~ hlgh

:Mt.. Prospect Rd.

Mund ha nk Rd.

Otis Rd .

PalaU ne Rd .

Par kl'r HII.

Penn y Rd .
Qu('nl1nl Rd .

Section

DES ('LAINES A VENUE hetween Roosevelt Road and 22nd

Street., road conltn.u:tlon: northbound tramc detour '''cst o n
22nd Street tu 1st Avcnue
north to Roosevel t Road lind
east to Des Plaines Avenue;
southhuund rev('rse order.
~'unera l
Ca r$ may pn Sll
through the barrtclI.de.
GARDN E R ROAD be
tw~n 12th lind 22nd StreeUi,
cu lvert co nslrucLlo n; nortn
boun d traffic detour easl on
2'2nd StreN to 17th Avcnue~
nor t h to 12lh. St reet ano
w('st to Gard ne r Road ;
90uthbtJU nd reverS(' oNler.
JOE ORH. ROAD hetween Halsted ami SlAte Street~ In
Cl1!ClI.iO l:ie!!;,hts, brlo:1i:e conuru etlon; eas t bound traffle detour
louth on lllllsted Street to L!ncoln HighWay, ell.5 t to State
St reet and no r th to Joe Orr Road ; westbou na reverse or der.
LONGCOM:MON ROAD, bridge cons t r uction ov er th e Des
plaln~s It lver in Riverside; nor t hhoum l lr affic det our west on
Oid~n Avenue lo 18t Ave nue . nor th t o F orest Avenue a n d
cut to Lungcommon Road; southbound revers e order .
01110 ST.R.JJ:ET bl'tween Malned a n d Union Streets, b ri dg e
~on8trl1ctlon for Northwut F.xpresBwa~' F eedH; e astlxlunl1
Lraille rollow the marktld de tour goIng n orth on H a lsted St re-et
to Erie StI'CI't, eall to Union Street and Sout h to Oh io Street;
wl'Stbound re verBe order.

SORRY TO INCONVENIENCE
YOU ... J;!W'j,
THIS RESURFACING

Traffic is permitted while work proceeds on the

na.med avenues:

f~lbwing

CE.r'"TRAL AVE."'1UE between lIa.rrl!lOn sa",,! and Roosevelt

Road , a bypau detour, bri d ge constnlction over Con~l!S
Street ExpreSSway.
DS PL A.lNES AVE.'IUE belwCt'n Jackson Boull'vard nnd
Htll"r l!lOn StreH, a bypass detour, brtdgc const.ru.ctlon over COngTelS Sireet Ex press"ay.

Propose d

SectiOIl

Shermer Rd.

Harlem Ave. 10 Dempster 5 t.

Demp1lcr St. to Wau kegan Rd.
135th St. 10 127tn St.
Wes tern Ave. to 1 mile
. ot Wcsl('rn
1 :'11. E. to 2 Mi. E. ot We stern
II MI. F"~ 10 3 MI. E. or Wes tern
3 MI. E. to 4, MI. E. or We stern
4 MI. :r:. to 7 M I. E. or Weste r n
7 MI. E. or Western to St ale Line
LakeCoo k n. t o Otis R d.
Otis Rd. to AlaonQuln Rd.
Alionqu!n Rd . to New Su tton Rd .
Kane Co un ty LI ne to Sutt on Rd.
(gravell
Sutto n Rt . to So. Western Ave .
(nBpho.lt )
l59t h St. to McCarth y Rd.
McCarthy Rd. to F ord R d
CIcero Ave. to Ridgeland Ave .
IndIana Ave. to Calumet

Smith Rd .
Stcgl'r Rd.

Proposed
Speed
L imit

Norl hwed Hwy. to Elu Rd.

50
Weslcy Rd. to Du ndee Rd.
Dixie H w )'. to Riegel Rd .
50
RIegel Rd . to Chicago H16.
Glenwoo d Rd.
Waukegan H.d. to Gr~ ~n Day Rd.
Salldeu Rd. to Pfln lltcn Rd .
Dundee Rd . to WlI ow Rd.
Willow Rd. to WC$t La k e Ave.
Oak ton se to D em p~te r St.
Arlington Hh. Rd. to Busse Rd.
Dune Rd. to Elmhurst Rd.
Hlaglns Rd. t o Wllle R d .
Wille Rd. to Evnn.ton -Elgln R d.
EvamnonElgln Rd . 10
MI. P rORpe<:t Ave.
Mt. Pl"(>.~t Avl'. to Cen t ral Rd.
Freeman Rd. 10 Old HIggins Rd .
Sutton Rd. to D1Jndee-Lake R d.
Algonquin Rd. to Rohert ~ R d.
Rob<.-rU Rd . to Ela Rd .
Ela Rd . to Roselle Rd .
ROlelll' Rd. to QU l'n lins R d .
Que n tin. Rd . to cedar Rd .
Areh"er Ave. to J oliet Rd.
Kane Cou n ty LIne 10 Healy Rd.
Healy Rd. to O ld Sutton Rd .
Old Sutton Rd . to AlgonquIn Rd.
Atjl:onq ul n Rd . to Palatine Rd .
Pa latine M. t.I"I Northwest Hwy.
(COlfax Ave.)
NorthwClt n wy. (Coif"", to
Baldwi n Rd .
Baldwin Rd. to Dundee Rd .
Dun dee Rd. to LakeCook Rd.
Devon Ave. to Wise Rd.
Wise Rd. to Sch aumberg Rd .
Schaumberg R(\. to Higgins Rd.
Higgins Rd . 10 Gol! Rd .
(Evanston Elgln R d. )
35
EvanstonE lgln R d . to Centra l Rd. 50
Central Rd. to Baldwin Rd.
5.,

'"

Speed

!Wsdway

Su l ton Rd.

w.

Bllrtl ett Rd.

Wlll COok Rd .
115t h' St.
J30th St.
131"t SI.
135t h St.

Limit

'"'"
""
""
"30

~:S- 2!'i'

45-2 0 -

5.,

Expre~5way

Cal umet Ex prU5way to

Torrence Ave.
t..1I. Grange Rd. t o Archer Ave.
Harlem AVl'. to Southwest H"'y.
Southwest Hwy. t o La Grange Rd.

55
5S
5.'>

50

Hecomnu:md ed Speed Limit on CUrv('

Radio Rescues Children

The Cook County Highway Depa rtment 's two
way radio rescued a stranded busload of school
children the f rigid morning of December 11. The
bus had broken down on Montrose Avenue near
Thatcher Roa.d, far fro m a telephone. Charles
Daly, passing in a. h lghwa.y truck. radioed t he
control center in La Grange P a rk. Edwa rd Kenned y relayed t he message to t he United Motor
Coach Company and another bus was speedily
dispatched. to pick up t he s hiveli n g kids.

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

On No rthwut Expre ..way .

Gr~de

Vol. VI No. 8

Separation

Stru~ture

al Central Avenue T Olku Form.

JANUARY, 1959

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Publlahed by u.. Cook Count, (III.) D4ipartment of RIch__,..
Under aw-plee. of the Board of CoUDlJ' Commi.-ioberl
DANIEL RVAN. Pr. .ld.nt

Jam .. F . A.h,nd,n
Fnnlc Bob~k.

WIlIi.m N, Erlck.on
F,..d A. Full.
Chrllt A. Jenle"
John A. Maekler, Jr.

Ch.rln F. Ch.pl ln
Etlube l h A. Conk.,.
Jiffy Ooleul
John J. Duff)'

OMI,I Ryan
CI.yton F . 81'1'1101
Ed ..... rd M. SnUd
Johl'l J. Touh)'

Arthur X. Elrod

W llholm J. Mortimer
~utM' rlnll!aclr.'1I

Publlahed at 130 North

\Y~"

., IUlh.-.",

Street, Chiaro 6.

..

FRanklin 2-76."

Ezten,ion 216

Boob 01 the Month

CD Aids When Wells Run Dry

OOK COUNTY'S Civil DeJ,,"sc organization pnr
\'id('d quick n!lil'( for INweral families lOutb of
Pa1atln who found thenuK'IVN without waU-r early

thr. month.

Well. In thE' neighborhood went dry because exea

\'81ton (or an Inlt-rtcplor I(wer by the- ~LropolltA.n
SanILary District of Gl'MlPr Chicago. bmlg dug at ft
1('\'('1 btlow the ,,-U., drained orr thE' ~-a.ll'r table.
\Vht.. n the sewer lint' I. conereted, which is expeeted
lOOn wllter will be rt'8toN'd In the ""ellll, but In th('
melinUm.. tamilletl in Lhe &JTI.'('I('(I area had a real
problf'm.
It
Yo hen Joseph A. Oo"'ney, County CD
dl.rtelor. "ith lhl htlp of Gt-n. J . L. Homer, tat('
CD Execuu\'e, located II 1,000 gallon war surplus waU'r
truck at Cn!\'e COt'UI', neal' Peoria.. Robert E. Hoilandt'r. Palatine C'D DIr~tor of Engineering. Rnd R
H. Dr-eJur. the VIIIRR!'" CD llln'"l'ltIr of Planning. wlnl
down and drov!' It back to Pal.Unt'. Manned by \11lage t'mplnyt>.s., thr lrtIck mnkra ~gul&r trips carrying
wl1lrr to nil "'ho n!'oolt.
"This ill a good example of how Civil Defense can
aulIJl In almoel Bny kind of emergency," said Dir(..oc::lor
Down('),. "While our princil)l'11 purpose i8 to prepare
ftll' e.nemy air atlncke. pn iml)(lrtanl and well recognb'.cd ftlnction of Civil DefenlJC Ie to S(!rve In any klnd
of disuter. \ Vt> Iln' alway. I'('ady to go to the aid of
Any ommunity that haa nt"f.'<i of Our se.rvicea.'

VI'" .,'voo

UCKY LUKE lia. mllde it agnm.

He'll stili alive after another year of good breaks.
Lucky Itarted 19M .....llII hI. customary good drlvlng
rt'1:I(,lulton8, but at Ihl" pnd hi. survival was only a
maUl'r of luck
ThiJ yenr It will be dllfen'nt absolutely no
Ing. nn chnnCf> takinJ" on hills a.nd curves. no wraving
in and out and eoUrlCl)' to otht'r drl"ers the whole
12 monUaa.
Cood luck. Luk(". ..... hl!'h you .....ont need i( yOIl stick
with lhoee resoluUOM.

.,)('.('(f.

Expressway Contracts
Th~

expreawlI)" contmcta were awarded by lh!'

80Rrd of County Commiaalone ... on January 5 and
ahortly thereafter five other jobt were madt>, ready tor
lht' Boord to advlrt.iJw for hid" Ilt its Flbrunry :)
mccOn".
Tht' J IUlunry :) contract. Wt're
NORTHWEST Crading and padng Ct.'.Dt.ra.I Avenue to Wt'Bl or Normandy AVInue, Areal.. Midwt'!4t
Cot"))(Iralion. 2.992.~26_
NORTHWEST Grading And paving from west of
Normandy Avenue to Canfil'ld Road. Arcole Midwest
CorporaUon, $2.248.97 .
CALUMET-Compietion or lfi91b Street intA:!rchange. Frenzel Broth",", Comlmny, $191 ,964..
The ilems ready for ad,'ertlalng are:

EDENS Lighting between Bryn Mawr and Koalnf'r A ' Inues..

CALlIMETl\.INOERY UghUng on CRlumt"1 tw
tWet'D IGitb
treet and ThomtonLaru;.ing Road and

lin hlngl'ry belwl-en 167Lh In''t't IIDd Paxton AVI;!DUt'.

SO(fTH ROl;rE WN t Leg Oeufolition of bulldingl'l
96th to 99tb Sln't U, Stale> StrM'l to Wentv.ortb Ave-

nut'.
SOUTH ROUTE E8J1t Leg Demolition 96th to
lOOth Stn>ela, SUile Street to Cotut!"P r;: ... "t: AvenUe.
SOUTH ROl'TE ea.! L" t.>emolition Stat' Streel
to South Park A V;:,.IU .....

More Accidents But Fewer Deaths

M

ORE HlGHWAY traffic accidents occurred in

suburban Cook County last year than in 1957.
but the resul18, as meas
ured by deat.hs and in
juries, were less serious.
Twenty deaths in December brought the
vcar's

Lota.!

to

'58

"The neWSpR)>er editors, who have always supported

the Commission with generous use of space, were of
rered n new opportunity to help last year, Each week
the Commission compiled the accidents slatistics for
the suburban ana Rnd asked the papers to print Lhose
l>ertnining to their own communities. The response
W8S tremendous.
Week afler week the Impers dis
played thE" figures prominf"nUy, and the impression
made on the readers must have been effective, People
generally are inclined to regard accidents. the dealhs
a nd injuries. as things that happen outside of their
own areas. When it is Impressed on them continuously that accidents happen right in their own
neighborhoods, they have something to think about.
The reports will be continued lrus year.
"Another good result of the publicity progra m hilS
b..'Cn to bring the local safcly councils. which are af
filiated with the Commission, inlo closer relationship
with countywide activities. In many insUlnct!a, the
eouncils have been Ule means of correcting hazardous
local conditions with the aid of the Commission and
the County Highway Department's lraffic engineers.

173,

~hich compared with

19B in 1957. The only
lower figure in the 13
years' records of the
Cook County Traffic Safety Commission is 159. which
was achieved in 1949, at a time when vehicle registraLion in the area WDS apJlroximately half of the present.
Besides the 175 falnlities, the 30,570 reportable
accidents resulted in injuries 10 9,070 l)Crsons. In
1957, when the ll.ccidenL total was lowcr-23,254there were 12.276 persons injured..
Last rear's improvement in the death column
amounted to 11.6 per cent. While this by itself is encouraging. it mny also be significant 88 marking the
beginning of n life SIlving trend. The 1957 total of
198 deaths was 11 l>er cenl better than the preceding
year's 232. For the first time, marked improvement
has continued through successive yeu,"s
Previously
in tht' records n good }'ear was followed by a worse
one, 8S may be seen In (be following tabulation of
yearly deaths:
216
]946 .......... 192
1952
223
1953
1947 ......... 191
197
1954
1948 ......... 192
199
11149
]59
1955
232
1956
1950 . . . . . .. ,. 203
-'98
195] ........
187
1951

Better, Safer Roads

"Beller ronds nl80 contdbuted to the 1958 safely
record. In 1953, B typical year , the County Highway
Department widened and resurfaced 32.2 miles of
roadway thus making Uu~ m safer to drive, and re
surfaced an additional 9,9 miles_ Among the 42 proj
ects carried out by the Department were the Torrence
A\'l~ nue bridge o\'er three seta of railroad tmcks in
lhe viCinity of H3rd street. which eliminated a grade
crosRlllg where numerous 8eriOUl; accidents had oc
curred, and 10 safety improvementR at nlilroad
crosslngs_
'" believe there is reason to hope thul tht> drivers
too nre on the way to improvement. Serious acci
dents in virtually every instance resull from driver
misbehavior of some kind- speeding, recklessness,
stop sign disobedience aod tile like. If the reduction
in deaths and injuries means that more drivers: arc
driving with greater care, lhen 1958 was really a sig
nificant year."

Police, Papers Help

Suburban police and newspapers were given much
credit for the good showing in 1958 by County Board
President Daniel Ryan, who is president of the Traffic
Safety Commission.
"It is regrettable, of course, thut Ule number of
accidents increased," he said, "but it must be kcpt in
mind that state law recluircs a report on every acci
dent that caU1;e3 personal injury or pro~rty damage
of 100. Since it doesn't lAke much of a bUmp to do
$100 damage, a great many of the accidents that get
in the records are actually minor.
"The gratifying aspect of the ]958 record is the
continuing reduction of serious accidenta, the kind
that kill and hurt l:leople. The saving of lives indio
cated in the last two years is particulllrly iml>ortanl
when we conaidt'r the grealer number of vehicles on
lhe highwa:Y1i yea r after year.
"In my opinion, the reduction of actious accidents
has largely been brought about by stricter lawen
forcement on t.h(' part of th(& suburban police forces
and by int.ensivc promotion by the suburban news
pa llers, All of thr suburban police chiefs are Rctively
R820eiated with the Satety Commission nnd this co
operntion has resulled in a countywide unifonnity of
action against highway violat.ors. The chiefs also
have been most helpful in Lhe bicycle and motor
scooter training progr1UlUl in the schools.

December Accidents
Five of the 20 persons killed in December were
pedestrians, one W88 a 3year-old child who was in a
school bus struck by a train, six were fatally hurl in
collisions betwl'('.n automobiles, three in auto-truck
crashes_ and two in 1\ csr hit by a train. One was in
a ear tilllt ran into the ditch, one i.n a car that turned
over and one in a car thal slruck a roadside cable,
Six deaths occurred on rural U. S. and Illinois high
ways and five on County roads. Tv"o were killed in
Cahlmet City a:ld one each in Cicero. Bell.....ood, Ma r
ton Gro\'e, Stickney, Lincolnwood, Dixmoor. and
I-Jodgkins.
The lotal of d('ad wss the same as for December,
1957, but two unde r thnl of Novembe r, 1958.
The lotal of December accidents was 3,910, which
compMed witb 2,179 in December a year before, The
number of pers::ms injured, however, was 1,130 or 406
fewer than the 1,536 hurt in December, 1957.

Riders Polled on Expressway (T A Line

MASS TRANSIT (aclllty In the median strip of
A
an ('xI'
""Y. am;h
the nrw eTA line in Con
11:"'_ Street. hu the potentiality to conven. motorisU

OJMULATIVE PERCENTAGE OF TRIPS BY

IUJ

to lnuulit ridtra If it w; comswutJve with the privall'

Rulomobllf' in l'f'IJpeet to timr and COD"enience.
ThiJI coneluaion a.rilld from study of the traV!!!
preft'rencea of patron. c,r thE' line as expresst'd in "
lltlBtcaro 8Un'C)' made bS the Cook County Hlgbway

DISTANCE TO THE

EACH OF THE PREVIOUS MODES OF TRAVEL"

CurNiloh.... %
100

o.Jlllrtmenl. The principal purpose of the question.

Ing wu to )I'ftm the modes of daUy lf1j'el used by

90

Inform"Uem ""... altwl sought on the dl8lan<'e K

pt'r"IIOn will go to f<"8eh a CTA IIlJI.tion snd hcn' the
mMoNt . who .PJ)lu'e:nUy dialIkcs t.ransCening. apo
I..,..red willln~ to go farther than people accustomed
to .urfaee It''8vcl_ The o\'['rall average distance to a
ataUon was found to be 2.2 mUes.. FOf (ormer IUf
faee line rldera. thl;> avt'rage W8I 1.2 miles : for formef
elt'\'aled IJllroM, 2.1 miles; (Clr pel"SODII who pre-vi
ouaJy drove their citra on Congress Street. 2.; mllpa
Dnd for motortat.a who used roules other than th~ t',X.
pre..wny, 4 mllea.
"These 8Vl'ragea Indicate lhat I>eJ'SORI who prevl.
oUBly used DuLOmoblll'1I ( "'1" their trips travel subawntlully fnrther to tilt' ntJ}id tmnsit stntions thnn

",....

- ....r
y

/}y

10

,V

'"
.0

'I

,,

'0

Time Sa ving Attrad ive

Travel to Station

_ ~ _~J_:;?

10

thl"fll' fX'OlJh' before lbt' C"rA Hne was pul In 8N....iC("

Rnd part.lcularly how many of llirm (irmerly used
their Ilrhale autornoblleL The findings hs\'e now ~n
nnalyzed and eompllt'd fUJd thu. made aVllilable for
study in the planning of similAr transit facilities In
otlwr eXllrcfl8waya of lhe countywide lIystem,
'I'he main IlOint p roduced III that 12.5 per cent. of
ridera on Iht' new CTA route rnnnerir dro\'e their
ell,... t.b..ro..(ClurthJJ oC Ihem on CongresH SlrH't and
tlw uthN'. on parall('1 Itrt'ets,

"From tht Pf'roenlage oC patrons who previoualy

lUIf-rl automobile LravrJ, It is apparent that impro\'OO
M'rvice lueh al t.hia ean have a Ilgnificant inftuencc
c.n th(' chol~ u( mod~ oC trav!'I," It is staled in thl'
rtport. "SinCi- C'OfIl Cattol"B hav~ remained constant,
tht inftu ndng Caetor III nKMIt likely the ont' invoh-ing
Urn. required (or the trip,"
Thl' ridtra were allO naked wh ther a transCu waa
required lUI port of the trip and it wu learned that
fonner patroM or thf' lurface lines were more Iikel)to tranlC('r than l)C(Iplc who pre\'iously w,ed th('lr
nwn ean or rode commutt'r traina. 1'rBnaJerring all'
11j'IU1J to bt R (actor or con\'Cnit'nL>e.
Th(' lIurvcy was accomplished by distributing ap'
proxlmatcl)- 10.000 postcards to rtden at sl8tiODB b(-.
lwt'cn ~ Plalnt'tl Avenue IlRd lht' M ~Ic:al ~nter
during thc hours 6 ft. m. to ] p, m. Well aver 8 third
oC them 3,716 We.rt' ftllt"d out and returnoo.
Of the tOUll returnl, 7<1 .2 per cent Indicated elenlted
nlpld tmullit al the previous mode of travel, which
WIUJ not lurprlslng Iwt:!llu8C the new line replaces the
Gllrfield Park elevated Besides the 12.5 pt'r eent who
previously dro\'e their can. the ridcl'1I included 6.6
per cent who hnd .wilehed (rom various CTA sur
face lins and 2.6 jX'r nt who formerly had ridden
on suburban rallmadl. The small remainder had ustJ
variou. other moo N.

C T A_ STATION FOR

10

Ot.'onu to Siolion In MIles

LEgEND

FOR

PREVIOUS

MODE

~~=====

t1cwaled
CoT."
bus.congress
.:.
ouloio
__ ______ _ _

OIItoVlOOfherroute ______ _
olher modu _ _ _ _ __

' """",, _.I,.. ....,..........

do the
nltcl)t"Hadt
let' II

Itvl'ragf' rldcra." Lhe rCl)Ort slal(>&. ''This dt'fi

(Kllnll to the campe:Utive qualities of rapid
III opPf*'d to automobile travel. U the sen'
Imprt,vt'd lubBtAnUally. Ii eertam portion of
tholk~ using nutomoblh~R for their trips will chnngt'
to the hnprowd facility evcn though the chonge fC'
(1lIlru II gf('ftU'f thun 1I\'(>l'lIge joumey to the alJl.t1on."

Purposes of Trips
Bl'ClIlIse the flurvey wo.s made between 6 8 . m. and
1 p. m" the grt'at majority of riders were going to
work The rollhwing table sbo ...... the frequency and
1'lCrt't'ntag'" of trips for lh~ variOUII purposes :
l'ul"J~r
t"requr:.nC)
I' u ce.nt
Work
3,357
90.3
Shopping
83
2.2
Penol1lll Buainf-M
140
S_J\
~tI<'In

IJ(

f).I;

School
GO
J.9
At lh(' ouUM.'l at leaat. the switch over of mtJlOl"Ul1JI
(rom th~ Congr't'a Slr'tt'l pavement to the c:J'A linl'
baa not I't'duced traffic volumes on the cxl)rHsway.
CounllJ madl' III the County High .....ay Departmcnt
Wort' and IICk'r Ute olwning o( the transit line no
veaJ'd no slgnlllcanl change in total t.raffic volume
eh&nlctcristiea, It appearing that motonsll IIhlftin~
over to the 4xprt'1l8way from pnrallcl 8tl"(~t.s haw
lllkcn th!" plnCf's or thnse who hav(' beeome trtlI"lIil
!'Ide"" Such IIhlf18 aN' Wiually eJtl>erienced ..... htn n
n l'W facllity I. 0llCnt'd. and further study will be ff'.
{Iulred to cnm llld;,> the picture.
.'....nllnuN un

p_,,,

i)

'58 Permits Mark Suburban Development

UBURBAN COOK COtJr...'TY'S rapid rate o[ de-

velopment is reflected in the annun l report of the

Cook County Building

nnd Zoning Bureau.
which controls building
construction of all types
in 111t> unincorporated

area.

---

:=I.I ~ =

The report, wbich covthe fiscal year December. 1957. through

November. 1958, lists pennil8 issued (or just under
$100 mil]jon in estimated costs. The total figure899,995.534 compares with $79,544,918 (or the preceding year.
Home building led in both the number of permits
Bnd total valuation. Of the 5.485 permils issued,
3,251 were for residences and the total valuation was
$63,240,758.
Churches. schools and stores for new communities
accounted for most of the remaining valuation. There
were 15 permits fo r churches. $1,312.4.00; 10 for
achools, S7 .644,500 : 11 for additions to schools.
$4.265,100: and 73 for busine88 buildings, $6,957,600.
In all of these classifications, lhe lotals were above
Lhe year befon!.
Induslrial building declined. Elghl permits were
l$Sued for new construction totaling $1.059,800. In
tIt" fiscal yellr 1956-1957 there were 26 industrial
permits lotaling S5.500,98O.
{,rB

NoFee Valuation Rises

Most of the S20 million incl'('88e last year was
gained in no-fee permits, which are issued [or
churches. schools. institutional and farm buildings.
The total of pt!rmilB was 73 and lbe valuation was
$.21.690.200. which compared with 65 permits and
S6.411.310 valuation the preceding year. Among the
sizeable no-fee permits was onc for lhe Lutheran General Hospital located north of Park Ridge. $4 .150.000.
and one Cor a mausoleum in Guardian Angels Cemetery. Proviso Township. $2.500,000.
Besides the permits for new homes. 928 permilB
were Issued for residential additions and alterations,
$2.619.585: 33 for business additions and IllteraUollS,
787.550. and 20 for industrial addItions and alterations. $1-" 2,750. There were 804 permits for acC<!ssory buildings, for the mosl part prages, tobiling
$1,488.321; 81 COl wells, S83,100; 12 for individuaJ
septic systems, $7,600: 31 for moving buildings, $71,300, and 183 for miscellaneous work. $794,370.

How Town::hips Ranked

The ycar'e JlI,!nni18 were issued by townships as
followa:
-r.... I'_lllp
Ilnrrlnll'tfln
1~lnom

Url'ml'n
('lIlumet
~:Ik

GruVl'

IIRnn~'er

t..cm,'nl
I",,,dl'n

I.yon.
MainI'
""". Trlt'r
1"11"
N'orthneld
N'orw..ad Park
Orlllnd
Plliallnt'
Palo.

l'I'rr" lt.
15

8'J

'",
""'"
""
,
'"
'"
m
""
:/(i

32'
4'''

!It;

Pro\'lso
Rich
Sf'hlilimburl(
Sllrk nt'y
ThIlrntttn
Whl't'lfng
Worth

708,~

21
171

2,3M.7S0
10.885.290
UI.SB9.201
1>40,900

96~

'"

lW
M-t
3&J

~448.1!OO

!I.ooo.oss

Stickney's 966 permiLa included 606 for residcnces,

154 for residential additions and alterations, 174 for
accessory buildings. nine business buildings, five busi
ness additiollll and aJlerations. three wells and 15 miscellaneous. In Scbaumburg. wilh fewer pcnniLs but
higher total valuation, tbere .....ere 554 residential permits, 91 residential additions and alterations. 45 acees
snry buildings. three business buildings, three. wells
and four miscellaneous.

December Building Permits

Permlls luued in December by the Cook County
BuUding and Zoning Bureau for residential, business
Rnd Industrial conslruction in the unincorpora ted
area of the County indicated a total val uation of
$4,668,050, wbich compared with S5,197,906 in December. 1957. However. permits for $555,SOO in the
nofee classification, which includes churches, schools,
and farm buildings. brought lasl monlh's grand toW
d08e Lo that of December, 1951-$5.223,850 as Rgainst
$5,256.706,
Of lhe lotal 280 fee permita issued lasl month. 184
.....ere for houses of a total estimated cost of 83,744,100
and five were for apartment buildings of a total. cosl
of $111.650. In other fee classifications. lhe number
of permits and valuations were:
Residential additions and alternUons-28 permits,
$78.050.
Aect!SSOry Building.s-28 pennil&, $49,650,
Business buildings-Nine permits, S469.500.
Business additions and alteration8-Two permits,
$31,000.
I.nduslrinl additions and alterations-Two permits,
$102,300.
Wells- Four pcnnits, S4,000.
Miscellaneous-21 permits. $47.650.
In the 22 townships that have territory under jurisdiction of the Burcau, December permits were issued
8S follows:
To,,"n.hlp
Barrln.LOn
Bloom
Bremt'n

I'<!!rml....
1
:!

..

~:Ik Grnve
1 Lano"t'r
lA!l1\()nl
Le)'ucn
L)nnl

ZI,-

MaLIK'

1:'0

Nt'''' Trll"
N'orthllt'ld
1"orv.nod I"lIrk
Orland
PBlaUnc
PnlOi
Pro\.ln
Rlrh
Sc-hnumbun:
Stlckncy

Thornton

Wh~lIn.

Worth

I
7
W)

\ '.III"tIQII
15,400
9.200
41.900

49ot.OOO

77.6P>
lJ1,4OO
146.600

649,8:111
ZlO.OUO

I
29
9

7.000
MID.loo
196.800

12
I
2
20
110
3
14
29

180,~

I
21

17,!1OO
3016,250

1.000
:\2.200
298.200
&19.700

31.800

298.000
376,200

The four nofee penn.its included a school, 8276,900,

and a school addition, $119.900, both in Worth Township: a church addition: $103.000, in Lyons Township,
Rnd a cemetery addition, $56,000, in Maine.

Streets, Roads for 1959 Improvements

OOTTAGE GRO\'F: AVENUF: III draJoagl' dltth 1000 reel
nurl h or 163m Slrl"et. SOUlh Hfllland. eu hut. $40.000
SHER:o.lER R(MO bl!lw('(:n WaukCKnD anu DundR Road ..
OJi() tIllie. In :Sorthbrook. ~'Id.,nlnx to 24 1",1, resurfacing and
rft( nctrutU"" 1.11 hrld~. $30.000.
W()LF ROAD at Weller'. ditch In 0... PI.lna, cuh'ert
IIml IIppro"che . $60,000.
CE!\'TRAI, AVE:sl'E bel"'",n 6.'ilh St~t and "",h.. r A'-enue. Chlt-"go. l.liO mll~_ wldtntnR tQ lour lanH. relurf aci ng
and medllm 51np, aM5.UUI,
AULI)l;(;Tf)N HEIGHTS !lOAD tJel"l'!C!n HIgllln" /lnd C~n
Ir!!1 II ')/ld ~. 2.70 !nil.... In ArllnX l on H eight. lUlU UnlnrOl'pOratl'll IIn'lI. rt!(.'f'HI.S l ruelion III tour lane, with median .tnfl.
4630.000,
WEST BARTI.Erl' ROAD belween COunly tin .. anft sunon
Road. 2.90 mll ..lI, untnoorporaled arna. ~n.llrucUon IW(I
lanes, Pi'i.OOO,
LAKE COOK ROAD at On P1ainl'tl Rhu. brld,e and apfI";).IIches, $3OO.0n0..
LAh."f.: COOK ROAD be' ..... ren "U1waukre A\'('nul' and Sa ndei'll Road., 1.50 mlIl'l. In uolncorporated a",a. two-lane paveml!nt. $lijO,OOO.
TOUH Y AVENl': bctwt't!n :\Illnnh~lm IUId De. Plaines HI\'er
!toadl, 0,80 mile. In De. 1'1"11'11'.,, widenIng to tour lanes and
I'N lI rral'lnll', $148,000,
COTTAG E GHOV.: AV.:NL'E belwt'ol'n SIluk TT'uU and Lincoln Highway, 1.-10 mil .... I,. .:aat ChlealiO Htl,htl lind unincorporated are-a, rft'On.trutllon tl.l tour mnH. 'S2tiO,OOO 'ord
Motor CnmpAny partlrlpaUnlO.
P LALNF'II':LO ROAD ~Iwren ~th St~t anel ",lIIaYo
SprlnR' Koad. 0.60 mLle. unlnrorporated In!a Itl.lrm ww,,-r.

IGHWAY L\IPRQVEMENTS programmed for

H
Cook County for 1959, other than expressway
construction, include 67 projecta in Chlcago, the 8ub-

urbs and t he unincorporated area. Work scheduled

(or t his year on County sections of the expressways,
estimated to cost. 585.313.000. was ite mized in the Dc
cember issue of Cook County ffighwa ys.
On the non-expressway jobs, total costs are cali
mated at $lB.5!n ,OOO.

Among the major' items are :

CENTRAL ROAD between Arlington Heights Road

a nd No rthwesl Highway, 1.80 miles, in unincorporot.ed
a rea , Arlington Heig hts a nd ML Prospect , to be
widened to fou r la nes and re8 urfaced, $1 ,000,000.

cmCAGO ROAD between Ma rion Street and Sibley

Boulevard. 3.50 mil cs, Thornton, South Rolland a nd
unincorpora ted 8r'ea, widening t o four lanes and

re-

surfacing, 600,000.
TORRENCE AVENUE between Kin gery Exprees way and 154 t h Street. 2.60 miles . is unincor porated
area. Lansing and Calumet City. widening to four
lanes a nd resurfacing, $590,000.
31 ST STREET between Du Pa ge County line and
La Grange 'Road, 2.35 miles, unincorporated area,
La Grange Park. West chester and Hillside, widening
t o four lanes lind reSUrfa cing, $376,000.
PULASKI ROAD, between 87th Street and 42 nd
Place, 5.58 miles, in Chicago. widening a nd recons truction, with median s trip and left tum bays.
$1.615,000.
CENTRAL AVENUE at North Avenue, Chicago rea lignment. 5300.000.
The reconstruction of Palatine R o ad between Roh!,
wing a nd Des Plai nes River Roads, 6.00 miles. to a n
expressway typn of highway, wit h g rode separations
and directional d ivision of t raffic. will be started this
year, Total cost of t he project Is estimated al
S6,000.000. Approximately one-third of t he total is
pl a nned to be used t his year.
A IJIO to be started In 1959 are t hree blg hwa)' bridges
necessitated by the Calumet-Sag Channel improvemenL They are o n Western Ave nue ove r 133rd S treet
and the C. RJ. & p , RR and on Ridgela nd and 86t h
Avenue over the cha nnel. 1n these projects. which
total $.5,500,000 in estima l ed costs, the County participates with a contribution of 51.000.000 o n a matching fund bas.is,
The 1959 program also appropriates $799,000 for
rights-of-way to be a cquired for wor k In 1960 and
later,

~100,OOO_

roRI::ST PHESER\'E DRI\-E bet~-e,,-n CUmbl'rland A"enut

a n d Ml.lntrwe A\enue. 2..57 mllt'l. In Chlta,., and Norrldi:~.
widenllli'. "hannellznUon. median Itrlp lind felurfaelna:.
.....000.
ADDISON STHF$T betwt'C!n CUmberland A\'('nul' lind Forcit Pre~(!rye Drhl'. II-'~U milt. in Chleng .... turb !tnt! wulter IIml
return~.

"10.000_

KTnOIOFF' !tOAD bl'III(!;'n Ilicks IIl1d Wilke Itolld_. 1 47

mlh..., In Rollins: Meadn"l. rour-18 n~ re<;o ....lruclion. $1J3O.noo
l.IOl'o'TROS A"I-:Nl' ~: ~lwl!Cn F~st ~I'\l' Dn~t lind
Narra,lIn~1'1t A~"nul'. 0.38 mile, unlnt'Orporated Ire., "'Idenln,
10 rour IlIn"l. 17o.f'IOO.
.\SHLAND A\<SUE lit DeY1}n A\enul'. Chltago, 0.10 mill'
nt 1'I'Illl,n!llC'fll and 11'I1"l'I''lIon Impro\ l'!lVnl, $75,000
n.MaF:R.LAND AVENt ' !': hfot"et'n 1II11:1I:1n~ and Tlllt'OU
Rouul..-. (110 mite. Pllrk Rill!!1' lind unlnco,lJIOra l l'd arc . "Iden
illlr to four ianes with ml'(Ulln .trip. S2OO.(O),
PAi.ATlNE RO,\O 1J{'1"N'n Nort hwnt I lI l(h"'n} lind lI .... hl .
... In lt HIIII/I. O.~ mil .... in PalAtine, tou r-ton .. r~r' m5 I ruC Uon,
$1 Ifl.oro

CItAWFOItD .\VENL' E bet",een Llnroln AI'l'nu(' li nd Central

S U'l'1lt, 4.20 mile!;, In LIII('(Iln"ood. Skoklc ILnd .;''/In'll.In, thAltnelt;dnl: by ~l u('lIl.1n or mcdlltn "rIp. $210.000
1111)(;1;: RO.\O bellH~n Ccltlrllll'lt~t and \\'1lmene A\'lmue,
0,60 roIll'. I-:v.uuton lind \\lImtlte. fout-lane n"'Iurlllclnx,
=000.
MEACllAM.PI,l.'''l GRO\'E ROAD betwel'n JlllI:Klnl Road
lIr.d Daniels Street, I 70. PalIlUn....... d unlncorltOrliled area.
I",o-Iane ruurfat1ne. 894.000,
BROC!\,\'AY STRt:~:-r bl!lwt'C!n COmfort Stn.-et and NorthWellt Hlehwa)'. 0_:1) miles" In Pallltlnl' and unlntorpnralC'd
are(l. two-lane reIIurfarln,. 14.000.
17th AVENlfE Iwlwet!n 31n and 12th Si retts. 2; miles. In
Ilrooknl'l d . La CronICI' Park, unincorpornted al'C'n. North Rlver"hIe and BrQath'\"..-, wld.,nlng to four Ian" and resurfacing.

$..'J71\000.

103n1 STREET brtwe.,n (klly and Torrl'ntC' A\'enuf1l, ....,,'JII \ladul!l. 0.63 mlil', In Chlt~, tl.lurlane l'I',urfatlng,
....000.
103 STREET betwHn Radnl' and Mlthl.an A~l'nuel, 1.7U
mUH. In Chll'.go, lour-lane murf.clng, :168,000.
&t'CLID A"~'UC between Dou.l. . Stl"l.'et and Elmhur.-t
Road, 2 miles. unl nCl')rPOnlted area and Arllnl10n HelghU.
tWf)-la ne relurfatJn,tr, f41l.000
FOtl1'00K'i ROAD llCIt wt!t'n NQrthwHt Ulllh"'ay and Des
J>1 1l 1 " 1'~ iU" l'r Rond ..... te mllu. unlncorpor&lil'd Ilre!'.\ Arlin gton " I'll(ht'" and MI. Pro.peel, tWO- lane n-surfatlnl. iIoIl I.OOO.
CEl'o'TRAI. ROAO-DEERLQVP. between Ra nd Rood and
~1II "lul.kl!e AvenUf' li nd oot"'l'('n Cenlrlll Road anti Mllwllukt!t.'
AHnu(>... 26 mllf'll. unlnmrportlted area and MI ProtIlK'('I, Iwn-IanI' rC'$urflldnll, .-;.... flt)u
TOL'UY A\'J':':'.a.-.: lM!tv.-een IIlRIf\IlJI and MlIlInhelm Ro.adli.
3.M mllt'$. IInln('(trpnralC'd ~a and ne. PIa1nes. two-lane ~
.urfa~l",r. S61.rofl
SHt::HMER ROAD bPtwl"l'n flarlem and Ea.1 Uke A~'e
nUel, 2.M mliH. men\lew. Iwo-Iane I'C'IUrfIlMnI. $S1.00n
471h STREET bEotwet'n Cnunly line and Willow Sprln
nOlld . 1.:10 ml~ IIt nlCdal(' and WC1itI'MI Sprln8', tWQ-lIane reBu rfl\f! n g.I3O. .........,
.'I.A\' I N ROAD-WENTWORTII AVENt'.; betwt'Cn Imth
Slrel'1 and German Ch uro;-h Rond, 3.20 mllel. untn~rJi')rllted
IIreli And WillOW Sprlnll: tv.o-Ian(> I'('lUrfll.cina:. 364.000_

C."'TRAL ROAD belween Arlln,ton Hel,hu Road and

North,,e.1 H IRhway, I SO mllu, In Arlln,ton Hl'lg h U. MI.
Pro'flN t and lInlnmrporated art!I" w ldenl n. to rour lanc.
a n d reaUrfAl:tnl:'. '1,000.000.
FRANKI,IN AVENU .: bc~ween Walt ROlld and Mun nhelm
IIOlhl. 1.01 mIlo, In Frllnklln PlIrk IUId unl ncol'JKl r Ated art!n,
two-Illne pavemenl $1<10.000_
CC.''TRA I..-cARPo.'Tt:n ROAD. between Devon Ave n ue and
MultO", Stl'ftt. },'rn mil". In ChlcafrO Ind LlnCOl n wl)f)<I,
wldenlnll: 10 tour hines. curb and p l ter and ",.urfa.:!ng.

",,",000.

JOE ORa ROAD belween UaI. ted lind State SI.reeIi. 1 mill'.
In Chltago HelrhlJ Ind unlnrorporaled aru., Iwo-Iane pa\'t'mel'll. $130.000.
GLE.~ ROAD ASD CRAWFORD A\'ENUE be l wl'l.":n
HlbblU'd ROftd and er"""tord A"l'n ue lind l1t' IWf'e1l Gle nv le ..'
Rolld and Wilmet te A"l'nue, L~ m l!l'II, In Wil me t te. two-l illie
p","lnl!. $160.000.
\,~R"tONT STRE"-"'T' betwee n 0 lvlll0 n IInil 177th Streell,
1.90 mile", In ChlcllflO, Cal umet Park li nd Bl ue Il land. wIden Ing UI four I"n" anu rHurr4e!nlol. $30tOOO,
LEHIGH A\'ESLIF. between Oakton and t:lm Strt't'IJI, Q.62
mile, in Morton Grvve. fI:<XIllJItrueUon two tan... #1.000-

(COntinued <m Pall''' 7l

Raymond J. Budinger

Riders Polled on (T A
(ContInued from Plile

'I,

J . BUDINGER, fi8 chief of Lhe lund pro

RAYMOND
curemeol divhllon of the Cook County High ..... ay
Department.. died of a

Along with Ule su rvey of ridem' travel preferences.

lhe Department a lso checked the exprCSJIway lane by
lane to detcnnin{' whether the pattern of usage bus
bei-n a ffected by activity on the rail line. The specific

cerebral stroke Decem

bel' 28.
Mr, Budinger, ..... ho
.....as both a civil engi
neer and a lawyer. had
been employed by the
DcparLmenL since April,
1935, first as an engi
neer a nd s ince January,
194.8, 8S head of the di
vision charged with pur
Raymond J . Budinger
chasing righta-ofway.
Before coming to Lhe Department he had been em
ployed in the civil engineering department of the
Pennsylvania Railroad and later hud conducted a
I)rivate law practice,
He was a member of the illinois Societ.y of Professional Engineet'll, a past preisde.nl of lhe American
Right-ofWay AssoeiAtion, Past Commander of Navy
Club Ship No. 69, a fourth degree Knight of Colum
bus and Past. Grand Knighl of the Englewood Coun
cil, K. C.
Mr. Budinger WllS born on the south side of Chi
eago. He attended SL Martin's and Engl ewood High
schools and the University of Chicago, ..... here he was
awarded the degree of bachelor of Philosophy in 1929
nnd was graduated from the law school in 1931. His
home was at 802'1 Soulh Talma n Avenue. He is sur
vivoo by his widow.

question to which un nnswer was sought Was wbether

moto rists tend to shy nway from the inside l(lne alongside the tracks.

Here again. further study is indicated because the

firat lime around the check was taken in 8 time period that included OItJ)" the morning rush hour, not
the a fternoon . 1t was encouraging to find t.hat the
heavy morning traffic eastbound to the central busioe88 district WBB disuibuled over the four lanes after
the CTA line began operation milch as it was before.
There was no sign of lIinching by motorists in the
lane next to the Lracks.
During the same hours the lighter westbound trnf
fic was checked fltlhe same two poinls-PuJuski Road,
where there is a erA station, and Independence Boule
vard. which is severa l blocks [rom the nearest station.
On this side of the expressway motorists had elbow
room to select t.heir In nes, and it. was noticeable that
the inside lane was avoided by a number of motorists
that increased after the early hout'll. It. may be
Icnrned (rom further study that some driVel'S do not
like the proximity of tracks, stations and moving
tmins. or it may be found that the reAson most of
them keep to the outer lanes is that they anticipate
turning right into one of t.he exit ramps.
The report WlUl IU'epared and edited by Andrew V.
Plummer. Assistant to the Highway Superint.endent,
William J. Mortimer ; Leo G. Wilkie, Trufflc Engineer
of the Department, IUld Robert Gran , the Depanmenl's
Slali8ticinn.

