A study by Argonne’s Safeguards and Security Program has found that traffic accidents at Westgate and Lemont Road are by far more numerous than those at Cass Avenue and Northgate Road. However, the majority of accidents occur inside the laboratory, at the gates and on the site’s roads and parking lots.
The study, spearheaded by Peter Spizzirri, Safeguards and Security Program Manager, and Kaitlyn De Laurentis, Security Specialist Senior, found that over the past four and one-quarter years, there have been 35 traffic accidents at the intersection of Lemont and Westgate Road; five of those resulted in injuries. At the laboratory’s other main entrance, Northgate Road and Cass Avenue, there were six accidents during that same period, with one injury.
After a meeting with representatives from Argonne and the Woodridge Community Development organization in April, the DuPage Department of Transportation (DOT) reviewed the signal timing at Westgate and Lemont. It was found that the signal controller was malfunctioning. After being fixed, the left-turn signal is now nearly twice as long as before during the morning rush hours: about 60 seconds vs. 30 seconds previously. DuPage DOT will continue to monitor traffic at the intersection.
Installation of a stop sign at the Frontage Road entrance was discussed, but it was determined that the additional sign would not improve outbound traffic flow significantly. In addition, the data do not support the construction of a signal at Cass Avenue and Northgate Road.
Although employees voice the most concern about traffic accidents on Cass Avenue and Lemont Road, the vast majority of incidents occur on-site, Spizzirri said. From 2013–2016, there were 173 vehicle accidents on-site. Almost two-thirds of those accidents were “vehicle vs. object,” where a vehicle struck some part of the lab’s infrastructure. About one in seven accidents on-site is a vehicle collision or vehicles striking parked cars. The rest are one-vehicle accidents — going too fast for snowy or icy conditions is the usual cause.
Some of the conclusions that can be drawn from the study include:
- Use extra caution when going through the gates, especially if you have a large vehicle.
- Be sure to double-check your surroundings when backing out of parking spaces.
- Avoid using the southbound Lemont Road ramp from I-55 if you’re planning to enter the lab via Westgate Road. Speeds are high and sightlines are limited. Take an extra few minutes to use Northgate. Drivers using the Cass Avenue exit from northbound I-55 can avoid left turns altogether. (See Westgate alternative routes.)