Thomas Engineering Group provided a combination of planning and engineering services for the Lake Street infrastructure improvements project in the Village of Oak Park’s primary commercial district. TEG was responsible for engineering, public involvement, and environmental screening to design a streetscape reconstruction project from Harlem Avenue to Euclid Avenue, a resurfacing project with ADA improvements (Euclid Avenue to Austin Avenue) and utilities project in which water and sanitary mains and services are being replaced between Grove Avenue and Euclid Avenue. TEG conducted a Risk Assessment Workshop at the project onset with Village of Oak Park Departments/Agencies such as Development, Permitting, Parking, Infrastructure Technology, Police, Fire, and Public Works to quantify and prioritize design criteria and ultimately arrive at a shared understanding of the overall project process. TEG collaborated with stakeholders, various Business Districts, Village Departments, utilities, and developers to identify the most appropriate grouping of improvements and determine cost-effective construction staging strategies that would least impact businesses. 

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Phase I included all preliminary engineering studies (traffic, safety, drainage, feasibility, etc.) to identify the most context appropriate streetscape reconstruction design that properly considers the previous 10+ years of Village-wide planning efforts and public involvement/surveys performed during the streetscape concepts stage.  This work included a crash analysis and a traffic study which included collection of traffic data at over 26 nodes in and near the primary downtown Village business District. Various alternatives were studied including conversion of various streets to one-way, limiting turn movements, traffic calming, detours, bikeways, parking and loading zone studies, vehicle and pedestrian signal designs, etc. Because of the intense nature of mixed-use urban development, our team met repeatedly with Business Districts and individual owners during Phase I to incorporate their concerns and ideas into decision making process.  This section of work also included addressing access to or filling of approximately 19 private and/or utility vaults located beneath public sidewalks.  TEG worked closely with Village Landscape Architect (Lakota) and Wayfinding Consultant (Sasaki) to ensure street design and staging would accommodate plans for their respective disciplines.  TEG also prepared Phase II plans for this section which included street and pedestrian lighting as well as signal modernization at 6 signalized intersections.  Material pallets included bluestone sidewalk, signature brick intersections at primary cross streets, colored concrete cross-walks and a raised speed table/cross-walk in front of the historic Lake Street Theater