Colonel Charles J. Kraft

Colonel Charles J, Krait. an engincer employed in
the map division of the Cook County Highway Department, died January 9.
A civil engineer graduate of the Unl\'emity of Wis
consin, he served 31 yeam In the Marine Corps and in
the anny. from which he retired a colonel. ACter
World War t, in which he was gassed. he W88 active
in lhe American Legion and wrut credited wilh found
ing some 4.0 posts.
Bc.fore coming to lhe Department. in May, 195'1,
he was employed by t.he City of Chicago as 8 bridge
engineer. Be Ih'ed at 1309 Rosemont Avenlle, His
widow survives him.

\COntlnued from Page 6)

lfilh STIlET bet\\ftn COUage Grove Avenue and Haillt"
;';ll'fft. :l mllct.. In Chl....g(\.throat wldmlng lind ehannf:llz1ng.
ana reallgnrneJll ""tit or "QUand A\,t'nue, 1300,(1(1().
,\ItC'IU:R A\'"E.... \.'E betw"",,n Statl' Slr'e<I'l and llUh Sln'O.'l
11..."nonl T,mn..hlp,. 4"S~ mile-. unlnrorporatl'd, willening to
twO SlaJ1dud lanes and retur(aclng, aIM.ooo.
CE..''TRAL AVF_Nl' F: blltween 1IIadhIOn Knit Lake St~UI,
Il. ~ mUe, Chtl.'lIgo, medl .... n nrlp. 11'1.000
KOST~Elt i\V~:NlE IMllW(!(!n Ptllmer Slroot and ~Im(lnl
A\"nuOl. l.~ mlll.". In Chlea.go, (ourhlne roeonltruetlon,
,IMOo.
WOLF ROAD btot\\l'f2!n Buttern.,ld and SI. Charlel Road.
n.80 mile. IIIl1slde and Bc!rkeley, widening to two stlU1dil@
hlnea &nd I'\'lurta('lng. '135,000.
87th STR~:l:."T btotweo"n Harlem A\'enu<l and Pul,..kl Road.
~ mllet. Unlnl'(ltparnU!d area. Oak LaWII, ChII'1l&<l and Hometo"n. two-Ianl' relurtlldnJ!. ~OOO.
CRAWl 'ORO A\':'ll'E bet""~n ultra lUll! With Stref!I.s. 3
milt"" Cbl<"lllv, OiIk lAwn lind Hometown, twol alle tesurrllC1nl'. $60,000.
t:I\ST BARTLETT nOAD beJween Ollk IInll Lllne SI~tI,
1 mill.', DarU"'1 lIud unlnf'lIrpornll'(l Elrell, Iw".inne N!lIurrae

Modern Roads Save lives

A study of 10S.000 accidents covering more than
14 billion vehicle-mUes of travel showed t.hat full
aeeess control on highway facilities ~uced the aeci
d'nl rate by m OI'e lhan onc-half and fatailly rules by
two.tbirdB. Moderni.ultion of the nation's II\'stem o(
Interstale and defense highways is eX I)Ccted~ to save
4,000 lives a year.- The Builder.

11111, $2tJ,000.
WESTt~H.N
AVE.."l'E lit BuU",rneld ("rt...k, FIOlIsmoor,
Iorldll'C' and apllmschc . IHIO,OOO,
MARQt:ETTE il:OAD between ClI.-ero A\'t:nu. anll Pul.skl
ROlld, 1 mile, C'h1e1l1fO, C'urb a nd guller Inll'r.e-cUolU and relurnl, '100.000.

CAIIo'FtELO ltOADf"<'kt"TEn A\E...... l'E lMll\\een Lawneno:>*

and F()8tl'r A\'""nues and IM!tVleen Canneld Itolld and Hllrll'lD
AvenUIP'. 1.50 mil"", In unLnl'Orpol'lltl'd ar~~Chl<'11I'O and Har'
wood HeIgh .... t our-llUll' reconstruction.
0110.
KEDZIE AVENUE Ix-lwl'l'n ll51h Ilnd Mth Strl'.l!U. In
0111.'010, MerrloneUe lIell'hlf and t;vI'J'8l'ffn Park, Lnlenll'(:.
UDIU (lnd returns. '7~OOO.

Alcohol in Accidents
fn Nl:w York State Police investigation of 98
singleve hicle crnshes. 69. per cent of t.he drivers had
been drinklng.- AAMV A BuUetin.

,\RLINGTON HEICHTS ROAD be"~N!n Itand lind Dundee

Road l. 1.78 miles, unlnCGrpo~/ltl'd arell. widen ing to two Ala nd
an! lune. and returradna. SM.OOO.
CnURCH STRE},."T' I t Ed"fUI ?!:preuwllY Itppro.~hea 0,20
mill'. In Skokie, ~rO(lt Ild"""alk, $4.000.

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

'-

.-

, '-'"
\,

-'

I .:

...

'l. ..

--

Ancle-n l Pine , M.r"'"g Ind'_n Bound .. ,.,. LItle. Becomc. I""'ol"'cd In Modern

Vol. VI No. 9

EJlP~.lJWlly

FEBRUARY, 1959

( See page of ).

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Publi.thed by the Cook County (OL) Department of

B~b . ..JI

Under alupieu o( the Board o( CountJ Comm'-loDen

DANIEL. RYAN , PrUldent
hIm F. A,hend.n
F rank lIobryt1k.
Charlu F. Chaplin
EUub,th A. Conk'y
J.rry Ool.nl
John J. Oliff,
Ar1hllr X. Elrod

William N. Erlck.on
Fred A. FilII.
Ch rist A, Jen"n
John A. Mltkl,r, Jr,

DanI,1 Ry."
CI.yton F. Smith
EdWllrd M. Sn,1d
John J. TOll hy
William J . Mortimer
5up!r.rtOlteadcOlt . f IIIl1:b ....' .

.,..

Publiabed at 130 North Well. Strut. Chlc.aco Ii.

FRankJln

Eztension 216

Boob of the Month

Rumbler Stops Improve

EVlDENCE that rumblered pavement at
FURTHER
stop algn approache. improves driver obedJence 1I

at hand.
Rumbler treatment ia the application of a pebbly
l!Unaee on the approach lane v:tending 300 reet (rom
the .top line. Thirty-!dx locatJona on County roada
were rumbh'red IlUIil year. bringing to 134 the total
treated mnte the Cook ('.c..unty Highway Department
lrutlat.cd tbt> program in 19M. Primarily intended to
alert. drivers to the atop ahead, the roughened aunset"
haa also pro\lt'd to be an ('treeU\'e aid to" atopping and
atarting, partJC:lllarly In winter.
Improvement in drl\ler ~havior 15 measured by
ehedcli at both rumblf'red and plain surface stop aignII.
A aun'ey made br the ~partment'a T1"a1Iic EngineerIng Bureau before the rumblu program was started
I"C!COrded the eonduct or 58,732 drivers at 66 stOll
Ilgn locaUons.. or thll total, 11.653 redu~ speed to
a "rolling" stop: 12,383 did nol f'vC!'n oomt" down to
u roll.

law Says Full Stop

Slnc~ sLAte law requiru a full atol) at stop sign"
roiling sloPB as well .. railures to &low do\o\.'Jl a.re
recorded aa nOlleonronnnnc:e. The latler off'nlSC, In
the ltaJlk t'.ngineer', terminology, la a "no-SLOp."
Nonoonformance limon, th~ 58.732 driven aa 8
"'bole ..'U 40 prr ~L At the \'&rioua locatiolUJ it
rangt'd (rom 20 to 62 pe.r ~nL
A I"I!ttnt check by the Bureau co\lered 16.194 vehklea at 43 rumblered lnteraeetiona. Over aU, lhf'
1"lel"Celltllge of nonconformance WIUI 23. Thf' heal showing was 0.6 per cent. whlc.h waa at lh(> 103rd Street
atop at Robc.1U Road, Of tbe 337 vehicles observed
at that point, aU but two caine to full stops. and thOlk'
two ,lowed down to i1 roll
Where Ole ratl' or nonconformance wu higher, tht'
contributing (actor .....aa the roiling atop. An extreme
example wu the Ridgeland Av~nue lltop at Oak FOJ"'Nt
Avenue, where 58 vehicles were checked. None waa
recorded u a D0-5top, but 53 were checked .. rolling
atop.. wbkh yidded II nonconformance percentage of
89 ..
At the busiest three or Ole rumblered locaUons
checked, rotell or disobedience were low.

RLMITIVE PETE got hla driver's license way back

they were first

PAllwhenbe had
to do was

~ued.

to make application; no exam

lnation on driving rules or traffic lligns..

H 'a rene.."'Nl bu. licelUlP regularly ever aince, but
h. hasn't both.-red to learn why STOP slgu and RR
CROSSING algM are ditre~t .hapes or what Il yellow
line on the p.",ement m('Ana, or a lot of other thlnga
Nu'cntJaJ to good, aafe driving.
Pct~ JUlt figures he'. alret.dy in.

On Sauk Tmll at Indlanwood , 8 total of 1,7 1 vehi

eli.s ..... obkrved There ...tre 153 rolling .Itope and
1 ~ no-ato~ a nonconlornmnce percentage of 9 ....
On Palatine K.oed at Woll Road, 1.586 vehlclrs, 166
rolling slopa. eight nostope, pe.rce.ntage 11..
00 Sault Trail at Welltem Avenue, 1.522 veblcles, 60
rolUng ItO".. nine DO-Stops, percentage 4.5,
The figuree thal BpNk meet convincingly of the
\'alue of rumbler paveme:nl "I"e th08e for no-mp performance. Wht"n the first IUrvl"y was analyud, ahow100nUnlied on I'ale 6)

Soils Science Eliminates Rule of Thumb

By William A. Malloy
sou. EngIneer
Cook County H ighway Department

OlL IS PROBABLY the most universally used material in the construction of highways. However,
S
until the last few decades, the application of soil
mechanics to the design and construction of engineer.
ing works was vcry limited. Except for major eanhwork projects. which by their enormity commanded
the services of engineer.s versed in soil theory and applicatjon. "rule of thumb" and limited "experience"
guided engineers in decisions concerning earthwork
and foundation problems. Exploratory borings bad
been used for some time as a gu.lde in stMlcture foundation design, but visual inspection by the engineer or
foreman 1.0 charge constituted the main scope of the

soUs investigation.
Today's structure borings involve the same visual
observations as in the past. but samples are now
analyzed for accurnte textural cl8.88ification and
moisture cont.f!.nL To determine bearing values of
plastic soils, unconfined compreuion tests are made
on relative1y undisturbed samples taken at close intervals through the "atious soil horizons. Penetrometer needle readi.n gs are used as a further check
on bearing ,-altles. Sands are evaluated on the basis
of moisture content and degree of compAction as
determined by tho driving resiatAnce of the sampling
barrel. The results of these observations and tests.
when correlated with rcsl>eet to adjacent zones of influence, provide much more accurate footing dcsign
pre8llure than was possible with less complete soil
data.

Profil e For Pa vement

A soli proille prepared for pavement design sen'es
a manifold purpose. The different subsoil borizans
are classified in accordance with the Public Roads
Administration's standards, as modified by the American A880ciation of Stale Highway Officials. The soil
types are Identified under this sytltem by an interpretation of siev{' analyses, together with liquid limit and
plasticity tests. The thickness of granular sub-base
required is genprally in inverse proportion to the
percentage of flne grained soil parlicles In the earth
subbase, with considemUon gi,'en to the volume of
truck traffic and an aDfliysis of existing drainsge
conditions. The use of granular sub-base has vir
tllAlly eliminAted the problem of pumping under rigid
slabs.
in sewer design a prior knowledgc of soil conditions
anticipates IJOme of the contingencies which may arise
during construction so that the drainage engineer
may provide for a solution under the basic contract.
Where peat or a mixture of pent and stable Roil
types is e.ncountered under 8 proposNi Improvcmcnt.
a decision as to remedial measures can be based on fI
study of the organic concentration and various corrective and maintenance cost comlmrfsons.

Subsidence Time Studied

Where subslantial fills are placed over an area
which contains a significant strntum of soft cia"
the amount of subside.nce due to the s10w consolid~~

An Important Preliminary Step In Building an ElI_

prellway, Primary Road or Bridge I, Sampling the
Soli on Which t he POivement and Structure, Will
Rut. Thi, Modern Boring Rig I, Owned and Oper.
ated by the Cook County H lghwOiY DepOirtment.

lion of the soft layer can be fairly well estimated

by R soils study. With the RId of confined compres
sion tests lo determine the coefficient of con80litation,
the all import.u.nt time element can I'easonably be
detennined. If it is imperative thnt pavement be
laid before final settlement would nonnaHy be completed, "sand piles" can be designed to expedite consolidation within a required period of time. Under
such soli ('ondltions, the factor of safelY RgRinst slides
or slope failures is also computed.
Embankment compaction tests are Rnolher service
of the soils e ngineer. Tests made periodically indicat e the degree of compaction sttained by comparison
with S1.8.ndard Pl'octor tests previOUsly determined for
each soil type used in the fill
From timc to timc soil problems may arise which do
nol haw," an In[allible solution, but constant research
and analysi.s of peculiar subgrade and foundation performances. widely distributed to those interested in
soil mechanics, will pa"e the way toward more stable
construction and the elimination of excessive maintenance c06ta.

Oul or Gas on Turnpike

Every fifth vehicle breakdown on the Pennsylvania
Turnpike during JWle was caused by an empty gasoline tank. A total of 4,957 vehicles ran O\1t of gas.AAtfV A Bulletin.

Decatur Enforces a law

Decatur, Illinois, cut automobile thefts 80 per cent
in one year by ticketing motorists who left key'S in
their cars, It is reported by the American Municipal
Association. Fines ran as high 88 $300.

Expressway Yields to Historic Pine Tree

BNlldrnN. 6pare ~h(Jt pnte,
'fu.. ('11 not 0 JtiJlgle bough:
;t IlIlNdred ytar'1I it held the li'fte
.A lid w:e'U protect it "01(".

NDISTURBED FOR a hundred years. lacking a

few mClnw, a pine tt'e@ bas marked the course
of th(> hlatorie Indian Boundary Line through south
wcet Cook Counly. Now Its usefulness as a Burvey
monument II ended and It wUl thrive hereafter purely
8S an objl'et of fl('ntim('nt.
As Ii ~dllng. the lref' began life in open prairie.
Now it is within the right-of way of the West Leg of
the South Roule Expressway. which will follow the
boundAry line bel ween 145th and 171st Streets. This
section Is now occupied by the George Brennan High
way. a two-Innl' road that pal58ca the pine with plenty
of elea l'anc(>, The eXIJl'e88way, however, with th ree
lancs In ench direction plua Ii median strip, appeared
ot first to spell the doom of lhe tree. root and branch.

T----+-~
I

r--j

Citizens Rally
Members or the Mn.rkham Carden Club-M. R.
Fairlie, president: Mrs. Fred Cornish. publicity chairman , and ThorlW Dresser, civiC' alfairs chairman-with
the aid of Robert Porter. past pre8ident of Markham.
al"OR' tu I18.ve the tree betOI"@ the bulldoun arrived.
They J'1'eaUcd it wa.a one of 60 grown from seed
brought (rom the Black Fol"t'lJt by an early Gennan
settler and set alr,ng the boundary line in 1860. It
is the only onC' of the planting to survive.
The lone pine Is In the northwest quadrant of the
Intersection of Geol"F Bre.nnan Highway and old
Kcdzic- Avenue. actually sligbUy orr the boundary
Iinf'. As tbe exprlo'88way was originally located. the
outer lane would have been dOle to the tree, with
118 bmnches overhanging the pavement and its sturdy
trunk presenting It possible hazard.

Expressway to Curve
tn reB lXmSe to the pieR from the Markham people,
the Cook County Highway Department has re.located

the expreSBWBY to denr the tree by 30 feet. This

WlUl dORt' with n fillght cu rvature. Thus a significant
item of County history Is preserved and at the same
time a detllrable break In atralgbt line monotony is
achie\'ed on tbe expressway.
Although mainly a subject of historical interest &B
far a. they conc.'m m08t people, the lodian Boundary
Lines. catabl~hed in 1 16, an!' still a practical consideration for land surveyors. They appear aD all
mapa product'd by the County Highway Department

The Front Cover

The old pine as It ..~..iIl be related to the expressway when completed was sketched by C. C. Higgins.
drafLfiman in the map division of the County Highway DeparlmcnL His vi('w is eastward. with the
exl)f'CSSway Innca paning under the Kedzie Avenue
grnde 8epIIMltioll IItructure. The boulder beRrs a
plaque giving thl.' tr<>e'. history.

i
I

DU PAGE

r-r-l--I

G RUNO V!

L,

,---_-L-_-J
al lele

Lin .. Irt the Indliln Boundarlel

and &.II land slluation references they have become

permanent In real estate recordings.
There a~ two line. extending from Lake Michigan
southwesterly. With the lake shore, they enclose a
200mBI' strip ceded to the United States in 1816 by
thC' Allied Trlbn the Potawatami. Chippewa and
Olta.'a. At that time, when the lake front was only
a bare .lr'f'tch ot Mnd. the lines were defined 88 startIng 10 miles north and 10 miles south of the river
mouth. Today , the8l' points may be identified 88 thl.'
dead end of Rogel'll A\'enuc on the north Bnd 85th
'It'<'et ir exltndcd to lhf' lake.
Rogers A\,enut: In ItJI vnriou8 sections follows the
line rrom the IRkf' to the vicinity of Foote.r and Lockwood AvcnuCtl, and Forest Preacrve Drive is on the
line from NllrrngltRaett to PacIlic (BOth) Avenues.

Road Jogs Mark line

In addiUon to lh(' George Brennan Highway. the
ROuth line III mark(! by jogs in intenecting north and
south roods. Theae resulted from variations in early
surveys. The ceded strip was surveyed lirst. starting at the boundary line and going north. Later on
the land lIOutb nr the strip \\'a.l surveyed and the Iinca
run lip In the strip did nol quite jibe with the firsL
Originally. tht boundary lines were marked with
primitive ingenuity. As monuments, the pioneer surveyors used wood )lO818 Sf'l In holes contaiDing cha....
coal, The Id('8 W8S that Ir the posts should rot or
otherwise dill'lppcar, the ehareoal would remain. t.hJ.s
being before tht' era of roving picnickers with outdoor
grills.
The lIOuth lint> Is now being resurveyed by the
County RlghWllY Department 80 that property needed
for the expre8lJwa.y right-of-way can be described
wllh accuracy. Il will be marked with 8 modern type
or monument and thus the ancient pine will have no
!C'Ol1l1nut'd on Pige 6)

New Speed Zones Get Wide Attention

Numerous iettEnJ and telephone calls have been

By l eo G. Wilkie
Tra"lc Engineer
Cook County Highway De partment

UCH lNTEREST hu been aroused througbout

the County by IIUI:.... .,;8.U08 of the first speed

zones on suburbs!! street. and highways as determined
by the HJghway Department's Traffic Enginet'ring Di-

,,>ision in accordance with the 1957 state speed law.

Three Hsts of roadway. with tbe newly proposed
limit. have bM!n approved by the Board of County
Commiuiont'rI nnd lubmitted to Ule st.Ble Division of
Highways. Two w('re printed in the December isaue
of COOK CoUNT\" H IGHWAYS and the third is appended to this article. l\'('w8pnpers have generously
given apace to the lIata, which include roads in all
parts f)t the County, Dnd Lhus the offi cials of suburbs

affected And residents gen('rnlly have had the opportunity to compare the speeds sbout to be posted with
those rormerly In cft'~l.

recclved by the OepartmenL ThOBe persons who

undet'1ltand the ru~ of the new law as being. in
brief, the replacement of guess work with engin~rlng
u the factor det('nnining appropriate speed ha ve expl't"8&ed approv::lI. Several papers have Doted editorially that the nf'W law provides an orderly approach
to speed wning that alf'ords relUiOnable t raffic movement 8JI well lUI ufel), and is consistent througbout
tbe County. One. The Chicago Heigbts Star, said In
Imrt:

Towa rd Common Sense

"Many ur bn.n speed limits have been fix ed on the
basis of g1leslling whal they should be . , Some are
too low, leadi ng to disrcapect for all speed s igIUl. But
others a re too high, In ma ny instances t his can and
wl1\ be corrected, .. The Cook County program seems
rc;a ntlnufod on raRe 6)

Proposed New Speed Zones on Forty County Routes

The list or recommended speed wnes approved by
the Board or County Commlasioners on February 2
wnes on 40 roeda and st..reets in all 1laJ'ls
includes
or lhf' County. They are as tollows:
Prol~1

peed

UoadwII)

SN'lion

ArllnRton II,M...

01;'\.. ," "vr to Blr"\f:rtleld Rd...

RO.

Bode Rd
('I!nlrnl "\1'.

Conk-OuPnll'e
IlII.

t:..t

Ave.

Flonmuor lIel

FUSll!r .\VP
FrllnkU TI Rd
men\ I~ Rd.
(:r.nH...t'e Rd
I;roq (\,Inl hd
H.,....rd 1
J~ orr Rd
Ked"t~ A\e

Limit

"'"
"'"
"
'"

......,.'" ,..

\V,IU ItI!
7111 St.
80th A\e

........,..,..
'"
'"

l23l-ll SI

l8

J'lnlnnelll lId

Wlllh'i'II lid
Wnlr nd

86th AVI
87th 51
88lh " ., .

,.

"'UO\Oo

SUnllof'1 Rldl(e

SO
......,.

III If-rn,,ld Rd. tD CO.man Rd

40-20
(',,"mll n Rd 10 Lnntlmell"!" ftet,
4().30
l.lindmelpr Rd, Itl HI.llns Rd .
Kli ne ('f1unly 1.l ne 10 ROhr.on Rd
Sa uk Trill! 10 Llnroln Ih\")
{Illt ~I. to <17 t h SL
<17th 51 10 Qaden Ave
'17th !'It lu ORllen Ave
67th St. h i Joliet ltd .
<0
ItlillCl'lllnd A\'t!. 10 ('rnwford A\'f'.
C'"...tawtnr!l A\'I' to 1. ml1e Weill
I,Ir KI'tlde Ave
45
Onet"urlh mile "eli! of Kf'd ;1Il1!
A\f' In Ked7it' ""f'.
Ked,.lp A\I'. 10 Gn,prnflr'. Hwy
C:oH'mnr'.lIw)'. 10 W"il!rn A,j!.
Hllrlt:m A'" ICI C.nlleld Rd.
Mllnnbelm Kd 10 Wolf ftd.
t-;dpn' ","prf'hwlI) 10 SAolrJe IIwy.
!'k(lkif' IIw) 10 Wilmette Ave.
311
Lt-e ~t In Vnll~ Rd
LlnN,In Silo C'hun""h SI.
~,
~II" ~nll"!" Rit It! On!ro .\Vf'
W ....lf1'1I A'We In .uhland A"I!
~.
Vollmer hd. 10 F loumoor Rd.
t-I," .. m'oOr ltd ttt tk.1rd $l.
1tl3n1 SIlO 17l)th 5t.
1~lh SilO lb,th 51.
Ili7th se tn 1!19th 51
IMlh 51 10 Ceorae &enn.." 0 ....,.
GI"'.rtP o.-.noan Hw). to 147th 5t
SO
1471h 81 tD 1~ SI
Pnolrt", An' to Old
Rd
1~l\h 5t 10 Intlilio. "lIIte 11M

"'"

Lt>hl.h Rd.
Mlchl.,n ('Ily
Rd
NtlJUIn Me.
o.kulII 5t.

I'"tler ftd
..... hnfn~k )td

......

...
"

31J...:l1\
tnth SI. In ,,",her A\f'.
Arltnlltuft lIel.ht~ Rd to Elk
Un,'>'1,1 vtlla.e Umll.
Elle (:rovr \ maRe IImlU tD 'IIi mile
IAP.' III Ill'lllln. Rd
IIIH Itlt hi Ogell'CI Ave

Hl>4lh " .......

!l9thSI

BaJlard Itll 10 Colt Rd.

Itand ftd. 10 P.latlne Rd...
"'alallnt" Rd. to Hint. Rd..
tl1nU Rd. to Dundee M .
Kant! Cuunl)" line 10 Sulton Rd,
SUlIon Rd. 11,1 Bartlett Rd.
BaniI'll ltd 10 Old Hlcatra Rd.
Lake ""e 10 Wlnnf'tka Rd .
Wlnnt:tku hd 10 WUIIJW Rd.
Will"" Rd, In \'011. Rd
\ntt. Rd to Skokie-Dundee
!)f.ndt':nI ltd. to Land" ehr Rd
Landwehr Rd. to J>tIna'ltl!ll Rd.
rMIIK,ten nd to 5ltenner Rd.
!'I1Il'lmer Rd . 10 Wauk('lIlln Rd .
Allncil'rl Rll tel !'nngnen Rd.
~Ih 51 10 ,Inllee Rd ,
JnU'1 lid. I" Plllinneid Rei ,
l'I"lnnl!ld TlII II> ~ I h 81.
M)th 81 10 4710 81.
'17t h 81 to Olfden A"I!.
JoISrll 8t til ~'ord Rd.
Itob<'n. Rd 10 Harlem Avp
11UII St In MrCarl h), Rd.
MrCllrllly Rei to U91h St.
t3.~th !:it to 1~1'" St.
IlItIth 81 10 171" SI.
17111 SI. 10 183rd 51
Clllumci-Saa Rd. 10 IStn 81.

r.;olt(lll "'>'1' 108 .. O. RR

79th 51 10 on.t 81.
87111 81 10 IUlh 51
l.urn SI In !79th 81.
Wnlem A\e. "101('51 to railroad
RaUmad 10 " mile .... "1
()No...tourtn mil., WU1 or U"aeQ
In Ke-dzie A \."
Keth:l. A"I! 10 Q-awrord A"e.
W"'lern Ave to CaJUoml. " ....e..
r..Ufilrnla A"I!. 10 Ked.le "'.1'.
Kedllr A\. 11'1 Oro
Wulf hll to tOOlb A ....e.
WIIICOOk IInp 10 UHth A'~.
J(141h A\p 10,,'. mill! WPII'I u r

""I'

1!t&d 5t
167lh til

L.IIGran~ RlI

l"mlh 51

l..Ml;ranlle lid. 10 94th A.'e.

Ollk I'ark A"f: 10 RldRl!tand Av",

Ct'ntral ,h1! 10 C1cero ",'e.

C'lreM A\'t':, 10 O"awrord AVI!.

era" rord Ave to c.ovl!mOr'f Hwy.

ll('\:o mmend<'tl . p..'f'o.l limit 1)0 eurvl".

'""
...'".,.
...,..
'"

..
.....
...
""...
..,.
..".
....
....
.
...
.."
40'

4Q.3cjO

<t!l-25'

30

",.,..

30
.n
50

30
43

4~

:103
35
SO

4$

M
tIO

January Traffic Accidents

The Indian Boundaries

(COntinued [rom PaRe 4)

TRAFFIC accident figures for suburban

continued to show improvement in
J ANUARYCounty
the death and injury colCook

function but to uphold history.

The land obtained [rom the redmen was desired by
the U. S. government for a canal to connect Lake
Michigan with the IJlinois River. Together with the
Erie Canal, this link would provide a contin uous
waterway between the Atlantic and the Mississippi.

umns even though there

was an increase in the
total of accidents requin!d by state law to be
reported. As was noted
in the summary of 195
accidents printed in CooK COUNTY H ICHWAYS last
month, this trend has extended over two years and
it is therefore encouraging to find it still in effect in the
first month of a third year.

Ch icago Is 80rn
It was an historic era for Illinois and Chicago. The
state's norlhern boundary originally ran due west
from the "southerly bend" of the lake. Tills was
changed in the bill for admission of Illinois to state
hood to the present line of 4230'. Thus the new state
was not only given a commercial outlet on Lake
Michigan, but it also took in the r. a nd M. canal strip
and thereby local enthusiasm for the project was
aroused. The coming of the canal also had much to
do with starting the villages of Chicago and Ottawa,
both of which were laid out by the canal commission
in 129.

Ther e were seven deaths in January and 884 persons injured. In January, 1958, the figures were eight
deaths and 1,441 injuries. In respect to total accidents, last month, with 3,892, appeared much worse
than January the year before, when the total was
3,126. However, regardless of the increase in accidents of all degrees. the trend in serious accidents
continues downward.

In January, for the fin:;t time in many months. no

pedestrian was among the dead. Three persons were
killed in auto-auto collisions, two of them in onc car
that struck an abutment a nd two were killed in sepa
rate auto-train accidents.

A Glorious Fou rth

On July 4. 1836, with a great celebration at Canal

Port, the first spade of earth was turned. There were
delays. however, and it was not until 1848 wben t he
96 miles of canal, extending from the vicinity of Ash
land Avenue and 28th Street to Peru-LaSalle was completed and opened to boats.

Rumbler Stops - - - (Contl nu~

from Pagt! 2)

ing 40 per cent nostops. it was suspected that most

of those driven:; had failed to notice the signs. Without

making excuses for such oversight. it was assumed
that none was intentional; the offending drivers would
hnve slopped had they been given an extra warning
jolt.

.........

Can't Ignore Rumble

Thls was the central idea of rumbler pavement. The
slightly rocking motion imparted to the car is unmis
takable. The first lime over, the driver looks for an
e.xplnnation and sees the stop sign. When he has
become familiar with the rumble be knows at once
that he must make a stop. As time goes on and more
drivers become more accustomed to rumblcr stops,
even better conformance may be expected.

Th l. Sketch of the lIIinola and Michiga n Canal , W Ith

the Archi m edu Under Full Steam, Wal. Made In 1848
In the Vicinity of Preaent Oay Pulaski and Pershi ng
Roads. The Southweat ElI:pres.way WlII Be Buil t
Over the Old Canal Bed at T his P oint.
Chh:RIlt"R lII!'torh'lIl !:\(>deIY

As between the two surveys made thus far, the

reduction of no-stop offenses was dramatic. Among
t.he 58,732 vehicles at non-rumblered approaches, the
percentage of IIOstops was 22. At the rumblered
locations it was 1.8.

For a few years the canal was busy with freight

and passengers. One packet., the "Queen of the
Prairies," carried 90 passe.ngers, and was lowed by a
steam tug and horses from Chicago to LaSalle in 20
hours. Then came the railroads, and by the midfiftics the canal was oul of busine13S. Now the old
wat.er route is about to be put to use in modern
fashion . The canru bed will be the rightof-way for
the Southwest Expressway most of its route from
Chicago to the county line.

Too Many Play luck

Although the percentage of rOiling stops has ruso
decreased, this degree of disobedience remains a prob
lem. What makes it difficult is that most rolling stops
are made without damage, and it is easy for any
motorist to get into the habit. But it is also true that
every rolling stop sets the stage for an accident. If it
doesn't come off. it's just pure luck.

January Building Permits

Bridge for Expressway

ERMITS ISSUED in January by the Cook County

P
BuUding and Zoning Bureau for building ronstruc
tion in the unincorporated area of the County totaled
$3,110,350 In estimated
costs, including 101,000
for two jobs In the nofee class.
.
Of the 196 fee permils, 129 were for resi
- ' rr l
dences totaling $2,492,
I

200, and 31 were (or

residential additions and
alterations totaling SilO,1oo. In other classifications,
pennits and \'aluations were:

~~

ACCtlf;80ry bullllllll:il-Sevcn permlta, 112.200.

fluslllll.U BuUttinJoC_Elllht Pl'rmIU, $4-17.000.
Kushu!.. tulOIUoli. anti altcrllUoru---Throo pcrmlta. . .~,OOO.
Wcll_Two pennlU, $l,IKlO.
sepUI' SYltl.'nlt-Onl.' p(!mtlt. ~.
r.U .rellllntlOuf-N llic pennlu, IU.2:IO.

Anlong the 21 townships under jurisdiction of lhe

Bureau, in whole or part, the permits were issued:
T"""hHhirr

nllrrlnaluh

Bloom
Breml.'n
C.lumN

2
2
7
0

Elk Gron'
Uomun,

IIllno'"~r

Lrl)'ril'n

I.you
:.Inrn...

~p" Trl~r

NU""

Steel Goes up on the Bridge Under Conltruc:tlon By

New Speed Zones - - to be a step in Ihp direction of a.chieving common

1
0

,",

WhC<'lIna
Worth

Ii

156,800
76.000

"
10

l~lon

5~

7
0
1

l!1O,3OI)

:l<IOOO

1.l8,'i00
830.1110
66.200

27

1WlO.600
21~ 700

12

The two permits in the nofee class, which includes

Churches, schools and fann buildings, were for B
church in Maine Township, $100,000, and a well in
Thornton. Sl,OOO.

B4!IUIe

traffic control"
Some protests have been received, both from citizens
and suburban officials, virtually all of them expreulng
opinions that new limits proposed for their localities
are too high. This is understandable, for 8 citizen

consultation with state authorities. On the roads affected, Lhe County has liated 30 miles an hour. The
sLatf> recommended 35. The roada in this group are:
Camp Ground Road- Algonquin to Northwest Highway.
Lehigh Avenue-Oakton Slreet to Dempster Street.
Lincoln Stroot- Arlington Heights Road to Busse
Road.
West Bartlell Road-Sulton Road to Kane County

of Suburb A is humanly prone LO desire traffic slowdown in his town allhough he may wish to drive
through Suburb B without undue restriction.
rn response to these protests It has been explained
that the main objeetlve Is to eliminate opinion based
merely on obscrvallon and make the new adjustments
according to BOund standards.

14

~hllumhur.
Tlmrntoll

lConUnued from Pale 51

:n.900
,,200

""'''

12
12

~Urkne)

\ .. lu"UuIl

116,1(10

o'

!':orthnplcl
is'Of''\ootI Pllrk
orland
"al.llne
1'111011
}>m,"Iow
Rlrh

Cook County to Carry Northwen Exprellway Feeder

Lillnes Over the Chicago River .t Ohio Street.

I'ermll~

People who have ob-

jected to proposed new zones have been assured that

the law provides (or resurveying any road section al
any time when il may appear that the new speed
Umlt is not appropriate.
One such tJUf'\I6)' hss already been decided aIter
consultation between the County and the State. This
Is on 130th Street, where a 55-mlle speed was set up
(allowing the County's engineering study. The second study wilt be made es.rly in the summer, when
poasibly a dllI'erent volume of traffic will be recorded.
In the meantime. the maximum speed as detennfned
by the first survey will be posted, but in B. modified
Conn. The sign wilt read 55 for automobiles., 50 for
busea and 45 (or trucks.
In 10 other lnsulnces, however, the maximum speeds
proposed by tho County have been increased after

line.

AI)takittic Road Bu1falo GroVI!' Road lo McHenry

Road.
Buffalo Grove Road- Rand Road to Hintz Road.
illinois Roads-North Shore RR to Locust Road.
I""-'<! Road Dundee Road to Lake-Cook Road.
Schaumburg Road- From
mile weal or RosclIe
Road to Plum Grove Road.
Winnetka Road- Hibbard Road to Locust Road.
The three lists lhus far completed by the County
cover approximately 350 miles of the 650 miles of
suburban streets and rural highways unde.r jurisdiction of lhe County, including 50 miles of expressway
frontage drives. Additional lists arc In preparaUon.

I,

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Vol. VI No. 10

MARCH, 1959

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by tht! Cook County (IlL) Department of Hirh'llfays
Under auspices of the Board of County CommiuioneMi
DANIEL RVAN, President
Jilmes F. Ashenden
Frank BobryUke
Charles F. Chaplin
Eliza bet h A. Conkey
Jerry Dolezal
John J . Duffy
Arthur X. Elrod

WlUlam N. Erickson
Fred A. F uUe
Christ A. Jensen
John A. Milckler, Jr.
Daniel Ryan
Cla)'ton F. Smith
Edward M. Sneed
John J. Touhy
William J . Mortimer
S u perintendent of HIghway.

Published at 130 North Wells Street, Chicago 6.

FRanklin 2-7044

Extension 2 16

Boob o f t he Mon th

February Traffic Accidents

PERSONS, including three pedestrians.
TWELVE
were killed in highway traffic accidents in subur
ban Cook County in Feb
ruary. The figure compared with seven in
J anuary a.nd 18 in February of last year.
For the first twO
months of this year. the
accumulated total
slands at ]9, as against 26 for thC" same period last
year, nn improvement in line with the 11.6 per cent
reduction in fatalities in the County last Yilar and
14.65 per cent the yell.' before.
The pedestrian deaths agnin highlighted the tragic
toll among the young and the aged, who fail to realize
the danger of venturing onto pavement or lack the
agility to dodge in traffic, One WB,$ a boy of 6 and one
a man of 78. They and the third victim, a man of
39, were struck by automobiles and their deaths may
fairly pe marked against the many motorists who lake
it for granted that peol>le on foot will get out of their
way in time.
Four persons we re killed in collisions between cars,
one in an auto-truck accident, one in a truckAruck
collision and one in an auto-tractor crash. One falality l'Csulted when a car struck a wayside past and
one when a car ran into a viaduct.
Although February deaths were 70 per cent higher
Ulan in January, thc.rc was marked improvement in
the number of total accidents and injurics. In January there were 3,892 accidents reported and 884 per
sons injured. In February, the figures were 2,94-\
and 583.

the Nature Nut there's

FORchoiceNIPPER
as the first pussy willows.

nothing so

So he coasts a long the road until he comes to a

likely spot and parks on t he pavement while Ule
young ones scatter in the thicket.
He also parks on the road when watc.hing birds,
nibbling a snack or changing a tire.
Even 011 the expl'CSl;ways, wherc a wide firm
Moulder is l)rovided for safety, Nipper thinks that
half way off the pavement is good enoug h.

Note on Women Drivers

This vehicle, which resembles a baker's truck and

contains equillment to recont driver behavior of all
sorts, was used on Congress Str~t and Edens Expressway two years ago.
Another revelation in the WashingtOn survey was
t hat the. small foreign cars aren 't as economical of
road space as mighl be supposed. For one thing, the
driver, sitting low, can't see fal' ahead and tberclore
lags bebind and is extra cautious whe.n passing.

Women drive with caution, so they say, but tbey

also take more space on lhe road.
The Bureau of Public Roads has found that a
woman driving alone or with children in the car uses
10 per cent more space than the average driver, and
when s he is with adults, s he takes up 20 per cent more.
These findings were contained in the report of a
study made on the Shirley Highway, ncar Washing.
ton, D. C., by the Bureau's electronic "bakery wagon."

V'
:-

Experts Aid With Traffic Problems

THE BAFFL[NG

PROBLEM of moving increasing

volumes of traffic on Btreets Utat are behind the

times confronts every city and town in the country

and demands u solution based on information and
sound, long range planning.

PROCEDURE MANUAL

Herelofore. each municipality has struggled alone,

striving with va...';ous expedients to adjust streets laid
oul long ago to modern transportation needs. Now,
every piace, regardless of size, may lake advantage
of an organized, comprehensive procedure made avaJi
able at modest cost.

This manual was prepared by the NATIONAL COM

Ml'I'TEE ON URBAN TRANSPORT ATtON for
use in conjunction with Better Transportation for
Your City ~ A Guide to the Factual Deve.Jopment of
Urban Transportation Plans.

FfNANClAL RECORDS
A1\"1J REPORTS

The new approach is the result of studies conducted

by the National Committee on Urban Transportation.
Fifteen manuals bave been prepared showing how
transportation data should be collected, analyzed and
evaluated. The techniques described fall generally into three categories-determination of basic lran.!!portation needs. evaluation of transport facilities and appraisal of financial. legal and administrative machinery. Six o ther manuals are in course of preparation.

Distributed From Chicago

Single manuals or the full set may be obtained by
any municipality at the Public Administration Service,
1313 East 69th Street, Chicago 37. The price of the
full set of 15 is $25. Thus the cost is within reach
of any suburb in the Counly.
More than 160 men in all parts of the country,
outstanding specialists in transportation matters. took
pR.rt. iD the studies as members of committees assigned
specific fields or as consultanls. Mayor Ben Wesl of
Nashville, Tennessee, is Chairman and Glen C. Rich
ards. Detroit Com missioner of Public Works, is ViceChairman, of the National Committee on Urban Transportation, rcprt'senling the American Public Works
Association. Leo G. Wilkie. Traffic Engineer for the
Cook County Highway Department. is chainnan of
the committee on Measurement of Existing Traffic
Service.

PUBUC ADMINISTRATION SERVICE

1313 East 60th Street
Chicago 37, Illinois
Front Cover of One of the Milnuill .

planning. It must be based on facts and aimed at

balanced improvement of facilities and operations
in all fonns of local transport, in keeping with the
broad objectives of community planning.
"There a re two main reasons why cities have failed
to plan comprehensively to meet their transportation
needs. One was lack of funds for extensive capital
improvements. The other was lack of essential facts.

The purpose snd accomplishments of the studies is

presented in a 96page book entiUed "Better Transportation for Your City." in the introduction, it is
stated:

" f.'iscal limitations will now be eased, at lease. in

part as a result of the vastly increased federal aid
for urban areas. As for the factual handicap, it can
be permane ntly overcome by setting up the type of
program planning spelled out in this Guide."

"The daily movement of people and goods in urban

arC!as has become one of the most complex and diffi
cult problems facing public officials today. Only de.
cisive action call stem the rising tide of traffic con
gestion, confusion and accidents lhreating the economic and socin.l health of our communitips. The
Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956, with its unprecedented emphasis on urban needs, clearly recognized
this fact.

Titles of the manuals now available are:

Detennining Street Use. Origin-Destination and
Land Use. Conducting a Home Interview Origin-Des
tination Survey, Measuring Traffic Volumes, Det.er
mining Trovcl Time, Conducting a Limited Parking
Study, Conducting a Coml)l'ehensive Parking Study,
Maintaining Accident. Records, Measuring Transit.
Service, Inventory of the Physician Street System,
li'inancinl Records and Rel>orts, Stundards for Street
Facilities a nd Services. Standsrds for Transit Facil
itlcs and Servieea. Improving Transportation Admin
islration, and Modernizing Laws and Ordinances.

Pla ns Must Be Large

"Experience has demonstrated that piece meal ef
forts are not the answer. A new approach is necessary if all the basic elements of the urban transporonion problem are to be brought into focus and
handled successfully. This calls for broad gauge

New Ideas
The /011010i"9 article

011

Iml~lwl

design

Expressway Structure
same. In pre-Stressing, the girder is put in iniUll!
compression by stretching tendons anchored at. each
end of a casting bed until the desired tension is attained. Forms are then erected enclosing the tendons
and concrete is poured. When the concrete has at
lalne<! proper strength, the tendons are released (rom
their anchorage and In their effort to shrink back to
normal induce the necessary compression in the concrete.
Tendons for compression are also used in poststressing. but in this type of fabrication they are en
closed In metal conduits I:Uld permitted to hang slack
in the rOlm. Stress is achieved after the concrelc Is
poured. hence t.he prefix "post" as contrflr)' to 'pre'.
When the concrete haJJ set to the desired degrt."(!, npproximat(>ly 5,000 pounds to the $quare inch. !he
tendons are alressed with 11 powerful hydraulic jack
and both ends are anchored against plates In Ute
girder ends. The result, liS in the pre.stressed girder.
is compression of great load bearing strenglb. The
last step. when tension has been accomillished. Is to
force grout Into the tendon sheath.

Olld COII+

"tructiotl oJ an erpru!tlCuy overpa.fJtJ WCl8 prepared by

Milton F. Page, tmgineer 0/ bridge dc3igll 0/ the Cook
County High/cay Deparhtlcnt, alld M . Schupnck, COILsulting enyineer, who at the time the bridgs wa.!
piatltlcd wa.! chief engineer 0/ tile PreWad CompaflY.

HE MONTROSE AVEl'\'UE grade separation strucT

ture on Edcns E!xpressway, which
been completed and opened to lrRvel. has dramatic intc.rest for
baa

the layman as well as technical value for the bridge

e ngineer.
The design was new in this area and the manner of
construction was unconventional. Instead of being
erected over an exisling depression, this bridge was
buill on tOP of the ground. Excavation for t.he expresawny lanes that will pass beneath it was a finlll
step.
The key element of design, which made tort-of
ground construction economical, was the post-stressed
concrele girder. A companion t.enn is "pre-stressed" .
Pre-stressing is done in a casting yard and the eampleted girder delivered to the job. Posl-stressing, on
the other hand. is ordinarily done at the site and the
girder is uauaUy fonn ed in position. In this country
it has been employed on only a few projeets the magnitude- of the MonlrOse A venue bridge.
The bailie principle in both types is essentially the

Reasons For Cho ice

Several eonsiderations entered into the County
Highway Department's decision to build the Mont
to&C Avenue structure with poststressed girders. At
one time, before stressed concrete was developed. steel
would huve been the only choice. but in the summer
of 1957. when construction schedules required decis ion on materials, 8tce:1 was in short supply and deliveriCf! slow and uncertain.
The Department had acquired experience with prestressed concrete in the construction of prima,ry road
bridges as well as expresswny structurcs. These jobs,
however. were of moderate length. whereas the Mont
rose Avenue bridge Is u three-span structure of three
simple spans each 151 feet in length. The difficulties
of transporting 154-rool girders fI-om the casting yard
through city streets to the bridge site ruled agajnst
the pre-stressed type.
The Preload Company was requested to prepare a
design embodying post-stressed girders. The com
pleted plans sllCCified thal the members be cast in
posltlon. It was presumed. but not specified. that con
struction would be conventional. starting with excavating bcneath the bridge position and proceeding
with erecUon on ralse work.
The idea or casting the girdel'S and deck on the existing grade came from the contractor. the Thomas
M('Queen Company, and was approved by the Department. It was thought there would be 8 saving in
construction time as well as in rruse work. As it
turned out. both were effected in some degree.
The job was done one span at n time. using tempo
rary concrete soffits ror support. Continuity or construction over the entire length of the structure was
considered. but was no t employed for the rollowing
Ieason. :
Il) It would not pennlt as much reuse or false
work Ilnd rorm work aJJ simple ijpan construction.

