The Edens Spur has seen a lot of traffic accidents over the past few weeks. Now, in an effort to increase safety during this construction season, IDOT has reconfigured the spur in an effort to reduce crashes. I was in the area on June 5, stuck in traffic on the surface streets, when three helicopters hovering [...]...

There are over 50 communities in Lake County. As the demographics of each community varies wildly, so does the quality of each town's website. I checked out the web sites from a commuter's point of view. Namely, I looked for the following: Does the community's website have a section dedicated to its road maintenance program (if it [...]...

Hunting for parking at a Metra rail station and boarding the ever-more-crowded trains can make one feel that everyone is taking Metra these days. But a look at the vehicle-clogged roads seems to tell otherwise. Indeed, several of my associates have increased their rail ridership recently, but others have not. Metra's commercials encourage "If Metra's right for [...]...

Here's what's on tap for Lake County commuters this week. Monday's temporary lane closures on the North Tri-State Tollway: One lane will be closed in each direction between Route 173 and Stearns School Road from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. One southbound lane will be closed between Route 137 and Stearns School Road overnight. The lane will reopen [...]...

Lake County is kicking 48 roadwork projects into gear. Funding will come from the quarter-cent transportation tax approved during the mass transit "doomsday" crisis of Winter '08. Included are several key projects County residents have been eagerly anticipating. A few thoughts on those with which I am familiar: 1) Widening of Route 21 from 137 to [...]...