Palatine Opposes Barrier Median On Dundee Road

Palatine made its opposition to a raised, impassable, barrier median on Dundee Road official this week.

The median has been proposed by the Illinois Department of Transportation, which has jurisdiction over Dundee Road. The median would be between Rand Road and Route 53.

The Village Council passed a resolution stating Palatine's concerns that the median could hurt local businesses or even hamper emergency responses from the fire department.

"If we were trying to get to one of the businesses on the north side of Dundee Road just passed the intersection with Rand, short of crossing over and driving against traffic they would have to go all the way down to Baldwin Road," Village Manager Reid Ottesen said. "They would be adding almost two minutes to response times. In a profession where seconds, let alone minutes save lives, two minutes is significant."

The issue of the proposed median first was . At that meeting, Deputy Village Manager Mike Jacobs said, "We are very concerned about what this proposal would do as far as cutting off access to businesses up and down Dundee."

Several years ago, Palatine had looked into the possibility of a traffic light at the Dundee Road entrance into Wal-Mart, 1555 N. Rand Road. The village dropped the topic when the project began to grow in size and scope.

The latest IDOT proposal for the area does not include a traffic signal.

"In reviewing IDOT's most recent proposal, Staff believes the plan does not improve pedestrian safety and will negatively impact the commercial properties along the Dundee Road corridor," stated village documents on the topic.