The Te"do"1 I" Co"dulu are Supported In the Form.

ThOle on the L. eft Sho .... the A" c:hor F itting .

(Contlnu('d vn Paal! 0)

Post-Stressed Bridge Cast on Grade

Polt. ure ..ed Concrete Girder' Ca.l In Place on tne Montrou Avenue Bridge While Resting Of! the Ground. Pllrt
of the Deck. VI,ible In the Left a .. ckllround. had been poured when t hl. P rOIl,.e .. Picture Was M.. de . In the Forme
on the Right , the Tendon . had Been Strung a nd In Th o Ie on the l.ett Had Been AnChored.

Girders and Deck Completed, the Pa lnlt;1Ik lnil Job of Exc,vat lng GOel Ahead.
to Move Dirt to Where a Drag Line Could Handle U.

The Contrilctor Ultd Bulldonrs

vantages. This one had an initial force of approximately 320,000 pounds to the square inch. If the
dctalls remain practical even larger capacity tendons
could be used.

Bridge Built on Ground

Concrete Handled Fast

Construction of this bridge raised 110 particular
problems except thuL exactitude was demanded in
placing the tendons, a nd Lhis went smoothly once the
cont.mctor had mastered the details. The concrete
was placed expeditiously, one crew of 14 men with
two crones placing 440 yards nf ready mix in about
10 hours.
The concrete used was gravel aggregate of I-inch
maximum size and contained sevrm sacks of cement
per yard and six ounces of Plastiment per sack. In
tempernture8 averaging 60 degrees, 4.500 psi conc.rete
was obtained in 12 days and well o,'er 5,000 psi in
28 days.
It Wag Icmrned that usc of existing grade Il8 support during constnlction requires careful excavation
of sail after tbe structure is completed. Some friction
of the soffit forms was encountered when stressing.
However , this did not create a problem_

Table of Cost
Total cost of the superstructure was 517, 00, or
$13.53 per square fooL Bid prices for the superstructure. which indicate that this type: of construeStreu'n& In Aetlon. A 200- Ton Hydrlll.llic J.ek Pull.
on a Tendon iIInd the Operator Me.lIure. the Ten,Ion.
(ConUlIUCoJ !'rom Pille 11)

b) There WIlS no parUcular economy of material

apparent when compared with simple spans.
e) Stressing details appeared unduly complex.
d) The saving in bridge shoes and expansion joints
did not seem to offset the expeditious construction
possible ",ith simple spans.

Type of Pier
The type of pier, which was chosen for simplicity
and economy, consisted of individual shafts In spread

footings. On! shaft. was placed under ench web, with

the result that the spacing of shafts was dictated by
the spacing of webs in tbe cast-ln place superstruc
ture. It would have- been preferable to use more
spacing between shafts. but the detail problem of
finding sufficienl room in [ewer webs for the commercially available stressing tendons p[Ccluded .....ider
web spacing.
The webs wer(> tapered in order t.o economize in
st.ressing requirements. U rectangular webs had been
used, more force would have been required, thU.3
making it difficult to place the tendons in the webs. and
also an additional web would have been nceessary.

Massive Tendons For Big Job

The stressing syst.em selected by the contractor Bnd
approved by the corumltants was Lhe BBRV system
supplied by Joseph T. Ryerson & Son Tnc. The in
divldual units consisted of 40 O.250-lnch wires. For
longer spans, such as the 1afont.rose Avenue job, the
use of the more massive tendons bas many ad-

Qne End or a Girder, With the Tendon, Anchored.

tion is competitive, were:

, ' nil

lI..m

(1lIIonllll

111,1

.'.Ir ..

l"\}n<"rtt.., ..
S!lIewallt, rcrapet

e.y.

.,,.

$H)'l.~

c. y.

lU)

M.OO

l're-,Ireu!ni .tf1e1 _._

!umll

ilelnrorctnl .too .. __ .

,
""

('lUl l-In Vllll."t'

nnd mal

concrete.

Structura l nee!

--

..

February Building Permits

TIlI ,.1

FOR building construction estimated

PERMITS
coat $3,363,100 were issued
February by the
Cook County

to

.s2l! 1,:lIln

in

Building

{i,SIIO

and Zoning Bureau.

which haa jurisdiction in
the uninc.orJ>Orated area
of the County.
Of the 191 permitB,
146 were for new homes

I'll
totaling S2.917,700.
Plans for 122 houses include connections with sanitary sewers. The 24 others
will have septic systems. In other classifications,
permits were issued as follClws:

13:1,(1))

,om

347,000
10'1',000

O.IS

~,100

0.4U

<2,800

. . ,.. '" .

517,800

The job was initiated with the approval of William

J. Mortimer, superintendent, and Hugo J. Stark, chid
engineer, of the Cook County Highway Department.
Construction was supervised by Royal O. Mortenson,
t.he Depa.rtment's engineer of bridge construction..
Eugene Marlowe of Schupack tIJld Zollman was resi
dent advising engineer.

H.dldentl.1 "lIdltions a nd lI.11eraUonl-&venteen permlu,

""''''''.

J\cl~C)ry uundlna_Ten perm!tII, .s!l;!S.lQOO.

Elu.lnl!lll bulldlngii--Ont nermll, $1!J,I.MI.
lJu.ln ...1I IIdllltlonl and alleraUon ...- &!Vtn perm-IU, 1-\08.000.
Indu.trlal addttJon5 and allllflltlOIl_TY.O permlu, $100.000.
Wel ..... -j'WI! penn!l.lI. ~OOO.

Workers Use Expressway

Ml.eeUan ..... u_T-o'O permlu, &1,300,

Maine led the townships with 49 permits reflecting

Ii total \'aluation of $1,085.100,
FOrtyFive were for
residences valued at $986,100 total, th.ree for business
additions and alterations, S97,:;OO, and ont! for an acccssory building, $2,100.
In the 24 townships having territory under jurisdiction of the Bureau. the February permits were issued as follows:

The conveniencc afforded workcn of all types by

Calumet Expressway is indicated i.n a recent survey
of r('8idents in a new subdivisIon.
The count was taken in Soulhdn.le, a part of Sauk
Village, at the &Iuthern end of Calumet. It revealed
that 91 per cent of the brcadwinnen use the expressWilY for tbeir daily trips to ottieeB in Chicago or industrial plants in the south suburban area. Disumces tra veled ranged from Ii few miles to the full
length of Calumet, aJJ the moat convenient route to
the loop.

\.. Inutlon

"own~h!p

BRrrllllton

Bl oom

Bremen

"

fo:lk CI"O\'c
HanoH!"

The study, which was made for Hoffman Community developers, builders of Southdale. also showed
that 72 per cent of those who use the expressway
dally go to work in the south area and the olhers go
into Chicago. Appmximalcly 65 per cent are em
ployed in industry, 22 per cent are office workers and
13 per ct'nt are professional people.

1.I!mollt
!..e}d!'n
Lyonl

.Ma.lne
New Trier

:':1IeSorthfleld
Norwood Park

Orland
Palo.tlne
Paloe

ProvlJlO

Calumet was opened between 130lh Slrcet and

Kingery Expressway interchange at 167th Street in
1950 and south of thal point in 1956, Traffic counts
by the Cook County Highway Department show a
dully liveruge of 33,000 vehicles in the 130th167th
section and slightly more than 13,000 in the section
south of that.

JtIcb
Rchaumburjl:

Slitimty

Thornton
\\7heeilnll
Worlh

,
,
1

CalumC.'t

"
",,
",

8O,2Oj

1.000

~~

""011

1~,700

S27.UiO
41.200

"'.000

2-17,900

"'000

.!
"s

18

In the no fee classification. which Includes churcbes,

schools and fann buildings, one permit was issued,
for a church in Stickney Township, to cost $67,000.

"Advanced" Driving Promoted

6th Century Access Control

Rt'Cognilion has been given in authoritative circles

to the belief that measures designed expressly LO
stimulate pride in good driving might do more than
most things to lessen the perils of lhe roads. In
Great Britain, a real effort has been made to give
effcct to this belief, with results that show considerable promise. An Institute of Advanc.ed MotoristB
has been fanned whicb see.ks to give drivers who can
pass its severe driving lest the cachet of being a memo
ber and displaying a badge on the front of the vehicle.
International Road Federation.

To anyone who thinks that "control of acccS8," as

on the modern expressway, is new, the publication
Highway NewM; cites laws governing perhaps. the
oldesl highway in the world. This road, named the
Royal Road by the Persians after their conquest of
Mesopotamia In the sixth century B, C.. lra\'el'8Cd a
region in southwest Asia and ABln Minor.
The Royal Road passed through Ninevah, the capital city of Assyria. In order to preserve the artery
for its intended purpose, the king decreed that any
one whose property encroached on the 18-foot rightof.way through the center of the c:ity sbould be
hanged from a pc;le erected in fronl of his home.

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Work Progrel.eI on Welt Approach to Oouble Sueule Bridge, Con,tnll:ted by Cook County. Wh ich Will Carry NOMh .... esl
Eltpr... w.y Fledel'" unCI (Ohio Ind Ontlorlo StreeU) O"lr NoMh Branch of the Chleilgo River.

Vol. VI No. 11

APRIL, 1959

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook County (D1.) Department of RlchW'A"
Under autpicel of the Board of County Commilllionel'l
DANIEL RYAN , Pruldent

William N. Erlck.on
Fred A. Fulle
Ch r i.t A. Jenle"

Jam F. A.hende"
Frank Bobrytzke
Charle, F. Chaplin
Ellubeth A. Conkey

John A. Mackler, Jr.

Dan ie l Ryal'l
Clayton F. Smith
Edward M. Sneed
John J . Touhy

Jerry Dolezal
John J . Duny
Arthur X. Elrod

Will iam J . Morti mer

Superintendent of H lllh way.

Publiahed at ISO North Wells Street. Chicago 6.

FRanklin 2-'1644

Extension 216

Boob of the Month

Children on Bicycles
ICYCLING HAS Its own sad casualty lists. Since
lhe number of bikes in use and the mileage travB
eled are iar less than the comparable figures for aulO-

mobUes, Il is likely that the ra tea of death and injury

are 88 high. And since most of the victims by far are
children under 16, lbe rcsuJ18 are the more tragic.
As estimated by lhe National Safety CounCil, between 400 and 500 bicycle riders lire killed eacb year
and a nother 25,000 to 30.000 suffer disahling injuries.
Prompted by t hese figures , the Council recenlly sent R
question naire to Illl the states. Forty-two responded
wilh infot'InatiOJ1 on 392 fatal accidents, which Is 80
per cent of the 480 estimated by the Council for 195i.
The data collected amply justify the bicycle traIning
program conducted in suburban public and private
schools by the Cook County Traffic Safety Commisaion, of which County Board President Daniel Ryan
is president and J ohn J . McC1everly, executive secretary. This project. which hsa come to be rceogni:t:ed
throughout the country as a model of its kind, can
measure its success by the record of only one death
of a. Bicycle Safety Club member In the last three
years. It. definitely is SIlving young lives.
It is gratifying also to Se(! first among the principaJ
findings of the Safety Council's study one point that
has been stressed by the County Commission from the
beginning, and that Is thc danger of riding a bicycle
on the left side of a street, against oncOming tramc.
Among those who answered the Council's questionnaire, "the caneensus was a lmost UDanimoWi that bicyc![ats should not ride in this direction. but rather
that they sbould ride on the right side of the street
and follow aU the rules a nd regulntions pertaining to
other vehicles."
Other findings based on the 392 bicycle fataHties
were:
Eighty-two per cent of victims wer e under 16 years
of age.
Eighty-six )ler cent were males.
Seven out of 10 accidents occurred during the six
months April through September.
Seven out of 10 oecurred during daylight bours.
Four out of five occurred during p. m. bours.
Aec.identa were most frequ ent on Saturday, least
frequc.nt on Sunday.
In one accident in three, bicyclist struck motor
vehicle.
Tn four out of live accidents, bicyclist was violating.

FILBERT caugbt on
no time at a ll
FLATHEAD
that it's necessary to have gas in the tank.
in

But he hasnt yet learned that it's a good idea

to give the car n routine chcckup every so oflen.
In the meantime, h[a [ronl wheels are just enough
out oC line to wear out the tires.
And one headlight Is stuck o n high beam, makong
him a nuisance nnd a hazard to everybody else.
Cook County children who have been instructed and
tested in the Commission's 12 rules for bicycle snret}',
have a fnr better record than the nationwide figures
in respect to ,'iolations, in the opinion of Mr. McCleverly.
"One importanl thing our program hag done is to
give the children pride In their Safety Club mcmbership," he said. "They must be sble to manage their
bicycles safely and they must know traffic signs and
laws In order to get a membership card. And they
know that infractions will mean forfeiting membership."

More Accidents, Fewer Deaths

1958 RECORD
highway traffic accidents in
THEsuburban
Cook County, .complled in detail this
month, shows 19 per

County

In

of

March Traffic Fatalities

cent more accidents

than in 1958, but a decrease of 2.75 per cent
in lives lost.
The total of all 1958
accidents wa s 27,692.
which compares with 23,264 in 1957. For the most
p:ut. the increase was in mishaps that caused only
prope rty damage--17,646 in HI48 as against 13,994
the year before. Accidents that caused personal injury increased from 9,076 in 1957 to 9,864 in 1958.
The number of persons injured , however, increased
nearly 30 per cent-16,393 in 1958 and 12,676 in 1957.
As finally accounted for, 1958 deaths totaled 216,
compared with 222 in the previous yea r. These finsJ
figures are higher each year than th06{! announced
at the end of December because they include. delayed
dea ths rcsulting from injuries incurred in the year.

Nine occcpants of motor vehlcles and two pedestrians were killed on streets and highways in suburban
Cook County in March. The toll was one under that
of February and a lso one under March, 1951.
Two deaths reaulted from a pileup of three cars and
in another fatality five automobiles were involved.
One was killed when a car left the paveme.nt and
mn into a ditch and one when a ca r struck a wa.yside
object. Only one truck figured in a fatal accident.
The olher deatbs all resulted from auto-auto collisions.
Significant cha rn.eteristics of tbe traffic accident
pattern in the suburban area are indicated by analysis
of the 175 deaths recorded at the end of last December.

W eather Cl e ar. Road Dry

As in previous years, the greatest number of fatal
accidents by far occurred in clear weather and on dry
pavement. Eight times as many man drivers were
killed as woman drivers, but the number of woman
passengers who met death was one-third higher than
men. Seven of the 91 drivers killed were under 18
and 5 were older than 65. Forty-two of the dead recorded t hrough last December were pedestrians.

Records For Subu rbs

Several of the larger .!luburbs which recorded traf
fie deaths in 1957 went through 1958 with no fatalities.
These included, with 1957 deaths: Evanslon, four ;
Rivcr Forest, two; Evergreen Park, one; Bellwood,
two; Glencoe, onc.
SulJUrbs

TA

~"""anslon

.13.'1..'5

Clccro
Oak Park
Berwyn
MIlYwood
Chicago Heights
Hntvey
ElmwOod Park
Wilmette
Hlue 1,l;land
Park Rldj.:e
Calumet City
Brookftetd
Del PlaInes
Foreal Park
Skokie
Melro&e Park
Wlnnetkll
La Crange
River F a rl!llt
Evergreen Park
RlverJlde
Summit
Franklin Park
Arlington Helghtl!l
Oak Lllwn
Bellwood
I.anslng
Park F'oresl
Glencoe
WCliltern SprlnRS
La Grange Park
Clenvlew

I.yon.

Homewood
RI\'erdale
Doltan
Broadview
River Grove
Robbin.
Nortbl ake
WestchC!lter
Palallne
Mount Prosped
Morton Grove
Phoenix

Nllel!l

NorrIdge
SUekney
Northbrook
SOuth H OlilUld
North Rivefllide

MIdlothian

LinCOlnwood
Kenilworth

''''''
'''''
1016

,m
.,.
607
,.,
"""
'"
3"
."

..."'",,,.
...""
""

l"A

,,
,,
,,,
,,
,,,

,,
~
,
,"3
""
'" ,,
""
~
,

..

189

"'
1'1
""
167
""
".
184

,
"" ,,
''''
83
'00

117

'"29

3.':12

'00

US

",.

"n
69

OS

"

1' 1),\

. ...

,,
,
1

230

l.emont

807

3
5

,
""
,.,
,
'"
'"
,n ." ,,
"" "'" ,,
l'J'i 'l!fl ,,
,
'"~
~
'"
"'" 103 ,,
'"'" '"
'", ,
'""
22
'"
"
"..., '" ,
" '" ,
"., U.
'''' ,,
,
.,." ""
U,.,
...
," '"". ,,
,.... ..."
,
"" .,,." ,
,
""" '" ,
"
313

'56
TI

326
161

...

T13

".

265
713

MlU'khllm

Calumet Pllrk
Tinley Pa rk
HlII slde

"'"
""
~
au
""
'"
'"
'",.

Soulh Chicago

3H
2m

l'Ielghtll

1-I1l:l:el Crest
8t!rkeley
Oak F ores t

180

Po~"

FlOlllmoor
East Chkago HelghtlS
Warth
Stone Park
NQrthfteld
arldlll.wlew
SChiUer Park

Burnham

''''
uo
""
ns
210

Dl:nn()(lr

WHlow SprlngR
Ahllp
Thornton

. ..... '".
.. ".""
.... "
59

102

to.

SO
91

1<0

63

102

59

ll2

66

..
..

100

II

36

208

60

36

33

Sub ... bM

600

"I, '"
m
l.ti
""
" ...

36

,,
,,
'"
m
'SO
291
,,

"X>

L\

389 ,<6
'<8 UO>
' SO 003

(Cc ntinu(ld on Page 6)

Matt<!son

Merrlonelle Park

Eallt Ha;r;lecrnt

Oll'nwooo
Orland Park
Bartlett

'98

59

Palo. Pnrk

66

Wheeling
JusUee
Bedford Park
Crestwood
Chicago Ridge
Hcdllklnl

134

ll.
91

MoCook
Harwood. Heights

'~

Foretlt VIew

Goil

u"
=

Olympia Field.

Homewood Park

Rlchlon Park
Hometown
Counly Roads
Rural US It: Ill. HWYI .
BIIrrinlllOIl n\ll~
Roiling Mcadows
Hi CkOry HIli.
Sau}[ Village

=
'"63

13

.,.,"

Elk Crove

Roflemont
Schnumburg Center
Elgin
TOTALS

81

,ll
2'J
3

"n
'"

..

"",
",
,."'"
,..
l "
"
,, ""'"
,.,

,,.'"
"
"""
29

68

"
""'
'"'"
62

83

46

"
'"

"X>
S6
>3

1
1

1
1

, ,
",.'"", n,
""",.
'"
,
<2

61

3
1

n""

..
.."" ,, "".
" , ...
1

1
1

1
l.8l

28
9

38

46

46

00

32

,
"
, ,
"
" "'" ,
""" ""'" ,
"""", ""'",
,."
",
,
'" ,Jii" ,
.m
, "'"
"" "
,
,

",
""

,,
"""
'"'"
'",
"

'8

"
""

29

6
16

u"l

41
6

~
,
"
" , '"
m
,.
~
'"
ill
"
, , ",
60

,...""" , .
"" ,
.."" ,
26
8

25

..

00

.
1

'"

3 1 10M

15]6

78

>3

3J

8
8

9864 17646

2S67

"
,

26

8
8

216 ]6393

Striping the Highways Is Big, Steady Job

By larry Mariotti
Supel"lll,or p .. ln t and Sign Shop
Cook County MlghWill)' Oepilrtment
FA~fiLlAR

HE
sLripes dividing lanes of traffic are
T
recognized by both traffic engineers and motorists
as an important factor in safety on the highways.
During the leisurely horse and buggy days. traffic
had IitUe difficulty In keeping safely to onc side of the
road, but when Lh(> horseless euniage appeared in Increasing numbers it became apparent that this new,
fssLer mode of trovel required channeling. NumcrctU8
mAterials were tried out 8S center line markers- white
concrete, stones. reflector buttons, brass spots, plastic
Inlays and 110 Corth- but the painted line, first used
sbout 50 years IIg0, has proved to be mosl satisfactory
a nd economical.
Being cosily /Wen a nd easily renewed, the painted
line In various furms snd colors has become standard
8S a center divider on primary roads and also to mark
the lanes on multi-Ianed expressways. On heavily
trnv(!lcd arteries n more pronoun(!ed divider haa been
dC(!JDed necessary. Thus on the expressways there is
the wide medium strip nnd o n principal streets. a built
up divider such AS the one now being instaUed by tbe
County Department on Western Avenue. (See page 4
of this issue).

Striper U,ed on Cook County AOild,

rnry and brief. The striper will soon be along. In

the meantime, drivers Rre asked to keep safely to their
side of the road and laler, wben the fresh paint is
down. to avoid crossing over and smearing the line.
As an Indication or the amount of paint used for
highway striping, the County's 1959 program. which is
nbout to get slt\rted. wUi require 10,000 gallons of
white paint and 1.500 gallons of yellow. or about the
same quantity that 10,000 do-it-yourself home ownerS
will spread In the same time. In addition the Stale
wlil tend to the striping or highways within the counly
which the Statc maintains and the City of Chicago and
the Chicago Park District will have their own large
paint jobs.

Bright Stripes County Policy

The mainlennnce of road stripc& in bright condition
is part. of the. regular upkeep program of every highWRY and slr<'cl department.
Within Cook County,
the County Department is responsible for approximately 525 miles of concrete and bituminous roads.
which include I'ILreets or parts of streets in many sub
urbs as well as highways In open country. It is the
finn policy or this department to renew all painted
stripes as orten RS necessary to keep them clearly to
be soon both night a nd day. On many S(!(!Uons this
is a n annual chore, Fresh striping is also requirC<!
when a road Is resurfaced, 88 i8 done by the County on
aome 40 miles etlch year, or when 8 senl coat is applied
to black top.
Since painting i8 the last step in R resurfacing job,
motorists frequently find lbemselves on a Hmoolh new
surfnce without fltripes. Tbis situation is only tempo-

Ne w Pain t Reflect ive

Cook Counly wall one of the early users of reHectorizcd paints. on Figns as wcll as on road stripes:. [n
recent yeaMl all STOP and other signs erected by lhe
department hnve a flat surface that reflects headlight
beams and, being fist, is to a considerable degree seU
cleaning. Ruins keep the su rface washed clean of dust
and very little hand cleaning Is needed the year
around.
Highway lane atripes nre made reflective by adding
tiny bends to the paint. There are two methods of
doing this, both of them good. This department drops
the beads In the resh paint. the bead dispenser bcing
part of the striping machine mechanism. With this
method, full refleclion is obtained at once.. On air
flelds , where reftectorized paint is used to ma rk runways. the genentl practice is to mix the beads with the
paint. 8.nd lhis n!('\uires four to six weeks to reac.b fuU
reHection. Highway striping uscs four to six pounds
of beads to a gallon of paint. Airports use 10 to 12
pounds.

What Road Stripes Mean

Solid White Line-Center line on a two-lane
pavement and lane line on widened approaches
to main intersections. May be crossed over to
pa6& car ahead.
Skip d.as.h white or black line-Center line on
a two-lane pavement and lane line on a multi-lane
facility. May be crossed over to pass.
Single solid )'cllow line-No passing zone because or shortened slghl diatsnee on hills and
curves.
Double yellow line- Center line on mulU-Janed
highway, illegal to cross over.
Broad yellow cross stripe-$top line at intersection.

Striper Versa tile Machine

Cook County usea a highway striper of the most advanced design. h. was built to department s~fica
tions in 1956 3!ld has proved to be highly efficient in
a wide vllriety of npern lions.
The truck chnssis mounts three paint tanks of iOO
gailons each and 8 vane type air compressor that produces 125 cubic feet or rree air a minute. The tanks
fCOnUl'lucd on Page 6)

New Type Median on Six Chicago Streets

Melh An cho red with Po wer Tool

By Andrew V. plummer
MII,Unt To The Superintendent
Cook County Highway Department

ESTERN AVENUE in Chicago. from Howard

Street at the north city limit Houth to lllth

W
Street. is being Improved by the Cook County High.
way Department with inslallation of a new type of
channelized median that is expected to reduce accidents and expedite lrnffic.
Tbe Western Avenue projcct, which extends 22.5
mJles, is one of six totaling 36.05 miles and covered
by the same contract to be done this year. The otbers

Sc:reed ilnd Mec:hilnlC:ill Vlbriltor

New Bri dge Ceremony

Two parades, two banda and three official ribbon
culters will perform to open the new bridge over the
Des Plaines River between Riversid(' and Lyons. The
ce\ebraUoI\. date, Saturday, May 9, has been declared
a holiday by the two suburbs.
At the request of residents of the l()(ality, the bridge
haa been named Barry Point Road bridge, preserving
the name of the principal route into Chicago from the
sou thwest in the 1840's.
Parades will move from both Riverside and Lyons
and meet in the center of the bridge at 10 o'clock.
E ..'Cercises on the bridge will include snipping of red,
white and blue ribbons by J ohn H. Hoffman, president
of Lyons ; William Bojeck. president of Riverside, and
Daniel Ryan. presidenl of the Cook County Board.
Promoting the festivities arc the chambers of com
merce of both villages and the Lions Clubs. The bands
to take part are the RiversideBrookfleld High School
a nd the District 103 elementary school of Lyons.
Designed a nd constructed by the Cook County Highway Department. lhe new bridge is of three spans each
73.5 feet in length. Il is 40 feet in widlh, which
provides a two-Jane roadway 28 feet In width and
six foot widealks. Construction was v.ith pre-stressed
concr U! girders. with a concrete slab. Contract price
WRS 5285,108.

are:
Itolld

"rill"

Inlnlr Pnrk Rd.

COlUII;\! Gro\'e Ave. 95th St.
Oraml Ave.
Fullel'wn AVC,
W(!lI:tcrn A,'C!,
Lawrence! Ave.
Alhl/Hld

j\V~.

Lincoln A,'e.

FOIIler A,'e.

""

Thome Ave.
so. Chlt' IlK!) Al' e .

llJl e.>
0

Welt ... rn Ave

S~

Alhland A"e.
Pt'ttraon A,-e.

US

The new median. which serves the same purpose as

other types of raised dividers installed on Chicago
Streets in recent years, consists of metal mesh and
concrete filling. When complet.cdJl presents a concrete surface three feet In width and slightly crownoo.
Conalruction of the mesh type is hoth fasler and
less costly than comparable types. Solid concrete
medians, which have been installed on some Chicago
streets, require opening the pavement. The mesh is
applied directly to the street surface.
The mesh specified is l"x 14 gauge. It is anchored
to the pavement with clips secured with pins driven
to 3-inch penetration by R power-actuated fastening
toot. Ready mix concrete is used, screwed Hush with
thc top of the mesh side walls, mechanically vibrated
and finished smooth by hand.
At important inter-sectiona, the ftex.ible mesh ill
sha)>ed to provide left turn bays.

New ModeL Depicts South Route Interchanges

-\

A Ne ..... Model Milde for t he Cook Count)' HI"hway Department Show. the South Route Expr,........ y I~
terchangu ilt lOOth and l03rd Stdeet.. Coming from th' North on the Line of SUt. Street. the E.pre ....
WilY Dlvldu Between 15th .nd lOOth Stree,,- Into Ea,t lind Welt Leg .. The Eill1 Leg Turn. South to CO"",ct
With the Calumet ExprellwJI)' iIt 'lOth Street. A F.,.II I"lerch_nlle with l03rd Strut I, Provided ilnd Rlmpa
iI'"
On'"ned to Connect the ElCpr'"""'a,. with S tan)' " Iand Allenue. 8e.le or the Model I, 100 reet to the Inch.

Highway Striping . . .

1958 Accident Records .

(CGnUnuC!'tl

(Conllnued from Pap .)

tnn Pap 3)

Elc\'en of lbem were younger lhan 16 and 14 were

older than ~.
More ratal n.c:cldents occurred on Sunday lhan any
other dRY. By daya, OCCtll'l'CJlce was: Sunday, 36:
Monday, 2 ; TuCday, 22: Wednesday. 32: Thursday,
17; Friday, 21; Saturday, 19.
Tbe deadlit!lll hour of the day was betwef:n 6 and
7 p. m. with 19 dealha, and the safeat, 11 a. m. to
noon. one death. The rate of fatalities 1"086 sharply
at 4 p. m. and continued until 8. with 59 deaths in that
period. Between a and 9 then' were only throe deaths
recorded.
tarting at 9. the frequency In~eascd Rnd
between then Rnd 6 n. m., the total waa 78.
Coillstona betWt!@D two automobiles cauaed 51
dealba. Thirty-four Wen' kUled wben automobiles left
the l)Qvem('nt Rnd struck tJ"'eel. post.. buildings. viaduct raUs or rolled into dlt.ehea. One boy o n a motor
scooter was killed when he ron into a curb and R.nother
fatality wrut n. borse rider whoSic mount was atnlck by
an automobile.

are loaded directly [rom drums by means of a pump

driven by a truck motor.
TraiUng behind lhe tnlck Is the carrier for the rour
pnlnt guns and bead dispensing equipment. The two
center line guns and the center line bead distributor
are automotJeally cont.roLied by a timer device. On
four-lane roads, the machine ean put down the yellow
(:enter linea and botb white lane IItri~ if it is poUibte
to close the road lo O'afHc. Otherwise, the (:enter
lines a nd the lane line on only one side will be applied.
By using outrigger anTIS, the striper can do all lhe
lines on a three. or four-lane expressway at one ptl8Il.
A two-way Intercom syatem gives the striper driver
communication with the operator riding the trailer.
This year the machine also h88 been equipped with
the Highway Department's two-way radio system.
which keeps various pieces of equipment in contact
with maintenance headquarters and nl8() is available
for use of the CivU Defense orgnnlzaLion.

More Speed Zones Listed

5IXTYTHREE Engineered speed ZObes on 33 roads

March Building Permits

FOR building construction estimated at
PERMlTS
56.644,000 total valuation were issued in March by
the Cook County Build-

and streets in the County system bave been approved by the County Board and forwarded to the
Illinois Division of Highways. This is the fourth
Iiat of zones determined by engineering studies, as
provided in the 1957 Illinois speed law. The new list
follows;

ing and Zoning B\lreaU,

which has jurisdiction in
the unincorporated area
of the County.
Of the 389 pennits,
262 we re for new homes
estimated at 8. total of
$5.279,;00, and 55 were
Cor residential additions a nd alterations, 149,050.
Other types of buildings Iluthorized, with valuations,
were:

.I '",po~

U oadway

Hralnant AVI!.

Sec!Uun
711t
66th
llr5lh
47th

St.
St.
St..
5t.

to Plainfield Rd.

to Plnlnlleitl llil.
to 4nh st.

1.0 Oll'l.IeD Al'e.

Burnham AVe.

Steier Rd. to Sauk Trait

Wilke Jld. to ArlinatoD Hl5. ltd.
Lincoln A,C!. to. Demp.11lt' 5L
25t h A\'C, to 9th Ave.
Mnnnhclm Rd, to 3!5lh Ave.
35Ut Ave. 10 Sl..It Ave.
Fullerton A\'e.
DeLI Md 500 LIne nR. 10
R1"t.f' Rd.
Cardllllr lW.
:and 51. to Congl'('l, F.xpy.
11l1I.lde Ave.
Dundee L.ane to. Fourth A,e..
l.andmeleI' Rd.
ArllnKlan H15 . Rd. 10. Tonne ltd,
Tonm,' Rd. to .... miLe W.ar
Tonne Hd.
~ mile \Y. or Tonne Rd to
BuD(' IIwy.
Duse Hwy. to Hlgllns Rd.
Midlothian
149nl SL. to. 11),;, mile! N. E. at
Turnl'lke
l48rd SI.
1 % mile N_ K or H3rd SI. 10
-2 mile. N. Eo of 143rd 51.
!l miles X ,.; , or H3nI SI .1.()
Re:d:ord Rd .
Monce Rd.
Will Clunl)' LIne to. W.:!ilem Ave
Nnrrllllilnsetl nd. tnlh 5 1. to 79th St.
Oltkton $t.
Mnnnhelm lit!. 10. Soo Line
sao L.tne 10 Maple 5L
Olympian Wa)'
Linooln III,'}'. to. Ked:t.ie Ave.
Patine Ase.
Dora Aq' 10 'l5th A"'c.
Rhl~('llInd AVI!
J47th 51. 10 13.'5U, 5L.
lSljlh 5 1. to cal-Sag. Rd.
Cal-$ai Rd. to 111lh St.
SICKer 1111. to 183rd St ,
183rd St. to l'rnUt St.
CblcaltO-Elain Rd. to Sulton Rd .
Sultan Rd. to BDrtlcu Rd.
BftrUett Rd. to. SIIrrtn,:lon lid
Seeger 1M.
10rl hwcst Hwy, to ol i n Ave.
4th Ave. to Rand nd.
Smith Rd.
l:l7lh SL 10 135th SL
Thornton Rd.
156Ut Silo lndJIlIID A"e.
AlIhland to 13.5th PI.
Sibley BI\'d, to Leomll SI.
Tonne Rd.
oe" on A"e, to Landmcler Rd.
Walker Rd.
MCCarthy Rd , to ChiQ.-Jollel Rd .
\Vh~Ung Rd.
CIlmp McDunlLld ltd. to PalaUne

CentraJ Rd.
Ctawford Ace.
DI"I.lon St.

Rd.

Willow fld.

67th St.
91.11lSL
tOOth Ave.
(WHI SL)
lOard Sl.

139th 51.
148nS st.
ltr.'UI

st.

l67th St.

183rd st.

MPH on c:urve.

PalaUne Rd . to HInlz Rd.

S late Rd. to Rand Rd .
Rand Rd. to Schoenbeck Rd,
Schoen beck nd. to WheeUnl' ltd.
Cook-DuPaae Rd. to Walt Rd.
La Cranwe Rd. to ED.t A,'e.
153rd SL 10 143rd SL.
Mat'lhall Ave. to Mnn.nflld A\'fl,
Crawford Ave. to Weste.rn A\'e..

Rae.helor Grove Rd, to MidlothIan

TurnpIke
Oak Pk. Ave, to Cleero Ave.
Cicero AVe. to Cr-awlord Ave
CraWford Ave, to DIxIe nw),:
OLll'ie Jlw)', to SOUlh Park An.
Ctllc:aaro Rd. to CII.Iumet Expy,
Calumet E:lpy. to TO~n~ A"e.
P4lh A"e, 10 SUh Ave,
Cot\.:lge Grove 10 calu met !:."xpy
Calumel ElCPY, to Torrence Ave,
Torrenee Ave. to Burnham Rd .
Burnham nt!. to Wentworth A\e .

:'lpr.ed
Llntlt

.
...
,..'"'"
..,.

....,..

'"

ACC1!uory buUdln&,._Thlrtytwo permltl, 16l.5Ml.

UllIlneu bulldln'I--f1"e permill, $459,600.
Ou,tne" additIOns nnd alteraUonl--Eleven permttl, .$2(><1,900.
Indu.lrLnl buildlnlfl-Two perml15. $16,~
industrial sddlUanl and alleraUOD~ ~mtu. ~OOO,
Welll-Elaht ~mltl, $18,000.
1aIucelianeoUl--Seven permtll, $l5,ooo,

SO
SO

Stickney township, which has had a boom extending

over several months, led the list of townships that
have territory under the building bureau. Stickney's
lotal of permits was 112 and total valuation, $1,5<13,300. lncluded were 92 residences of a total estimated
cost of 51,501,100. The townShip's other permits wer e
Cor residential additions and alterations and accessory
buildings.
By townships, the March permits were issued as
follows:

...."'.
45-30'

,.
,.

....,.""""
..'"'"""
'"
......
..
.,.'"
'"
."
..,..
'".
"

T ....-n .. bt p

Barrtnaton
Sloom
Bremen
Culumel

<0

t:Lk GrovC!
l1anover
Leyden

L}'olll
Maine
New Trlllr
NorUineld
Nono.-ooo Park
Orland

II

50

Palatine

Palo.
ProvllO
Rlc:h
SChaumburaSUdtnl')'
Thamton
\Vhecllna

Worth

I'e rmll.

,
6

7
1

",
"

:n
",

,.

, ' III " aU .. n

'2,300
27,300
l00,lOO

,,000
28.m

8..,00
'l3.900

1.

379,500
193,!II!O
:U.800

....00

993,830

"""'"

407.900
346,700

>I"'"
06._

12

,00,600

U2

J,54ll,3OO

".!IOIl

76'7,800
GM,700

No permits were taken out for Lemont or Niles

townships,

SO

In the no-fee cla88ification, which includes churches,

schools and farm buildings, there were lhree permits
for ch\lrch collst.ruction-one in WbecHng. $208,000,
a nd two in Wort.h, $79.300-and one for a school job
in Maine, $100.

Antiques and Classics

Tbere are now about 20,000 Americans who own
antique or c1aS3ic cars. Antiques a re those made be
for e 1916 and which t he owners have placed in operaUve condition, These qualiCy for the Horseless Carriage Club. Classics are cars made belween 1925 a nd
1942 and are big and high-powered- AAMV A Bulletin.

""SO
40

""
7

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

SpdnG Come. to Fvl! Glol)' In Cook County Forest Pr..ervu.

Vol. VI No. 12

MAY, 1959

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook Coun t)' ( 111 .) Oepartment of RighwlIY,

Under auspices

or

the Board of County Commi5llioners

D ANIE L RY A N , Pruldent

Willi.", N. Erlck.on
Fred A. Fulle
Chrilt A. Jenlen
J oh n A. Mackler, Jr.

Jamu F. A,hendo"
Bobr)'ttke
Charln F . Chaplin
Fr~nk

Ellubeth A. Conkey

Daniel Rya n

Jerry Dolezal

Clayt on F. Smit h

John J . Duffy
Arthur X. Elrod

Edward M. Sn eed
John J . T ouhy

William J . Morti m er
Superintendent of MlghwOIYI

Publl"" led at. 130 NOI'th Wells Street, Chicago G.

PRanklin 2-7liU

t:xtenaion 216

Boob of the Month

April Traffic Fatalities

rGHT PERSONS were killed in highway traffic acE
cidents in suburban Cook County last month. n
figur e that compares strikingly with the tol1 of 17 in
April of last year.
Only onc of the dead wns 8 pedestrian nnd only one
wus killed in a collision bctw(!cn vehicles. the most
frequent. type of highway fatality_ Three young people
19, 20 a nd 21 years of age-----we.re killed outright in
onc accident, the cnul h o f their ear against an abutment. Two were in cars that left t he road a nd hit
trees and one was killed when a car ran into a
culvert_
The April figure brought Lbe lotal (or the first
four months of 1959 to 40 deaths, Lbe lowest fQr the
period in Ule 14. years' r ecords of the Cook County
Traffic Safety Commission. From 1916, t.he tolls for
t.he first [our months were:
)946 .. . ....... 57
1953 ...... . ... 57
1947 .. . _.. . ... 56
57
1954
1918 . _ . . . ..... 53
1955 . .. . ..... 62
1949 _ . .. . ... . . 41
1956 . . . 70
1950 _ .. _ . .. . . . 51
1957
53
1951 __ . _...... 40
1958
55
1952 _ .. . _..... 60
40
1959

-BOO Pew alwaya picks the Inside lane so

PEEK-A
he can go fasL
But eooner or late r he finds himself s tuck behind a
car stopped for a le ft turn.
This infuriates Peek-a-boo.
Even though the lert tum is legal, no one bas the
riGht to delay him.
So he swings sharply into the outer lane, which
puts it up to all the drivers in that line to save their
own fe nders.

Sense In Speed Limits

Under the caption "Putting Sense in Speed Limits,"
lhc Garfieldian. one o f Chicago's mOSl influential community newspapers., approves the County'. project of
engineered zones in accordance with lhe 1957 state
speed law. The editorial in part follows
. "While there have been some complaints CXI)ressed
against the new speed limits, which at'(' us ually higher ,
we doubt if very mnny of them are justified. City
dwellers who hllvc been the vietims of speed traps
operated in some o[ thcse Areas will bear this out,
we arc sure.
"As the County Highway Department has pointed
out, it is undersUlndable Cor a citizen of Subu rb A to
desire traffic to slow down t.hrough his suburb, al
though he mlly wish to drive through Suburb B without undue restriclion, W e a re all a lillie bit like
that when it comes to restrictions- they o.re fin e for
the other feHow but not for us.
"The facts of the survey, we belicve, are that [or

Lhe first time speed limits arc being bllscd on sound

standards of traffic procedure instead of mere opinion.
Any limits that prove too high can easily be reduced
a fter another survey. In this connection, however , the
county reports Lbat maximum limits were increased
in 10 out ot 11 aress after consultation with state
aUlhorilies_
" All in all , the traffic study is a fine project which
should facilitate the ordcrly flow of traffic throughout
the Coun ty. We can't believe there will be any tendency to keep the limit too hIgh in school areDS. Nobody
is against protectIng children."

Precision Crew Marks Elevations

County

By William J. Bonn
Chi.., of Survey
Cook Counly HlghwOlly Ot~"ment

COUNTY being levelled off

COOK
to sea levcl, that is.
it;

with reference.

A relatively new Ilrojccl of the Rigbway D<!parlmenl Is the establishment of bench mRrlu at Crc<'lllenl
intervnls throughout Lhe County outside of Cbicugo.
The job is being done with a trained crew uKing preelslon iIUltrumenta. Eventually it ....111 provide a mark
every half mile north nod south And east and wesl
lUI bases for highway IltojcctlJ or tor the usc of privnte
bulldcl"8 who need 81m level dala.
Up to now, the highest point recorded in the County
on n highway gmdc 18 910.918 feel nhove sea level.
This I. in BRr rington Township at lhe wcll-known
junclion of Algonquin. Sutton, Dundee and Bartlett
Ronds at we bridge Over the Elgln, Joliet & Eastern
Railroad troc.kll. TIlt' mark is a chiseled triangle on
the hub guard at the east end of the bridge 22 feet
north of the center line of Algonquin Road.

Prec:lae Level CrewOett to right). Frank DIV.rco,

William J. Bonn, Hlghwa)' Dep;lrtment Ch ie f of Sur_
ve)': And)' Borguon. Peler J . Marino. chief 0' p.;1rt)':
LOIIIII Da",ldson, Jamea Sladek.

The lowest point IffOrded in the County's bench

mark book 18 588.801, in Thomton Township, at 154th
Street nnd Bumhllm Avenue. A standard Cook County
Highway Department bench mark disc is embedded at
the exact l)Oint.

Chicago dntum -= 519.310 .003. This cleVAtlon-579.310III 00 the U. S. C. &. G. S. bench olllrk at the old
Chicago water lower, County elevntions nrc Interehangcnble with U, S. C. &: G. S. And f'1('va lions IU'C
supplied by the County tor U5e of the Vnitl'd States
Geological Survey Ilnd the lUinois Departmen~ ot
Waterways.

Tbus, the variation in sea level from the northwest

area of the Count)' to the southeast, 4S shown in the

bench mark book to date, t. 322.117 feel. Since aU data

In the book indicate highway grade.. they do not, of
course. include the highest hill or the lowest depression in the County terrain.

