Highland Park, state officials reviewing intersection of fatal May crash

The City of Highland Park and Illinois Department of Transportation are exploring safety improvements at the intersection of Route 41 and Park Avenue in Highland Park following a fatal crash at the location on May 16 — a crash that killed a 1-year-old (21 months) and a 73-year-old.

City of Highland Park officials confirmed they are coordinating with IDOT to examine potential changes aimed at reducing the risk of future collisions.

City Manager Ghida Neukirch said the city has heard from residents and is reviewing its options.

“We heard concerns from residents after the fatality, which was tragic,” Neukirch said. “From a city perspective, we’re continuing to do everything we can by providing public education and continuing to do enforcement.”

In response to the fatal collision, Maria Castaneda, public information officer for IDOT, said in an email to The Record that the department is reviewing the incident and data from the intersection.

“Public safety is always our number one priority,” said. “One death is one too many and we are committed to continually review and analyze crash data to identify possible safety concerns and countermeasures. This includes monitoring trends and working with local, state and national partners in the identification of projects and programs to improve safety, to help save lives and to make Illinois roadways as safe and accessible as possible for all users.”

The intersection

The Route 41 and Park Avenue intersection features a total of 18 marked traffic lanes. Three lanes run through Route 41 in each direction (northbound and southbound), along with one left turn lane and one right turn lane in each direction. Additionally, two lanes run through Park Avenue in each direction (eastbound and westbound), along with one left turn lane and one right turn lane in each direction. The median runs north and south along the center of Route 41.

The roadway features three rumble-strip panels — road grooves that cause noise and vibration to hold a driver’s attention — per northbound lane of Route 41, south of the Park Avenue intersection, a reminder to motorists who are transitioning from Interstate 94. Each panel contains 16 individual grooves.

Highland Park City Manager Ghida Neukirch described the intersection as a “hotspot” in the community, saying that it has a “high traffic volume.”

In the wake of the May 16 crash, Neukirch reached out to IDOT on May 21, then to State Sen. Julie Morrison and State Rep. Bob Morgan on June 1, to explore traffic management initiatives to enhance safety at this intersection. She reportedly had yet to hear back as of Thursday, June 25.

The data

Based on crash data provided by the City, the intersection saw at least 29 crashes in 2025. That number was significantly down compared to the 60 to 90 crashes reported each year from 2015 to 2019. The highest in that timeframe was 88 in 2018.

In fact, since 2019, when Route 41 renovated, the number of reported crashes has tumbled 67.2%, from an average of 71.6 per year from 2015-’19 to 23.5 from 2020-’25.

Out of the 29 accidents in 2025, eight of them, or 28%, resulted in injuries. Similarly, from 88 accidents in 2019, 32 of them, or 36%, resulted in injuries. So far this year (through May 25), nine accidents were reported at the intersection with four resulting in injuries.

According to IDOT, the crash on May 14 was the first fatal one at the intersection in records going back to 2004.

Safety measures

Rumble strips were originally installed near the intersection in the early 1990s, in conjunction with signs, pavement markings and flashing beacons, Castaneda said.

In 2019, as part of a project to resurface Route 41 from Cantilly Lane to Park Avenue, the rumble strips from the 1990s were replaced with modern versions with new groove patterns, Castaneda said in an email.

Regardless of the decrease in crashes, the intersection remains challenging, Neukirch said.

“There is no other roadway in our community that has that level of volume,” she said.

As a state-controlled roadway, Neukirch thinks it’s important for the state to evaluate and determine if modifications should be made.

Neukirch noted that in 2019 the intersection was evaluated by IDOT through a “public safety lens” to make sure drivers were aware that it is an intersection that comes off of an expressway, she said.

Another issue

The safety measures provide their own challenge. Neukirch said the City and IDOT have communicated for the past six years about resident noise complaints regarding the rumble strips.

“Given the volume of traffic along Route 41, some residents in the immediate vicinity reported noise concerns, which the city shared in discussions with IDOT over a period of several years,” said Amanda Bennett, communications manager for the City of Highland Park. “The city has continued to remain in communication with IDOT to explore additional ways to promote safety along Route 41.”

In 2022, after meeting with local officials and residents regarding their concerns, IDOT made modifications including “reducing the length of each rumble strip section and adding a softer asphalt surface,” Castaneda said.

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