Palatine Eliminates Two-Way Traffic On Part Of Bothwell

The voted Monday to make Bothwell Street one-way.

The change will impact Bothwell between Palatine Road and Slade Street. Traffic only will be allowed north on Bothwell, meaning that vehicles will be able to turn off of Palatine Road to Bothwell but will not be able to turn onto Palatine Road from Bothwell.

"Some of the business owners on Bothwell asked us to look into doing this," Palatine Village Manager Reid Ottesen said. "They'll have more parking at the end of the day."

The village also approved $51,650 in engineering costs for streetscape improvements downtown on Bothwell Street, between Palatine Road and Slade Street and on Railroad Avenue, between Bothwell and Plum Grove Road.

The streetscape improvements will include lighting, sidewalk removal and replacement, pavement maintenance, the conversion of Bothwell to one-way and subsequent parking reconfigurartion.

Ottesen said the the total cost of the project will be several hundred thousand dollars, with funding coming from Palatine's downtown tax increment financing district.

The downtown tax increment financing district was created in 2002. The property tax revenue within the district was frozen at 2002 levels; increased property tax revenue since 2002 has gone into a TIF fund that is used for various public improvements within the district.