Bench mark surveying i.e done with precision instrum('nls Ilnd with conJridcrntions of westher condi
Lions thAt could A1fect accuracy. The level b: self
I'vcling. with 81)f'C(A! lenses and cross hnJrs. The
rods used are adju8tuble to fine readings and Are h('ld
plumb with the aid of n hand level gripped by the
rodmlln against the rod. On windy days. 8 CAnvas
shield is erected around the level. All th .. field work

ElevaUona determined by the County'. IlI'ecision

level crew Rre bused on data established by the U. S.
CoRst and Geodetic Survey for the year 19.a7. The
equaUon 88 applied to City of Chicogo datum m:O.OOO

100nllnued (In Plage 11

Nll.ES-IIIJlh. 642."501, al Shl:!.rml'r and Dempster nda.; lOW.

flfNlI9O. III C.. ntrnl SI and WUI RlIUl"fllltI Ave.
NO""IFr&l.D- IILllh, 6112.7l!3. lit l.IIkl'-Cnok IInII SnnllL'I'II
Itll . ; low. az.oI7tl. III SklJkJl' ltd lind Pine SI In Wlnnelkll.
NOIlWOOD PARK- W"h. &n.6.'Kl. at OItk Pllrk lin<! Grand
A\"enut'J; luw, M3.:M1O. al Foretl eien Ave. lind t::den. :cOIftSWIIY
OAK V"RK- nl,h. 1i:28.4!l1. at narlem e.nd OIknlW
nuet!: 10..... 619.593.. al l1l1rll!m A,e. and ROII5('\('1I Rd.
()1ll.A~D-m.h, 701UIIl. at l67th St. and to.Uh A'~. ; 10""',
1lII4.M2. III lB1tb SI. 11M Wol! Rd.
PALATlNF'..-lIlah. ",'--{ 1Ifn. al DundC!e ltd and Weill Ttlwn
shlO UIIf: Inw. 008!101\ at WlIl{e and Kln'Ilt,tr RM
l'AI.os 1I1,h., 7r.2.109. al Mc('.arthy and WoLt ltd ; l'1w.
58.1.1;71l. at CSlumet-Sq I1\11Y , lind Kean Ave.
pnO\"I~Hilh. I1fIUIIIO. al Wolt Road and IIl1rrbon SL:
low. 609.022. al Palrtunk and Bnrry Polnl Rd ...
IlInl- lu,h. '7Z.l31 al Itllrltm A'e. lind Unmln II .... );
1."'.619..... III W .... ll'rn An' IlfId Joe Orr RIL
SCJIAL'MBURG-III,h. IJH11I. al s.,hawnbur. and Src-Ina:In,.aVlh Rdf..: low. 7-100915. al )Iudallm and St'lulumbura RdJ.
lnorth InlCl'M'f'lInn)
!ITlrKNEY 1IIt::b. Il23 Ino.. a' narlem Avl' Urhll1'P O\er I
.ad )I ranal: IfM. CIlU
al Uarkrn AU" andllith 51.
T1IORNTQS- IU ah. ~:n& al Dhi\! IIwy. Vnlll:!.rpllQ and
1111/101. Cf!nlral nit.; h.w. ~(Jftl. al UWlh St. and Burnham
Ave.
WII&,.:I,H..(;- III;h, 72fl,.lU:\ at Ound('t! lind Wllkt'l "(Is.: low,
63U.IIIlI. al Plliallne Rd. and MiI\\'Duktll" Ave.
WOnTII 1lI1I1!. 1W9,Sl2, til Harlem Av\!. And ll~th SI.: low,
119\732. III Cll.lumets.aa lIwy. And Central A,\!.

As dete rmined by the Highway Departm"nt's pnx:ise

level erew. high nnd low elevations above BC;.I level in
the country townllhlpa are as follows:

.:.1.

BARRINCTON-III.h, 910.918. at AJaonquln Rd. brlfJre O\'er

RR: low. 801.838. at Dundee and il4tellllln Rd .
BERWYN_Hl,b. OUU81. at
St. and Harlem A\e.: low.
G09.:r.o. al 39th Sl. and ttllrl~ Ave.
BLOO)I-IU,h. 114..510. al DI:de Uwy. and Sleal'r "d.; 1Qv.'.
610000. at VcWllrhl Rd. bridle o"er Norlh ~k.
BIIEME."Il-- tII,h. 132.807. at oak Park Avl'. and 159th SI
I!)\O.. 6.17.383. al 167ln SI lind WHtem AVII!
CALUML1'_lIIlh. 6l4JH8, III Hillated and IUlh Su.; 1!)\O.,
am.Ola. al lIaatal Inti 87lh SLI.
ELK CROV- Hllh, T,iIlUiW, at De\"On ,,"VIf. and Ronlwln,
Rd.: low. 6:1'1.899. al Touny Ave. and loll. rro.peel Rd.
E\ANSTOS- Ullfn. 113i.915, at Rldlt! Rd. a nd flammo SI.;
,,,,,', D97.671. al Letllfld and Dnt'nOll SUI.
1lA.......OVER- IfI.h. 86L"i89. III Bartlett and SChawnbura lid.. ;
low 'T219.'lO. at Raymund An and Lake SL
t.EllO~"T-III,h. 639-931l. at Routp 83 and SIInta Fe RJL: low.
~ at !\tW A"!J. and \V111 COunly Lin!'
1.E'YOt:..-':-'IIII1h, 682.810.. al Wolf Rd. anti Chlcaa-o al\d
N'Mln ....Hlem nR.: low. 625.280, III Cranll Ave Ind "h'f'!' ROllI!.
LYOSS-Hl,II, 709~ lit 79th St. And COo)kPuPage RbIltl;
low. 592.20<1. II I 471h St lind lIarlem Ave.
MA.IN &-.HI"h, 008.0lS, at Mt. Pro.~t Rd . lind Devon Aye:.:
low. 638.660, I'll Oakton St and AJl'onquln Rd.
NEW TRIER 1I111h. 680,_ a l Puk Aye and SherIdan Rd,
low. 610.8118. al SherltlQI\ Rd- and Winnetka Ave:.

21.,

""eo

"'t!.

New Bridge

IS

Opened at Historic Crossing

River.ide and Lyons, Young.te .., .. nd veteran., turn

out for ceremonle. opening t he New Bridge.

ESIDENTS OP Riverside and I.. yons made a colorR

CuI holiday Saturday. May 9, to mark the opening
of the new bridge across the Des Plaines River connecting the two suburbs.
Ribbon clipping shears were wielded by Village
President William Hajeck of Riverside, President John
H. Hoffman of Lyons and County Commissioner James
F. Ashenden. The Riverside High School band played
as parades of war veterans. Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts,
and Campfi re Girls, a ll carrying flags, moved In from
each end of thp bridge. Trust.ee8 of both villages and
numerous ciUzcns thronged the bridge deck.
I'''irsl across the timan we re two horsemen, a historical touch recalling the Importance of the river
crossing since early in the llUlt century. Pioneers
rorded the stream. The new bridge, designoo and con
structed by Cook County. is the Intest of several structures at the spot.
When first pllUlned, it was designated the Long
common Road bridge. Then citizens of lhc two sub-

T he RibbOn Rite_President John H. Hoffman of L.yon.,

County Co mm l.. loner Jamu F ..... henden, and Presl.
den t Wi1l1am H tlJeck of Rlver.ide.

urbs, aware o[ the historical interest o[ the location,

requested a change to Barry Point Road bridge, to
preserve the name o[ an old time trail that led [rom
that point. into Chicago. The County agreed, and the
name plates placed on the structure mark it officialJy
as Barry Point Road bridge.

Barry Point Trail a Main Route of Travel

ARRY POfNT Road, [rom which the new RiversideB
Lyons bridge over the Des Plaines gets U.s name,
was prominent in the 1830's and '40's lUI the main roule

In

1830's

Between this point and the young city on the lakc

the countryside was low and flat and in the spring
of the yC!ar was largely a muddy s wamp. An English
s ightseer who Rscended the lliinois Rive r by boat in
June, 1840. and took coach Crom Peru for tbe trip
to Chicago, WTOte of his adventures on this Icg ot his
journey. He arrived at Barry's at midnight. There
he found it was necessary to changc to a heavier coach
as well as to put on fresh horaC8.
"At lengtb," he continued. "the broad-wheeled and
lumbering coac.h being ready, we all sealed oursc.lvcs
and at 0. creeping pace left the last stage. the horses
walking a ll the way. at the rate of about two miles
an hour, with haltings at. every pit and slough to
survey tbe road before crossing it, and with the wbeels
scarcely ('vcr less lhan six Inches and oftener a fool
deep in mud and water.
"Altogether, this last night was by far tbe most
disagreeable wc had ever spent in journc)ing through
the United St.ates."

into Chicago (rom the southwest. Parts of the original

road remain. [n both Riverside and Lyotul are short
streets with "Barry Point Road" name signs and In
Chicago the diagonal COUrtle of Fifth A\'enue from
California Avenue to Cicero Avenue follows the line
of the pioneers' road.
The Barry Point "Trail" started at Daty's Tavern in
Rivel'8ide, where connections wcre had with the Chicago & Plainficld Trail, the Chicago, Plainfield & Joliet
Trail and thc Chicago. Oswego. Ottawa and La Salle
Troil. From Doty's. the Barry Point Trail took to tho
only high ground in the area. a low ridge of sand
leCt long ago by the receding Lake Calumet. Five
miles (rom Dotr's the traveler came to Widow Barry's
Point, a oonvC!nient spot for a tavern and the last
stnge for conches bound Cor Chicago.

4
=

".

County Gets New, Broad Zoning Proposals

:PH91'OX 8D. CIIlIlIlI't'ilCllj,lj Vl' ~Ull.endlUen l to tI~c Cook ('Olill ~y Z?U j Ilg-. 0 I'd i I~ H nce "'fiR IH'(!S(, ~ Icd
\0 thE' Board 0 1 t'ouut,\' l 'UlIlIlIl)O::"lonCrl' )ray :1.) lJy Ilurry I', tltru:ldwk, cilredo l' of !'ezolllng,
who, with Il stuff of s pecin ti~ll', Itu :, bel'n f:;tuc1ying the 1'1'(.!'t.'ui dc,,(>iop lllt'nt und fulll!" , JIl't.'<i :-: of the
{,O IlJlIQ' an'u 1'''1' Ow IIIi'llwlI yt'llr::.

TI

J I~

'I'h(> Jlrnpn~NI ~\ln(,lIdJII('ntl whit-h is v irt11all y a 1I1'\\' ord illu w'l', appli es only to til(' uninco rpo ra ted
1I1'PU of Ih(> ('ounty. '} 'h(> ~lI hllrh.::: . like Chicago. wi ll ('cl1Ilinu{' to de) theil' own r.oning. " ' he new
ptopo:;nl:; werf> addl'l'~8etl tf) l 'oll1ll1i :;:::ion er J oh n .1. DulTy 11:' I'illlirman of till.' hOiUU 'g zO ll in~ commi ttl't-' Jlud were rcferrtd hy the hOllrd til the 7.O llin ~ HOMIl of .\ppelti:;. Thr apl'rnb hourd chllirIIll1n. Antil'C'w.J. Dall:4rt'ulI1. :-Iuill thot publ ic hearing:; wou lrl he )wld. :;tnrti n ,~ lute in .JUIIC'.
)11'. Clmdrlick c'n Ilrd the 1ll'opn:O:l'd fll'd inaIH'(', .. t he mO:-:L UCI\'I111('(>(\ in tht' U IIi tNI Ktn h':-I." 11<- snid it
('ontf'l1Iplull"{l 1't':->ici('lIlin l 11:-1(' 01' H~.:i~ I'){'I' cent or lilt, .J.07.1fj ~(flml'(' wilt,,,, in t1u.'uni n('orpQl'uted area,
htl ~ill(l~:O:

11':0=:0= Limn 1 per (,(, il L lind indmiil'inl G.72

('{'nt, nil to h(o dOlle with

r)l'd (' r1~'

plul1lling.

ROVISIONS 010" the Ilroposcd comprehensive

P
Amendment to Lhe Cook County Zoning ordinance
include the following:

N HJS statement to the County Boa.rd when present-

p CI'

ing the nmendment. Mr. Chaddlck said in pa rt :

"The current zoning ordinance is obsolete. A com-

Farming 8S a la nd use classification is eliminated

because nil studies made by the rezoning staff "led to
the Inevitable conclusion that rannlng as such i5 a dis
appearing occupation in Cook County." All land pres
ently classed 85 farming is rezoned to one of three major classifications- residential, business and manufac
turing "in order to establish a long range land use
plan to cover future developmenL"
There a re six proposed residential districts, rour
for single fnmily dwellings only and two for mu1tiple
unit buildings. These dCflignations have been applied
to approximately 95 per cent of the land formerly used
for fanning . ftS well as those areas whleh have been
classified unde r r esidential sections or the present ordinance.
Five types of buslnC!SS district a re esta blished:
B1 RCfltricted Business (community convenience
cente r ).
B2-Restricted Service (nece888I'Y service uses incompatible with B1),

prehcnsive a m-endment is needed to accommodate

cha nging conditions, to mect new problems. to take
rullcst a dvnntage of great public works and lo benefit
rrom the advances made in the tecllnique of zoning
Itself. But if n new o rdinance is t o be effectivc it must
not only contain detailed, practical legal provisions,
but must also be based on sound. long-range planning
objectlvC8 a nd principles,
"The proposed comprehensive amendment to lhf'
wnlng ordinance reflects such objectives and princillies. Ul'elates the futut'e g rowth potential of unin
corporated areas to existing communities a nd to the
expanding transportation network. It is the link between loday's regulation a nd tomorrow's environmenL
" The unincorporated a r eas of Cook County otIer
important rcsources for accommodating a substantial
share of the vast increases in population and enterprise that are virtually certain to occur in the me tropolitan area in the next two decades. It is a prime objective of the zoning nmendment to help aasure that
these resources will not be wasted. This cun be accomplished by allocuting all land t.) groups of compatible uSes for which thc land Is well suited and
which meet appropriate standards of livability or productive effici ency.
"New living areas are planned either to blend with
established settlements or to lend themselves to the
Connation of integrated neig hborhoods, Industrial
districts are planned to a Uow for major expansion of
the metropolitan economy in good relationship to
dwelling places.
"At the same time, e.'l;isting communities, shopping
districts, industry and olher valuable USCfI must be
protected against encroachm<!:nt bornc by rapid
growth, The zoning amendm<!:nl proposes an arrange
ment of land designed lo enhance existing uSes both in
unincorpomted areas Rnd in nearby mUnicipalities.
"In generul, Ule amendment reflects three basic conclusions :
" First, the unincorporated areas are best suited for
low a nd moderate densities of population and emplo.rment ma inly dependent on the motor vehicle for trans-

B3-General Business (regional retail center ).

B,I- Genernl Service (regional service uses Incom
pn.tible with 83).
B5 General Commercial (commercial ccnt<!:r with
uses not permitted in other business distric18) .
Four manufacturing districts include:
l\U- Restricted Ma nufacturing (maximum pe rfo rm.
a nce standards, comparativcly odorless and noiseless).
M2 General Manufacturing (intermediate perform
nnce slandnrds).
M3-Henvy manufacturing ( minimum perfonnance
standards).
.
M4-Motor Freight Terminal. This entirely ne.w
distriCL Is introduced to assure isolation of such districts as future needs demand expansion of present
faciliti es. The M4 district is locnted far removed from
business and residential areas, but In the best poss ible loca tion In relation to highway. water and rail
trans])Qrt.ation.
All advertising signs and billboards are barred from
residentia1 dist ricts, with the exception of business

(ConUnul!d on PIKI! 6)

( Ct:lntlnued on Pare 6)

New Zoning Proposals

Orderly Zoning plans

(COnllnlll!d from Paare

(COnLlnul'l1 from Pal;e 151

~~

name plates. chureh buUetins. "for sale" signs and the

like.
RegulaLions [or offstreet parking apply to every
residenLial, business and manufacturing district. In
general, the parking proposals represent an attempt
to control traffic. and prevent fatalities and injuries
.....hich have been proved to be the direct result of con
gested streets. Til addition, the use of the street as 1\
parking garage has proved to be n forerunner of rom
munity dcterioraLlon. with its accompanying dccllnc
in property \'wues and residential standards.
A ncw office of zoning administrator with wide
powers with regard to day \(1 day operation is estab
lished. SinCe enactment of the zoning ordinance In
19 10. Ult" County Superintendent of Higbways has
acted as enforcement ofiicer in addition to hill regular
duties.
A definite delegation of !)Ower to tb"e Zoning Bonrd
of Appeals is provided. The fivemember board. to be
appointed by tbe President of the County Board. is
vested with jurisdiction IlDd authority to (ll henr and
decide appeals from detenninations madE' by the Zon
ing Adminislrator , (2) hear and pass upon applications for \'ariaUons. (3) hear all appUcaLions for
flpPCinl uses lUll amendments, (4) hear and decidf>
A-II matt ers referred to It upon which it is required to
I)MS under the proposed amendmenL In granting vllr
lations. four members must concur.
Amendmenla to the zonIng ordinance may be presented by any County Commissioner. the Zoning Administrntor 01' any Interestcd person or group. Here-tofore, only the owner nr lhf' property affected was
permitted to apply for n.mendment. This practice. in
the opinion of thf:' rezoning staff, "constituted a basie
error in administraLion," sa.id Mr. Chnddick. "Us re
Imll," he sdded, "may bE' seen in the 'spot zoning' a long
main Lhoroughfan:!s of Cook County. and if a llowpd to
proceed unchecked will shortly breed hlight and
slums."
The ordinance provides lhat any A-mendmcnt filed
with lhe Zoning Admlnlstrotor sha ll be Ilutomatically
denied unless It has been acted upon by the Board of
Commissioners within six months of the date of its
presentation. The vole of thrccfourths of nil memo
bers of the Board of Commissioners is required to
override a recommendation by lhe Zoning Board
agalnsl the adopLion of an amendmenl A lhree-fourths vote ahA-II also bE- required in the following

portnlion.
"Second, existing Use8 should be consolidated Into
orderly groupings wherever possible and proposed uses
should respect the character of existing communities.
"Third, all plans should take into account Lhe feaalbillty of providing public services.
"The impetus of World War [] and subsequent industrial development and population explosions made
lhc liMO ordinance 88 outmoded 1111 a horse Rnd buggy
very 800n after its adoption.
"Once baving arrived al Lhe conclusion that present
?.oning is out of date and difficult La en rorce, it becomes
obvious that new zoning principles are a neeeasity.
The proposed comprehensive amendment represents a
compilation of such principles as applied to Loday's
problems and using lOOuy's advanced theories nnd
techniques.
"The intent and purposes of the new Cook County
zoning ordinance may be stated lUI follows:
"(1) To promote and protect the public health.
safety. morals. comlort. convenience and the general
wellnre of the people of Cook County.
"(2) To zone all properties in such a manner aJJ
to reflect their best use and to conserve and enhance
their value.
"(3) To check existing congestion and to prevent
future congestion by limlUng the dcvelopment of land
to such a degree consistenL with the capacity of thp
County to [urnl!:lh adequate public service.
"(4) To prevent overcrowding of land wilh bulld
ings and thcreby insure maximum living and working
conditions and prevenl blight and slums.
"(5) To protest residential. business and manufac
turing areas nJike from hnMnful encroachmant by incompatible uses and to insure that land all~ted to
one class of uses shall noL be usurped by other inappropriate uses.
"(6) To fix reasonable slandards to which build
ings 01' structures shall con[oMn.
"(7) To prevenL such additions to, and alterations
or remodeling of, exlsLing buildings or structures as
would not comply with the restrictions and limitaLions
imposed hcreinafter.
"(8) To insure high standards of light.. air and
open space in areas where people live and work.
" ( 9) To relieve street congf'stion lhrough adequate
requirements for offstrect parking and loading faeililll"8,
"(10) To foster I.l more rational pattern of relationshll)S between reSidential. business and mnnufaeluring for the mutual benefil of all.
"(11) To isolate or control the location of unavoidable nuisance producing uses.
"(12) To provide prolecUon aguin~t fire. explosion.
noxious [urnes and other hatards in the interest of
public healtb. safety. comfort, and the genernl we lfare.
"(13) To define the powel"S nnd duties of the ad
minlstrative officers dnd bodies as pro\ided herein-

cases:
(1) Wbere writte.n protf'sts against adoption of
such an amendment are filed by the owners of 20 per
cent of Ute frontage to be altered.
(2) Where writtE'n protests by the owners of 20
per cent of frontage Immedinlely adjoining or opposite are filed.
( 3 ) Where tbe alfected area lies within o ne llnd
one hal! miles of Ihf' limits of a ZOned municipality
a nd protE'lIts are filed by the City Council or Preaident
of the Board or Trustees of such zoned munlcipalilles
with limits nearest adjacent to the land a1f'ecled.
NonconfoMning build ings existing at time of adoption of the amendmf:'nt may be continued lIubjec.t to
regulations In resDect to repairs. alterations. additions.
moving and the like.

aller.
"(H) To prescribe penalties for violations of the
provisions of this ordinance or of any amendments
thereto."

Recent Contract Awards

April Build ing Permits

ONTRAcr AWARDED by the Board of Count)'

Commlsaioners (or expressway construction and
C
primary road Improvement include lhe following :

ISSUED In April by the Cook County

PERMlTS
Building and Zoning Bureau for building can
struction In the unJneor-

OOn.,... ..

poraled areA. 0 f t b e
County totaled 559 and
reflec:tt'd II..n estimated
tolal valuation of $S,226,740. Theflgures
eompared voith 389 permits and $6.664,000 val
uatlon in March.
or the April total of pennll.8, 381 we.re tor new
home. valued altogether at $7.495,400. As in Marcb.
Stickney led the townships, witb 1'12 pennlls and a
total vnluntion of 1. 2.050, including 112 for residentinl cORlitruclion of Sl.816.600 valuation. Wheeling
loo wns above the million mark, with U6 pennits indiClILlng $ 1,025,500 valuntion and including 81 for
homes \'nlued III $1,489,200.
~'or olht'r types o( constnlction, April pennils were
ifUl:ut'd Q8 tallows:

Y.xl' re><~_,

Crad!n. and ~\'Inl' hel"''ft'll AUllln .!lll Cenlnl A\'~

RO('k 1i00tl COn.UUl-Uon
f't71,403J1O.
Lllhlllllr btotw...:n Elm 91. anll Mannnelm lid. anll btol .... l'C'n 111
Ilnd 11ft 1'1llnea "\'s.- WhIIAl ClI)' E.I~U1C
t.l2a.973.
N.rlhw..... , .:';pf't!~~ ....,.

cu..

co..

sen..

PI.lnN Rh'er brIde-I-. U. StrandbU. . .

5671.'

O'UIUlI Airport W!ad mete .c!pu'l.lion .wer Des Platnetl Rhv-

Md

.-.s. Strllnd!len .. SOn&, nl!~aw.30.

Fh' .....uS. III'Pllt.UOII. on airport "Ild-W. Eo O'Neil Con

_.rueuun

Co~ "17.37T.68.
~lIroad brhJre

SilO Line

Cu~

,.'U7.1DiI&

UKhtln. from

I.noo

over Illl"Jll.lrt aelld-l..ee COftJlrUl'tllXl

rcct .outh!:!",1 Of ctl'Hl:)

te.'l " o rlhv.ell ot KOIln'r

An. A. A. Electric

",'e.

Cu~

to 100

113-1..142..95.

CDlullle! t~~ IItl:tl''''''''

1.lg".llna:

'177;~17.tIO.

CIlLum ~ I-Klnllor)'

lnleN'hll"IIe-A. A. E1CCU'It'

co..

Snuth Ihwl .
Ma'n dra'n OOlw>n &llh l',. o.ntl C:OUalo Crove A" ...-John
Co.. '1.222.4:10.
Edenll I::JI:p.en ...J'
Land*=apl"l betwt't'n CIro and Xo,)Ilnft A\(!ll.-NaUonal
Land..caPin. 00 .. J87.9SL
Ouh~rt)'

l'.hn.. ,.,

It.,...

flC!.,denlllll addition. and .. Uenr.1I0na-7B pl!rml .... 1180,000.

bull.tln,....."O ~IU. 1l22.0000.
Uu.,n .... buUd'np.- F our PtrmIU. 118.700.
Uu.lne.. addltlona and a!leration8-I3 pennlll, 'l79,;fOO.
IntluIIU1a1 bUllnlnp.-Z"IIM,
1nll\llirial additions .nd .lleraUon-on. perm\(. '1-1.600.
Wel lll- ~I .... 1>f1'm'U, $5.000
MIIi!('II.ntonu .... FUur ",""Ita, M6OO.
By towDsbipll, J>f"rmlts were issued 8.!1
T ....n p
' .nn\t ..
.... n1n.ton
U\wm
1;1
llremtn
8
tJk (;]'U\"e
00
1I&1,I)\tor
IS
l.t>monl
..
l..ey<len
:tl
"~.IO..,.

CSTKAL UOAD bc!llO~ ArllnEtIJn Il ..... hu. Road aM

Nonhw.. l Ih'.. )~ IO'ldeni~ ttl four I~ and rHlIl"faCU11

lI~vJ:t1l CuIll'U'urUtln
J'AJ.ATI~ IIOAD

eo.. ~"I~2-4L88

.'W",II North"e.' Jlwy. lind Huh'IOinl

It"_ll.,.. n"'('OI1.lru"Ufln to tour l ..nl'_WUbum Utothe.... Inc..

I2UI.,;f<t1.17.

1,

JOE Otllt IIOAD betwffn na,.led lind S'--1e Su; pa\'lnlJ. /' COMlrn"Uun Col.. "85.~.
17th AVSl' be.wt('n Sbl St., ll'UI .I\X'......." Rd.. ..... ,d.mlng
'0 rout I.lnu And rHurta('lnl-Ru('k JtQ.lltl Conltn.rcUon CO ..

~U.6M.

SIIERMER HOAD bll'IOL.... n

Wllukl'llln IUId Dundee Itdll ..

ff<'OJlIltul.'tlon_

"'tI
.. ninll 10 ~ leel. l'C!'Urf.lj,IU 'lID.M.
IllId 'Irldee
Ar(Ol. 11l1l",,,L CorporaUon.

I.yon.

\taint
Nl'w Trlrr
:O;orthlkohl

SIIEKMEJt nOAl) lH!tween narlem Ind f.:ut LaU. A\eI..

rHurr .... ln.--A...-ole r,UdVo..lt Corporation. 173.919.
AILLlNGm~ lIE1CIITS nOAD bf'1"l'I!n H.. nd and Dundt('
Ihl . "ldOlnln. In Ilandattl ,,,,,0 'lUIt!-J1 and rBurtactnl-AJilftI
Mph .. 11 Pa\'lnll: Co .. ~17.
Et.:CLID A\'"F..'UE bellOl't'1i DouI'" ..we and Elmhurst Rd"
ruurtlll'lnll H(l('k Road COlUllru.. t Of! Co .. 151.1.6tj9.
FOUNDRY 1I0An between Nor1b\O~~t liwy and De!! Pialne.
IUv,r lid .. rftUrtaClnl- A.II1~ Mpl1.a.ll Pavln. CO . ml.l.677.
TQUIIY AV.;~t,.E be!wtern 1Ullint .. nd Mllnnhe.lm ntU~
relurIa In.-Allied Aliphlllt f'lI\"lnXCo~ m,HOJIO.
CKAWrollO AVt:'''WE betwecn lUlb .nd 87tb SII......
lur'ndnr -\.: nlon CC)Olr.. ('t anel Enlrlneerlnll: Co~ $t18,668.
FI..AVIN ItOAO-Wentwurth Ave bc!~ween J07Ur St., /lnd
Gcnnlln ChUrch Rd .. l'Ourfllclna:-CrowIClY'Sheppard AlIphalt

NOrYoOC)cI
Orl,,".,

~,

"ark

""laUII"
l'ro\bo
III .. h
Srhaumbuf1l

"'.'111

l;lIrltne,.

Th"rnlon
WlItc'lInl
Worth

43
17
!l

!lO

72
2

16
14!l

6
00
<Ill

I.n the no-fet' c.ln88ificntion, ..... hlch includes ch,,,",I;o,.:

schools, Rnd farm buildings, there were six pcnnits
for B tolnl vnluatlon of 8.144.100.

Cn .. '00.078.

AItC'lIEH AVENlJ between Slate St. ( Lemont) and llUh

l'Il .. wldenlna lO . t.InIlArd two inne. anll f6urfacin,-ctowle}' -

Shepl)IlI"\l A.pha'i Co~ $lo48,lM.

BROOCWAY STRt::r between COmfort 51 and Norlhw61
Itwy. Mnll MEACffAM-J>I.l!M oro\'~ nil. Uotwet'n Ij~lj1'nt Bnd
o.nll'l. IId.~ tuurlllclniA...-ole Mld\\'Hl COrp..
527.
CE.'lTRAJ# nOAo.[)(,erllwe nGad IM>twH>n Rand Rd. and Mil
y,'aukee A ..... and belVoff1l C't'nlral Rd . anll )UlwaulCe-e AH'.. ,.....
aurral.'lnll-Cunlrartin. anti )fllerl.' 0... flS1743..86..
ll}3rct STltEl:T ,",tweet! Dot) and TOrn-l\t'P Ave:I ... l''I(~'p1
vladu.-. rnurfadlllf-ArnI!f1ran A.phall PaHnA" Co.. $.1(1\,.

Precisi on Level - - - (COntinued trom ralill 3)

Is done in moderate temperatures.

The pre.ent prt'C.laion crew has bet.o:n together
!Ie\'eraJ IK'UnnR, ..... hlch has value in promoting good
t~m wnrk. 1n thnt Urne. the t .....o rodmen hav(' trained
them8eh'CB to pa~ off 250 feet almost as ae<!urately
as If thC'y hAd uacd a 8~t tape. Rendings are lAk{'n
Ilnd chl'C.ked back. with the level 250 feet from estch
rod. fmnt nnd rear. Each winter the bench mark
book 18 r('\'11M"d wltb additions of thf" summer's field
work.
8cn.:h mnrklJ al'f' required (or nil highway work.
the rCflurlllcing of B secondary road lUI well as the
ecmslruc:t!on of an expressway. They a re essential
In establishing gmdes for drainage a.a we.1I as for thf"
pavement a nd other features of the roadway.
The pree.buon level team Is one of several surveying
crews emplo}'Pd by the Highway Ot'paM.ment on D
"arlel), of work. At present thetc are 10; there hll\'e
Ix>en ... ma.ny ttl 24 in the field.

""'''''

Nice Note to Editor

I have jusl compleled my reading or the excellent
March l88u8 of Cook County HighwaY". Yours is a
mOlt interesting and InIormative magazine. and if
1>088lbl .. WE' would like very much to be ndded to
your mailln.:t" list in ordc.r that we might keep nbreast
or roadti and highways develollments In Cook County.
BERNARD F. HILLEl\'BRAND.
Executi\'e Dir~tor,
National AMOCitllion of Cc.unty
Officials.

Wnahlngton, D. C.

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

"I,""

On In Unu,uaUy Clur Day. t he F lying Camtn Picked up Loop SkYIlUilptor. from Welt of
helm ROld Intel'th .. nge with Cc,"grus E xpl"uawly, .. Bird'. E)I' Vi ...... of More Than 12 Mllu.

Vol. VII No. 1

JUNE, 1959

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook County (111.) DellArtlllent. of Ifhrhwuy.
Under aus.pitet of the Boord of Counly ('olllmlMionel"A
OANIEL RVAN, Pretldc"t

William N. Erlck.on
Fred A.. Full.
Chrin A. Jenle"
John A. Mackle r, Jr.

Jam.a F. "'Ihendcn
Frilnk Bobryuke

eh ...'u F. Chaplin
Elizabeth A. Conkey

Daniel Ryan

Jerry Doieul
John J. Oulfy
Arthur X. Elrod

Clayton F. Smith
Edw.:ard M. Sneed
John J. Touhy
W ill iam J . Mortimer
Superintendent o f H ighway.

I'ublillhed at 130 North Wells Street, Chicago G.

Flbnkllll

~-7544

EXlcllaloll 21 G

Boob of the Month

Starting Volume VII

ITH Tt-nS ISSUE. Cook Coutlty lIigllWCIYfJ starts
W
hs seventh YC:lr of publication.
ThUll fnr there has been evidence that the monthly
bull('tin hna serv(!d U.s I)urpo&c of informing residents
of the County and highway officials over the country
about th ' lI Department's plnns ILnd construction activltiCll. All of the community neWHpapers throughout
the County have been our IlJUJOCmles. frequently roprinting articles oC Interest to their readers. Many oC
the pieces on tcchnlenl innovations dc\'eloped by the
Department hav" been I>icked UI) by engint"t'ring
journal.
Be8ldClli th" news of rood buildings, the magazine
also publlshctl the monthly reports of two agencies
that operate under Highway Department administration the Cook County BuUdlng and Zoning Bureau
and the Cook County Traflle Safety Commission. These
regulnr reports have bmade-lled M'ad<>r interest and in
thc case of the Wety Commission lhf' tabulations of
fatalities, together with th" consLlUlt Ilreaching of safe
driving principles. have undoubtedly been influe ntial
In lowering tht' death toll in tho subu rban aN'lt.

Right

IS

GUS makes no allowances.

GANGWAY
An excellent driver hlmse.lf, and ramilla.r with

every route in the County, he haa no patience with

pcople who hesitate ntilltersceliona.
This lB ellpeeially hard on visilors rrom out of town .
GUB l'Oars up behind them and gives them the hom;
they oughta stay home. he Mya.

Right for Bikes

always be secn in time by a rollowing motorist, IUId

l)8.rticularly that a bike tail light is too small to give
sufficient warning III night . They lna.isted that facing
apllroachlng lrame givell the rider a better chante to
avoid a car.
Supporting the opinion of the Coundl and the stale
authorities is the Cook County Trnllic Safely Commlsalon, which polota out that rlght-~de bicyeUng is
re<lulred by II11nOl8 law. The Commission also presenUl nrgumenta in ravor or righlhand riding. which
ls the way It Is Utught to the thousands or grade
school pupils receiving th" Commission's bicycle safety
program.
"Our lltate law requires that bicydes sball obsent
the same rules of the road as motor vehicles. and that
means they shaU be ridden on the right half or the
pavement," said J ohn J . McCleverty, executive secre
tary of the Commlsslon. " The model bicycle ordinance

In the April issue of Cook COIUlty f1iyhwaY!J. the

spuce on thia )lage. except the regular allotment to
thc Boob of the Month. was given to a resume of a report on bicycle riding made by the National Safety
Council after dig(>8Ung queslionairt'8 filled oul by highway traffic oHicers of 42 states.
One point in the Council's report has reswt.ed in
eontrovenl\' that hu extended into the ne .....spapers.
This was recommendation that cyclists showd Dot use
the left IIlde or the alN'et. against onC(lming tratfic. 88
J)edcslnanll are ad\'lsed to do. "The coneenSllB waa
almost unaRim us that blcycllst.s should not ride in
this direction," the Council reported. "but rather that
they should ride on the rlghl aide or the street and
rollow all the niles and regulations pertaining to other
vehicles."
Letters in protest came to newspaper editors.
Writel'8 asserted t hat a bicycle on the rigbt cannot

(C'onllnued on PAge 6)

Highway Death Rate Drops

Y TRAFFIC fatalities
suburban Cook
HIGHWA
County in May conlinued to mark the declining
death toll observed

In

County Area

in

in

the area in 1957, 19S5

and thus far this year.
With nine fatalities. it
was the best May in the
14 years' records of the
Cook County Trn1fic Safety Commission.
The month's LotAl W8M one more thnn April's but
11 fewer than Mny lRst year.

Through Mny 31, the 1959 total in the suburban

area stands at 50, fln improvement

over the same five months of 1958.

or

30.6 per cent.

If the five month fa18l1ty rate can be held on to the

real of the yeRr, 1959 will have J20 death:l, 8S compared ..... ith 175 in 19S5 nod 198 in 1957. The worst
yenr since the SufNY Commission was organized, in
1916, ..... U8 1956 with 232 deuUls, n.nd the best was
1949 wilh 159 deaths.

D.. nlell o rlpr"YI New Type of Sign

Dean of the County Highway Department's sign

shop is William Daniels, who has painted signa for
55 years. When he came on the job in 1935 all work
was hand done. Now it Is silk screen process, for
which he docs the layout. This year Lhe shop is producing 5,000 signs for new s~ zones in addition to
its l'f>gular output of 5,000 signs of all types for replacement.

Something Mote Tha n luck

"We believe that lh{' 6a\'ing of lives the last two

years nnd thus fa r this year is more than a mstter

of luck," 81lid County Board President Daniel Ryan.
who is prcaident of the Safety Commission. "Alleast
three [actors, possibly more. arc working for safety.
"The new expressways Rnd toll ways, whieh are
designed and buill for utmost safety in safe driving,
art> a t.tnlcting large volumes of lraffic from more
har.n.rdOll9 conventional routes. Then'! CIIn be no doubt
that the expressways, on which grnde crossings a re
elimlnnted, traffic Is divided directionally and access is
UmiLcd, are preventing serious accidents. U the loca.l
streets and ronds had to carry the many thousands
of vehicles regularly using Edens, Congress. Calumet
rtlld I(ingery, the fntal it y mte would be alfeeted. We
,Ire looking forward to an even better safety record
when the Congress, Northwest and South Route exprcsswnys are eom illeted.
"The new speed zones dete rmined by the Count)'
Highway Depnrtment in accordance with the 1957
state speed Inw have expedited traffic moveml'!nL Thl'!
new limits are based on traffic engineering principles.
whereas the f(lrmer posted speeds were in mnny instances only guess work . We aft beginning to attain
uniformity in s l>eed ,..oning and the new rates are
realistic. which may be expected to result in better
obedience on the part of dr:lvers,

for the victim and his fami ly which Cannot be min

imiuxl, I be llcve we are justified in feeling gratificntion
wlLh the reduction in dea th lolls in recent monUls. This
has been accomplished while the suburbAn population
a nd automobile registration have riscn sharply. Traffic
condillona out in the County have changed very much
aince the end of World War n. IlOd the problems have
multiplied. Now, for example, there arc peak hours
in the suburbnn a reas. when workers travel to and
from Lhe many new industrial plants, They impose
henvy loads on the hlghwllYs. JUSt as the morning and
Iwening rush hOIl no do in Chicago.
" Holidays and vacatioll season are potentially times
of high risk on s uburban highways, for Chicagoans as
well 8S people In Ule suburbs travel through the area
on the way to and from their outings. During the
three.dllY Memoria.l Day week-end . an estimated million cars used suburban roads. There "'as not a single
traffic death."

Two Child ren Vidims

or the eig ht fatalities In May, two were Jl(,-'Cieslrians.

Both were c.hildren, one 2 and the other 7.
Two were ki1lrd In a coUision betwe<!n a car and a
truck, one in an I\uto-auto collision, one in an accident
Involving two caM3 I\nd a motorcycle, one in an aula-.
train crash and one in a car that left the road and
s truck a tree,
In addition to the deaths, there were 967 persons
injured In the monlh, The 7o.lay total o f accident8 of
nil types- fatal. persol\al injury and property damage
was 2,874,

Safety Education Promoted

"A third etreeth'c fnctor is the program of education conducted throughout the suburban area by the
Safety Commission. Ln large measure this is II. move
menl to establish local safety councils to carry out
projects of driver training and to eliminate local traffic
hn7J\rdB, In this undertaking we have had fine cooperation from a great many volunteer workers 8S well aa
from the 8ubul'ban police forcea.
" While {'ven one trnmc death in a year is a tragedy

County Resurfacing Winter Damaged Roads

One of the Emergeney J obs Completed, and In U.e--251h Avenue I" FrlH'Iklln Park.

T by

HE EMERGENCY resurfacing program initiated

the County to repair dnmage done by the

severe conditions of IRst winter got into Cull swing
this monLh. lL will be completed in July.
The size of the job, wbich Is in addilion to the Highway Department's regular schedule of improvement
projects, Is indicated by the principal statistics:
Seventy routes- Chicago and suburban streets and
primary roads in the unincorporated area-are listed
(or resurfacing.
Tola] mileage Is 99.47, which, since SOme sections
are mulU-lnnes, is the cquh'alent of a two-lane road
from Chicago to lo'rccport.
Tolal bituminous (black top) maunal required is
126,988 tona. or approximately l2,00Q truck loads,
which If lined uJ) would form a procession from Park

Forest to Glencoe.
Total Contract Is $1,'101,455.02.
All oC the streets and roads on the emergency program are concrct.c su.rfacc put do\\'11 30 years or
more ngo and regularly arc maintained by the State.
However, tbe lIlinole Division of Highways could
not give them priority status at this time so the
County, as u service to the many thousands of County
residents who must usc these routes, made the rel3urCacing a "crdsh" program, and the State readily
approved. The work Is being paid for from the
Count)!'. share oC mOlor fuel taxes.

Entirely New Surface

The emergency program calls for more tbon mere
l:latching of cracks and holes. It provides an entirely
new surface, slLbough of Slightly less than standard
thickness. Thi.a will do until the roads con be sched
uled for more substAntial improvement All of the
sections listed have been under consideration for reo
habilitation within thc next few yeat1i and one of them
- Chicago Road between Eleanor and 158th Streetsalready has been removed from the cmergency list
to be placed 011 thl! regular improvement program for
1960,
"Mu ny of these roads werc built more than t hirty

yea.MI ago. with the expectation that they w(.Tuld last

for twenty yenrs," said William J. Mortimer, County
HighWAY SUj)('rintf'ndenL "They had deteriorated with
nge nnd when last wimer's severe weather Ol>enro up
more crneks and holes Lhey became so bad that motorists avoided l.hrm. IL appeart'd to thUs Department
lhat our responsibility to the people of the County de
manded quiek action.
"We have planned a work acheduJe that will benefit
motorists immediately and also will be economical in
cost. When the time comes to give theSE' roads
standard improvement, the material put down now
will be u8l:lblf' 8S part of the new surface."
Emergency rcaurfacing is approximately) I:! inches
in thiekneElS, about hulf that of a standard job. h is
ftllplled ill one pass excellt in places where it is neees
sary 1.0 IISC B leveler course.
First step is cleaning the old pavemenL Highway
Depar tment engi neers have inspected the sections and
alleeiJied work to be done such as rcmoval of concrete
fragments and holes to be filled.

W ork in Three Areas

I,'or purposes of this program, lhe County was di
vlded inlo north, centrnl and south areas Rnd separate
contrncts wcre awarded for work to be done in each
one, Rock Road Construction Company is tb(' north
area contractor, Slaudard Paving Company In the
central area. nnd Gallagher Asllhalt Corporation in the
south.
The size and urgency of the project have devclopcd
resourcefulness on the part of the contractors. Each
of them has grouped the jobs so thai several clOHC
together can be handled at. once. The plilnts that turn
out the mixture must be moved strategically to give
the trucks 8 Cast trill and k~p Ole material at the
proper temperature. About 700 tons are applied in a
day in each area.
No detours are required, Tbe contractors, like those
on the regular resurfacing \\Iork, keep one lane open
S\t n11 limcs.

Activity on County Section

of N.

w.

Expressway

Ellery Kind of ExpruswlIy Construction-Excavating, Gradlnll, Paving, Bridge Build ing. Main Dra in and Re
taining Wall_II Proceeding on Northwest Exprcuway at Such a Rate that the Counly Plans to Open th e Section Between the Trl_SU te Tollway and Foste r Avenue by the End of Th is Year. At Harlem Avenue, t he Various
Machines at Work Typify the Activity Throughout the Section between Montrose Avenue al'ld O'Hare Airport.

Jefferson Park, Where the Northwul Route Swing. Beneath thc C&NW Track . A Trl-Levcl Structure Will Ac.
commodilte the Expr essway. Milwaukee Avenue and the Railro a d, Whose Tracks Are Now on a Tempof;l ry Trulle
Around the Construction Site. Thl. PaN of Northwest, Southe.tI~t of Foster, i. Scheduled for 1960 Opening.

Detours In Effect

James Lindsay Oliver

James Lindsay Oliver, i3, ll29 Maple Avenue,
Evanston. an engineer employed by the Cook County
Highway Dcpllrt.mc nt 32
ycars, died J tine 16 in
the Veterans Research
Hospital
In recent "cars he was
a.'>slgned to- the bridg('
cons truction division and
supervised the building
of numerous g rndc separat i on structures on
Edens. Calumet and
Congress Expressways.
Mr. Oliver, was gra.d.
uated from Glnsglow
Univer sity. Scotland. as
n mining engineer. He
served as a cnplltin In
the 33rd Division on the
Mexican border 1916JameJ L. Ollve.r
1917 and was Iicutenllnt
colonel of the 123rd Field Artillery. 33rd DiviSion.
In France In World War I. He was n member
of Edgar A. Lnwt'CnC6 Post. American Legion. which
Is composed of County Rig hwny Department eml)loyes_
The Post provided a firing squad and a bugler for thl'
burial services.
Mr. Oliver is survived by hl'! widow. EdI1lI ; II son,
.Iohn, who is rut Air Force Major ; n duughter. MI'8.
Edith M. Lawren; five grandchildren, two sistc.rs and
two brothers.

OR1( IN PROGRESS by the Cook County SighWfly Department requires detours Il.~ follows:

!JUS.!>E HOAD b,lwet!n Gol f Itoad lind LIncoln St reet III

Mount PrOIPI!'CI, new bnse coursc IU\d black top ron.sU"ucttoll,

northbound tram.. detour

eut on

SORRY TO INCDN\'PlIENCE
YOU .. tfo U"!,
THIS RESURFACING

Gult RUlld

I n'ule

~) to Elmhural Rollo! f mute

83)t north to Lincoln Slrro>l

ana ....

H'

to Buul! ItoAd:

I/)Ulhbountl r('''tors(' order.

