Hinsdale has a new crosswalk at County Line Road and Third Street after Woodlands neighborhood residents spent the summer pushing village officials to make the intersection safer for children.
Alice Locatelli, a Woodlands resident who lives east of County Line Road, told the Village Board at its Tuesday, Aug. 25 meeting that neighbors gathered 54 signatures door to door requesting the crossing. The village responded over the summer by installing what Locatelli described as a "sort of rudimentary crosswalk" after talks with officials, as reported by Patch.
The crosswalk gives children on the east side of County Line Road a marked path to schools on the west side and to downtown events like Uniquely Thursdays. Late last year, village officials had discussed installing flashing crosswalk beacons at the intersection. Whether the current installation includes them is unclear.
"For at least 14 years, we cross the road and close our eyes and hope that we don't get crashed into … The kids on the other side of County Line Road are really excited now that they can walk to visit their friends in the Woodlands," Village Trustee Alexis Braden, who lives a block west of County Line, said at the Aug. 25 meeting.
Nobody opposed the idea, Locatelli told trustees.
The crosswalk is one piece of a broader pedestrian safety push. At the same meeting, trustees approved a $65,000 contract with KLOA, a Rosemont-based traffic engineering firm, to study traffic and pedestrian conditions around Monroe and Oak elementary schools. As we reported Aug. 27, officials said they plan to apply findings to other Hinsdale school areas.
That contract is the latest step in a multi-year safety study program. In February 2025, the Village Board approved a $54,000 KLOA study of the downtown Central Business District. Village Manager Kathleen Gargano described it at the time as "the first step in a multi-year process," with school zones next in line, according to village meeting minutes.
In April 2026, the board moved forward with a $35,000 study focused on the Monroe School area. That scope was later reconsidered before the broader $65,000 contract covering both Monroe and Oak schools was approved in August.
The village has also taken smaller steps near Monroe School. In March 2025, trustees approved a four-way stop at Adams and Walnut, one block west of the school, citing a lack of sidewalks and expected increases in foot traffic when Monroe begins offering full-day kindergarten.
No timeline has been announced for when KLOA will complete the Monroe and Oak study or present recommendations to the board.
Hinsdale government week ahead
Village Board meeting dates and agendas for the week of Aug. 31 were not posted in available records as of Sunday, Aug. 30. Residents can check the Village of Hinsdale website for updated meeting schedules and public comment sign-ups.
