The Village would like to advise residents that the Indiana Harbor Belt (IHB) Railroad plans to repair the deteriorated railroad crossings at East Avenue and 47th Street. Work will include the replacement of sections of rail at each crossing. A complete closure of both crossings will be required to complete this work.
The IHB has provided us with the following tentative schedule for their work:
- 47th Street Railroad Crossing– Closed from Monday, August 15 to Sunday, August 28
- East Avenue Railroad Crossing – Closed from Monday, August 29 to Sunday, September 11
As noted in the above schedule, only one of the crossings will be closed at a time so that the other crossing will be open to traffic. Signs will be posted in the area alerting motorists of the crossing closure. We recommend that motorists use alternate routes which will include Plainfield Road, 55th Street, La Grange Road, Ogden Avenue, 47th Street and East Avenue depending on which crossing is closed. The Bluff Ave interconnect and residential side streets remain open for local traffic only, and will be enforced as such. Traffic delays and back-ups are likely to occur. Please allow for additional time to account for these anticipated delays, and let employees and delivery companies know of the work. Should weather delay the project, the closure will occur on a subsequent day.
Thank you in advance for your patience and cooperation. We will work with the IHB as much as possible to minimize the inconveniences associated with this project. IHB will work as quickly as possible to complete the work in order to minimize the overall duration of the project.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call the Department of Public Works at (708) 579- 2328.
Indiana Harbor Belt Press Release