EAST L ... ...,; AVE:-:n; hf!.

t\\et.'n W8ukt'Rl\n und Illlnn5

ROAdA, wIllen!n; tn fflur

Itlnes IInti r .... urflldnl: : I.'lUI1-

bouml Iram .. lIelour south

"n WllukCKtllI ROAd It) Glen\',,'\\ 1t".<I. eA~t 10 H a rm.

ltO'ld ",nd nllrth to ED,I J..akc .\H'nuc; \""'tbound nqrse onkr.

Ct:~'TR,\L ROAD
North.west !Ugh ..... )'

bclt .... ~n

Arllnglor!

lIelllhts

HOIOd And

to Ix> wldenN1 to four leou: eastbound

I.nlllk detour north' nn ArlloilOn Height. ROlid 10 North ... ell!
;ilgh ..... lI.)' IUllt J')uthe,llJIt lO Centr,,! noad ; we.tOOund rt:\enc
nnler.
CHIACAGO ROAD oohH'i~n Sibley ooule\'lIr.! nnd WUlla~
Stred In ThMnlon South Hollnnd nnd uninellrVOnlll arc ...
wldcnlnlt 10 lour lanet! an(1 "-.. urladnlt: aoulhbo)und lnlme ilL"
lour well on Slbl~ Boulc\'IUd to Indianll A\"enue and !IOutn to
William. Strt'el' northbound re""/"lI(" onter.
&lTtf AVES-Vt: belwl!eI1 J7\.11 and \,1lth Strl't'lJ. drnlnaJ:C
,trudure repirl{~emenl; northbound lmmC del"ur wet!1 on 176th
SlrHl 10 94lh A\enuc. north to 17Ul Strl'Ct lind enRI to IHlh
A\'enue: .ouhbound re\'erR order.

PAl \TINE ROAD bctwl~n Northw"'t Hlghw!' /lnd llohh.lnK

Road i~ Pntn'une, lour-Illn<.! recon'll'Uetlon; ..1l.lbound trn';l,c dL~
llIur _uth"ll.t on North ........1 11 Igh",'lI.} to ROhl~n~ ROIl An,
north 10 Pain line RoBd: wl'tllbound te\'erae o ...... r.
5; H ER!oIEH UOAD bet",,,,,n l.('e and Dundl~ ROIuu. In NurUlbrook ",Idl'nlnl: 10 '.!-I leet. n... urracl.ng and brldltt' I'('('()llStrurlion ' 'L'AJlt)l)und lramc d!.'Hlur north on Lee !lOlld to l)und~
H()ad and elln 10 Shenn"r ROIId; westbound re\e,... ordllr_
JOE OItH ROAD betw('('.n 1J1l11t1'd and Slnle Stree~ In
Clllcngo IIl'lght., bridge construction: elUllbound trllmc de lour
south 10 Ilru.ted Street 10 LlneOln HlghwlIYI cut 10 Stole
Street and north 10 Joe Orr Hood; weatbouna reve,..t onler,
OHIO STRF.EI' between DlIl_IM and UnIon Stn!ell. brUtlle
.-oOlltruello" lor l\orthw(>lt ElIoprfl: .....'1I)' .-eetle-r: eUUlOund
trllm ... folinw the marked delour ,olng nOrth on I1nbled Strr('t
10 EriC' SIl'rt'I. "Alii 10 Union Streel And lIOulh 10 Oh1o Street;
",,"tbound I"'C\'(:I"$C order.
lTl'U \\'l"n' E IH'1....l't!n 22ml and 9ll1. SI~'U In North
Rh'enhle. 10 IH! Widened 10 fuur lanett: northbound trnm,
detour Weijt on 3tst Straot I" 25th A\I;mue. nnrth to Z.lnd SII"t'I' I
nnd cns l 10 17th Avenue; southbound re\en". (lrder: 17th
""enue. ollen to Illelll tramt' ,
SOUTH PARK AV"'H.' E betw",n lMIUl and 17!'\th SlreelJ.
~mplelC' [WI.\-eml"flt n':mnltrurtlon and wldenln,: north.b<luntl
tramC' dC'lour north on W()()tl Boule..'anl from 175th Street tt'!
lOOlh Street and ea.. t 10 Saulb I"ark A\'enue; lIOlllhboond re\'eJ"le order.
VnMO .....'T STRI:."T bel\\"een DI"lIlon and 171th Slrei!tJl In
Blue lalnnd , ",Idenlog and ~.urfuet ng : eO.l l bound t raffle lIe10Uf norlh on Alihland A\'enuC' to l27th Sireel lind enst 10 Vel"
mont Street; \H'Stbolmd re\'1'1'M' order.
WOLF nOAD betw('t"o Uullerftl!ld and St. ChllrlCl Roadil,
.... Idenlnlil: Ilnd murtadn,: northbound trame detour .... est on
Buuerlleld Road to Tan A\eoue. north 10 SI Charles Road
and " ..I to Wolt Road; southbound rC'\'C'1'Ie orot'r.

Bikes on the Right

fConllnul'd rrom Pl<gC' '.!)

prepared by the Commission and adopted by virtually

all the suburbs puts itlhis way: ' AU bicycles shall be
operated. as near to the right hand curb as conditions
will permit. exercising duc care when passing a stand
ing vehicle or onc prec::eding in the same direction:
"This should be thoroughly understood by bicycle
riders and motorists alike, Then tile rider, knowing
that he is entitled to a path. will not panic when a car
comes from behind and the driver. confident that the
bicycle will slay dose to the curb, can pass with safety
for both of them.
"Tbe situa.tion is much more tricky when the bicycle
Is on the left, coming toward the car. The rider can'l
be sure of what the motorist will do aRd thl' mOlariat
is faced with the possibility that the cyclist will wobble
and perhaps go into the middle of the road. With
jUvenile riders, the risk is high,
" Purthennore, the dUf('.r'('nc4!' in speed. is much less
whcn both are on the right. When the two are approaching each other. 8S when the bicycle is on the
left, the speed of the bicyc le must be added to that
of the car. and thus the time to nct is sharply reduced.
"Children ta ught safe bike riding by the Commission are Instructed that they must keep close to thc
curb, ride in sing le file, no riders on the ha ndle bar.;
and no wobbling out into the roadway. RigbtBide
riding is legal and our program is demonstrating that
it can be mad(' completely safe:'

Trnllic is pennitted while work proceeds on the following na.med locations:

AIl LlNl:TOt\ II~~IGHTS 1I0AD between O\lmlL't' /lOll Rllnd
!lflollds In Arlington Uel(1hU. wl(lenlojil Itl Iwe) .tllO(lllni Illne~
Ilnd N1IUrfIU: lnll
8IU)CKWAY STREE.T bet"'""n Comfort SI~llInd t\orthwClfI
HlghwlI~' In PlllaUne, \",o-Iane rHurlllr!n,.
. 'Ollt\DKY HOAD bC'lwftn t\orth"'elI\ II ll:hwlIY and 0(0"

PIllln!,:". Rh'er Ro.ad. unlnrorponlf'd llrea. ArllnGlon Height_

nnd MI. ProsperI. two-lnne M!ron.tro<'llon
M~~"C1I,\M-PLI'M Wi.OVF: ltOAD bclwl't'n II lglfln~ Ronll 1~n(1
Daniel. Sirt'lli In Palo.llnl' lind unincorporllled IIren. !WO-Illno!
retlurCnl"inlf
RIOOE ROAD llel""('1\ Q:ontral Street and Wilmelle A,'f-nut'
In .:ValU'u>n and Wllmclle. rellurfaelng.
SH}:KMER ROAD bet"l'\'n lIarlem anll Ell.! LAke A\'eJ\uC'S
In Glt'n\lf:'w. twolane ""urrat'lng.
TOUHY AV,,"'-:UE betwl'i!n II lgKlns holl Mllnnhl'lm Rond. In
unlnrorponlll'IJ Rreo. o.ntl 0\>. Phllnt':ll. I""(l-lll n(' re8urfnclng.
aNTRAL AVENUE belween Uarrl,wn Street and ROOKveit
R~di .. bUlIIlI detour. bridge con.$\rucUon o\'er Congreu
StITil Expru.way.

$17,577,680 Building Permits Issued

May

ERMITS FOR a $5,000.000 business buildIng and a

1,000,000 hotel made M ay a record month f or

the Cook County Build

iog and Zoning Bures u.
The Bureau, which hill!

jlllisdiction in the unincorporated area of the

Count.y. issued a total
or 636 pc.nnits for construction of a total estimated $17,577,680. valuation.
The business permit is for an office and utility building fo r t he Pure Oi) Company in Schaumburg 'Townshi p. The hotel, to be el'eeted by the Chicago-O'Hare
Hotel Corporation. will be in Maine Township. Other
large items are a 22-a pa rtmenl building in Maint'
Township, $208,600 ; a seven-unit a partment house in
Stickney Township. $102,000, and a National Tea Cc;mpany store building in Bremen Township, S100,000.
Of lhe total permits, 467 were for new homes of
$9.283,800 total valuation. Wheeling led the tow nships
in residential const ruction, with 76 permits indicating
S1.434.,600 valuation. Stickney, which had been in first
Illace in M,l\r ch and Apr il , was second, with 69 permits
and $1,102,600 valuation.
I;'or other ty pes of construction, JX'rmits were issued
as follows:

-- -

W ith th is ne ..... ly acquired army surplus "duck," Cook

County Civil Defense is ready for s ervice on land or
sea. It has just come from the H lgh ..... ay Department 's
pa int shop an d will be see n In numerous community
parades this su mmer . At the bow are County CD
Direc to r J oseph A. Oo ..... ney ( left ) and State P ollee
Lieut. C. R . Tra utm ann , assigned to s tate CD hu d_
quarters.

first session will be held in r oom 535 or t he County

Building, starti ng at ]0 :30 a. m. Adjourned or COIltinued hearings may be h eld aL other places to serve
tile convenience of persons wishing to be h eald.
FirsL hearings will he on th e text of the proposed
o rdina nce_ The township maps prepared by the rezoning director, Ha rry F, Chnddiek, and his staff will
then be considered. All persons interested are invited
to attend and a ll will be givc.n an opportunity to be
heard , said Andrew J. Dallstream , chairmnn of the
Zoning Board o f Appeals.

HesldenUul lltl lH llonR and ull(lrllllonll_ 91. pon mllJl. &242.000.

AlUl rtme nt bulhHnlilJO---Two ~rmlU, $910,800.
AtreRlOry bulltllngl- 70 permi tI', &1'17.9('.0.
RuSln(l68 hulldlngs- Elghl pennia, $6, ~ OO,f>OO.
Bu~l nl'llS II.ddltlollll lind /lHer"tlon.~
." l>erml\.!l. $1()5,fIr()().
Wcllll...-5lx pe rmit $6,.000.
Selllie ~}tilemll----On(' IK"rmlt, $:100.
~lI ~<:ellllnLo()u_ll IM!rmlu, $24.900_

By townships. permits were issued

'l'1I",,,,;hlp

BarrlnglOn
Bloom

BreIDL'n

Elk em\'e
lIanO"er

Lemont
lA'y,len
Lyons

;\1"I"e

Ne\\ T rier

I'orthlteld

NOI'''OOtI i'ark

Orland

" ...ml!.

12
13
37

3S

follows:
, '"Iuu l iu"

li.(j()()

:lOl, t oo
280,400
629,000

1\)

It;';~,200

'10,400
U 1.400

'2t)

24

~7

1
45
13
11

Stlrkney

J 11)

1,3.';6.~

9'.1

1,.\91.100

Thornton
WhtleHnje
Worth

II
"

:;

37

In

August

A mass movement to clear the County's natural

streams o[ debris deposi ted by nature and man will
be launched by the Cook County Clean Streams Committee .....,th a boost from Governor Stratton and. it is
hoped, the hearty cooperation or local officials and
citizen volunteers.
The Governor is ex pected to proclaim "Clean Stream
Week," as he has done annually, setting the big chor e
IWme time in August, said Btlrton H. Atwood, chairman of the Committee. Maps showing the course of
the vurioua streams will be prepared by lhe Metropolitan Sanitary District and on Lhem will be indicated
the sections rrom which debris is to be re moved by
village authorities. the Forest P reserve District a nd
the Sanitary District.
" This should pin down responsibility," said Mr.
Atwood.
W. S. Nordburg, Sanitary District Trustee, reported
at the May meeting of the Committee t hat the District
has ordered i5 signs proclaiming a $50 fine for dumpIng litter into a stream.

2M,900
189,700
74<1.900
206.300

Sc:hnumbun:

Stream Cleanup

290,100
3,643,150
oW.SOI)
951,960

PalaU n e
1'<1105
ltIt'h

!50.900
5,3HJ.200

69.300

",.300

In the no-(ce classification, which includes chu rches,

schools a nd (nrm buildings, there were 10 permits or
$957.600 total valuation. Among the larger items
were an otnce building ror Maryhill cemetery, Maine
Township, $250,000; addition to a distl'ict No. 122
school, Worth Towns hip, $255,000, and a convenL in
St, Albert the Great Parish, Stickney, $165,000.

Hearings on New Zoning Law

Public hearings on the comprehensive amendment
to the Cook County zoning ordinance have been seL
by the Zoning Board of Appeals to start June 29. The

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Tnl. View, Shot by the Cook County Highwily Department Photographer, T ake5 In the Northwelt ExprCSIway Route at Cicero Avenue,
at the Left, OInd Edens Expressway. at the R ight. Edena Between F Oltcr and Kost ner Avenuel I, Scheduled to Be Opened Soon Aftcr La
bor Day , The Job Under Way In the Loop F ormed by Cicero Avenut:, iI County ProJeet, I, the TrI. Lcvcl Grade Separation to Carry Cicero,
Nort hwut E xprCSlw ay and T wo Setl of Railroad Track .

Vol. VII No. 2

JULY, 1959

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Publiahed by the Cook County (III.) Departmflnt of Highways
Under auspky of the Board of County Commlalonu.
DANIEL RYAN, Prealdent
Wlln~m N. ,lck.o11
Fred A. Full.

Jim" F. Aah'nd,"
F"'nk Bobryuke
Charlu F. Chapll"
Elb.lbeth A. Conke,
Jerry Doleul
John J. Ol.l"y
""hur X. Elrod

ehrlat A. Janie"
John A. Mackl,r, Jr.
Olnlel Ryiln
Clayton F. Smith
dWJIni M. Snud
John J . Touhy

William J. Mortimer
Superintendent of H ighway.

Publiahtd It 130 North Well. Street, ChIcqo G.

......

FRantlin 27644

~xte.n&lon

216

Boob of the Month

June Traffic Fatalities

PERSONS, Including a 7year-old boy on
(ool ' .nd a 9year-old boy on a bicycle. were killed
SIXTEEN
In highway Lnlffic aeel
denls in luburban Cook
County In June.
Allbough the J u n ('
loW ....ilS LO above that
of June, 1958. the first
.Ix months of the year
endt'tl with an accumulated lOtaJ 27.2 per cent lower than thaI. of the same
period Iul year. This haa been accomptiahed while
th~ fatality rate nationwide hu been rising.
Accident. of all types-fatal. personal injury and
proJ>erty damage totaled 2,804 In Junc. Although
few~r than the 2.874 total accldcou in May. the numbtl' of penons Injured waa higher -1.CM)1 sgainat 96;.
Aleo tbe daily ratA:o was sUghtly hlgber-93 plus in
June and 92 plua In May. Thu.. reportable accident
occurred somewhere In lhl' Ilrea o.OOut every 15 minutes arou nd Lbe clock.
Nine of the June victims were killed In collisions
between motor vehicle., automobiles in six instancea.
auto-motorcycle In two nnd auto-truck in the other,
One death resulted when n CRr rnn Into a bridge, onc
when a car slJ'Uck a wayside post, onc when a car
turned O\'U, one when a car ran into a ditch and
one when a lJ'Uck ul*!L

Surplus Goods Ava ilable

SLIPPERY Simpson. driving is a game to
W ITH
aeore against thf' la".,'.

The opportunlty for suburban Civil Defense organizatiolUl to obtain needed Itenu of equipment [rom
gov~nunent lIurplu. ,toeb ....... explained by County
Director J08Cph A. Downey at a meeting of local CD
directors July 10,
He stated be had recently bougbt the following
itenu for use of the County CD organization:
Seven pneumatic ennCJ"ete breakers, four oil gun..
two 5,000 [{W generators to PO"'U tbe countywide
abort wave radio in c:aae of public current failure, one
75 RW generator to Oood light a truck, 12 canvaa
folding cots, 12 template eanVNH each 12 by 24 feet.
one fork IIrt and one flat btd LraUer.
Accredited 8uburban CD organizaUons may maJce
similar Jlurchaaea at Springfield September 9, Downey
said.

Tnltne aigna are jWlt an obetae1e course.

Ala rulH require obedience only when a traffic officer
Is in eight..
SlJPPf'-ry wUl probably keep trying ror a new course
record as long as he .laye alive.

Of Course Not
If you make a left tum rrom a right-hand lane you

are Jlrobably jU8t cnreleu and not what the driver

behind tallC!d you----callfomla Dlvl810n of HlghwaY8.

Full Cost of Road Accidents

IGHWA Y TRAFFIC accidents are costly, running
in a year to a 8um equal to thalspent on construcH
lion and maintenance of all the hlghways and stree18
in the nation.

IS

Studied

Cost By The Mile

This figure--sev(!n and one-fourth bil-

lion dollare-whlle the best available. is only an estimate, and traffic authorities SUSpeClll is low.
A stud)' to determine all the costs of highway aecidcms- bolh dircct a nd indirect- was started this
month in Illinois by the Stnte DivisiOn of Highways
in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads.
Since Cook County has about balf the population and
half the vehicle registration of the state, 50 per cent
or morc of the investigation will be done in the County.
Two scientifically selected groups of vehicle owners
will be questioned. One consis18 of 7,SS1 wbo had
accidents in 1958. ThiB list WS8 compiled from reports rued with the Stale. City of Chicago and Chicago
Park District, and includes passenger ears, trucks and
tnl<!k combinations. The owners will be interviewed
by trained fie1d workers, using a four-page form lhat
covcrs all costs resulting (rom an accident. including
medical car e of the injured. loss of income, and legal
and eourt costs as well WI property damage of all
kinds. About 60 per cent of this field work will be
done in Cook County.
This 1958 accident sample includes 400 passenger
cars that were involved In fatal accidents, about
2,000 in nonfatal injury accidents and about 1,000 in
accidents that resulted in property damage only. The
sample of trucks, distributed by weight groups, has
been cho&en to yield approximately 400 involved in
fatal accidents, 1.400 in non-fatal injury accidents and
1,400 in property damage only.

Estimated at S7,250,OOO.000, the totru cost of

highway traffic accidents in the United States in
one year not only equals the a nnual expenditures
by all governmental agencies for construction
a nd maintenance of roadways, bllt breaks down
Into the foll owing significant items :
$2,114 for every mile of roads and streets.
SU6 for every motor vehicle registered.
$42 for every man, woman and child in the
eountry.
14 cents for every gallon of gasoline consumed.
1..1 cents For every mile driven.
s tale's chief highway engineer, Slated "1 assure you
that your report will be held in strictcst confidence.
The study is not related to traffic law enforcement.
It has no bearing on ~~~:_dri"ing record. Its only
I)Urpose is to get more ~rm8tion about lrnffic a cci
dents in 1IIinois."

Past Studies Inadequate

The objcctives oC the statewide inquiry, which is
expected to take a year or more. are set forth in
generaJ and in detail in the manual prepared for interviewers.
"Estimates of the cost of motor vehicle accidents
have been prepared in the past by interested groups,"
it is stated, "but have necessarily been based on in
complete data and lacked material details. At the
present time there is insufficient data to allow anylhing but a general evaluntio.n of the efficiency of the
nation's transportation system in terms of economic
loss througb accidents."
"The highest estimate of the costs of motor vehicle
accidents in 1957 was seven and one-fourth billion
dollal'S. Preliminary data from three states in which
accident cost studies have been made indicate this
cstimate may be low. Seven and one-fourth billion
doUsrs is approximately the same amount as that expended by all units of government for construction
and maintenance or nl\ Lbe nation's streets and highways during 1957. It amounted to S2,114 for every
mile of roads and streets; $116 for every vehicle reg
istered; 542 for every man, woman and child; 14 cents
for every gallon of gasoline consumed, and 1.1 cents
for every mile driven.

Seek Unreported Accidents

The second sample group consists of 14.032 owners.
half passenger cars and half trucks, selected from
1958 state motor vehicle registration records. They
wiIJ not be interviewed in person, but. will be mailed
questionnaires covering thcir accident experience.
Some In the second group will have reported acci
dents. These will be eliminated by checking against
the records. But it is also e.'Cpect.cd that some will
have had accident..s lhat wcre not reported, mainly because the damage resulting was less lhan the sum
requiring a report. In Illinois the minimum damage
lhnt must be reported is $100: in Chicago, $50. People
who return questionnaires sbowing accidents not
reported. a nticipated to be about 2,000, will be inter
viewed. About 40 per cent of the questionnaires have
gone to Cook County residents.
In addition to the 14,000 receiving the accident ex
perience questionnaire, two special lists of 1,000 each
were compiled, one from 1958 registrations and one
from 1959. They have been mailed separate ques
tionnaire8 requesting accident experience in the month
of June of those years. The particular purpose of this
special sample is to determine the influence of memory
failure on results of a study of this kind.
Everyone in the three. groups has received an ad
vance letter explaining the purpose of the study and
giving assurance that. names will not appear in published material-only case numben. In the letter
sent with the questionnaires, R. R. Bartelsmeyer, the

Data to Aid Highway Design

"The general purpose of this study will be to collect
and Rnaly~ the costa of motor vehicle accidents, and
to relate the costs and characteristics of accidents,
including those characteristics ))CcllIiar to the street
and highway facilities, the driver and the vehkle.
"The study will evaluate in considernble detail both
direct and indirect costs of accidents and obtain back
ground infOlmat:ion that wiil make it possible to in
terpret and use the accident data obtained for various
(O:mllnued on

Paa~

8)

Waste Liquid Passes Test as Road Binder

By John McTigue

1';I1&III('('r, TUllo. Uurt'aQ

("0011 C:ounl), 111Gb. . ,. DePlirtment

PROJECT CONOUCTED by the Cook County

Hlgh .....ay DepRrlmcnt to leat the use of an indusA

LriaJ wnate product
road binder has reached the

Possibilities

1I01C 'he Cook COI/,,'y H lyhlNl1I Dt/mrhtlt"'

pllll~

tf!

m(lke NIH' 0/ /!lId/itt: liql(vr ON COl/lily IIIUIli/uilled rQlI/1I 18

8S 8

oNthllC(1 '" 1/11 /ollutrlll!1 .tllt. "U"f by SIIPfTl'th"d.,,'

IrUbn.m J MorlurlfT:

stag!" of <!valuaUon.

The material under leslls spent sulfite liquor, which

floWll in abundant quantities (rom paper pulp mins.
The U. S. Bureau of Mines, which d('8ignatC8 it
"Ugnln sulfonate." lJII,ys In its Information Circular
7806: "Lignin sultonate ls 8 chemical byproduct of
wood pulping by the sulfite procetUl. More Ulan 100
sulfite pull> milia I1re In the United $Lat.es and Canada
- (rom ....Ioridn to Alaska and from lhe C8st to the
WCSl COtlst.s, They produce more than 30 miWon
gallOM of wllsle aoluLloD daily. whleb contains 10 per
cent of lignin solidi and BUgan in fixed proportions."
Circular i806 alllO states: "Ills n!.lnti\'ety cheap and
easy to Bpply .. The dlspenllng properties or lignin
sulfonate permit coml>ucting the Ideal soil to It density
almost as great 1UJ that of concrete. The road binder
does no~ leach relldU)' from these soils: they ha\'e a
very small percentage o( voids and wben dry may
have a compressive strength one-fourth that of con-

XAMINATION OJ.' THE teat section two months

nfter the AppllcaUtoD of the sulftte liquor sbo""" a
E
densely
baflE' wltb large stones firmlr emCORlptlCt.ed

bedded, The accompanying picture (page 5) Rho\1;8

that In spite nf the heR"Y loads opernting nn th1l5 a~
tina. the large stnnca hnve brokt'n Ilnd remain bon.ietl
Instelld of the usual IlcUnD nf loosening and shorUy
the-rellILer scattering as loose stone nn th~ shnulder,
We dn nnt build gravel I'll" stone roads without sealing them either with liquid asphalt or plant mix 8t1rrace. The real value to US~I
be the stabilizing of
these bRset1, resulting in 8 be
riding pavcmf'nl u.nd
reducing PJltching tauaed by bn rllilures.
Another iml>orlnnt UIH' will be in the reconstruction
of existing black top p8.vements originally deaignrd tn
cany Ught traffic il1 nlml 8.I'ftL!!I. Many of th('m have
become Important thorough.farH In newly d~v..loped
l5ubdlvhdona. The construc.tion o( buildings hllB brought
beavily loaded mnteriallrUcks, retlulting in man)' C8.11(!8
or complele 1)8.\'emcnt fAilure. W~ propose to reconstruc.t these ba.se8 by adding three inches nf mnterial
and treating It with aulfite liquor. We are conftdent
that thla will not nnly strt'ngtlten nur base, but the
stability will enable ua to hold nul" aurface.
Our Maintenance Divislnn will report at a later date
nn the r~ull.a.

c.rel~."

A varielY nf u&C. in InduRtry is being found (or the

waalt' liquid. Report 1207 of the U. S. Department of
Agritulture says: "Spent sulfite IIqunr can be used in

I
J

adhesive 8Uitable for mAny pUr))()8es, in (ertilizers,

liS u base of certain dyestuffs, in tanning compounds
, . , Nearly 75 million gallons of unconcentrnted 8u)fite
liquor arc being used annually in the United tates
ror rood binder."

Tested First in l aboratory

The nUe-nlinn of lhe Cook County High\\'D)t Department was attracted tn the use of this byproduct
In road base stabllimllnn. Laboratory testa w~
made to dt'wnnine thE' mAximum deMity and the comI)resslve strength of mlxturcs of lignin 8ulfonate (11.2

In.p.~'lng a Se~tlon of the Su lnte Liquor T tlt ROil O',

M~Tlguo find. It donuly ~o m pac ted, oven and uni form,

Thlrty.two T on Gro.. Weight GrOilvel Pi t

County Plans Putting It to Practical Use

Swept Clean of Small Gravel Dropped From the Trucks, Th ll Sample o f the Ten Road Ill ustrates the Firm Bond
Ing of Pit Run Gravel Obtained With Sulfite Liquor. Several of the Larger Stones Hav e F ractured Under the
Impact of the 32-T on Trucks, but Instead of Crumbllrog A way Remain Embedded.

ches; Section B, 4 inches; Section C, 6 inches.

solids) and pit ru n gravel.

The Proctor ma.ximum density of pit run gravel (an
ideal soil) a nd wa ter was 116.9 p. s. i. dry weight; the
optimum moisture cont ent 9.4. per cent.
The P roctor max.imum density of the same aggregate and lignin sulfonate was 120.1 p. s. i. dry weight
and the maximum L. S. content 9.0 per cent ( A.S.T.M.
method D-698).
Compressive strength test cylinders were made of
a mixture of the minus four sieve fraction of pit run
gravel and multiple a pplications of L. S. These cylind ers ha d dry compressivc strcngths of 1400 p. s. i. . approximately one-fourth t hat of concrete.

A 4,OOO-gallon transport truck delivered the lignin

sulfonate (11.2 per cent). A new and modern press ure distributor d.pplied the liquid in increments of
0.5 gallo ns per square yard until each section in tum
became saturated.
The foll owing day a 1/16" incrustation was ob-

served on the surface of t.he treated a r ea. The roadway was t hen opened to 32-ton gross weigh t gravel
pit trucks. After 180 passes o f these trucks, lhe foJlo ....'ing o bserva tions W eN! noted:

Performance Under Traff ic

Test Road in Gravel Pit

Section A (2" scarification ) was dense, solid. fairly

smooth, but had some loose 1!:!" aggregate on the surface.
Section B (4" scarification) had one set of welldefined tire tracks. The area unde r these tracks was
well compacted to a smooth, dense a nd solid surface.

A haulage road in a gravel pit northwest of Chicago was selected for field evaluation and to supplement the laboratory dctenninations. This unsurfaced
roadway was composed of a 12" base of traffic-bound
pit run gravel.
One side. 16 feet in width , was staked into three
scctions, each 400 feel in length. The test a rea was
scarified with a power blade-scarifier. The depth of
loose, scarified base material in Section A was 2 io-

Section C (6" scarification) showed considcrable

rutting and lateral displacement in the tire tra.e ks.
This reaction indicated that the characteristics of this
(COntinued on Page 6)

Commissioner Elrod

Accident Costs Study

fCIJnflnucd from r'uae 3}

purposes in highway planning Rnd design, 8~lective

enforcement and driver and safety education.'
Specillc PIlJ1)06eB for which data are sought lire outlined as follows:
"1. To determine the dIrect costs of motor vehicle accidents of different types which might be
saved for the vehicle owner by the elimination of
accidents.
"2. To determine the indirect costs. Such costs
include expenditures made to prevent accidents or to
protect against liability for damages in accidents.
"3. To rel.1.te the costs of accidents to bighway
characteristics and design and characteristics of the
driver, the vehicle and the trip.
';<1. To evuluate direct and indirect costs to make
possible the interpretation of accident data for various
purposes of highway design.
"5. To id!:!RUfy problem areas in safety control and
establish a basis for measuring the ef[ectlveness of
safety control mcasures.
"6. To conlrlbute to the eeonomic analysC8 of route
improvement and location stu~,provide data
for improving effieic.ncy ratings of
ways and contribute to other studies being eonduet
"7, To establish aecident rotes for commercia.! vehicle nnd passenger car involvement in the Stale of
DUnois,"

J
ArthUr X. Elrod

Arthur X.Elrod, a member oC the Board o't Cook

County Commisslonen3 since 1946, died July 22 in bis
home, 34)0 Lake Shore Drive.
Mr. Elrod, who WAS 58, was born in Chicago. He
attended DePaul University law school and before
elecuon to the Count.y Board served as assistant sergeant-at-arms of the City Council and chief depu~y
bailiff of the Municipal Court. He was Democratic
Committeeman of the 24th ward and also conducted
an insurance and reRI estate business.
SUnlivonJ include the widow, Della; 8 son, Richard;
a daughter, Mrs. Gloria Sheppard; th ree brothers,
Sam, AI , and Mnx: three sisters, Mrs. Bcttey Rose,
Mrs. Gail Pacelli, and Mrs. Rita Drexler, and four
gmndcbildren.
Counly offiees .....ere closed for the funeral and members of the County Board and the Cook County Demo
cratie Central Committee served as honorary pall

New Bridge in Hillside

bearers.

Road Bi nder Test . . ..

(COnllnu~

A newly completed bridge constructed by the Cook

County Highway Department carries Gardner Road
over Addison Creek in Hillside. Overhead is the Ulinois Central line to Iowa. The bridge Is 222 feet in
length and affords two 14-foot traffic lanes and two
6-foot sidewalks. i18 length is included in a 143G-foot
street improvement project extending both ways from
the bridge.

rrom PHIl:! $)

treated material required eompaeUng in layers of less

thickness. This section was reworked and eompacled

in two layers of equal depth. A 3" to 4" liftscems to
be the most praetiesl depth for this type of operation.
Repented p!lSSCS or these heavy trucks o,'er the entire treated area effected a dense, even and uniformly
eompact.e4 base.

,.......

June Building Permits

Detours In Effect
IN PROGRESS by the Cook County Higb.
W ORK
way Department requlJ'CI detours as followa:

HE HOME BUILDING boom in the unincorporated

countryside continued through June, with 521 resl
dential pennilH of a total
or $10.540.500 In esUmated coats iUlled by
the Cook County Build
ing and Zoning Bureau.
By way of comparison.
there were 467 residen-

BUSSE ROAD balwKn Colt nolld and Lincoln Slretlt In

"Ollnt Pro.peet, n_ baH couno and black top conltrucUon.
northbound trAtnc dl!tOur
eUL on Coli Ro.d ,",ute
'"'
Elmbunl
ROad Street
lrout.e
~" to
north
to Lincoln
anu Welt to HUlIN ROIId;

SOORY TO INmNVEIlIENCE
YOU ... j'tJ ~u'1'
THIS RESURFACING

Ual permltR totaling S9,-

283.000 issued in May

and 219 permits totaling $".503,300 iuued in June,
1958.
For building construction of nil types. the bureau
issued 753 permits last month. Total estimated cost
WlUI $12,36Sl,450, including $191,800 for .seven projects
In lhe no-fee classification, which Includes ch urches,

A\"ou('. N<)MhwHt ExpnoslW.y r1lnatrucllon. northboUnd trat

ne II00tour Whl 00 ma.lna. nOC'lh on Der Roatl. IlIUII on
Dev!)n, .C)ulhbQund re\'erte ortler.
IlIWrH ST IU:ET tloaetl bel\\e<'n COtIIk'!r Strftt ami WIIUj'"
AVt'f\UII. eon,trucUun b)' U. S. Army J,;nijlneor. uf Ilf!! ,t'
nvC'r lOrand Trunk 11.11 .... )'. pIlM \)/ CliJ&i. proJet't.
CE.Vl'RAL ROAD between Arlln.ton HrJ,ha Road and
Northwett HJlhway. to be widened 10 tOllr lanH: .,tbound
trame dt'tour north on .uUOltGlIo Uelar:ha ao.d to North"ut
=:"ay and lOuthea.ll to central lload. _tbound re\.n4!

Two townships were over two mUUon In \'8.luatlon

and two others were over one million. Maine led
in l'esident.la1 permits.7l. of a tOUlI $.2,033.200 valuaUon. Orland had 140 home permits. $2.306.400. and
Stickney bad 103. $1.716.400. Elk Grove's total,
1.051,700. Included two indu8lrial buildings. $445.000
and $14.5.<100.
In c1aaaificntions other Ulan residentlsJ construeLion. June puml18 were l&Iued lUI follows :

8-tTH A \'"E.'\'U between 17111 bd l1Gth SU"ftu. dralna,e

'Lnlt'tUI't' rt'PIAMnen~DGrthbound trame delOIll' _ t on 1'76lh
nonh 10 l71,l Street and nat to 8-tth
l'rte order.
PAL.\TJNE ROAD
Wl'flI Norlh_t HJJ,thway .nd nohlwlnl
rtu.d In l"aJatine. luu
nl: teeoIWtnJrtlOn: eulbountl tramr: dt'lour ~theul on N()
Wf'IIl 1II)ftI"'IlY to ltohlwlo. ltoad and
north 10 Pa.1aUnr: 'toad; ",,,Ux>lUld rever.e Of'der.
SHt:IUtR ROAD IWIwe-en t..ee .nd Dundee Roadl In North.
Wt>oIt, wllk!nln, 10 2~ fCOllI. n'llUrrar:ln .. and br1d~ /"fl"Gn.tructkon; I!IlItbound ,",me d('tour Mirth un Lee Road to Dundee
Rllftd Inti rlllt tl) Rhenner RoIId; "Htbound rever.(! onler,
JOE ORR ROAD between IlItilt/ld and Stua Stl'ftU In
Chlcg.o H!'lihu. brUlill c:onllruellon: e ..tbound trame detour
lI',ut \O.HaLlted Sll'I!C!t to UnCOln HI .. hwilY elll to St4l11
IWI an north to JOII Orr Road: wHtboliii'd re\'eMIe order:
01110 STRF.ET beotwftn nal.ted and UnJoa SU"Mta, brtd
t'I'lnJtructlon for NortbweJ;t ~wIY Feed
J"II
~etcg=1.u:a.n:1:~nfC:D~[J:ln.. north on f:'il.:::t=~
"'~lbound rever.. ordu.
and I)I!Ulh to 0IU0 Slreet;
Slrftl to 94th A ... ~n
A"cnue ; IOUhbound

nU!dl!nllal addiliuns and .Uer.Uol1........s" ~rmlu. 1t239.41)()

AttC!uor y bulIlUnl_10l permlU. $233.900,
Bu.lnttl. huUdlnl __ Elght IM'tmlU, "UH.600.
addition. lind alferaLl"n_16permlll.

"'19~.ZSO,

InelU'trlll1 bulldlnp Two permll .. JM)I\400,

Indullrhil addUlun. and IIlt~rIHlon. Two j.II!rmtu. f-Is,ooo.
W"II. Fin Jlt'rml .... $5.UQ\).
\lI_II.n~~lu........,,;.e\l! n pennlh tlRl1(.Wl

B)' township8. Junt' permlla w('.re issued as follows:

T ...... hl'
lIur1nl{tl.n
Uloum
Bremen
~:\k CI'lW\!'

l't"",II_
,

'7

30

..'

L~on.

:.

tor.lnt'

:\_ Trier
Nllet
:\orthtichS
Norwood Park
Orl.nd

"/llimne

"".II)'
Pl'OvllO

an<l ent to 17th A'Vlmue; IIOUthbound !'e\'e.no onler' 17th

AvenUI open 10 local trallIe.
.
SOloTH PARK AVENUE betweI':n l59Ua and Insth SUftta,
eomplelt' p!l\'l!ment recontLnlctlon and wldenlnl: northbound
trame detulll' nOMh on WOOd Boulevard lrom 17S1h 81J1Ht to
lIIi8lh S~t and I!a., to South ParI!: Avenue' aouthbound re-

gg

!U
1-1

10'0,... Or(ler,

un
:M
,

!kh.umbul1t

!l:tlC'kne,.
Thomton
\~lIn.

VERMONT STREi."T bcltween Dlvl.lol!. and 177th StI'Hla In

Dlue [.l.nd. wldenln. and ruurfltclnl; e.. tbound tramr: <Ietour north on "'hland A\'l!.nue to 121lh Street bd ust to Vermont Street: westbound t1I\.1!'tM CU'd1U.

II
:I

Rleh

WOrth

J7T1J A\F.),'UE belw""n :l2nd and 3l1l S~a In North

RlvUllde, to btl widened to tour lanel; northbound tr.mr:
delOUr W"I on SIIIt Su-e.t tl) 25th AvC'nUI:, nOrth to 22nd Slreet

1.1

lI ano\'('r

Knd('n

bound lnUftc: dl!tour aoulh

011 W.UUIf&A Road to Gleo

view R6ad. eut to llamu
Jto.d and narth to t:.lft ~e A\l!Ilu.; "''ftLboUDl1 !'e'"erM order.
C ....MJJERLAXD A\E..... UE lirlw ....o 1II"ln, Road and l)e\"on

&Chool and (arm buildings,

nu~ln~..

~vene Orde-r.
F-AST LAKE AVENUE be-

IOUlhbound

tWl!flI W.ukegan anti Hanni

ROllO.. wld~ln. to rour
lan8 a nd ~urfal!lnl; elll

!VI
Hi
IS

Traffic is permitted while work proceeds on the following named locations:

s"

'UOOE RO.AD belwen Central SItM1. and wtlmett. AVl:nue

The nofee permits included four for ee:hool additions

In Schaumburg Township, two for nccessory building1l
In Hanover nnd one for an accessor')' building In Lyons.

In \'ltn.lon and " "Um.Ue. rea:urfllcJn,.

"'!fERMER ROAD Ik'!tween IIArIf!11I ami Eut Lake Avenue.

III Clllnvlew. twol.nt' ref;Urtllc.llll
TOUIIY AVE:-/UE belwl!tI':n 1II1I"11n. and Mannhelm Road. In
unlnf(lfpOratt'd &l'9. lOll Dl'. l'llilna twolane re.urr.dn

County Leads, of Course

tenm. made up of traffic engineering employes of City.
Slnte IU1d County. Stale Design has won one and
loat Lwo and Slate Expressway. and CATS (Chicago
An.-a Transportation Study) hU\Te each lost three.
While Count)' fans are in 8 poalUon to crow Ilt the
moment, it abould be noted Uml County tllghways won
its third game, which was agnlnst CATS. by a lworun home r in the ninth . making the final score B-13.
and County Dralnngc succumbed to 8 iast inning rally
by C.S.c. Tmfflc: the final, 10 to 18,

As mlghL be expected by It ncutral observe.r, teams

representing the Cook County H.ighway Der1utment
stood first and second 1lS tile eight Uneups reproIK!J1Ung State. Cily and County finished the third round
of the Engineering Softball league.
The tOil leam. dt'Signated County RighwaYB beC!8use it is largely reJlrelM!nLaLive o[ the Road Design
DlvtsJon. bna won three and lost none. County Drain
age Blands two and one. nnd shares second Illnee with
Cily Engineering. City SeWN" and Lhe C.S.C. Traffic

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

rt

/ '

P ..,lng Start. on Weat End of County"

Vol. VII No.3

Seetlon of Northwut ElIIpreAwOI,..

AUGUST, 1959

.....".

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

PubliHhed by the Cook County (111.) Depn.rimen~ or Rlghwny.
Und~r Auspices or the Board of County Commiuionen
DANIEL RVAN . President

JOimel F. A,henden
Fr.. nk Bohryuke
Charles F . Chaplin
E llu beth A. Conkey
Jerry Doleul
John J, Duffy
WIII!.;!!m N. Erlek.on

Fred A. F u lle
Christ A. Jenlen
John A. Mackier, Jr.

Daniel Ryan
Cr;llyton F. Smith
Edward M. Sneed
John J. T ouhy

WIlliam J. Mortimer
Superintendent of Highway.

Published at 130 North Wells Street, Chicago G.

FRanklin 2-7544.

Extension 216

Boob of the Month

Highway Fatalities
PERSONS were killed in highway traflic acEIGHT
cidents in suburban Cook County in July. The toll

was exactly half thnt of the preecdlng month and 13

unde r July of last year.
ThuB the second balf of
1959 is off to an encoura.ging start.
The first six months
of Lhjs year ended wiLh

lota] of 66 fatalities.
which was 18 ewer thnn
the same period in 19aJ.
While this 21.1 lK'r cent improvement is by itself a
credit to better law enforcement better highways and
better driving, it is Lhe more striking in view of 1\
5 per cent increasc in dealh nationwide. The only
ronaolution in the countrywide situation is the Na
tionn l Sarety Council's cstimate that traffic volume
ulso has increased 5 per ccnt, which means that the
ratio or denths to miles traveled remains the same.
The su.rety Council's records also show a decrease
In 1.11icago-rrom H2 fatalities In the first half of
1958 to 136 in 1959- and II 3 per eent reduction in
illinois as a whole. This slate was one of 17 show
ing improvement in the six-month period.
Analysis of the first hnJf-year fatal accidents just
completed by the Cook County Trailic Safety Commis
sion sh~much the same pieture as in recent years.
Most of~curred in clear weaUler on dry pave
menL Late afternoon and evening were the worst
times of day, but more than one-fourth of them happend between 1 and 6 a. m.
Passenge r cars were involved in 62 of tbe 66 ra tAli
tics. Trucks figured in four. bicycles in two, a motor'
cycle in one and 8 train in one. One ratality, 8
pedestrian, was caused by a motor scooter.
1\

UR.E S HOT S rLL[MAN is only 50

S
with caution, observing
signs and safety principles.
H e drivcs

per cent Boob,

all traffic laws,

Be has never contributed to an at'!cidenl and cherIshcB the thought that he will never be involved in one.
The 50 per cc.nt. weakness in his pbilosophy is that
he trusts evcry other driver to play It safe.
Sure Shot Is so sure of bis goodness that he Is
never prepared to meet. the worsL

Of the 31 drivers killed, 24 were males. but of the

25 passengers, 13 were female , and aU of them were
under lB. Ten of the dead were pedestrians. Five of
lhem were under IB and four were older lban 55.

accidents W88 16,829 and the injured, 4,586.

Three of those killed last month were pedt:Slrians,
one of !.hem a man of 75 and onc an infant of o ne year.
The five other deaths resulted from accidents of Ute
following tYI>es : Auto-auto, two ; auto-train, one; autotruck, one; aULo-abutment, onc.
TotAl acciden18 and personal injuries continued high
in July-3,205 accidents and 1,161 persons injured.

Allbough accidenls of all types- fatal , personafinjury a nd property damage-Increased this year, the
number of persons injured was mnrkedely less. In the
first half of 1958 there were 13,715 accidents in the
area and 7,714 were injured ; thls year, the total of

County Engineers Visit Road Testing Project

County Mlghw.y Engineer. Arrive by Chartered BUl to Spend I DIY Viewing TUl Road DperCitionl.

