Homewood, Ill. is moving to make the walk to school safer for the roughly 2,600 students at Homewood-Flossmoor High School, installing high-visibility crosswalk markings and solar-powered flashing beacons at a series of intersections in the south suburban village.
The project, which follows state and federal contracting standards administered by Illinois' Bureau of Local Roads and Streets, pairs bold ladder-style crosswalk striping with Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons, the solar-powered devices that light up when a pedestrian pushes a button. Federal highway research has found that combination can push driver yielding rates from under 20% to more than 80% at uncontrolled crossings. The solar-powered units avoid the need to trench new electrical lines, keeping costs down.
The work also includes ADA-compliant ramp upgrades at each crossing, bringing them into compliance with federal accessibility standards.
Source: NationGraph.
The improvements come as pedestrian deaths nationally have climbed to their highest levels in more than 40 years, up roughly 75% since 2010 according to the Governors Highway Safety Association. Illinois recorded multi-decade highs in pedestrian fatalities in 2022 and 2023. South suburban Cook County corridors have historically seen elevated crash rates compared to other parts of the Chicago region, a legacy of wide arterials built in the mid-20th century.
Homewood has styled itself as a walk-and-bike-friendly community, holding a Bicycle Friendly Community designation and investing in downtown streetscape improvements around its Metra Electric station. The high school sits along Kedzie Avenue and draws heavy foot and bike traffic from students heading to the station and nearby businesses, making the surrounding blocks an obvious priority.
The "Group I" label on the project suggests the village plans to roll out similar improvements at additional locations in later phases, a common approach when a municipality has identified a network of crossings that need attention.
The village has posted the project for contractor bids, with sealed proposals due at 10 a.m. Friday, June 26, 2026, at Homewood Village Hall.
