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Fourth worst intersection: First and North
Melrose Park, 05/01/12--The intersection of First Avenue and North Avenue is the fourth most dangerous in the state. | Jon Langham~for Sun-Times Media
the worst
These are the 20 worst intersections – based on the number of crashes in 2010 – in the six-county area, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation. Of the crashes at these 20 intersections, just two were fatal.
A. Stony Island Avenue at South Chicago Avenue, Chicago, 63
B. La Grange Road at I-80 westbound ramp, Will County, 56
C. Cicero Avenue and 127th Street, Alsip, 53
D. North Avenue at First Avenue, Melrose Park, 52
E. Ogden Avenue at Illinois 59, Naperville, 48
F. Western Avenue at Peterson Avenue, Chicago, 47, 1 fatal
G. Hunt Club Road at Grand Avenue, Gurnee, 47
H. Kedzie Avenue at Belmont Avenue, Chicago, 47
I. 22nd Street at Kingery Highway, Oakbrook Terrace, 47
J. Lincoln Highway at Cicero Avenue, Matteson, 46
K. Waukegan Road at Willow Road, Northfield, 45
L. Bolingbrook Drive at I-55 southbound ramp, Bolingbrook, 45
M. Roosevelt Road at Canal Street, Chicago, 43, 1 fatal
N. Busse Road at Thorndale Avenue, Bensenville, 43
O. Weber Road at I-55 southbound ramp, Romeoville, 43
P. Lake Street at Barrington Road, Hanover Park, 42
Q. Rand Road at Dundee Road, Palatine, 42
R. Algonquin Road at Randall Road, Lake in the Hills, 42
S. 159th Street/River Oaks Drive at Torrence Avenue, Calumet City, 41
T. 127th Street at Paulina Street, Calumet Park, 41
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Updated: June 4, 2012 11:29AM
A steady stream of cars came down Strieby Drive to gain access to Costco’s parking lot to shop Monday morning, avoiding the main intersection.
That’s because the intersection of First Avenue and North Avenue in Melrose Park is one of the 20 worst intersections based on the number of crashes in 2010, according to Illinois Department of Transportation.
That’s the intersection most Costco customers use to get to the store, but some have found an alternate route to avoid that intersection.
Carol Toplack of Melrose Park said she’d rather go to Fifth Avenue and then get on to Strieby Drive, which is north of North Avenue, and access the store from the back.
“People don’t obey the lights and turns,” she said. “I know that is a bad intersection.”
People don’t know how to make a left hand turn,” said Leonard Timpone, 69, of Melrose Park. “It gets bad on First Avenue so I take Fifth, it even gets bad on Thatcher Avenue.”
He said there too much congestion at the intersection and it does not seem to ever let up.
“It’s terrible all of the time,” he said. “It’s like the ‘Strangler’ on the expressway.”
Shem Foster, 40, of Forest Park works in the area and said he doesn’t think it’s that bad. “I’ve seen worse,” he said.
He does admit the traffic lights at the intersection stay green or red for a long time.
James Mitchell of Bellwood said there are good drivers and bad drivers and unfortunately bad drivers are the problem at the intersection.
“If you have no problem doing the speed limit and watching the traffic lights (to stop and go) there shouldn’t be any problems,” he said.