PARTY OF 38 engineers of the Cook County Hig h.

way Department went on July 21 to the area near
A
Ottawa, 111., whcrt!
Highway Research Board h11s

distribution of the tax burden among various classes

or penona using rcdcrnl aid highwaya.

ita layout of teal roads a nd spent the day stUdying

the various type!! of pavement a nd operations in the
lest laboratories. The excursion was one of a program
of IntrnJning lounI for benefit of the men who desl,!;n
and construct roads In the County.
They aaw the mOil extensive arrangement of road-

Highway Officials Sponsors

lh~

The test hall been under way a year, a nd has

approxJmately a year to go. It was conceived by the
American AasoclaUon or State Highway Officials,
which reqU(,8t~ the Highway Research Board. of the
National Academy of Sciences, to administer and di
rect It under AASHO sponsorship.
In the Highway Department party were the follow
ing named '
J amCII F. Kelly, assistantsuperintendenl ; Andrew
V. Plummer, assistant to the superintendent ; T. J .
McHugh, maintenance engineer: R. O. Mortenson.
engi n~ r of bridge construction : M. F. Page, engineer
of bridge d('sign: H. A. Pollock, engineer of highway
design, a nd the (allowing na med engineers-William
J . Bonn. Sam T. Brush, Thomas G. Cob!. Joseph W.
l<IIbcrger, Dante L. De SRntis, J ohn S. Shry, Leo G,
Wilkie, Jl'mncls Blake, J ohn Fi tzgel'ald, Francis Mill"
tetak. Hugh P. McAniff, Val Parise, Lows R. Quinlan,
Robert N. Lnnge, Carl Steinweg, John O. Braun,
Morris Chem('r, Mario De Santis, Anthony A. Mlier,
Neal E. Gulntoll . Myron Hecht. Frank L. Kaplnn,
William A. Malloy, Fred J . Nadzieja, J ohn T. Nagel,
Harry A. Ohlinger, Henry Riedl, ThOmas J . Roche,
Michael Scrblin, Jack C. Stern, J ohn McTigue, and
Raymond Slunge.

ever set up for teating. Altogether, the test

roads Inelude 826aeparBt.e sections representing nearly
200 dlfrerent. combinations of various thiclrnesses of
surfacing. ba~ and 8Ub-bo..ae material. Half of each
of the six lesl ioopA are surfaced with portland cement
concrete and hn.lf with R8phaltic concrete. There
are also 16 tellt bridge 81l8ns. eight of steel beam
construction, four of conventional reinfor ced concrete,
two with pre-tensioned concrete girders and two
with po8l-len8loned concrete.
In brief, thc lc.!!t 18 a scientific study of the per
(ormMce of highway pavements of known thickness
when subjected to repeated pa8sages of vehicles a pplying known load.!!. Tnlcks ranging from a panel
model to 0. 48,000 I)Ound tandem rig travel at constant
speed over the teet ronds 18 hours each day. The
drive" are Army Transport Corps personnel.
waYJI

Data to be Widel y Useful

Numerous electronic devices measure performance
In each section. While luch changes 88 c.racks in the
8u riact' can be detected visually. other changes take
place too rapidly or In too small degree to catch the
eye. Data obtained with the sensitive inst.nnnents
is tAbulated and red into an m~f machine (or analysis.
When the leal program is completed. the result will
be a VRst amount of analyzed data lhallS expcc.tcd to
influence highway design and construction aU over the
nation a nd to be valuable to highway administrators
a nd engineers, motor vehicle ma nufa c.turers and legislative bodies. In additJon, the test findings will be
used in studIes called for by Congress in the Federal
Aid Highway Act of 1956. These studies are aimed
at determining maximum deslrs.ble weights of vehicles
to be operated on the fcdcral aid highways, including
the Interstate sYlltem, and delennlning an equilabll!

20 M. P. H. At Schools
A 20'mil" speed restriction at school houses. first
advocated by President Danie1 Ryan of the Board of
Cook County Commissioners, wHl be effective this
IIChool term.
T ht special school zone was approved by the 1959
Legislature 88 nn amendment to the 1957 Illinois speed
law, TIl{' State Division of Highways has asked the
Atto rney General for a n interpretation and when this
hus been received t he Division will fonnulate a policy
ror posting- signs.

New Suburbs Spring Up Along Highway Routes

OOR COUl\'TY now haa 117

incorporated luburbs.
C
Twent}'three of them have been
organiU'd in the brisk ~riod of
countryside dcvelopmenllhat 8('t
in arLcr World War U, the newesl five withIn the lust year or
BO. Atlbe CUrrf'nt rate of growt.h
In the area, which I.s ('BUmaled to
bring II population of 3.000,000
in the next 20 ycara, nbnut
double the IH'('ACnl count, it is
reasonable to expect that the IIsl
of clUes and vlllagf'8 will con
tinue to lengthen.
While the hellvy movement of

peoplo Into the 8uburoo n aren

Is Lbe obvious I"Cjl80n for more

Buburbs, the most Important influence In their locaUon \s the

avaUabUity of good highways,
both through roulCti and local
feeder roadIJ. In a fonner period
8 suburb had to have a railroad
for a life IiDe and the people who
slept in the countt')' a nd worked

.... " .. .... ..

/:1>

......t:P. ,

..... .

*-....

CJJ.. _ -

lEGIID

CD . IIILIII II ,II.,
CD "U l ll1n l lUl.IIU", ,L
<D " f l i ll UIII. ,m.It.1
CD I ULI U UlIln , IUII, 1
<D IU U .. , II tUIII , t lll . , 1
CD n Ulln ll, 1111.".1
CD IUIIII " ", 111111. 01
t

CD III ' " ". ,iIL.It'

CD Hit .. " "n., 1
Ull in tlllIlI
Ulilin. hll., ,

..... , ...

,
f II."

or

.. _..

@ UIII 1111 , ttl, "

in the city had to live wilhin
@ 111151111 '" .... 1
walking distance of the depoL
Thus the suburbs In exi8tence
I ,UI IT I nn. ",11 11
before World War U flUlned out
@ !I LlS 111U tit, .1
~.
(rom the city along the railroads

11111111.
,
,
v.'ith commuter train acrvice, and
Ill" IIlun, cu,.1
the areas In bf.tween were largely
. , '"I1I ITI u.. ,,m., 1
(anns or country estates.
III IIun . ,, 1111'"
Now that virtually ('very sub cn"l1 UII 11IU, CII I .1
urban family has 1\ ca r, some
,
.,.
D @
times two, and good roads run
l UI U l tlll 1111111 , 1111 ... or
everywhere, It 18 pruc:Ucable to
n
1111 IILUII . 1111... 01
locate a residential community
@
IIII,nl l1 . II n.,."
any place where there Is fresh
nil' and room to grow. A new
that retained the charllcler of rural trading centers
concept ill loca l tmnaportntloll has come into practice.
until the city folks moved In and spread out.
While some suburbanites choose to drive aU the way
to the loop. for the most part they combine car and
Well over half of Cook County's approximately 950
train: a drive to tbe slntion up to several miles is a
square miles. including Chicago, is now incorporated.
matter of dalJy routine.
In th~ proposed comprehensive amendment to the
' ZClning ordinance, now on public hearing, the
re
nder III marked largely for residential. Spedfica ,the propo&ed UBel are: Residential. 92.38 per cent;
County An Ideal Proving Ground
dUlllrial, 6. i2, and bUfllncsa, ,9 per cent. F arm land
88 a zoning claaslftcatlon is eliminated. The time apWhen the countywide expressway system is comproaches when the ~rm "rural" wiU be out of date In
pleted, theu faat. safe l'08da:. with the toUways, will
the County.
make It eaay for people living far out to get to
lncorporatlons since World War n include 18 wblch
suburban raJl st.RtJOM in good time o r to drive in
previously have ~n mentioned. in this publication:
closer to the city Ilnd park at CT A terminals. Thill
Menionettc Park. Oak Forest, Bridgeview, and Harcombination of private Cftr and mass transportation
wood H ~lghl.a, all in 1947 ; Norridge. 1948; East Chiis regarded as Ideal by transportation experts and
cago HelghtA, Park Forest., Northlake, and Elk Grove,
Cook County appears to be an ideal proving ground.
1949 ; Hickory Hills, 1951: Homelown and Middlebury,
The new post-war municipalities are scattered from
1953; Roiling Meadows and Schaumburg Center. 1955;
Rosemont, 1956; Streamwood. Sauk Village!, and Barone end of the County to the oLber. In some instances
rington Hilla, 1957.
they are brand new communities, laid out and built up
on farm acreage, Others are croBll-roads hamlets
The ncweet. municipalities arc t he village of Butrtllo

.. ..

"n.,."

..

"'I!!l '

Commuters Find Auto-Train Good Combination

Grove. March 7, 1958; Cit)' of Country Club Bills,
July 12, 1958; Village of Hanover Park, August 14,
1958; City of Palos Hills, October 31. 1958, and Cily
of Palos Heights, April 16, 1959.

to new borne building and forecasts 2,000 nc,'tt year.

The new corporation haa a police department. a volunteer fire department t hat started out 30 years ago ",.jth
a hand carl and now has a pumper, an auxiliary truek
a nd an ambulance; a postofficc und n six-room school.
Fo r transportation lhere is the Milwaukce Road's
Ch.icago-Elgin commuter service and ChicagoElgin
busses on U. S. 20. Several routes connect with the
Northwest Tollway.

Buffalo Grove Grows Up

Buffalo Grove, along the north line of the County
in Wheeling Township, felt lhe urge to incorporate
after more than a century ns 8 small (arm community.
Numerous descendents of the first settlers stil1live in
the area. The village is still small- 170 acres within
corporate limits and a population of about. 500-bul
it has plans for growth in modern style. Ten acres
have been set Mide for a shopping center. A park nrea
of 13 1'2 acres will be prepared for usc in purl by next
spring, according to Village President A. P . Bunescu,
a nd t here is a poe.s.ibility that a new school will be
ready for the 1960 term. Tn lhe meantime, lhe parochial school of SL Mary's Church. which long has
been a landmark, is open to children o f the village
a lthough it. is outside the limits.

Indians W ere Here First

As c,'(-officio historian of Pa los Hills, Mayor Garlton
Ihde, starts with the glaciers lbat formed the attrac
t lve topography of the southwest part of the County
s nd lists n. 17th century Potawatoni village 8.n d two
carly day French forls o n the site of the newly in
corporated city. First permanent setUers arrived in
1832,
The present residents voted ro r incorporation as a
means of protecting their community a gainst threatened development of a refuse dump, a traile r camp
a nd possibly o~her unattractive IISC. Litigation over
these matters started in 1957 and still is )>ending.
Two suits are for dlsconneetion of tracts [rom the city
and one is a quo warranto proceding, which If succeasful would menn dissolution o f the incorporation. The
North Palos Community CounCil, which has promoted
a steam railroad excursion, a eruise on the Sanitary
and CalSag canals and a western horse show, is
financing the city's fight in courL

Buffalo Grove Is purely a highway suburb. Its main

routes are McHenr y a nd Dundee Roads and lllinois
83. Commut.c.rs may reach lhe Chicago & North
Western at Pa latine, approximately four miles west,
or the Chicago, ~fiIwauk ee & Nort h Shore electric
line, about the same distance to the cast.

Country Clu b Hi lls

Palos Hills co\'ers approximately (our square miles

Irregular in outline. it extends from 95th Street south
to the Cal -Sag Channel and from Kean Avenue east
to Harlem Avenue. A recent CcnBUB made by the city
s howed a population of 3,265.
Major highways 5er\'e Pa los Hills, including the
Tri-Sta te TolJway, U. S. 12 and 20 (95th Street), L..1Grange Road, Illinois 7 and. ncar by, U. S. 66 and
Archer Avcnue. Commuters ~ to the Wabash.
Burlington, Rock Island or 1Illnoi~ntral or ride
Suburban Transit System Tnc, buses.

In Country Club Hills, the city hall is A l00-ycarold farmh ou.8C, at 175th Street and Crawford Avenue, but the resl of tile development has boon built
since 1954. The incorporated area, aPJlroximately
31~ square miles. is bounded by 167th Street (In the
north, FI089Jnoor Road on the south, Central Park
Avenue on the east and Cicero avenue on the wesL
All dwellings are lo be single family under agreements with a Home Owners Association. There are
now about 700 residences, the population is a pproxima tely 3.000, and ultimately will be 15,000 to 20,000,
it is predicted by Mayor J a mea A. Nally Jr.

4,000 In Palos Heights

Country Club Hills has two churches and a site

reserved for another one, tWO schools and a third
planned, a Junior Chamber of Commerce, a fire protection district with the hi gh mllng of 7 and Is about
to o!"gtlnizc a police force and buy a squad car.
While this new suburb is off the raiJ.roads, it is well
s ituated for a choice of transportation. Both lliinois
Central and Rock Island commuter trains nre within
easy driving and the line of west leg of SouUt Route
Expressway, soon to be under construction, cuts across
the northwest corner of the suburb.

Pa le'S Heights, which lies just cast of Pa los Park

a nd south of Pa los Hills. organized as a city last
s pring after three previous I)roposals to Incorporate
had been defeated.
The boundaries are the CaISag Channel on the
north and 127th Street on the south, 86th Ave nue on
the west and Oak Park on t he esat. Populstion is approximately 4,000.
At the June 6 election, Z. Erol Smith wsa elected
mayo r. The temporary city hsl1 is the home of the
city clcrk , Mrs. Henrietta Marjan. 12600 South Harold
Avenue. The re is a chamber of commerce and a community club that Is active in botb the civic and social
life of the community.

New life In Hanover Park

Hanove r Park is th" north half of Ontarioville. which
was sellled more than a century ago. PrelC.nt population is 400. Village President. Cordon Jensen points

Palos Heights people have through highways in all

(ConUnuec;j 90 pas!;! IJ)

Detours In Effect

Where Credit

IS

Due

W ORK IN PROGRESS by the Cook County High.

way Department requires detours as foUows:

BUSSE ROAD between Golt Road and Lincoln Street In

Mount l'ro.pect, new b-..c courte and black top ron.tructlon,
nOrthbound

U'.IImc

detour

eDt on COt! Ro.d (route

'"Ito
83 north to Lincoln Strfft

lmhurJt Road (",ute

aoil welt to BUlle ROIld:

aoulhbound reverw ord.c!".

EAST LAKE AVE.'IUE between Wnukegan and Homo

Rondl,

wldenlna:

to

tour

limes and Nl!lurtacln8; ellll

bOund Irame: dctO\lr .outO

on Waukt'lnn ROAd to Glen-

view Road. eut to HIlllTl'

Rond and north to all LAlIt A\enue; w"lbound !'everle order.
CUl'tln~~RLAND ,\Vt::-;U E I)(>h\'l'ilO

IUgglna ROllt! and ~\'Cln

A,'colle, North~'elt ~pre"'wll)' COnlll"Uctlo ll: northbQund IMi t .

nc deto ur well on 11111110" n orth on Dee RoIId, el!l5l un
~\'on:

.outhbOund re\'eI-.e

orner.

139T1I STREI'.:r closed between Cooper Sll'Cf!t allli Western

A\'enue. consl~urtlon b}' U. S. AMIl}, Enalnet!u ot bridge
o\er Graml Trunk Ra ilway. part ot Cal-SIll IlroJI!Ct.
CE.'"TRAL ROAD batween Arllnaton l:Jl!iahta Road and
Norlhwen HIghway, to ba wldened 'to t our lanea; eutboUnd
trame d~lour north on ArUn.ton Helehta Rcul.d to Northwen
Highway Md JOuthelU\ to Central Road; we.lbOund ~\'erlc
order.
OAKTON STHET bet ..... een Rt . 83 and Arlln1:lon Hellh ...
ROlld, rMurfaclne ; detour (wer HII"II:ln. Road.
PALATINE ROAD between Northwest H1al\way and Itohlwlng
Hoo.d In Palatine. rour-lanC! recon.tructlon; eastbound trame detour .oulheast on NOrlhWC!ll Blahway to Rohlwlna Road and
north to Palatine Road; weltbound ",,'erlC! order.
SH.ERII1R ROAD between Lee and Dundee ROlla. In North_
brook, widening to Z4 tcct, resurfacing lind bridge reconltruelion; I'4lItbounti tramc detour north on Lee Road to Dundee
Rood and eut 10 Shermer ltoad; wetlbound revl!rIe order.
JOE ORR. ROAD between Bailled and State Slr'eets In
ChlcalO Heights, bridge COllJltrueUon; ea.ttbound tralnc detour
JOuth to HaUted 6t~t to UnCOln HI&"hway ea.l to Slate
Street and n ortll to Joe OTT Road; weltbound reverie order,
OHIO STREET between BaJltl!d and Union SU"H1I. brld .. e
COIl.truction tor Northwen Expreuway Feede!"' eutbound
tratne toll(noP the JnlU'ked detour roln .. north on HilliN Street
to Eril Slreet. lut to Union Street and louth to 01110 SLreet'
wClltbound reverlt Order.

lTl'H AVENUE between 22M and 3LIt Streeta In North

fUvenlde, to ba widened to rour lanell; northbound tr.nte
detour Wl'St on 5l1l Street to ZSth A\'enue, aorth to 2'.lnd Street
Ind eall to 17th Avenul; louthbound revern order: 17th
AVC!flUfi open to local tramc.
SOUTH PARK AVENUE between l!i9th a n4 l7Slb St:reel.l,
complete pavement reconllrucUon IlIld widening; northbound
tramc detour north on Wood Boulevard tram 17$U\ Street to
~U\ SLreet and ent to South Park Avenue; louthbound reverae order.
VERMO~""T STREET between Dlvilion and 1.71th Streeta In
Blue ~Iand, wldenln&" and felurlaclng; entbound tr.n"le detour nortll on Alhiand Avenue to 1.71U\ Stl'ftt and eut to Ver_
mODt Street; welilbound reveue order.

A contractor who is constructing a complicated

project in an unusually efficient manner is hereby
given honorable mention.
The job is the Je1ferson Park grade separation. in
the County aection of Northwest Expressway, and the
contractor is the Robert R. Anderson Company. This
will be a trilevel structure. with the expressway on
the lowest leye}, Milwaukee Avenue in the middle and
the Chicago & North Western Railroad on the top.
The work of ooostruction Is further complicated by the
need to keep Milwaukee Avenue open to traffic a nd
the railroad operating on runaround tracks.
The photograph abo"e is of a retaining waU. It
shows reinforcing steel placed with precision and also
a clean work area, another sign of good workmanship.
The Anderson Company was founded by the late
Robert R. Anderson and now ia headed by his 8On,
Herbert Anderson. It bas perfonncd numeroua other
expresswa\- contracts tor the County, including the
diffic~r moving the Chicago, Aurora & Elgin
railroad bridge over the Des Plaines River to clear
the line of Congress Expressway.

Traffic is permitted while work proceeds on the following named locations :

nlOOE ROAD betwen central Stree t and Wilmette A"enuc
In Evan.ton and Wilmette. retlurtaelng.
SHR:\IER ROAD between Harlem and Eall Lake Avenue.
In GlenView, two-lane retlurfacln ...
TOUUY AVENUE between lnfrglnl and Mannhelm Roadl In
unincorporated area and De. Plaine.. two-lane rtlurtaetng.
COTTAGE CROVE AVE!"L'E between ~Ih and 163n1
ARCHEH AV,.... t ' i-; belWtol':n Stale Street ( Lemont) and Bell
R~dl widen In!!: anti rHur fl\dng.
Stree .. Tl'-lurtnI!Jn ...

New Suburbs

Reall y longer a nd Lower

In

(ounly-

(Cnntlnu(!(i from Page

One expert. recently commented that extrapolation

of the curves drawn to show changes in car dimensions
over the pa8t severn I decades indIcates that automobiles manulactured in the year 2020 will be 120 feet
tong with 7-inch wheels. Tbe driver's eyes will be at
approximately pavement ie.vcl-Cali[omia Division of
Highways.

!'i)

directions and commuter trnlns close by. Some use

the Wabash, some go to thc Ulinois Central al Blue
Is land and a considerable number drive in to the CTA
tenninal at 63rrl and Loomis Streets.
Another vlllage is in procC'~ of Incorporation.Indian
Head Pa.rl<l Wqh::b lies bctwC('n LaGrange and Route

"Angel" of Highway Post

July Building Permits

WAS A 512.044.700 month in the Cook County
Building and Zoning Bureau, which has jurisdiction
Jin ULY
the unincorporated area.
Permits for residenU..ll
building continued high
448 for an estima ted
\ ~
$8,589.300 in total val''"
untion and in addition
there was authorization
for $2.283.900 of industrilll a nd business construction. Larger pro
jects in the latter classification were:
H otel and restuarant to be buill in Maine 'l'ownship
by the Roya.! H ollywood Company, $850.000.
Hotel to be built in Stickney Township by Vernal
Hotel Inc .. S491.OO0.
Factory addjtion in Orland Township. Andrew Cor poration, $4.00,000.
Office building and oil storage tan ks, Elk Grove
Township, Shell Oil Company, $200.000.
Three sizeable items were listed in the no fee classification , which includes churches, schools and farm
buildings. These were a school. office and a uditorium
for S1. Paul L utheran Church in Norwood Pa rk Town
ship. $233.200: parochial school, St. Isaac Jogut!S,
Maine Township, $160,000, and a school addition.
School District Ill, Stickney TOWnship, $14.4,4.00.
Last month the Bureau issued 636 permits for $17,577.680 total valuation. Inchlded were a $5.000,000
office building and a $1,000,000 hot el. In July, 1958.
there we re 605 pennits for $12,213,650 lotal valuation.

In the Veterans Administration Hospital at Hines,

Edgar A. Lawrence Post, American Legion, whose

In addition to those issued for new home building.

the July penuits ~ various types of construction
were issued as foUow!;~

members are employes of the Cook County H ighway

Department. is highly ,'cgarded for the min istrations

Rct ldentl al additions lind nltenltl<ln~ Pl!nnlu. $212.800.

ACCeliS(lry buUdlngs---98 Il<'rmlls. lXll,7oo.
Buslneu bulldlng~ pennl~ Sl.4~.I>OO.
i!uslnt'lll additions and ulterlltlon!J---9 permits. 592.700.
Industrial bulldlng$--l permit, $!lOO,OOO.
Indus trial addlllons lind alterationli--4 pennlU. 5536.0100.
Welb-3 permlu, 53.000.
i\U5\.~lIellnOul-ll pennlts, $14,900.

of the Post " Angel."

Mrs. Walter H. Treptr,w, whose husband is a past
commander of the Post, has served as a volunteer at
H ines since 1945, and in that time has compiled some

6,000 hours of service, helping in occupational therapy,

feeding patients unable to feed themsclves, and gencl'8.tly spreading good cheer. When she was honored
by the Slate Street Council recently, a number of
her hospital "boys" chipped in and brought her an
orchid to wear.

By townships, the distribution was:

rllwruihlp

Barrington
Bloom
Bremen

In the photograph above, Mrs. TI'eplow is bringing

Maine
Northfield
Norwood Purk

Palatine

PalOll

Provbun
R kh

Schaumburg

writing, howeve r, fma l approval haa not come from

the County Cow1..

SlIckney

Thornton
Whl.'<!J\ng
Worth

Cook County has acquired two more suburbs through

their growth over the Cook-DuPage County line within
t he last year. These are Roselle and Bensonville,
which formerly were entirely within DuPsge but now
have spread inlo Cook. The situation of a suburb
extending its corporate limits into two coun ties is not
new. Older suburbs that lie partly in Cook nnd
partly in an adjOining county include Elgin, Barri ngton, and Hinsdale.

'",2
23

Orlunl1

66. Residents voled for incorporation on June 6. this

year, and a month laler elected oflicers. At this

Elk Crove
Hano ' er

Lemont
Leyden
Lyons

a gift to a young veteran of the Korean War.

I'ermlt."

Z1

'"n,

,
'"<
1

164"

"

31

Besides the three no-fee permits noted a bove, the

following also wer e listed in the month:
Chur ch in Northfield Township, S90,OOO; church in
Palatine Township, $42,600; church addition in Maine
Township. $5,000; addit ion to part district building in
Wheeling Township, S2,400; farmhouse in Barrington
Townshp, $25,000. and fnrm accessory building in
Orland Township, $6,600.

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Look'"11 Southe'llWOlrd Along Edon_Northw t Expreuw.y From Site: of Mayf .. lr Trl.. Level Grade:
5ep.1lratlon Structure.
Brldlle ' n Foreground I, Cicero Avenue, Montro.e BI,.ond. (See Pille 2)

Vol. VII No. 4

SEPTEMBER, 1959

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by Ole Cook County (111.) Department oC Highways
Under auspices of the Board oC County Commiuloners
DAN IEL RY AN , Preal dcnt
Jllm es F. A.hcnden
Fra n k Bo brytzk c

F red A. Fulle
Ch r ist A. Jen.cn
John A. Maek ler. Jr.
Daniel Ryan
Clayton F. Smith
Edward M. Sneed
John J . T ou hy

Charles F. Cha plin

E lizabe t h A. Conkey
Jerry Doleza'
Joh n J. Duffy
W ill iam N. E rickso n
W il li a m J . Mortimer
Superint enden t of Highway.

Published at. 130 North Wells Street, Chicaro 6.

Extension 216

Boob of the Month

August Traffic Accidents

Y TRAFFIC fatalities in the Cook Couoty
HlGHWA
suburban area took a turn for the worse in

""

AugusL The death roll

of 16 was twice that of
the preceding month
and five high~r than in
August of last year.
Howeve r, the good
showing in previous months of this year kellt Ule
eight-mollth total below Lhut of the same period of
1958. This yenr through Auguslthe toll stands at 91.
which compares with 116 lost year. Since this imp rovement hRS been recorded Ilt u time WhCll highway
fatalities nationwide havc bccn increasing 5 per cc.nt.
there is reason to believe that other [actors than mere
good luek are at work. including safer highw6ys. betler law en ro~m ent. and. most encouraging, better
driver behavior. Although the most dangC'rous months
nre still to comc, there nre grounds to ilrJpe thllt 1959
wJll end with a. record low in the area.

Even though the number of fat..alities in August

FRanklin 2-7644

nORACE ia a whi7.7. at slop lights.

HOTHI! FOOT
hils til!> brakes on the lnst inch o( CrO!:i8 stripe

and the insta nt tilt> light turns grecn hc's awny wilh
a squeal of rubbel.
This is tough on tins.
Also every now and then he just misses a cur that
has entered Lhe intersection on the last glcam of
yellow.

WIlS

twice thst of July, lhe total of accidents of all typesfatal, personal injury and property damage-was
lower in August. T he tolals wcre: August, 2,84.1;
J uly, 3.205.
In July. when eight persons wcre killed. 1.161 were
injured. In August, with 16 deaths, UU~ injured numbered 1,057. Including August, thc accumulated tolals
(or the year thus far are: Total acciden18, 22.625, or
at the rate of 93 every 24 hotn's; dcaths. 91; injuries.
6,451.
Five of the August deaths resulled from colHaions
involving I)Assenger cars. I.bree of them In one accident. Four were pedestrians, one s child of 22 mc.nlhs
and one a woman o( 75. 'r1A'0 were killed when the car
in which they were riding left the road and struck a
tree. One was killed in an auto-motorcycle collision
and one in Il cmsh betwet'n a CRr and a truck.

wcsen KV. in Cologne came a request for Lhe photo

gmph. It is wanted. the letter said, for usc in the
magazine St.raSse Und Autobahn.
The camera shol showed a group of paving machines at work on the west end of the County's section
of Northwest Expressway.

The Front Cover

Instead of the conventional timber fa lse work, a
concreted floor hss be<-n laid La expedite construction
on the middle level at Mayfair. When this work is
completed and lhc c:"'pressway level excavated. the
floor will drop away. Vertical reinforcing rods are
for retaining walls at each side and for center piers,
which mark the median strip designed for C'rA tracks.
Edens-Northwest Expressway between Fosler and
Kastner Avenues is scheduled for opening early in
October_

Germans Like Our Cover

The picture on the front cover of the August issue
o( Cook County Highways has become a good will visitor to West GemlB.n y.
From the Forschungsgesel1schaft Fur Dna Stra8BC.n-

County Acts Promptly on New School Speed

By Damt"1 R,'fUl
Pruldent. Bo.rd of Commiulone,.. of
Cook Count,

PEClAL SPEED limit aign& calling ror 20 miles

S
an hour have befn
front
all school.
on roada and
controlled by Cook County.
of

poIJted In

8~ta

In

urging that thia be! dont' in lime (or .chool opening, I

wn. Aware thM thl' County was Ilroceeding without
RuidunC(! from lh~ Illinois DMslon of Hl~hwoys. but
I Wb confld('nl thnt the Intent of the achor.l zone
amendment aplln)\'~ by the 1959 1>gialnturt" was a
!'lear mn.nd.Btc to )Irol(oct Khool t:hild~n. and I felt we
IIhould do ou r l)ltrt without delay.
The .lgM now in Illnee Are lh{' simplut possible.
rending" <:bool S)wt>i! Limit 20." They were made up
Ilulckly In the HlghwllY Depnrtmcnl'e: sign shop and
erected by the 8hOI)'S .,Ignllnnglng cn:OW8. It WDS Importunl lO have tlll'm 1111 by lhe fil"81 dny of school.
I believe It III drslnlbll' Ilud practicable to go further.
and I hHw in mind th(' Idea of a moveable sign to be
plneed In the et'nter of Lhl' road during school hoUTS.
1 clliIc11flAed tm. with the Highway Superintendent..
WilUam J . Mortimer , whm we first considered the
question of lpeelAl school protection, and now I hne
nsked him to haw ht. traffic t'ngineers consult witb
all achool authorities In our area to seek their cooperDlion.
U the IJChoo) ptOlllf' agree that thl' road-<enter signa
are Xoad and tan arrang.. for handling thUD, the
County will npply the signs property mountro on
hfuIea. It rna}' be that the atate'l acbool SlgD policy
whfn written will not IpcdftcaJly order luch signa.
bUl I do nOl Ilnllcll)8t(' that It will rorbld them at
lK'hoola that wbth tu tllK' the.m.
I nlRO think It would e.nhance mfety to have CI'OSllInga ouWned on the Jln...,ement, and children required
to UIK' them inlltf'ud of running ncl"088 the rood anywhN'C! in the school zone. U the schoolll desire to have
lhiB done, the County will do the l)!linting job.

Type of School 8111" Erected by the COU"ty,

Bueh low 1I1X't.'d thllt driVc.... ",,'ould ha"e their vehle.les

under control. I thought that 15 miles an bour would
bt' AllPropriate, but I accept the legislator's 20 miles
an hour as IAUsfactory, and I appreciate their quick
I"t'COgnltion or the problem and their readlneea to correcl it
Writing the aml'ndml'.nt, however, Wat not u simille
~ ltatlng the ru.'4.'d.. The language- of legislation baa
Ita own requlrMlu'nu, and thil amendment, like' most
otbt'r ('Mctmmlll, mUlt be inerpreted before it can
be enforud. The IlUnols DhisiOQ or Highwa)'A baa
n& d the Attorney (;('n(!rnl to inter"}ll"'et th(' a.mend.
mt'
the l?ivblon may write a policy ror the guidnn.:e 0
II highway ngencies responsible tor posting
school II gn.,

Poi nts To Bo Clarifiod

fo'nr o n(' thing, the provision that I'f'8trlct~ 81M!Cd
Ihull be In effect "wllrn chUdren are present" requires
clarifiCAtion, It IIhould alllO be made plaln whl'.lher
1I(let'11I1 1,K'Cd IJlgns nre required when the IIchoul
gnulDd I. alreHdy I)rotecled with stop and go IIgh18
fit the corner. Another difficulty is the extent of the
"ChaoJ rtr n to 00 poRted. A pnrngrnph of th(' amendm('n rt'qull'f'lJ th~ polt.lng of routes used by pupils betW<'<!n their homH and IChoola. In theory, thl. eould
men.n ~1 th sllftla In a suburb. But thE' legal interpn'1JItl4~n may bto dJJrt'l'l'nt.
We, have been ...uld by the slate lra1Iic engineer,
I1IU'1""l H. Haniaon. that t..he division of highway.
wlahe.. to bt> pmctleaJ In a manner that will arront fuIJ
protecUon to IChool c.hlldr('n withCiut unduJy ha.mpcr.
l~.g traffic. I.~ that we ahould have a policy that
""III meet th~ anna and also will be so clear and
maIIOnable that motaM.... wiU undentand wha.t tbey
are l'f'oIlulnod to do in khool zones.
The .choat al~ ItdtAlI~ hlthe County in ad\'Ance
or the aLAtt"s pollcy will Immediatel}' gi"c the IIC.boola
the safet)' granted them by the legislature. If Itturna
OUt thal they are In variation with lhe announced
policy, tho cbnngea CAlii'd (or will be made At once.
In the Interim, I Btrongl}" urge that a ll drivers
recognize that lhe legillnturc has made a lfl>cciaJ CIUIC

Wh y Amondment Was Needed

I BUvocatcd lhr nm('ndmenl from the beginning,
when It was found thllt the 1951 atale speed law made
no IIpecinl I)rovlalnn for l'elltrleted speed at $Chool&.
'fhe need for luch retltriction became more apllQl"(:nl
RS the County's tJ1lll1e cngtnt'enl p~ with their
lAIlk or d('t('rminJng 1pt'Cda on the buU of engineering
8tutLil"lJ. 88 requlrt'd by lht' 1951 law. In numeroua
InJlUUtteli the IIItt.oed.I ItO determined, although in rull
oompllan with UIl' Jaw. were [ar too high ror safet),
In school alft'. In tact, IIOme of the new schools
built in the auburbM IU'S in recent yean are on roads
whert" the engin('('rt'd IIIJCed is the maximum 65 miles
an hour,
Thf' remedy ltOught wu aimpt
a school zone or
IJlglll(JY

o8iclal~

In

Cook

County

tcisely

"(Hoe-n't lCajlrd lor kyal deJi"tioftlJ. They pDlfted

til e ltiytl-lJ (a' Itf'lloollJ) (lA the kilO /Jet'trl. to require,
l/tId are w/,ltirIO to Ifef" il atly change win be
oollcd f or-Chlea!}o A m('f"icatl editori<J1 comment.

Io,nllnutil on Pa.c. 71

Power plant Wastes Make Base for Roads

By Thomas J . MclJugh
Malnte.nllnce Engineer
Cook COII"t)' H lghw"y Depal"tmllnl

RELATfVELY ncw road buUding material com

plant retldues that are

A posed largely of IlOwer
8bundant in thll
ill being used by Lhe Cook
flr1!n

Counly Highway Dt-pnrtmcnt lhis YClir for construcLion of base counetl Oil secLiona of seven roads.
The mixture cont.o.irtA large proportions of power
plant slag and ftyuh. both of which an:! produced

In quantities by UIl' CommonwMllh Edison Company,

8 small amount of high caJcium hydrnlcd lime a.nd

10 per cent or wal('r. The ingre<iienta arc mixed at a

~ntml plant and dl'llvcrcd to the job I't'8dy to spread

llnd compact.
When frcsh . the mixture is easily worked and may
('\'en be stOCkpiled for n few days. Within n few days
the base hUB cemented firm enough Lo receive nn
usphlllUc aurCace and lhen is rendy to aUT)' lmffic.

T",ck Dump. DIrectly into Spruder

Slt'engtb increuea with aging and In somt> Instances

bna utr.ained 2,000 psi.
The cementing action

I.a caught in running water beneath boUer grates.

These materials being refractory in nature. are highly
r'Cslstant to thawing And ff'C('zing. and lhu& are well
s uited to ro.'1d building.
The tlrst use ot l)Ouolanic balK' eoUMK' by lhe
Cou nty was hut :rear on Howard Street between
E<h~M Expressway and GI"OSS Point Road, threerourths of a mUe. This job required 3,700 tons o(
base COluse mixture. It haa been so satisfactory that
thla season the Department aelect.ed seven additional
rood seefloRB totaling six miles ana 1.2M feet in
length and requiring 35.000 tons of base malcrial.
These localions lue:

~ulls

from pozzolnnic activity between t.he ftYR!lh and Urne. A pouolan bas been
dc-ftnl'" IUJ "" alliccoua material which will react with
tnlcium hydroxide (hydMlted lime) to Conn cemenU,
liotlS compoundB." The term deriVe!! from an area in
Sicily whc~ volcanic nab 18 used in ccmen18.

Local Aggregate Suitable

One ad\'anlRgt' (If the ftyash-Iime combination is
he a&Rregate mOfil available in the locality may
be sed. tn ~troit pit run grovel has been used
cC('ssruLly and in Philndelphia. croah('(! stone.
For many yeaM! the !lIng and flyash ooll{'cted by
the ComlflQnweAJth r~lson Company fl1I waslcB reo
8ultlng from Ita pulverized coal firing were discarded.
Now lhe COmllanY hu more than haJf a million tons a
yea.r avnlhtblc for road material and other newly found
purposes.
F1yash is R tine powder consisting of a.ilien and
RJumlnum fi.nd Is collected in smoke stacks. The sIng
18

l...enl;th
II ntld
....1Ik,. ltd.
1II11.ldf! A~I'.

Howard SL

o.lufln 51

""Ier nd

WII 1M' 1111 .

Alhll ...," oSlo

1.lmlb
ValnUne /load 10 DundH' Itrnlll
Nurthwn IlIth"l,. 10 f-:.ta RClftd
MIl'.. lukH' A,, 10 Milwaukee Ud.
all Elk (;N),e limit ttl RfluII! fi3
llalla", K...d 10 Gtllf RiUld
Kanct !tlllul '" Si'hOf>n~k Rmul
Mnnnht1lm ROIlIi to 00.,. Slf"eet

Permanency A

' 111<'"3

1m

0,.

1Jl\

"'"
."
1.011

1.:156 red

Factor

All of lhese roads we.re due for repair DC some

tYI)C 01'" other. but other considerations al80 (!ntcrcd
Into the aelectlon. For one thing, it ls not likely that
any of the allgnmen~ or grades will be ebanged. so
work ot a permanent nature ?'ill not be disturbed.
Each of the sections. although not ot great length,
CliniCS fairly heavy In.mc. parlicularly Oakton Street.
which connecta the rapidly growing Elk Gro\'e VUlage
with Route 83. a through route north and south.
Composition of the mixture used for pouolanic baBe
vanea somewhat I.n loea.Jlties where it has been put
to llIt'. The (ormula adopted by Cook County ror this
teUOn's work Is: Power plant slag. 65 to 70 per ttnt;
ftyuh. 26 to 30 per cent; high calcium hydrated lime.
-I to 5 per cent; walcr, to 10 per c.enL
Ponolanic base is I)Ut down in two fourinch lifts.
The mixed material 18 delivered by lruck and unlond(.'<i from the lrdl gate into a j('I""8('Y spreader
mounted on Lhe forward frame of 8 tractor. The
loose spread ror each 11ft 18 six inches I.n depth, which

Oakton Street Trenched For New Bne

Pozzolan Material Used on County Jobs

Spreader i, Mounted on Tr.a.ctor Frame

Rubber_Tired Compact or on Loolc Sprnd

Compacts to four inches. A rubhe r-tired compactor is

base course 0.15 gallon to the square yard. Last. yea r ,

on Boward Street the County applied both leveling
and surface coats o( asphaltic mix. This year, only
one asphaltic application, 11,: inches, Is used, and it
is believed that lhis more economical method will give
full salisfaction.
Like the sulfite liquor base course constructed by
this Department on a Lest road in a gravel pit (Cook
County Highways July. 1959). pozzolanic material is
believed to hold promise of sound, economical road
building nnd improvement on the County's system.
The f"Csults thus far are impressive a nd this area is
fortunate in having the needed materials close at
hruld and in large quantity.

used unlil compaction is nearly completed, then a

tandem roller.

1430 Tons Put Down In Day

On some jobs elsewhere the bllse material has bcim
dumped from the truck directly onto the roadway,
lea\;ng mounds wbicb must be gnldcd down. The
spreader method makes for beUer and fasLer work.
A thousand tons I)ut down and completed by one crew
"'~8 be considered n good average dar. On Willow
Roa
one day 1.430 tons were pill in place.
bit.uminous liquid Ilrime coat, is spread over the

Detours

Effect at County Road Jobs

tk)n; eastbound U'aJJ\e detour north on Lee Road to Dundee
ROad and eut to Shenner Rond; weltbound re,'ene order.
JOE ORR ROAD between Hal.ted and State Streetl In
ChlC:flgO HeIght.. bridle c:onlttuetlon; ealtbound ltame detour
JOulh to Htililed Street to Llnealn Hl1hwaYd eut to State
Street and north to Joe Orr Road; weltboun reverse or-der_
OHIO STREET bl>tween Hailled and Union Sln!et.l, brld~
c:onltl"\JeUon tor Northwut ~ay Feeder; ealilbound
(rame follow the mlltkt'd detour &'Omit north on Hal.ted Street
to ErIe Street, east to UnIon Street and lOuth to Ohio Street;
wHt\)Ound reverse order.
17TH AVE:-;OUE between 22nd and &'1 Street.l In North
Iliverslde, 10 be! wIdened to lour lanes; northbound trame
detour WH' on 31.t Street to 2tlth Avenue, north to Zlnd Street
And eBst to 17th AVl!nue; southbound reverse ordl!r: 17th
Avenue open to loeal trame.
SOUTH PARK AVENUE between l!S9Ui and 17:1th Street.l,
COlllplell! PII\'l!ml'nl reoonllruetioD and wldl!nlng; northbound
tralltc detour lIorth on Wood Boull!vard tram 175th Slr(!l!t to
15llth Stroot and east to South Park Avenue; southbou nd reVI!I'l!I! ordcor.
LHU;H A\7"'''L"E OOtWL...m O&k:ton and Dcm~ l ... r Strectli:
northbnund detour eall on Ollkton to Caldwcoll Avenuco. norlh
on catdwll to Dempt;ter. east on ~Vltl'r to Lehh!h; IJOU lh
bound, !'1;'\"l'MI(' order.

Wo rk in progress by the Cook County llighway Dc-partment requires detours as (ollows:

BUSSE ROAD between Golt Road lind LinCOln Street In
Mount Pro.peel, new b..e counle lind billek top conllruetlon,
northbound lrame detour
u .. t on Golf Road I r(>ute
to E1mbunt Rood lrout!!
83'1 north to LIncoln Stre-e-t
ana _ .. t to Butle Hoad ;
10uLhbound re\'crse order.
EAST LAKE AVENUE be
tween 'Vnuksgun altd Hanna
Roadl, wldenlnl to four
lanu and resurfll('lng; eutbound trallle detour south
on WauMga n Road to Olen\'Iew Road, elln to Hann.
Road and north to Ea..lt I.ake Av('nue; westbound reverse order.
I<roTH STREET ~I 08I'Cl tJ(llwl"C.n Couper Street and WI'"lern
Avenue, I'(I n ~U'lJctlon I.J) U. S. -"I'm)" ...... gln~r. o r brid ge
ewer I;r.. nd Trunk Rnlho-Ily, pun or CAI-&lg PI"QJ~I.
CE.'ITR.AL ROAD between Arllnl'ton Helsht.l ROlid and
NorthwHit Ut&'hway, to be widened 10 lour lanes; eastbound
lta1fle detour north on ArUnston Helshu Road to Northwest
RI&'hway and .outhcast to Central ROad; westbOund re\'t'!'M'
order.
OAKTON STREE:T between HI sa nntl Arl1nl{lnn HeIght.
Road, re.urracln&,; detour u\'er HI!;u.'n. Rond .
PALATINE RO.'D betWC(!ll NorthwC!lt Hls:hwa,y and Hohlwlng
Road In Palatine. rourlane reeonllruetlon; eutbound trame d~
tour touthealt on Northwest Hl(thway to Rohlwlnl Rued and
nOrth to Palatine ROdd; wCllb(iund re\'ene ordl!'r.
SHERMER ROAD brtween Lee lind Dundee ROlld. In !l:orth
brook. wldenlng to 2'1 rWt , rt1ur(aclnjt nnd bridge retvnltruc-

"I

SORRY TO INCONVENIENCE
YOU ... jPIW",
THIS RESURFACING

Traffic is pennitted while work proceeds on the following namro locallonB:

CO'ITAOt.: GRO''"E A"E~t'E betlloeo.-n IMlh and 163rd
Street.. rHurfocing
ARCHER A"FSUt.: between State S~t (Lemont) lind Bell
ltoad, widenI ng and resurfacing,

Speed Zones Engineered

August Building Perm its

EW SPEED limits on 27 County roads we re reeom

N
mended to t he Board of County Commissioners
this month by the Highway Department. Like those

for building construction estimated to

PERM1TS
cost SS.325,450 were issued in August by the Cook
County Building and
Zoning Bu~au_ The total
valuation was under that
of July - $12,014,700---but ahead of August last
year-$6.177,400.
- . -Of the 584 permits,
346 were [or residences.
Most of thcm-275 will
be connected to sanitary sewers. The 7 J others will
have septic systems. In oLher classifications, the
number of permits and total valuation were AS follows:
Rn$idential odditlons and nllcrations-68 permits,
$165,500.
Apnrtment buildings One I>crmit. $27.400,
Accessory buildings 113 permits. 5264,750.
Business buildings 10 permits, $545,000,
Business additions nnd a1terations- I5 pennits,
$120.200.
Industrial additions and alterations- Four pennits,
$130.600.
Wells- Eight permits, 88,500.
Septic systems One l>crmil, $500.
Miscellaneous 13 permits, ~25.300.
Stickney Township. which has had a home bulldlng
boom all season, led the townships with IH permits
of a total $1.372,000 ,'aluation. Northfield was also
over the million mark, with 82 penniLS refte<:ting a
valuation of Sil.366,600. For other townships, the
August permits were i8!lUed 1\8 follows:

recommended in previous months, which have been

adopted by the Board and approved by the Illinois Di
vision of Highways. these zones are based on I!Ilgi.
Deering studies made In conformance with the 1957
stale speed law.

