As Emma Shippee ‘16 was driving through the SC parking lot after an after school activity, a fellow student turned haphazardly into the oncoming parking lot traffic, nearly causing a crash. Due to the volume of motor vehicle and pedestrian traffic at SC, this is a fairly common occurrence.

“If I wasn’t aware of my surroundings, this incident could have ended much worse,” Shippee said. “I am concerned for the safety of other drivers who are in the parking lot after school.”

LT administrators and other members of the community, such as Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospital, the Village of La Grange, the park district and the Village of Western Springs, are aware of the dangers of the congested parking lot and have been working together to find a solution.

“The villages were able to secure grant funding for the large portion of this project which is in the hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Superintendent Timothy Kilrea said. “It has been a great example of how municipalities can work together, and we are very appreciative to both villages, but specifically La Grange, for taking the lead and helping to make this happen.”

In March of 2011, KLOA, a traffic and transportation planning and engineering firm, conducted a traffic study and concluded it would be beneficial for changes to be made to the SC parking lot.

“Hiring experts in the field to make recommendations is reassuring,” Kilrea said.

The plans include the addition of six stop signs along with a traffic signal on Willow Springs road near the Corral. There will also be a flashing crosswalk at Mason Drive, Kilrea said.

“We just feel like it will add a safety feature that is currently not there,” Principal Brian Waterman said.

The traffic signal will include a sensor that will determine when a light change is necessary, depending on the amount of traffic. With the exception of immediately before and after the school day, the signal will primarily remain green, Kilrea said.

Underground site preparation for the electrical part of the project will commence over spring break when students are not in session. The major part of the work will begin in June to comply with the goal of mid-July completion, Kilrea said.

“We’re looking forward to having it installed this summer,” Waterman said. “It’s going to certainly require some communication on our part, so we are in the process of putting together some maps, timelines and news items that we can send out to our community so that everyone is properly prepared for it.”