~~

:: ril =

The latest Iisl. which totals 82.95 miles, follows:

I' ro

I(Iu.d ....,.
Bode Rd.

nunc Rd.

IH.~ ...I
~~d

N!C:1i,,,,

Uml1

sunon Rd. 10 BarUCH Rd.

Bartlell nd 10 Barrlnxton Rd.

BalTlnKlon Rd. to SprlnllnlJIj'ulh lid.
S prinaln'llJtlth Rd . to Cflnyon 16
Ihl.
C(HI~'OI"l Rd. to Ro~tlle Rli.
1111111:1"" Rd. to Algon!luln 1M.
AIM'Onquln Rd . to ~.,n.l ol"I
.0
Ellj"ll1 ltd
,'1111111011 Elgin Rd . 10 I,'ncoln

..

SL

LIncoln 51. 10 Centnlll flll.

Center St.

Oook-DuPage Rd
Hlnl1: Rd.

llanl Sl. to Rilige Rd.

17~lh 51 10 171111 51
171111 St. to lS9th Sl.
.-7th St. to ~lh St.
MlIl'llIukf'e An". to Whet"lIna
ltd.
Elmhut"J,t R.... to SehO('ube<'k
ltd.
Schocnl~k
Rd. to SUITIlIO
Crove Rd
BuITlll O Gl'<)ve Rd. to AI'Jln l:'
IOn Illll. Rd.
1I00"llukee A'~. to CUld"el1
Ave.
calfl"'~lt A\'e- to Uhlgh An"
I..f':hlgh .\w:!nue to aSt .::dens

lA.~

51.

Mnplt' A"e.
MCllchnm Rd .

P n lntlne- Rd.

.5
".
:;
U.
1.0

"'"

'1!l--:lO

45
30
40
4lI

L5

...
...

1.0

<0

3!>

,~

45

.,,

.0

S late 51 10 Torren~'I! Ave.

D
1111111111. Rd to Tnuh)' An".
Tuuny A"I". til Mannhlllm ltd
<17th 51. to LoglllI A' ... 4:J1lI1 '.:0
SU
Ner,e ltd. to 1I1,1l1lnf Rd
2.;:;
Norlhl'll'tt lI"y. to Rohl"ll1l1 .5

30

servlcoe on,-e

Joe Orr Rd

"....,.,.
3O-1~'

30

.."

'" "
"

RUI'rlngwn
Bloom

Plalnlleld Rd .
Plum CroV(! Rd .

CookDuPalte Rd. to Wolf nel

Wolt It" til 5.'''h St.
5tJth SI. to \,;atI1 An".
:':erae Rd. 10 E,'nnslon ~::tJ:111

Northfield

Norwood Park

R'.
Algonquin

Orlllild
I'alalille

1'11.1011

.1;1

rovl~o

3.6

XorthwUI

1.1

30-20'

11"')1.
':':OMhwe5\ Ih\). to BAldwin

.9

30

Frccmunl St.

to

"d

Sprlnglnll'llJUth Itd.WU. ltd. to Sl"haumburK ltd,

SChliumbut"lt' Rd. to Bode Ttl!.
StNrt'r ltd. to 1.1nOO111 IIw)'.
SaUK Trail 10 Unroll' Bwy ,

Stale St.

LinN)ln

Hwy. to Joe Orr Hd.

Slkkn('y

Thorn t on
Wnet'lInl'
Worth

30-15'

60.200

32

!U6,4QO

82
5
19
39
S

1..36&,600
92.000
280 300
691:0011
191,t!OO

6
57
11<1
5
lt8
!r7

58000
8.'l&600

bQ.1,NO

,100

IIkh
St'hnomburg

lid . to Meacham 1.1

Rd.
flick. Ro.d III F"n.ot'mont St.
,j

"",,,,,,

191 ..100

s,'l
J

~fIIlne

:':Ul.

Ui

1$1,51.10

~,~,

Z7

Lyon.

1.1

2l7.3OU

Leyden

.,~

13

;;

J.emont

50

\ '"1,,,,\101'
I
3.'100

1'1

IIlno"cr
'15

12

BM!men
t:lk t;rnve

"d.
Kuhlwll1,

Kd. to ArUI1,t"n:l.~
IIU. Kit
,\rllnJrtlll"l 1ll1. fld to BUITlllo ,T.j
CI'O\'f" Rd.
Burralo Grove Rd. 10 Elm- 1.5
hurst I~d.
~~Imhurllt ltd, to ;\m",lluk~ 2.4

""rRln"

T" "' ''~'''I'

32,900

I ,~.OOOOO

.....

616,150
-188,MO

Five pennlts for a tolal $114,00 were issued in the

no-fee classification. which includes churches, schools
and farm buildings.

1.:1

1.0
:l.!'i
1.6
1.11

['roo

JOO Orr Ild. to ClenwoOdDyer 1.1:1

Rd .

Torrence Ave..
\'oltz Hd.

Wuhlngton St.

Wentworth .... ,~.

Wilke Ra.
Wlu Rd
dOth Ave.

l38lh St.

Sll"il!.r Rd.

10 SaUk

Tl'tlll

L5

I."

\\"Q.ukrlan
Rd to Sun.et
JUdge Rd .
Dempster SIlO Cenlral Rd
16
Clenwood l.allzlng ltoad to Pi
IUdlll.' ltd.

Ch eaKo

ltd.
An:hcr Avenue to 79lh SI.
71llh 51. 10 871 h Sl.
87th S t, to lo.:kd St.
103m St. to lJ!th St.
Hal.tt'll SL to COllage Crovc

Ave.

17bl St.

179lh 51.

9-1th ,hc . 10 IIOlh An!.

173
Meh A\'e. to Onole A\'e.
Oriule A"to to Harlem A,t,
~
IInrll'm ,\\c. 10 Oak Park Avt' . .!'i
Count) LIne to 96ll! ,\ve.

Ediln Rd. to ROlIieue 2.4

R1!1s::e ltd, to 178th SI.

Alj<lnquln Rd. III Kln:l!otr ltd

1.2
1.1

I I'

2.0
1.0

2.~

45

40

.,.

l'fl"Uon
Lonl An,. 10 Klldarl:! An".
Ollk Pllrk A\e. 10 central A'... I.>
Vln('t!nnl'5 ",e. 10 Chlcajllo ~

U .... d .... ,.
IIHn SI.

I'!""",i

.."

Mile- $Pcot
Umlt

I.'

ltd,

'0
65

10

" "

Asterisks indicate lower speeds reeommended on

curves. Advisory s.lgns carrying the curve speed will
be pasted.

'15
5.'>
35

Suburb Cites Engineer

Bridge Ready For Test

N THE SUBURB of Prospect Heighi.& they have

I found it a. fine arrangement to havewhoas isa neighbor

both a n
a man

engineer and an enthusiastic worker with young

people. So in August.
they hailed. William T.
Lynch. drainage and
utilities engineer in the
County Highway Department, the father of
five and president of the
iocal Lions Club as the
community's "Personality of tbe Month."
Bill and his wife. Lor
rie. were early r esidents
of the village. Tney
Bill L),m,h
built tbeir home at 102
SoUtil Wheeling Rood soon nfler he WIl8 released from
Navy service ns It licutenanl. at a time when there
were rew homes in the area. They now have five
children-WlUinm. 16; Mary J o. 15; Terry, ll; Colleen, 10. and Richie. 7.
When Prospect H eights wanted a community swimming pool. Engillt.'C.r Lynch undertook the job. doing
the deSigning and serving Il.8 general contractor , all
",Tjthout pay. Now the $170,000 pool ill the scene of
youthful activity and Neighbor Lynch. as president
of the Aqua Center . hu continued to 8upervise t he
frequent parties held there. I.n its a nnouncement of
his cil.lltion as personality o[ the month. the Wheeling
Independent said; in part:
"Foremost in Bill's mind has been the youth of tile
community. Providing f:lupervised recreation. community affairs wit.h ideas for the young at heart have
been his greatest endeavor. Residents have witnessed
this sincere e1l'ort in recreation ror our 'teens by the
s~vernl pool-side dances and splash parties that have
been planned weekly at. the Aqua Center .
"The dn.nces have been far more than a few botUes
of coke, potato chips and latest 'real gone' records.
For the youth in our community have come to realize
that they are important, Rnd a very special effort on
the part of someone who cared has been made tor
them."

Twin B;u.cule Bridgf!l Con,tructed by Cook Count)'

to Carry Northwest ExprUlway Feeder Lane. over
the North Bran ch of the River arc About Ready for
Operating. It I, Planned to Drop t he Leave, for t he
F lrlt Time Neill Month.

Bids To Be Received
Bids on 13 expressway jobs a nd one non-expressway will be received by the Board of County Commissioncn; on October 6.
Seven arc on lbc Soulh Route Expressway and include:
oemUlllon or hulldlngs bc!1I'l!<'n CoUII$I't' Grove AVl'nue and

1~lm::''t~o'n twlwf'iln 63nl S,""" and lIIJ1n)Uf'ttf' ROfuJ l67th

,'.1 .

Sl~lI.

1<"
ht't"'~n Marqu,'Ue RQRd lin!
.,tn~1
[)t!molUlon 1Je.\..... t'Cn Wentworth A,..,nut' tlnd C. " W. l JUt.

Demolition

(9!llh Stl'f.'{! l) .

Grndll1lt bel" 'II 71l1t ami 7!.'lh SIn.'I.'ls.

GnuUn. belwe('n 87th I",d 0 'th Stn..,t...,

On Congress Street Expressway :

"rmUng and ,,.\1nl bl't"'llMI AUliUn Dout.'\'unl nnd ('entrnl

A\i~n~~'nnus concrete

.houlth!r.. tIC1....!1in :\ll1nnhelm Road and

t;lm S, reet nnd bet"""n 0.." Plalnc.\! amt lit Av"nul.'t

011 i"\orthwest Expressway:

LlllhUnjl: bet\\H!n )Ioblle A\en1,l(' alld C"ItI1l1ei<,1 Rono.l

Bituminous rtont'Tf!te

W\"lIt

or

~houillen

Etuit Rlvcr lIono.l.

rrom Normandy Avenue 10

Illt_ umln',u~

concret( .hoUldllri between Monlru81! Dnd Normnnd)- ,\ ...mue ...

On Northwest-Edens Expressway:
Bltuml.nou. Nlwnne .houldertt belwHn Kmllnt'f and Bryn
Mawr A\-enue.

New School Speed-

Sheriff SaiD has been most cooperative in this effort

to give quick protcction I\t schools in the suburban
ares. llis patrol cars ha ve been alerted to the new
condition. and it i3 due in large measure to their
activitit'S that the County's interim sign program has
thus fllr worked well.

1C'ootlnued rrom PMI(I' 31

of schools. The signs are up. They must be obeyed.
At the least, they notify a motorist t.hat. he is in a zone
whero he must. drive with utmost caution. Even 20
miles an hour may be too high at. times when large
numbers of children are crossing the street.
The situation out in Cook County ill one of numerous
schools and many motor vehicles. On the 6'10 miles
of rural roads and suburban streei.& under County
maintenance. which is where the County is posting
school speed signs. there are 79 schools, including
grnmmar and high sc.hools, both public and parochial.

Thomas E. Bourke. 60, a County Highway Departmenl engineer a!:lSigned to t.he LaGrange district.. died
September 17. He was first employed by t.he Department in 1943 as s general foreman. Previous to then
he was a supervisor In the City of Chicago watA:!r pipe
extension burenu, general foreman for the Chicago
Pa rk District. construction foreman for the snnitary
district and a member of the Sheriff's 1)Clice force. He
is survived by his widow, Sally, and a daughter. J ean
Marie. The [ami!}' home is at 8320 South Dante.

The One non-expressway item Is t.wo-lane Ilnving on

31st St.reet betwccn LaGrange Road and t.he CookDuPnge Count.y line, 1.50 miles.

Thomas E. Bourke

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Tri.level Orld, Scp.rnlon Structure on Nortnwelt ElIllrenway at Jeff",o" Plrk a egln' to Tek, Form. EapruawOl,. unu Will Oe
cupy the Lo",,'" Le .... t. Milwaukee Avenue the Middle and Tracie. of the Chicago 4 North W urn , Now on By.Pa , on the Top.

Vol VII No. 5

October, 1959

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Published by the Cook County ern.) Department of Highways
Under auspices of the Board of County Commissioners
DA NIEL RYA N , P rtlldent

Ja mu

F. A, he nden

F red A. F u lle
Christ A. Jensen
John A. Ma ckler, Jr.

F rank Bobry uke

Cha rl u F . Cha pli n

E li u bet h A. Co nkey
Jerry Dole za l

Dan iel Ryan

Clayton F. S m ith
Edward M. Sneed
John J. Touhy

John J, Du ffy

W illi a m N. E rlck'on

William J. Mortimer
Superintendent o f Highways

Published at I S0 North Wells Street, Chicago 6.

FRanklin 2-7544

The 1959 Cordon Count

E xtension 216

Boob of the Month

use of Congress Expressway by vehiINCREASING

cles entering and leaving Chicago's Ci!nlral business district has been found in the 1959 cordon count
made by City's Bureau of SLrcet Traffic in cooperation
with the Chicago Association of Commerce a nd Industry.

As In previous years, the survey W,\ 8 made on a

typical week day between the hours of 7 a. rn. a nd
7 p. m. The area included extends [rom the river on
the north to Roosevelt Road and [rom t.he "iver on
the west to the lake.
The Congress Expressway vehicle counts [01' the
two years which we re made at the bridge over the
river, were:
t:lltcrillg
Len \'ing
Totul
1958
27.796
20,939
48,735
33,146
1959
27,302
60.4'18
In the grand totals, both of vehicles a nd passengers.
in and out, there were only slight changes. The vehicle count this year was 468,368; Inst year. 463,187.
Pnssengcrs, including those on railroad trains, ou t o[
town buses, CTA lines and service vehicles, as well as
those in private eurs IUld cabs, totaled 1,675,837 this
yea r and 1,658,605 on tally day last year.
One significant finding was the continuing low ratio
of riders to private cars driven down town. Althougb
the total of cars this yea r was a shade higher than
lust year, the total of passcngers was a shade lower.
t':ntcring Lco\'ing
Tot al
1958 car count
187,523 IS ,111 355,634
1959 car eQunt
183,203 172,67] 355,87-1
1958 passengers 281.284 252,166 533,950
1959 passengers 274,395 258.893 533,288
In a footnot e, it was s tated that the number of passengers for each private car. including cabs. hns
figured ouL aL 1.5 s ince 1953, and Lhis yea r's figures
yield that ratio. In the Jlcriod of 1926-1929, it was
1.8 and from 1929 t o 1952, It was 1.7.
In respect t o vehicles counted, Congress Expressway's gain was greater than that of Michigan Boulevard. On both levels of the boulevard bridge, the
counts were 53,S36 this year as a gainst 4.7,045 last
year. Another important e.ntrance to the loop, the
Lake Shore Drive bridge, had a lower count- Sl ,992
this yea r as against 6S,278 last year.

ONCHALANT CHOLLY favors relaxed driving.

One hand on the whee.l is enough, so the left
N
arm dangles out the window.
Formerly he clutched the car t.op with the left
ba nd ; now the arm just s wings loose a nd easy.
CboUy is no mcnaee to other drivers, for If he is
sideswiped it's 4. ,000 pounds of s teel against one
elbow joint.

Di alog on One -Wa y Street

A motorist. gOillg the! wrong way on a one-way
street was stopped by a policeman.
" Where do you think you' re! going ? the officer
growled.
"( don't know," sighed the motorist, " but 1 must
Every body seems to be coming back."- California Division of lligbways.

be late.

,I

"R urn bl er

II

Strips at 55 More Stop Signs

approaches on the County'.

FCFTY-FrVE
road system were given "rumbler" treatment
atop sign

in
the work season just cnded. bringing to 173 the num
ber of inleJ'1!leClionll tl"('aled since the Highway Depart-

ment Initiated thC' iden in 1955.

Rumbler pavement I. an application of aggregate
on the trame lane approaching a SLOp sign. Wben a
car aLrikcs It nn Iludiblf' rumblf' warns the driver to be
alert.
The Idea WItS dc\,clopNl nfter fl countywide study
mude by the Department showed SLOP sign disobedience ranging (rom 20 to 62 per cenL It appeared
that many "Iolatlnn.ll Wl'.rc uninlentionaJ , the dri,'crs.
for some reaaon r,1'" othcr, failing to see the signs.
Some positive menna of warning, it was believed,
would solve the problem by helping motorists to obey.
Since then, checks made at numerous rumblcrcd
locntions have ahown much improvement.. At some
inU,>l"8(!(tions "no stolls" hnvc been eliminated entirely
and everywhere f('wcr "rolling" stops have been
observed.

Better Traction In Winter

Rwnbler application covers the fuU width of the
approach lane And extends 300 ({'('t (rom the stop sign.
tn addition to giving unmistnkeable warning. it provides an improved surCact' Cor stopping and starting
in winter.
For rumbler aggregate the County Highway Department haa used l-inch screened slag. precoated with
aaphaltle liquid. The binder is !X"trnleum asphalt with
a pcnf'lrntlon 106-120. One rumbler strip. one lane
in width R.nd 300 fC(!t in length, requires nine tons of
Ilggregnt(' find 116 gallons of asphalt.. This fonnula
has been found cCQnomical In cost and satisfactory DS
to weur.
The rumbler Rpprouehes )l UI down Otis yea r in the
five County road maintellance districl.$ are listed in
the adjoining column.

Typlul Rumbler Strip. C.. r I. ApproaCh ing Stap Sign.

District No. 1

District No. 2

District No. 3
107111 ~U, .sOl' th lillie I'll" uf Bglh An..,

IOO! h !:It.

Australia Shows Interest

The rumblered atol) sign approach orginau~d
In the Cook County Highway Department is
beginning to gel worldwide attention. In addition to numerous requests (or infonnatioD from
atreet and highway officials in aU parts oC the
United States comes the (ollowing letter from
F. Parrick. seeretary, Main Roads Department.
Western Australia:
"The Amentan City reporUI that your department Is using with poBitive results a rumbler
pavement at the approac:h to stop signs as a
method of accident prevention.
"This department would appreciate any further
infonnatiOIl particularly aa to genentl specifications of thl' Ring used in coating of RSphalt and
also general treatment value. or any other inConnatlon you may care to supply on this subject,"
The In(onnlltlon re(lu c~ted Is on Its way.

Kl!th .'Vf'.
88th An!

South lune weJlt or Slith Awe.

W .... ! IRne norUI lit 1001h Sl.
EUI In no euulh uf Ilmh 5 1.

District No. 4
1231"11 ~I -North 11lf\e cfI~1 or elrero A,'I.'.
1:'i;lrrt:i1 South lane WClt or enwtOni A,~
IZlrll :,it, N"rlh tane eMI or crllwront "y@..
l23rri ."1. ~Ulh IAnt' Yiut or Kt'd.:de A'e.
127lh S\
Sorth lane n.t ut Slate 81
127th !il --Si1ulh lane "CIt or ,\fThef A,'",
1,,",,"I!01 Sorth lant ea I or Bachf'lor (;ron' Rd.
lUn! 81 SOuth lane WHI or R1daeland Ave
!kith A,'f' ~.t lantl euuth or lUlth SL
!'IIlth A"f' WUI lane nortb of 119th 51.
Wolt ltd \\"t., Ian. norU, of tUrd SL
Wnlr Rd ~"llIlIt JOuth of llUIt 5t,
wolr Hd \\"1.'1111 IanI.' north of tal,t 5L
W.. lt HII, F..aal lane IInuth 01 :\It'Canhy Rd
W"U lid
Wl'lt 'ant "'.Mh or McCarthy Rd .

District No 5
ntl St)uth hln" WHI or Turft~ Ave.
Jilt' Orr ltd
~uth Iani' I'I('1t or
COtta~ (irtt\.... A\f
J..,., Orr flit -X.. rth IlIn" .,IUII of Conaa.. G"WI.' '\'.1.'
'
1'"oltllfW {;mn' .1.'1.' Wflt Ian" noMh or Mlchl,AlI cit), Itt!
lIulbrouk ltd :-Onrlh Ian. t!all ot Dlxl. Iiw)"
IInlllrook nd N(lMh 11111. eu, or Rll.'g.1 Rd
Uutbmoll Rd,_'ioUlh lane Wt'R or RI./ilel Rd~
1I01bro,,1t Hd-South lant we.1 ot Halsled $1
""jbroQk Hd, !'iorih lnne elllil or ilalsted $1..
110 bn'lOk RII -&lUI h 18nt west o r Chkago Heights 01.0.
"0011 ltd
:Mlh SI
:-Oorlh lane flUI ot Eut End Av ..,
~ah St. -South Innl' we_' or $!at(' 51.
r:t"n"()od-Llln~lnJl Rd ,.....SQuth Inne ... eK! or Cottall:1.' Gruy('
t:!cn ...(/Odl.nnlln/l' I(d North Iline ellSI or Cottase GrOYll.
JOI! Orr

Awards Cite Year of Safety Improvement

T
school authorities and civic groups to promote
President Ryan's Talk
safety on the highways oul in the County were recogHE YEAR around efforts of suburban officials,

nized by lhe Cook County Traffic Safety Commission

at two dinner meetings this month.
One, held October 5 in the Martinique restaurant,
was for the south area of the County. The other. held
October 19 in lhe Villa Venice, was for workers in the
West and North.
'l'he number of merit awards presented was higher
than in any other year. signifying increasing acti\'ity
on the locnl level throughout the County. Fifty-nine
suburbs and onc state police district out south werc
cited for extrn good effort and 48 cities and village$
west and north received awards. Plaques to hang on
the wall were given 103 public and 23 parochial and
private schools in the south end and 103 public and
23 parochial and private schools wesl and north to
mark thei r full cooperation in the bicycle safety program. Special awards for help in lraining young bike
riders were presented to seven grouos.
At both meetings County Board President Daniel
Ryan, who is also president of the Safety Commission,
listed the good works of community safety workers in
cooperation wit" Ule Commission. Highlights were:
Highway u"affic fatalites in the suburban area this
year were 8 per cent fewcr at the end of September
than in the same l>eriod last year.
In two yC!ars, not one of the 138,9i4 youngsters who
have earned membership in the Bicycle Safety Club
has been a highway fatality.

Mayor Daley Present

With Mayor Richard Dale-; of Chiea,l'!o in attendance, tbe soutb art!a meeting was truly a summit
affair. l:Je spoke bricHy, saying:
"Our joint efforts for saIety, in the city and out in
the county. are brin~ing us closC!r together. No community can live by itself. Chicago is the neighbor to
nil of you and you are neighbors of one another. More
and more, we are becoming one economic unit."
A plaque citing the City for having reduced its
traffic dcaths was presented the mayor. and President
Ryan spoke or the City's increasingly good accident
record in recent years a nd also thanked the Mayor ror
carrying out the City's share in the expressway construction program.
One of the numerous IOCR! safety councils o rganized
to work with the Commission-that in Park Forestcame forward wilh a presentation on its 0 \\''lJ.. Gerald
T. Werner, the council's president, brought a trophy
symbolic of safety to hand to John J. McCleverty,
executive director of the Commission.
"We wanl to express our appreciation to President
Ryan and the Commi.ssion for fine coopemtion in the
sRiety program in our community," said Mr. Werner.
"No matter whal we have needed, or when we needed
it, we always have got it."
McCleverty said he accepted the award on behalf of
the members and staff of the Commission.

Pol ice Group Honors Ryan

Another unexpected honor was bestowed on President Ryan at. the west-north meeting. This was the
(Conllnued on Page 6)

Following is the text of tlte talk giumr by COllnty

BOD.rd, PresidCllt DUlziel Ry!lI!, 11'110 is al.!o president
of til e Cook COlmly Traffic Safety Commi8siotl, at the
commissiOll'" umwalmeetifl!}.,.
It alwsys is a pleasure for me to welcome. you. our
distinguished guests, at this annual get-together.
Here we commission members have the opportunity La
Lhank you, in person, for your cooperation and untiring efforts throughout the year.
You and our safety commission are teamed together in lhis never-ending battle, in which our
common adversary is grim and nee.dless death. And
slowly, but surcly. we are winning this battle, doing
it the hard way bcc.'\use no easy way yet has been
found. WiLh the volume of traffic forever OD the incrcase. one might considcr it a moral victory just to
stem the. rising tide of accident. Yet this holding of
the line is not sufficient.
In Lhis reSI)Cct, I am happy to report that in Cook
county wc actually are reducing the number of traffic
accidents and deaths, both among motorists and
among our youthful bicycle riders. During Ule first
nine months of this year, traffic dcaths within Cook
county, including Chicago. totaled 317. This is 18
fewer than for the comparaQle period in 1958, a deCrease of 5.3-1 per cent. In Cook county, outside of
ChiCAgo, we have had 112 de2ths during the first nine
months as against 121 for thc same period in 1958.
This is s decrease of 8 per cent. We are praying we
can hold onto this gain for the remainder of the year.
but if we have anothcr wave of tragedies, such as be
set our good Glenview neighbors in recent weeks, this
may not be l>ossibie.

Bicycle Record Re marka ble

I am glad to report. al!)O, Lhat for two full years
Cook county, outside of Chicago, has not had one
s ingle death among the 138.974 card-holding members
of our Bicycle Safely Club. Truly remarkable.
Yes, we have had two bicycle deaths in the county,
outside of Chicago, 80 far this year. One was that of
a 13-ycar-old lad who had just moved into his school
district and had no opportunity to receive. our bicyeleriding instructions and tests. The other was that of
a 12-year-old boy who was so unfortunate as to be iU
at home during the time our team of instructors was
at his school.
In 1954 a total of 14 bike riders, unschooled in
safety, met death in our County outside of Chicago.
When I sssumed the presidency of the County Board
in Deccmber of Lhat year, the bicycle training program had just been started. and the Safcty Commission had only one man assigned to that speeial task.
And what. I ask. can only one rnM do in a County
as large as ours?
Risking criticism- and there was 8Ome--1 promptly
assigned 10 men to the bicycle safety program, and
shortly thercafter increased it to the present 16, who,

Suburbs Thanked for Their Good Efforts

Speaker.' Table at the Welt.North Safety MeetIng. Left to RIght_William J . Mortimer, County Highway Superintendent:
Noble J. Puffer, County School Superintendent; President Theodore Lam, of MI. Prospect, PrUident Danhll Ryan and
County Com mill loner William N. Erlek.on.

At South Meetlng.Mayor Daley Get. Award From Prul dent Tanner and Pruld eM Ryan . COUnty Clerk Edwilrd
J. Blrrett, Commiuron General Chairman , Rupond, to Applaute W Ith Smile. " MIchael Fr.nc:l. Knobloch,
Safety Director of LOl Angelu," Turnl Out to Be Aetor Pat O'Srlen.

you know, work in [our-man learns.

Many schools invited and welcomed our help from
the outseL Others. a bit skeptical, waited to be shown.
J am bappy to say now, however. that 263 elementary
and junior high schools within the county outside of
Chicago not only are accepting our bicycle program .
but are lending us their full cooperation.
In fact. wilhout this wholehearted cooperation we
would be hand-tied. I speak of the cooperation given
us by leachers and school officials, the school children
themselves. the Parenl-Teachcr associations. fraternal
organizations. local safety clubs, village offlciala, and
~pc-cinlly the police deparl.mcmla.

prcssways which take the fast, through traffic off our

streets and secondary roads. We know aJready that
these expressways are big factors in curbing the number of accidents. and their value will be felt even more
when they are completed within the next year or two.
As many of you know, our safety commission Is encouraging the setting up of local safety councils, and
we a re sending out two-man teams to work with your
people. One man on such a team Is a lralfic investigator who helps study and eliminate local roadway
hazards. The other is n lecturer who, at these local
safety counell meetings, stresses safe driving habits.
Last year these two-man teams held ISO such wety
meetings through lhe county. and for 1959 the number will be around 230.
Incidentally, let me mention here that the majority
of traffic accidents happens to motorists within five
miles oC their own homes. This is nol. due solely to

tlS

Many Problems To Solve

As you know, there are many problems involved in
traffic safety and we 9.l"e endeavoring to solve them
in various ways. We have our bicycle safety program
in the schools, as I have mentioned. We have our ex-

(OonUnUH Qn Page 6)

September Traffic Toll

Job of the Month

TOLL
death In Cook County suburban
THEstreets
and highways continued at a higb level in
of

September. The total of fatalities was 16, the same 8S

In August, but five times
that of St-ptember last
year.
Even with two high
death months. however,

the accumubted total

(or the year remained below that of 1958. For nlDe
months this year t.h('1'e' bave been 112 fatalities : for
the Imtne period 18.11l year, 121, an improvement of B
l>ef cent.
In rcapccllo nccldenla 01' all types- personal injury
Rnd property damage a8 well 8S fatal- the September
record was a s hade better than A ugu8t'a. and the lIsl
of pC-Mlons Injured was conaldembly shorter. The
totnl of' nccldenta In September was 2,816 and In
August 2,821; persona Injured in September, 852 ; in
August, 1,057.
Seven of the September fall.llilies resulted from col
Iislons between automobiles. four of them in one accldent. Four of the dead were pedestrians, of whom
tWO were elderly men and two were children.
A boy Or 12 ridlng his bicycle was killed by a car.
Il was reported he WIUI on the left si~ of the pavement, riding aplnSl oncoming traffic, whic.h is contrary 10 Instruction in Ihe bicycle safety program
conducted by the Cook County Traffic Safety Commission. The safely lessons had been given in his school,
but on that day he waa ill at horne.
One man fell (rom hi!! car and was killed. The three
other (atalitles re.ulted when can! r:l.D into wayflide
obstructlonfl, in one instanC(' a cuh'crt, in another n
l>08t and in the third a ditch.

Till pIe r, marchIng acro .. the Oes PlaInes Rlvar

and oyer the TrlSlate Tollway mark thl! IInl! of the
Northweat Expre"wiI), wellbound O'Hare AIrport lead.
In, IInd.r conllrllctlon b), Cook COllnt)'. The contrac:.tor, L. 8 , Stl"lndberg II. Son, tnc~ II complimented for
iI ct.'n workmlntlke Job thu w ilt plene the eye ill
well '1 perform hi IUllctllNiI pllrpOle.

of the st~Ulaurrounding tbe ac.hools and wouJd be removed when tbe schOOl is not in session. Thcir use.
howe\'cr. would necC8!!ltate help from tbe sehools
themselves. Someone at eacb school would bal'e to be
appointed to tlCt the signs out each morning and remove them ('ach evrning. Most of our busy police departments aim ply do not have time for such work.
I would ask that the schools which are interested in
obtaining roll-out signs and which are on county
maintaln<'d roads write a request for such signs, ad
dressing their communications to John J. MeCleverty,
EXecutlv(> Secretary, Cook County Traffic Safety Com
mission. 130 N, Wells st., Chlcugo 6.
There stili nre additional Btlfety measures. however,
t hat must be takeD. such as sepn.rating pedestrian
tntfllc from vehlculRr traffic in congested areas where
there nrc no sidewalks. Some of lhese problema may
be sOlvl-ci a.l local levels. others at higher levels.
Although tonight we nre awarding merit citations
to school represt'.ntallvea and police chiefs onJy, are
many others aJrnORL equally deserving. So to ea.ch and
every one of you, we again say thank you for your
wondt'.rful cooperation in helping to sal'e Uves.

The Presi dent's Talk .. .

tCQ nttnucoJ from PnKI.' !II

the fact that these mOtorlSlS travel more wi thin this

radius than outside It. Fncts and ligures compiled by
ou r safety commission clearly Indicate that a driver,
when in (amlllnr territory, grows careless and is more
prone to make a mistake than If he were driving on
unfamiliar roads.
So on your way home tonight, please take it easy,
espedally within the laat five miles-----(lr they may be
YOUR last five miles. J hope MY driver is listening!

Spe&d Zones At Schools

Safety Meetings ...

Our latest ... fety project has been the posting of

2O-mlle per hour speed limit signs around the 85
sc.hools that are on or near our countymaintained
roads over wblch we hav(' jurisdiction. We also have
established and clearly marked many school crossings
at strategic locations away from the schools. We are
not completely aatistied wilh the school situation, however, and are conducting a further study that may
lead us to the lubatitution of roll-out speed limit signs
for our prcauol stationary signs which we placed
around the schools a. few weeks ago.
These rollout signs would be placed in the middle

1959 safety award of the Nationa1 Poliee Officers

AS&OCiation. The framed certi6cate was presented by
Gerald Arenberg, police chief of Golf, who la executive
secretary of the national association.
Attendance al botb meetings included suburban
mayors tUld village presidenls, police chiefs and
magiatratetJ, sc.hool principals and local safety council
members,
Presiding at the south meeting was Mayor Joseph
Tanne r of EVergreen Park and at the west north
meeting, Mnyor Theodore LaIRS of M.L Prospect.

(C'on UnUM from PI! II

September Permits

Streams Get cleaner

ER11ITS FOR an estimated $11,280.800 of building

P
conslruction in the unincorp(lratcd area of the
County were issued in September by the Cook County

EVEN YEARS of productive work by the Cook

County Clean Streams Committee was marked at
S
its September meeting.

Building
Bureau.
Among

and

Zoning

the projects

were a hospital to be
-- - built by the West T own
Hospital Association in
==I.I ~ =
Leyden Township. $2,900,000, and a group of 19 apartment buildings in
Maine Towns hip, $1,094,400.
Of the 555 fee permits, 296 were for single family
dwellings. estimated at 85.782,000 ill total costs. I n
other classifications, permits were issued as follows :
RClildenttnl luldllions anI! alU'rlltlon8--70 permllji", $203,85(1.
Ac~lS()ry bulldlng_.128 ~rmIUl. S277,.35(l.

Busineu bul1dlnt:!l--Seven JKmnlts, S'lll,OOO.

Buslneu II.ddl Utlns lind tLl li'r .. Uon.s_~ permIts $404.500.

Indulitrlal ndilltion. anll nlll'rutlon!l---Onii lM-.rmlt. ~r.6.!iOO.

WeLlI--~ permit S:;l,OOO.
(Included wert' t"o communIty

wI!lll!

$20,()()()

~hJp.)

I!ach, Ol'll! In Orlanct and one In Palatine Town

Septic IYlltclll3-Qne p('rDllt. $300.

MlllcNlaneous--Slx pcrmllJl, $4.800.

By townships, permits were issued as follows :

Tow".hlp

I'ennll"

"Illulltiofl

"

$ 2801.100

BlOom
Bremcn
Elk Gnl\'I!
Hn nover

"","Xl

311.800

"

"','"
76,100

~mont

U-yden
Lyons
IIfnlne
Ncw Trier
Northneld
Norwood Pnrk
Orland

107,200
185.200
1.09.J..400
17,000

"'",,
....07.'"""
"a
,,
"
m
,
,..
Nine permits were issued"in the no-fee classification,
76.:100

PIHllllne

ISoI,OllO

Pnlo;>
RI..,h
Schaumburg

101.700

...

24.000
1.823,400

Stickney

ThornlOn
WhCt'Ung
Worth

B6

9'10.100

39

,>11.'>,000
300.900

which includes churches, schools, farm and publiC

buildings, for a totaJ estimated valuation of 53,124,800.
Included was the hospital in Leyden Township.

Detou rs

In

Effect

Work in progress by the Cook County Hjghway Department r equires detours as foll ows:
BUSSE ROAD between GOlt Rond and Lincoln Street In
Mount Pro. pecl, new ba.sc course and blnck top conllruelion,
northbound name detour
east on Golf Rnad (",ute
58) to Elmhurst Road (route
83) north to LIncoln Streel
a nd west to Buue Road ;
southUoun!1 TI!'"el'3! ord!.' r.
139TI J STREET dOlled tw
lween Coo pe r Slr~1 lind
Wesu'rn A,"enue, const ructlon by U. S. Arm}' Engineers at br id ge over Grand
Trunk Railway, P/lrt ot
Cnl-5ag project.
CENTRAL ROAD be tween Arlington Height. Road and
NorthweSl Highway, to be widened to four Lanes; eastbound
trall1c detour north on Arlington HeIght. ROlld to Norlhwest
Highway and HoutheWit to Central Road; westbound I'\!ler$e
orner_
PAI~ATlNE ROAD between Norlhwest HIghway a nd Rohlwlng
Road In Palatine, tour-la ne recons truc llon: eaztbouml trame detour lIOutheut on Norlhweflt HIghway to Rohlwlng Road anll
north to PalaUne Road; westbound reverae onler.

Besides Committee members and representatives of

cooperating agencies, County Board President Daniel
Ryan, who is also president of the Forest Preserve
District: Frank W. Chesrow, president, and William S.
Nordburg, trustee, of the Metropolitan Sanitary Dist rict, and Charles G. Sauers. genernl supe rintendent
of the Forest Preserve Dislrict. attended and spoke.
" The devotion of the members of this committee
continues to receive the admiration and thanks of myself and the members of the Board of Forest Preserve
Commissioners," said President Ryan. "This committee is the first and the leader of anti-pollution
efforts in the metropolitan area. 11. has won national
recognition.
"I am particularly pleased that the Sanitary District now takes an active part in clean streams work.
lts improvement of the channels of the Des Plaines
and the North Brunch are excellent, and I trust they
will continue."
Committee Chairman Burton H. Atwood, when inLroducing President Chesrow, pointed to the Sanitary
District's accompUshments in preventing pollution of
Lake M.icbigan and thanked the district for help given
the clean stream program in the last two years.
In Lhst time, said President Chesrow, the District
has spent more than $3 million cleaning out the Des
Plaines, the North Branch and Stony Creek. District
erews are still at work on Ute Des Plaines.
Trustee NOI'dhurg, who persuaded Governor Stratton to designate August 23-29 as Clean Stream Week ,
told of activities in that special period. He wrote letters
to )04 suburbs requesting cooperation and 75 replied favorably. Three crews of high school seniors
and college students worked on the West Fork of the
North Branch.
He also reported that the District bas provided 300
signs proclaiming a $50 fine for Lhrowing debris of any
kind into streams. These are to be posted at bridges.
State's Attorney Adamowski, said Mr. Nordburg, has
promised to prosecute any violators caught.
SHERMER ItO,\O between Lee and Dundee Road\l In NOfthllrook, wIden in g to 2~ reet, TCsurraelng and bridge reO)nstruC"linn: eastbound tra me detour north o n Lee ROad to Dundee
ROOd nnd eas t to Shermer nOad; westbound revet'lle on:ler.
OHIO STREET between Halllted and Union Street.., bridge
construetton ror Northwul Elo:prenway Feeder; eastbound
tramc follow the marked detOUr going north all Halsted Street
to Erie Street. eut to UnIon Street and Bouth to OhiO Street;
welt!>OUl1d reverse on:ler.
lITH AVENUE between 22nd and 31st Streeta In North
Rlvl'rllde, to be widened to t our lanea: northbound trame
detour welt on 3111t Street to 25th Avenue, norlh to :?:lnd Street
Bnd east to 17th Avenue; southbound re"eue order; 17th
.wenue ope n to local trame.
SOUTH PARK AVENUE between l~th a nd 17lSth Stree\.l.
complete pavemen t recon.trueUon a nd Widening; n orthbound
tramc detour north on Wood Boulcvard from 17lSlh Street to
159tb Street and east to SOuth Park Avenue; .outhbound reverse onler.
WiLLOW ROAO hl'twetln Roml ROlld anti Srhoonllf.'ek ROllel,
EU~lbound trllllle." detou r North on SurtLllu Gro,'e Rond Itl
Palutlne ROad, Eas t on PallHlne Itoad II) S<:hoenD""~k Rout!,
South on Schoenbeck ROIld to WIIIO" Rond_ Westbound rever,e order.

Traffic is permitted while work proceeds on the following named locations :

ARCHER AVEr'lJE between Stille SIreN
R!NId, wlden!ng nnd rI.:-_urtllrlltg.

(~mQnt)

a nd Bell

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Leayes Come Down 'n Perfect Alinement on NOMhwut EJCpre .. wa,. Feeder Bridge ( See Pagl! 2).

Vol. VII No. 6

November, 1959

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

PubliJhed by the Cook COllnty (111.) Department or BiJ'hwIlYl'

Under auspices of the Board ot County Commbllonen

DANIEL RYAN. Prul dent

Jerry Doleul

Fred A. F ulle
Chrilt A.. Jemie"
John A. Maekler, Jr.
Oiln lel Ryan
Clayton F . Smith

John J , Outfy
WIIII,m N. Erl,k.on

John J. Touhy

Jams. F. A,henGe"
Frank Bobrytzke
Chllrlu F. Ch.pUn
Etlube th A . COrlkey

Ed ....... rd M . Snud

WIIII,m J . M ontme,.
Superintendent 0' HI"hw;1Iy'

))ubliAhed nt 130 North Wen. Street, Chica~ 6.

October Traffic Deaths

IGIITEEN PERSONS, Including six ped!'6lrianB,
E
were killed in hlghwny' traflie necidtmts in s uburban Cook County In October. The tolal was two

FRa.Jlklln 27{j44

Extension 216

Boob of t he Month

above that of Septem'

ber and six higher than
October last yenr.

October's deathts
brought the 10 months'
loll to 130 in the County

oulaid{' tbe City of Chicago. Lnsl year ID the same

period it wtllJ 133. ":ArlieI' this year. il appeared
likcl\' that the 1959 total would be well under 1958.
bUI lbl! St>lllclntw-r and October ligllres have raised the
accumulated totnl to whN'c a continuing high death
ral(' through November and December, both dAngeroulJ
monlhfJ. could mRkf' thill year wone thAn IasL
Four or thl' IK-deatrians ..... ho lost their lives wert
tren age girhl. (lnt' .....as u gi rl of 9 and the other W(l8
R man of 84.
Ph'c denLha rRulled Crom coJJisions involving pasfK'nger CfiI'1l. ODC' wus killed in R crash between a car
lind u t ruck, two when 1I car ",truck n wayside post.
one ..... hen u ellr rn.n into IL ditch, onc when his car
hit a n abutment Rnd OtiC in n smaahup against n tree.
October WI\.8 II bad month in reaped to Ilccidenls oC
al1lypeB. In addition to the 18 dead, 972 persons were
Injured. 122 mort' than in Sept('Jl1ber, and the total of
RII accidents .....as 3.128. an increase of 312. These
figures brought Ute lo-month totals to 28.231 accidonts nnd 7.901 pt.'MIOnallnjurl(>s.

ROLLO resists change.

ROUNDHEAD
For him, spring. summer. autumn and winU!r art'
all the same.
He expects it to be AS light at 5:30 p. m. after day.
Iightsuving ends lUI It wns before.
He Is annoyed by the first s now on t he pavement,
bllt docsn'tsce why he Bhould drive slower.
People t ell him winler Is coming. bul he docsn't get
around to conditioning his car until it stalls on an ex
prc88way.
The Roundh(>ada nre 8 hig reason why the laLC
months of the year see the highest rate' of highway
Accidenta.
ml:r. It will be port of the feeder route between
Norlhwcst ExpretJ8WRY and Michigan Avenue, elUlt
bound on Ohio Slrfft and westbound on Ontario.
J::;nch span is 250 feet in length, measured between
lrunnionL ThulJ each it.'af when lifted rises 125 (eeL
Cost of the bridge will be approximately sa million.
The county is Il1ao constructing the eJe\'ated .pproache.. which will oo&t approximately 2,400.000.
Tho bridge was constructed under supervision of
Royal O. Mortenson. County Highway engineer of
bridge consLrucUon. a nd Dan Cohen. resident engineer.
ContmcLot'IJ were M. J . Boyle, caissons, piers, bridge
houses and decks; Overland Construction Co., steel
erection, and Edward Electric Co., power installation.
Subcontmctora were AmeMenn Bridge Co., stecl fabri
cation, and General Electric Co., mot ors.

The Front Cover Picture

Both of the twin baacult' bridgt-s that will carr),
Northwest EXprr88"'ay Cl't'der Janes over the north
branch of the Chicago River have passed their operating testa with hono ....
The leav" were lowel'l'd thilJ month for the first
lime. On both aldCtl they joined in perfect line and
with a center clearance that required no adjusbnenL
Erecting creW8, who had a nxiously a waited the moment of trlllh, s houted and waved their helmets a8 a
movie camero rccorded the event for TV.
The bridge. constructed by the County, was started
in September. 19M, and wlll be completed ne.xt swn-

County Bridge Cited For Design Beauty

Enil ineering and Eltlleties-U t lli t y and Beauty-Won Honorabl e Mention In N.tlonwlde Competition for Lawr_
ence Avenue Grade Separation Structure on Newly Opened Sect ion of Edena E"prcsaway. T he Bridge Exprcuea
Beauty in It. Plcuin g Proportion. and Purity of Llne. T he Only Non_Functional Feature I, A Shadow Bar on
the Outer Girder, Which Relieve. the Broad Surface of the Bcam.

PANNING Edens Expressway at Lawrence Avenue

S
is a grade separation stnlcture that henceforth
will
ttistinguished as a beauty contest winner.

Mortimer received the department's certificate a nd

also that fo r the Counly. acting for County Board
President Daniel Ryan, who was absent because oC
illness. Frederick Wendnagcl. represented his com-

be

Judges in the American Institute of Steel Construction's annual bridge competition awarded Lawrence
Avenue honorable mention in its class, which includes
bridges under 400 feel span and costing less thlln
$500,000. It. was the third hOllor conferred by the
AlSC on bridges designed a nd constructed by Lhe
Cook County Highway Department. In 1950. first
awa rd was presented for the C.'lldwell Avenue stnlcture over Edens and in 194 ,the first year the County
entered the bridge competition, an honorable men
tion was given for the 159th Street bridge over Cal
umet Expressway.
Engraved certificates of award were presented al a

PRIll'.

E. T. Blix, an AISC director and president of

Mississippi Valley Steel Company. presided at the
luncheon, a nd said in part:

Honor Beauty And Utility

"It is a pleasure to welcome you bere today RS we
pay honor to beauty in a steel bridge, and the men
who designed and buill it.
"Engineering and esthetics go hand in hand in
bridge construction. This is recognized by the American Institute of Steel Construction ns il meets each
year to select the bridges that represent the finest
opened to traffic in the previouB yea r~ the finest. from
the standpoint of engineering design. utility and
beauly. A.ISC a wards in the form of engraved certificates are presented to the designers, owners and
steel rabricators of these bridges and photographs :md
descriptions ar c published in a brochure.
"Tbe Lawrence Avenue grade separation received
the honorable mention citation in this year's AlSC
competition for bridges opened to traffic during 1958.
It was chosen for its simplicity of design and long
spans that carry the heavy traffic over the recenLly
completed Edens Expressway.

Depa rtment Is Complimented

"ChicagoRlls snd all Cook County residents can
well be proud of lbis award. as they can be proud of
an excellent highway department under President
Ryan and Superintendent Mortimer. They can also
be proud o[ the many reliable contractors and structural steel fabricators. such as Mr. Wendnagel, within
the state."
Accepting the COlmty's certificates, Mr. Mortimer
gave credit for the prize winning bridge to members
of his slaff-Hugo J. Stark. chief engineer; Milton

Bridge Award L unc:heon-Frederic:k Wendnagel (left) ,

E. T , Blix, William J. Mortimer and Hug o J . Stark.

luncheon in the Chicago Engineers Club on November

17 to the County as owner of the Lawrence Avenue
structure. the Highway Department as designer. and
Wendnagel alld Company Inc., the structuraJ steel
fabric.'ltor.
Highway Superintendent William J.

(Continued on Pa.se T)

Expressway Center

Barriers Studied

factor of safety 011 the modern

A FUNDAMENTAL
expressway
dilcctional division of traffic. In
is

theory, the headon collision, frequent and deadly on

conventional r oads, cannot happen on an expressway.
ldcallY. it SbOltld be sufficient to mark the median
strip with a breadth of grass, trusting every drivel' to
recognize it as an area not to 1)(> entered. But as it
hM turned out, the reckless, inattentive and incompelent have proved that it lakes more than a bit o f
la ndscaping to keep them in line.
At thp high speeds IlCnnilled on expressways, accidents caused by CRrs crossing m ::0 1i:rns or Clll'eening

into guard rails arc eXlremely serions. .C rossing the

strip puts the offending car headon against trnffic on
the opposite pavement. Cars that hit rails rebound
into the stream of traffic a nd innocent drivers suffer.
A study covering California freeways during 1956,
1957, and 1958 showed lhal20 per cent of all fatalities
resulted from cross-median ueeidents. When Edens
Expressway was first opened, it was supposed that the
unmistakable centel' strip, 18 feet in width. would as
a matter of common sense deter motorists from
wandering into or across it. But it. soon appeared
that an appalling number of people were using it to
make dangerous U-turns, and it became necessary to
string a wire cable 011 posts down Lhe center of the
ship. This hAS st.opped U-turns, .but. it is no.t regarded
as the ideal barrier, for under hIgh speed Impact the
cable is likely to react like a slingshot and hurl the
offending car back into traffic_
Numerous types of barlier have been insta1led on
expressways, toll WAYS, freeways, thruways and tum
pikes across the country, Although the terms arc
d ifferent. the highway design is the same and the
problem of the wayward driver is equally urgent.
Included in the types placed in use are ditches, cables.
rigid concrete walls, and various designs of melal
hmlds.

See k Trap For Waywa rd Car

While all of these may be effective in preventing
cars from crossing the median, none of them up to
now has Pl'Oved capable as II means of trapping a car
and holding it out of the way of following vehicles.
What happens to Ule offending car and its driver in B
high speed l).'lrrier accident is always serious. In the
search for the ideal barrier, it is hoped Umt one can
be desi~led that will minimize damage a.nd injury to
the ening motorist, but since he has lost his rights
when he leaves the pavement, the mllin considemtion
;s for innocent drivers endangered by his error.
Requirements for a positive median barrie!" ttre diffel"Cnt on the various expressways of the Clucago and
Cook County system. On rural routes, where right-ofway costs arc lower than in the city, the pavements
can be placed a considerable distance apart_ Such a
broad stl'ip will deter most drivers and for those who
will try a nything, a barrier may be placed far enough
from the pavement to eliminate the hazard of rebound.
In the city, where land costs prohibit wide scpan;alion of pa\'ements, some positive type of structure IS
necessary. On Congress Expressway, the CTA tracks
prohibit crossing tbe median. But there must also be

A Drawi ng illustrating Median Barrier of Chain Link

Fence as It Will Be Insta ll ed on California Freeway .

a guard mil [or expressway vehicles and a fence for

the unpredictable pedestrian. Where the center sUip
is open, without tracks, a barrier of the most efficient
design is required.

Impact Tests Are Studied

Fo r these reasons the Cook County 8.ighway Depart
ment is interested in an extensive program of median
barrier impact tests just completed by thc California
Division of Highways. It was the first study of
broad scope undertaken under conditionE! of heavily
traveled expressways, a nd undoubtedly will be influential in the choice of barriers by higlu/ay allthorities
throughout the country. Material used in this article,
including photographs. was generously provided hy
the California authorities.
Obje<:tives of thl' tests were stated by the engineers
- John L. Beaton. Chief, Structural Materials Section.
nnd Robert N. Field , Jr., Materials and Research Engineering Associate, as follows:
;'In the order of their importance. the following
three functions should be considered to be primary
features of a median barrier:
"(1) Posiliveness of preventing crossing of the
m('dian: (2) minimizing refl ection of the offending
vehicle back into the traffic stream; and (3) minimizing injury to the occupants of Lhe offending vehicle."
Fifteen barrier designs were tcsted under realistic
conditions. They were installed on an inactive section
o[ freeway, duplicating field conditions as nearly as
possible. yet retaining all factors under control.
I n preliminary tests, a crash car containing a lifesize dummy safety-belted in the driver's scat was
driven under remote control into the barriers at a
speed of 60 m.p.h. and at a collision angle of 30 ~ .
Final tesls were made with the two designs adjudged
to be most efficient. and in these a 34-passcnger bus
was used as well as the crash car.
"Since the primary aim of this study was to test the
resistance of the various barriers, it was important
that a severe type of oblique accidcnt be employed,"

Design Sought to Trap Wayward Cars

IMPACT P L US '4 SECOND

IMPACT PLUS 3 4 SECOND

CAR A T RE ST

At a Speed of 60 M. P. H. ;Jnd an Impac:t Angle of 31 , Thi, 3,850-Pound Test Car, With Dummy "Sierra 5;lm"
Belted In t he DrIYer', Seat. Was Drive n Under Remote Co .llrol Into the Chain Link aarrler. The T est R eport
LIlted Vehi cle Olilmagt a. "Total Lo.. ;" Dummy Injury, Sellp Lilceratlon And POSi l bie Chest InJuries; Gu. r d.
rail Dam;llge, 56 F eet of Fence RuIned, No Cable Damage; POlt Damillge , 12 POlta Damaged Btyond Repllir.

the engineers stated. "At the same time, it was fell

that the type of accident selected should not be beyond
the realm of actual occurrence on 8 highway."

Chain Fence Found Best

Included a mong the tested types were barriers of
solid concrete. corrugated Bnd curved metal bt!ams
mounted on posts in various arrangements and one of
thain link fence with upper and lower horizontal
cables. It WUB this lust typE' that was developed by
the California engineers as the most efficient. from nil
viewpoints. It is to ~ instaU'd on some of the state's
heavily traveled freeways.
"The criteria used in this stlldy for 8 lIexible type of
barrier W!UI a design which would fulfill the burrier
concept while at the snrne Lime would fl ex a nd deform
under collision IIQ that deceleration of the offending car
would be tolemblc to its occupa nts and at the same
lime would provide safe time and maneuvering space
for any following cars in its own traffic stream," the
engineers sta led.
"This being a relatively new concept insofar as
median barriers were concerned, no practical working
designs could be found. , , . During the study period
prior to Lhis actual testing progrom, several different
designs were considered by the Median Barrier Com
mittee, but were discurded [or various reasons. One
design wos offered by the Lfindseape Design Section,
with the Idea in mind that lhe cbain link stnlclure
would have 1I double function, 8S it could be used to
grow ivy or other leafy malerials on it to serve as a
headlight screen.
'Six tests were p6formed on various detail modifications of this original design until the details shown
in Figure 1 (this page) were developed. This design
appears to be w~1I balanced In that it functions both
at low s~, low angle collision Ilnd at high speed and
high angle oollislon with passenger cars and at high
angle and speed bus collision ....
"The lower cable has the double PUI"J)Q&e of serving
to distribute Ule collision load to the back posts,
thereby stiffening the system in general. while at the
same time aJiowing the colliding wheel to pass over It

during initial impact. This also serves 8S 8 trap. pre

venting the return of the front whcel, thU8 helping to
retain tbe car in the center strip.
"The top cable chord, consisting of two cables, is
the most Important structural unit in the system. I ts
placement with respect to height is critical, IU1d its
attachment to the post is likewise critical.
"If the cable is placed too low it will eitber permit
the car to pass over the system or force the car to
bounce back into the traffic stream. IT placed too
high, the cable might tend to slip over the ear hood,
l>ermitUng the car to pass on through, (lerhaps sever+
ing the sU)X'l'15tn1cture. The final design of 30 Inches
above the ground has proved to be spproximately the

2 3/4 " Co bin

_ __

z,"

.L

30"

..
, - Z' 0"----,
J---r

'. 0"

LElliJ
---=1'--1' I~ 1

8" Dio .

Filiure 1
GUARDRAI L. .. 36" Chain Link F ence With T wo
~4" Cablea 9" a nd 30"
Above
Pavemen t .
POST
.. 214"4.1 Pound H Section Fence
Post.
POST SPACING .. 8' o. C.

proper beight for this top cable."

What happens to s car and its occupsnts when it
strikes a barrier at 60 m.p.h.? In lbe tests run at the
(COntinued on rage 'l',

Interstate Signs Go Up

County Building Permits

o. FRISBIE, lhose new red, white, and blue sWelds

on the expressways and lollways are not speed
N
signs. They are markers on routes included
the

RECORD HlOB year of building construction in

A
the unincorporated area of thc County is indicated by the number of pennits issued by the Cook

interstate h ighway system. As of now tiley do

County Building and

Zoning Bureau tind the
~
total of estUnated costs
reflected.
- ----Near the close of the
Bureau's fiscal yea r ,
:I :I rl~
which ends November
30, it appeared that the total of pennits would be
approximately 5,700 and total vlliuation S110,000,000.
These totals compared with 5,200 permits and
$98,000,000 valuation in 1958.
In Octobcr 507 IlCrmita were issued for a total
$7,823,350 of construction. or the 497 fee permits,
279 were [or s ingle family dwellings and one for an
apartment hotel in Maine Township, estimated to cost
$.163,200. There were 10 permits for a total $389,400
in the no-fce classification, which includes churches,
schools and farm buildings,
In addition to the 279 for single dwellings, fee permits were issued for the following types of construct ion:

in

\ :.1(1,

not mean too much to

the traveler, but eventually they will guide him

across the country from

coast to coasl and from
Mexlco to Canada.
In the picture, J ohn
Fiode of the the High.
way Dapartment's sign

shop displays a marker

for Intersta te 91, which
enters TIlinois from the

i ndiana loll rood,

crosses the Calumet Sky

Way, continues norUI on
the South Route Expressway. Northwest and Edens
"Expressways to lhe connedion with lhe Tri-State
Tollway, thence 00 to the Wisconsin line.
In t he interstate system, even numbers designate
east. and westl'outes, although in sections, as with 94.,
they may nln north and south. Two-figure numbers
mark main routes and Lhree-figures demgnllte bypasses. Thus 294 is the Tri-Sta~ Tollway and 494is Lake Shore Drive..
Signs are supplied by the stale and are erected by
lhe County on County sections of the expressways.

ReskienUal addition! nnd nlterntlon-alO permlu, $]81.I!OO,

Acce$!Ory bull(lIngs_114 pennlts, $2ll5 900.
Su~lneu bulldlng----..sevi:!n j>ennU $-120.000_
Kuslneu nddlJjonl and niterntion!--]6 permlU, $492.850.
IndusU-lal bulldlngs--T....-o permlU. $700.600.
Industrlnl II.ddHlon! and alteratlon....one permit, $1.000.
WellS----Elaht permits, $8.000,
MlscetlennoulI-r.;lne permlla, SI4,~.

By townships, October pennits were issued as fol

lows:
T!I"'n~hl"

SliTTing-ton
n~men

Calumet
Elk GroVIl
HanQ\-er
l.emont
Leyden
L}'unll
Motne
:-lew Trier
:-Iorthnetd
:-Illrwnod Park

He's a Parade Engineer

While this publication is not primarily a house
organ for news of employes, occasionally a staff member contributes to community activity to the
extent that it is worth
while noting as a credit
to the department.

Orland

Pal.llUnl'

ralos

I'cr"'th
t
13
1

6'"2,000
l24 200

17

8
HI

16!L200
92,000
UJ,2lJO
98.400

32

774.400

:l

Zl

39

~
121
31

Rich
S<-hnumbu!'Jl
Stickney
ThOTnton
Wheeling
Worth

So here is Anthony
AJtier. a highway engineer and American Legion parade master.
Tony organized the two
parades in the loop on
Vclerans OS}', as he has
for the last 12 years. In
brief. Tony loves a parade, and his comrades
in the Legion a l'e pleased
with his skill in getting the marchers lined up and stepping off Oil time.
The accompanying picture was made in 1917, when
Tony at the age of 17, was in the 33rd Division. He
went to France as a member of the 124th Field Artillery band, playing the E-8at clarinet, a talent developed in the Hull Honse Boys Band. He is past
commander of Edgar A, Lawrence Post, American
Legion, whose membelll are highway department employees, and also past commnnder of lhc Americnn
Le~on's First District.

\' nlulltion
.$ 1S 400

294.600

~-....,~
1f'?OOOO

..

132.!lOO

1.9$4 200
468.600

<I

~,~

7
15

....."""
113,500

!16

3
21
-10

822.950
6.900
'29.1,000
MI,800

No-fec permits included churches in Elk Grove and

Wheeling Townships, 8 chu rch a ddition in L yons. five
residences, oue lIddition and one accessory building.

Detours In Effect
Wo rk in progress by the Cook County Highway Department requires detoun; as follows:
139TH STR,"~::T closed between Coopa' SU'l'l't Ilnd Western
Avenue, con'trucUon by U. S. Anny EJlgin('ers or brldgll over
Crand Trunk Ral!\\'u)', pnrt
of Cal-Sog pro,lt.'Cl.
CE.'''TnAL ROAD betwl'en
Arlington Ht"lghtt Road lind
:-IOrthw'I'$t Highway. to be
wIdened to fnur lane,; ealltbO'lnd trame detour north
nn Arltngton HlllJl:hU Road
to !'\orthwe~t El1ghwll)' and
1M)ul he8llt to Co.!ntrlll Road;
wl'!lbound reverse ordl'r.
SH~;RM~:R ROAD between
Lee anct Dundee ROlld~ in
Northbrook, wldenln! to 24 !eet, resurfuclnl{ nnd brldJ(e reeDn! tr\l ctlon; eu-tbound rnmc dlltour north on Lee RODd to Dundee
ROlid and ~~t- ~o ~tlf:lrrner Road; welltbound reverse order.

SORRY TO INCONVENIENCE
YOU ...jj,ltj"jry
THIS RESURFACING

Job of the Month

Another New Suburb

ESTATES, a brand new development in
HOFFMAN
Schaumburg TO\\'nshlp, has become No. 118 on

Recognition GOei to the "rcoleMldwelt COl"poriition

For iI Well-Organized Job of Pa ving on Northwe.l Ell;.
prenw.y. Concentr"tl"g Wo", Force .nd Equ ip ment.
the Contrillctor H Completed the An ' gnmenl Well
Ahead of the Ant lelpued Openlnll of Oil FiYe-mlle Seetlon of Northwest Some T ime ,,, December.

th(' list of incorponlted suburbs in Cook County, lbe

2-1th nddition since the end of World War II (Cook
County Highways. August. 1059).
At an election held September 17, residents voted
751 to 661 to incoq)()rtlte 6S a village. It was the third
1'10'1 on lh(> qU('fltion within a year. On NO\'ember 7.
wh .. n 164-1 \'otE'ra turned out. the following named
Wl'n' elecu.-d officcrs:
Pn,-'s idl'nt. Edward F, Pinger : clerk, Marylin Brading; pal ice magistrate, Patrick J . Muldowney; trustees,
Bruce Berger, Edward F. Cunningham. Eddie Deer
field. J IIDlC8 F. Gannon Jr., Roy L. Jenkins. a nd J ohn
H. PIckering.
The new suburb, which was prairie four years RgO,
hB..8 a population Qf 7,000 and is Blill growing. All
dwcmngs nre sing l('-fnmlly houses on 10.000 squarefoot lots. There nre aplwoximntely 1,750 now occ:upiNl, and mor(> are under construction, with a total
of 2,500 ultimately Ln view.

Honored Bridge-

lC'nnllnuwl from PIli'" !II

..~. Page. engineer or bridge design. and RoyaJ O.

Mortenson. engineer or bridge construction.
"We are very apprecintive or this honor," Mr.
Mortimer said, "In ollr Department we have long
recogni)'.ed that 8 blidge can be a functional structure
and althe same lime can have clean Unea and graceful
form 10 that it is truly a thing of beauty_ This i8 Lhe
tblrd such honor gi\'cn Cook County. and we at('
\'cry proud indeed."
The eompetition tor J058 bridg~ aU.meted J04 en
tries, the largest in the 3i-year history of the prize
awards. A distinguished jury &elected 13 bridges located In 11 staLes tor first awards and honorable mentions In the thret' classC8 of competition. M. G. Gaskin,
chnirmon of the board of Taylor & Goskin Inc. of
Detroit, Michigan, cha innan of the owards committee,
snld when announcing the winners:
" The jury felt that deIJlgnen were obviously taking
a new responsibiUty ror the beauty of bridges and
their surroundings. The judges bad to choose care{ully [rom lhe many striking designs submitted. and
Lbey staled tbat the American public was the beneficiary or the care engineera were laIring to consider
eslhetics 8S well as utility."
Finlt award In Class r, bridgCII with spans of 400
feel or more, went to the Mackinac bridge o\'er MnckinDe Su-alts, }.Uehlgan: In CluM ll. spans under 400
feel and C08ting more thall 500,000, Lbc Louis Morris
Memorial Bridge over the Sn\'annah River. in Georgia:
and in Cla88 ill, that of the Lawrence AVCDue bridge,
to two overpasses on the Providence Turnpike, MaasaChUSBetta.

Barrier Impact Tests-

IContlJ1ul.'d trnm raae In

chain link design, car damage was scored as "lotal

los.a." The actions and reactions oC the dummy. who
eame to be known as "Sicf"Ml nm." were reported to
be "exceedingly complex."

Hoffman Estate. (Shaded) In Sc:haumbur-g T ownshi p.

Th(' village Ia regardl'd as D model achievement of

the idenl. of the Cook Counly Building and Zoning
Bureau. In the hands of one deve1oper, the F & S
Coml>a.ny, the community WIUt planned with winding
Itreeta and with sitea for n shopping cenU:!.r, village
building, schools. churches and nn artifical lake. Five
el('ml'ntnry schools were built by the company. Two
churches have been built and three others are planned
for early construction.
Commuters to Chicago use either the Milwaukee
raUroad at Roselle, four and tl half miles south, or
th(' Northw('stem at Palntinl'. seven miles north. The
\'iIIoJ:e is a mile from the Northwest ToUway.
The 30 angle of Impact at 60 DI.p.h. produced 8
U'8nll\'Cr&e rOrtc that hurled the dummy against the
left door. causing It to break open. As the car rebouoded, the door ftew widc and only the safety belt
prevented Sam (rom being pilched oul of the ca r. It
appeared that if he had been hUman he would bave
received serious, perhaps fataJ, injuries about the
hend, s houlders and Chcsl,

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Early Bird, on Newly Opened Northwut El(prellway. View I, Ealt. Towa rd Cumberland Avenue Interchange .

Vol. VII No. 7

Decembe r, 1959

COOK COUNTY HIGHWAYS

Publilhed by lhe Cook County (III.) Department of Rlchwaya
Under auspleu of the Boa.rd 01 County Commialonen
DANIEL RYAN , Prealdent

Jlmu F. A,hend'n
Fr.nk Bobrytzke
ChiUlu F. Chaplin
EII.abeth A. Conkey
Jerry Dolnal

Fred A. Full.
Chrllt A. Je"~"
John A. Mackie', Jr.
DanIel Ryan
Clayton F. Smith

John J . Duffy
William N. Eric;kaon

Edward M. Sneed
John J . T ouhy

W illia m J . Mort imer

Superlntenden' of Highway.

Publisbed at 130 North Welb Street. ChieaJrO 6.

Boob of the Month

November Accidents
WENTY PERSONS,
T
killed
highway lraffic
Cook
November.

Extenrion 216

FRanklin 2-7644

five of them pedestrians. were

in
County in

accidents In subUrban

The month's toll W8.8

two under November,
1958, and kept alive
hope that the year would
end with n belter reeon::l
than IlUIl year's. The II
months' total s la nds At 150; lut year for the same
period, it was 155. Including the City of Chicago, the
cou ntywide iotal through November was U3 as com
pa.red to <126 last year.
Although the number of fatalitietl was laWN, the
tolill of accidents of Illl types last month was markedly
hlghcr a nd t he number of persons Injured a lso was up.
'I'ile fi g urelf for lltl' month in thl' two yenrs were:
EXPEHTS
SAFETY
of following loo ciOlle.

W1U'II

In n month. Ulis year, t he lotal of accidents W8S

31.30&1, which com pared with 26,629 in the same period
IRlft year. Rnd tht number of Injured W8.8 ,660, whicb

repealed!)' of the danger

And thill, Illlys Tllilgnte Tecumseh, is good advice

Indeed for those who need iL

com llflrcd with 7,940.

't'he l>CdesLrlllu vicUms were, as In mosl such In
Humccs. very young or very old , unnblo to dodge
trnJtic or 80 ignorunl of motor car operation that they
wert> not aWl\r~ of Lbe risk of venturing onto Lbe pavemcnL Three were Utt1e OOya-3, 4 i
Il J 5 years of
age-ooe was a man of 78 and the fift 'M 8 woman
of 82.
Seven of the November deaths resulted from colli
sions between 8ulomobUes and lbrce Crom collisions
between passenge r CllNl and trucks, one when seven
tons of steel broke loose on 8 truck Rnd crushed the
driver in his cab. one (rom R crash betWE!Cm a car and
a motorcycle. The three other fatalities occurred
wben vehicles left the road and struck wayside objects,
a utomobiles in two inatanCfil and B truck in the other.

As for him, In all lhe renrend smacku$ hC'$ figured

in the driver ahead failed to kccp out of the way.

Detours

In

Effect

Work in progrcas by Lhe Cook County Highway De.

pnrlm nt requires delourtl R8 follows :
tlleTU STKE'T ('IWltt! btll"'f!tm Coope:r Street and Wu tem
eon.truetlon by U. So Anny EIIrtnl!eMII ot brld,l!': O\l!r

A""nll~t

Grand TrIInk aallW.Y. part or caISa.I proJl!(!t.

C'E.'TIIAl. ROAD bel\ll"," ArlinIton Hl!lahu 1t0Ad and
Northwltll Hlallw.y, to lilt widened to lour I.ne.; eUlbouml
lnme detollr "orth 0" Arlln.tOll 11el..IIU Road 10 Northwe"
lII.h\\IIY a nd IIOlitheut to Cc!nlr.1 Road: WHtOOIl"d ",.'en.e
linter.

0 1110 STUI.:.:r ba t\\'een Ha l_ted nnd Union Street bridge

ron.trllcUon f or NorUt\\,..t Expreuway Feeder: "lUl oolind
t rame rolLow Ihe mnrkttl (ltltour !lOIn, north on U.l.tell Stret'l
W &1" Stroot, !!A1t to Un lo" Stroot . "d IMIli th 10 Ohio Street:
w~"bOu"d ",,,eMIle oMl!r.

New Year's Eve Toast

ln just 15 minutes everybody's car will dcpreciate
$8OO.-OoU/ortiia D/uMioJl 0/ Tligh waya.

Northwest Expressway Open to Tollways

Now, all together, cutl L.eft to Right. County Comml .. loner Fred A. Fulle. Commlilioner Christ A.
Jensen. Commillioru!r William N, Erlck,on, President Ryan , Commilliioner James F. Alhenden, Governor
Stratton, Chilrles Per ronlllo, John Duba, Cilptaln Piurl ek Deely. CommllSloner Frank Bobrytzke.

HE FIRST SECTION
Northwest Expressway
T
Central westwArd four and onehalf miles to the llU

Road. just before entering the expressway.

Fo r the present. westbound traffic enters the exprl:'.Bsway over the ramp from Foster Avenue jUst west
of the C&NW railway viaduct. An exit ramp is open
at Ute Cumberland Avenue interchange to aecommo
date local tmlfic. Beyond this point, motorists must
go on into tbe t01lways.

of
completed by the County. (rom Foster Avenue near

nois TolI .....ay system, was opened to travel December

15.
The ceremonial ribbon was snipped in a favorabl e
selting. In sharp contrast to the frigid . blustery
weather prevailing when the opening of Congress Ex
prcss .....ay in the city was celebrated. just four yea r1l
before to the day, the sun beamed and the temperature
was comfortable. Spokesmen for the County, City
and State, which participate with the federa l Govern
ment in expressway construction, hailed the facility
as beneficial to both city and suburban residents.
Citizens in number, including ODe young molber deter
mined to be first with a perambulator, attended and
applauded.
Shears were wielded by Governor William J . Strat
ton, County Board President Daniel Ryan and John
Duba, administrative assistnnt to Mayor Richard J.
Daley, who was in Washington that day. William J.
Mortimer. county highway superintendent introduced
them for brief talks and also spoke of the achievement
in completing the section ahead of contract dates.

Two Exits At East End

Besides the tollway ramp. entrance for eflstbound
truflic is also open at Cumberla nd A venue. There are
two poin18 o~it temporarily- at Nagle and Auatin
Avenues. Bot lead into Foster Avenue.
The seetio represents an expenditure of apilroxirlU!.teJy sao,
,000. including acquisition of rigbt-ofway, demolition of buildings and olherwise clearing
the route Bnd the costs of construction. The 52 foot
median strip is designed for trncks of the CTA at some
future time.
For once, the bandling of the numerous cars at the
scene of the exercises WB3 no problem. Captain
Patrick Deely of the 33rd District, Chicago Police DeImrtment. came forward as soon as he heard of the
opening date a nd volunteered to do the job, He had
his own mcn on duty throughout the section to t he
city limits and arranged fOr state l>olicc to carryon
from there.

Benef it To Tollwa y Travele rs

The newly opened pavement, said the speak('.rB, will
not only give a foretaste of the convenience motorists
will enjoy when the entire Northwest route III com
pietro next year , but will afford immediate benefit to
residents of the far N orthwest side and especially to
trn\'elers using the Northwest and Tnstate Tollways_
At the wcst end, the section connects with the toll
ways by way of a ramp having lanes in both directions.
For t he time being, only northbound traffic may enter
the Tristate. Eventually. a turn southward will be
pl'Ovided. Inbound motorists from both Northwest
and Tri-state will find a toU station nt. East River

First Traffie Counts

In the first 24hour period of operation on the
newly opened section of Northwest Expressway.
6.946 vehicles were tallied by a traffic counter at
Canfield Road. In the same period at East Rh'er
Road, where the expr essway connects with the
Illinois Tollway system, the count was 2,787. On
Sunday, December 20, the Canfield Road count
was up to 7,586 and at EllSt River Road, 3.298.

All Streets Lead

to the Expressways
large shopping center haa come to t.his locality because of improved transportation which the express
way offels. The fields which were largely vacant in
the late 1940's lire now almosl fully developed. The
two photos (opposite page) illustrate the effect that
expressways and highway development have on
municipalities.

FollolOill9 aTe c%vorpts from (I talk " Plallnitly

M1micip<lf Streets in Rcfalioll /0 COlmly alld State
fli yJtway.'J" give" by H ugo J. Sta rk, Chicf Ellgi .
lIcer of til e Cook County Hig/l1QClY Dep<lrilllc lil at
the 1,60, Anttllal COIlferellCO of the Illilloi$
M lwiC'ipal Len!/Ile.

HE GREATI!:ST

all streets and highways

mileage of
T
lies in locnl streets in the various municipalities.
These nrc usually rCMldcnliaJ streets, on which you
and I Jive.

Beller transpnrtation attracts business and home

developments while it in CI'C8.SCS Lbe need for municipal
services such liS fi re a nd pollce protection. It a lso
greatly impl'oves the tax base. The same thing has
occurred along Kingery Expressway in Lansing lind
nlong Ccingrcss Expressway in Hillside_

They

serve the residents

in their comings
and goings. P erhaps

the

wi fe

In this connection. the Board of County Commis

sioners has passed a resolution requiring that nil per
mits for entrances to county highways be reviewed by
the SUpE'rint(!Ddent of Highways. Just rccently we
required R shopping center alld n large industria.1 plant
to submit plalls (or their facility givi ng us datn ns to
the number of vehicles going to and [rom the center.
In this way we hnve designed our roadways with
additional Yo'idUl to permit storage for left.4lurn bays
and tmmc signals.

drives the man DC

the house to the
local mBJIs transit
station for his
daily trip to the
big city. T hey arc
used by ]Kllicc and

firc department.
They are used by
store delivery servo
Ices and Lhey bring

While we are not shirking our responsibility. we

feel thnt iadustry. or a shopping center, owes its
clients and employes certain responsibilities. Thus far
we have met with unusunl success and have found
industry very cooperative. Industries hnve willingly
paid for the cost. of additional paving and signal con
trol. In an expanding community it is necessary to
be continually on the a lert devising new arteries and
I'cconstrueting the old to higher standa1'ds.

the TV repairman
La your home. If
we assume a tYlli

cal city of 25,000,

Hugo J. Stark

there might be as

much as 60 mil~
of such st.reets within its borders.
Next ill order comes thc more im l>or tant streets of
t.he collector type, which connect the various ne ighbor4
hoods within t.he corporalc limits. 'r hey also may be
t.he major business st.reets.

Rural Roads Become City Streets

Wc have nnothe l' category, major st reets which

t.heoretically serve as through routcs picking up thc
collectors. These st.mets a re often localed on lhe
borders of our typical city a nd arc usuaUy state or
perhups cou nty highways.

Our present SystcfO[ l1ighwnys Is basically I} grid

pattern. with primar ro.'lds on section lincs one mile
apart. In many ar s of Cook County roaus have
also bcc.n constnlctcd on halfsection lines. Whell a
majority of these roads were built they were in
sparsely populated areas, with access at infrC<lucnt
entrances and a scattcring of business at the importaat
intersections.

Usually the st.ate and county routes serve Olj IIrtcrics

between communities and villages. and in our concept
of the final development they wUl serve as feeders to
expressways. We orten flIld thesc statc and county
I'oules leading to expressways to be overloaded wit.h
trnfllc, especially during morning and evening rush
hours.

Highways such as Waukegall Road, l-.H1waukec Ave

nue. I rving Purk Road, Halsted Slreet. Dixie High
way. liS originally constructed and the n widen<.'<i. were
capable of carrying tramc ma.sonnbly free of s tOll
signs a nd stopand-go lights. Now they are com
plctt>ly changed ill churncter. Subdivisions, s hopping
centers and urban type business developments haw
turned them into cily atreelS.

As you know. there is now being devclol>ed a 41.000

mlle system of interstnte and defense highways
throughout t.he nation. In Cook County a comllrehen.
sive expressway system was developed at the planning
stage and partly constructed before establishment of
the interstate syst.em. This was accomplished through
cooperation of the city of Chicago, Cook County Ilnd
State of 1111nois and the approllriate federal agencies.

To alle\!inle traffic congelltion. following the 1,la.11

now In force. we w()u1d widen existing pavements and
construct others 011 the half o r one-quarter lines.
This type of planning is no longer satisfactory in Cook
County. It merely creates additional hazardous and
complicated intersections and brings more through
traffic to streets that should now be used in lhe main
(COnUnuetl 011 Pilge 6)

Ex pressways Boom Development

Our first expressways were completed afwr Wo rld
War n. At lbat time. t.he Lake Avenue interchange
on Edens was in an area largely [umland. Now a

New Facilities Key to Changing Scene

The Effect ot an ElCpresaway In Attracting Build ing Oevelopment II II1Ultr ated In T hele Two View. of the V i_
cinity of Edens Expressway and Ea,t Lake Avenue. The Upper Picture Wal Made In 1953. Wher'l the ElC_
pressway Had Been in Ute Littl e More T han a Year. The Lowe r Showl t he Arc. at Present, With t he Eden.
Plata Shopping Center and Numerous H omes Buil t Up to the Exp ressway F ron ta ge Road .

Work Completed

In

1959 Sets New Record

AND BRLDGE construction completed by

ROAD
the Cook County Highway Department in 1959
41 ,499,000.

amounted to a r ecord

Job

Altogether, includ-

0/

the Month

ing conlrncls still in progress, work under supervision

during the year amounted to approximately $100
million.
Four County sections of expressway were finished
and two of them were put in usc. Edens between
Bryn Mawr and Kostner Avenues. one and onehalf

miles, wus opened to lrnffic on October 1. Northwest

between Fos ler Avenue nenr Central and the Illinois
Tollway system, fou r and one half miles. was Olle-ned
on December 15. Construction of Congress Expresswa y between 1st AVemlc, May wood, and Des Plaines
Avenue and between Lnramie and Central Avenues
was completed, bUl o pening of these sections was post
poned until the outlets cnn be cleared of other construction work.
On nonexpressway routes- streets and highways
in Chicago, the suburbs and unincorporated areasthe Department carried out a program of reconstruction and resurfacing on a mileage about equal to the
distance from Chicago to Bloomington.
The lotal work eompleled- S4.l,499,000--cmphasizcd
the ac<:eleralion in the post-war years. Figures for
the years since 1946 follow :

,,.,
,."
""'"
''''''

}'ea r

...

"',.
,
"...

\\'''rk

W" rl;

C'lon,plf'led
$-11,499.000
as.~.ooo

lA036.000
8.99;\,000

16.696.000

17,~78,OOO

} ' ''-<I f

Compl"I".1

"'"
"'"
"""
""
"'"
,,,,,.

l1o.21~.OOO

"<7

1lI,781,OOO

8,311).000

]3.905,000

6,!'\l2,OOO

3.&..'>1.000

lJ,025,()()(l
1 ,6,')0.000

E,;Jfl ilppro .. ch to the bridget that will carry feeder

lanu bet .... een Michigan Avenue and the North .... e.t
Expre ......ily. On the left, Ohio Street, ea.tbound; on
the right, Ontario Street. wtltbound. Compliment.
for II good job done In good t ime g o to Superior Con.
crete Con,tructlon Co.

The 1959 work completed rcprcsc.nts 90 projects of

various types, as follow:
EXllrenway ",radlnr Ilnd I)llvlng. Inctudlng Interchange.ll lind
trontllgl' roll.dl-3.8 miles, $9.681.000.
Highway grll!' lIe,o<u'aUon. a nd plI\'lng approacht'lF- l-I

pr(JJeo'llI,

.$6.168\""'.

WidenIng am resurrllclng---8.3 miles. $1,743.000.

nltumlnou. re.urracing-l38 mll!' ~, $2.678.000.
Pavement reoonSlructJon-14.8 mllt;.,!lA..,I!I3,IM.OQO,

Streets a nd Expressways-

1U\'er hrlll gu-8lx Pro~~I.~J.. Sl,",25,lAlV.

MaIn dra.ln-4 mileR,
,,,",,,,,000.
ItllllrOl\!1 grade sepnra Inn_Two proj('(:ts, $2.9015,8..).
Ltghltng_ HI.4 mile., S11..1.1!!t400.
L andlll'lIptng_ l:1

mites,

(COnl1nueol trom Pa ge 4)

i)lIU'J,OOO,

to serve abutting prol>erty.

We nre pf'Csently engaged in studying a system of
controlled access freeways located in a grid pattern
spaced approximately [our miles apart These highways will provide two lanes in each direction separated by 8. median strip. There will be DO left turns
or cross lraffic and acccss will be lim..it.ed to control
pOints. Frontage roads will be constructed when
necessary to serve abutting property.
Three times as much traffic can be mo\'ed on this
type of facility &8 on a parallel bouleva.rd, in half the
lime, at half Lhe cost and with one-fifth the fatal
accident rate,
I think there are many things that the loca.l municipalilies can do and are doing, In many cases you
are using your gas tax allocat.ions for local projects
which arc of general benefit to thr ough traffic. I t.hink
it would be a good mo\'e to have competent tra.ffic
engineers st.udy your local traffic aituations.
1 bespeak your cooperation within the County of
Cook, The Cook County Highway Department will be
happy tq Q-OOf>(!l1\tc with you in your efforts.

Field lun'cY'-&'i.8 mll!!lI.

l..orlllton Ilnd nl1inment _9~.4 mites.

SOlis IInlllysll lind Ilrontcl---62.8 mlle1l.

Work programmed for 1960 by the Highway Department subject lo approval of the Board of County
Commissioners includes $54,500.000 ror expressway
IJrojceta and S20.768 for primary roads.
The last 1960 contracts a warded by the County
Board, on December 1, were for two projects on the
South Route Expressway. one on Northwest and one
on Southwest. as rollows :
South Route-Pumping station at 1l0th Street and
Doty Avenue, Herlihy l\fid-Continent Co., $664,402.45.
South Route-Removal of stnlctufes between the
C. & W. 1. railroad (99th Street) and Halsted Street,
Harvey Wrecking Co., S6,990.
Northwest Expressway- Pumping station Soo Line
railroad to Trl-slnte Tollway, 1. B. Slrandberg,
S479,833,OOO.
Southwest ( T, & M, Canol) Route-RemOVal of
alructllres betwecn Bonfield and Farrel Streets, Rusaell
Brolhel'fJ, $23,250.

...........

Home Building Out

ESPITE a November slump
building permits,
D
which was r eported as general throughout the
metropolitan area, the Cook County Building and
in

Zoning Bureau ended its

fiscal year November 30
with an increase over
1958 in both t he totals
of permits and of estimated valuation. The
Bureau's jurisdiction is
l he unincorpol'stcd area 0[ lhe County.

Figu res for the two years were:

Ye:u

Permits Issuetl

Valuation

1959
1958

5,693

$102,51 8,650
99,995,534

5,485

The gain w as entirely in the major t.ypes of con-

struction for which fcc permits a re issued- residential,

business and industrial. No-fee l>ennits, which are
issued for church es. schools, public a nd farm buildings,
gained in number but declined in valuation.
Home building was up from 3.521 permits in 1958
to 3.648 and the total valuation. from $63.240.758 to
$72,183,500.
The 1959 fee permits were tuken out [or construclion in the 23 townships having unincorporated ar ea
as follows:
T,,,,

,,~hlll

nurrlnJ:;lon

Bloom

Bremen
Calumet

I!!lk (;rllve

IInnOH!r
l.cmonl
Leyden

LYllns
Mliln"
New Tl'ler
N\le~

NnrthReltl
:sorwOOd Park
Orland

Palatine

PIlI.. ~

Proviso

Rich
St'hllumlJurg

SllekI1~y

Thornton
Wheeling
Worlh

Vul",.U""
lS8,SOO

],431.'100

1.352.000
13-t.:.!OO
5.'241.'200

7:i3. IOO

557.900

1.688,250

3.251.400
15,807,400
3H.!IOO

rh'\.OOO

S.877.65O
.l,6S!.I.050

6.683,400
!i.73.').600
1,93.').600
13:.1.600
550,HOO
] Om5.400

14.~~

7,605,700

5.741:i.8OO

Although more nofee pennits were issued in 1959124 as against 73 in 1955-the total valuation was
lower - $7,423.300 as against $21,690,200, Inchlded in
Ute no fee classification were:
Re8lde ntla l- 18 permlt~. $479.800.
Residential IlddlUonfi and 1Il1erat!un~-threc permit!!. $.15,000.
SchO(l ls-8lx permits, $812.500.
8eh(K)1 8ddIUon._1.2 pl!rmlu, 51-'1.35,800.
Churche!>-1S permllll. $!H 1.700.
Chureh addltlon8-Thretl llermlls, 5200,400.
Atteuory buUdlngs-l0 p"rmltll, $103,400.

HOllpltail-One permit, $2,900,000.

Cllnven t~ne

permit, $165,00(].
addillonll--T wfl IlCrmlts, $.10(;,000.
Government bulldlng......ane permit, $2,400,
MlsoolianeouB--5<1 permltll, 549.500.
~metery

The total of fee permits issued by the Bureau last

month was 372 and Ule total valuation indicated was
$5,690,400. In November, 1958, Utere were 527 permits and Lhe total valuation was $8,319,050.

County Up

1959

By townships, the November permits were issued as

follows:
T",,-"sil ip

ru_

Bremen

Elk GroV!)

Hanover
Lemont
Leyden
Lyoni
:'of Dine
New T rier
:-;111."
:ilorlhneld
Xnrwoocl Park

Orland

PalaUne
Palos
ProvlsQ

Rleh
Schllumburg
Sllckney
Thornton
Whl.'<'lIng
Worth

I'ermlls

""LuaU"n
I

58

13
19

34

1
58
I
<I

'25

,,~

....
4

18
23

In the no-fee classification, 57 pennits for a tolal

valuation of $77,800 were issued in November, bringing the grand t otal for the month to $6,468,200.

New Primer for Rodmen

Employes e ntering the service of the Cook Count y
Highway Department at the grade of rodman, DOW
have the benefit of a newly prepared " Rodman's
Prime r."
Starting with a rodman's typical first day o n the
job, the manual proceeds to present his various tasks
in understandable langua.ge and with numerous illustrations of his tools and methods of using lhem. It is
presumed tha.t the new man has no experience or
knowledge of the work.
"In the Cook County Highway Department. a rod
man is required to assisL in a subprofessional capacity,
a high way engineer, engineer inspector or inspector
transilman, as the case may be, in t he execution of
surveying assignments," it is stated. " When he is
a ble. with experience, to perform his duties properly,
he has mounted the first rung of the qualification
ladder,"
Detailed instruction, with illustrative sketchea, is
given in chaining, and the use of the transit pole a nd
level rod, both " Philadelphia" and " Frisco" types.
H e is told how to dress himself for outdoor work
and is directed to have in his possession at all times
while at work a piece of lumberman's crayon, a pencil
and notebook, a nd a 6-inch conversion rule, As a
sample of the straightforward language:
" The department will supply the erayon ; it is a
mark of a good rodman that he has it in his pocket
(not in his other pants)."
In a closing panlgraph il is stated:
" J oe Doakes, if he has read thus far a nd retained a
reasonable part of the text, now has the basic knowledge that is necessary to the making of a good rodma n. The r esl is up to him; to observe, t o take
advantage of oppor tunities to test his knowledge and
increase his skiIJ: to keep in mind that the best way
to promotion is to earn it. Only a good rodman is
capable of becoming a good transitman ( the second
rung on the ladder)."