Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Des Plaines Police Chief William Kushner said a former police commander told officers reporting information for a federally funded traffic enforcement campaign was OK when it was not.
A former Des Plaines police commander told police officers reporting overtime hours for a federally funded traffic enforcement program was OK when it was not, said Police Chief William Kushner. In a public statement on Tuesday, the city announced 13 Des Plaines police officers would be suspended for varying lengths of time following an investigation into information reported to the Illinois Department of Transportation to qualify for grant funding. The Illinois Department of Transportation suspended funding of the traffic safety grant in August 2012, pending an investigation into data about DUI arrests that may have been fraudulent. Timothy Veit, 55, of Mount Prospect, former Des Plaines police commander, was charged with falsifying …
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Residents are asked to take a short online survey to help IDOT in the development stages of the plan.
The Illinois Department of Transportation is looking for input on their new bike transportation plan. The Illinois Bike Transportation Plan will follow the Long Range Plan’s theme of Transforming Transportation for Tomorrow and will provide the Department with policies, best practices and strategic direction for implementing a sustainable, multimodal vision for Illinois. Take IDOT's online survey about the bike plan In order to gain input from as many stakeholders as possible, the Plan will set up an advisory group with other state agencies (IDNR and others) and bicycling stakeholders such as (but not limited to) the League of Illinois Bicyclists, the Illinois Greenways and Trails Council, and state Metropolitan Planning Organizations (…
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
All temporary lane closures have been canceled from 9 a.m. today through 7 a.m. Thursday.
The Illinois Tollway is preparing to mobilize its full fleet of 182 snowplows in response to sleet and snow that has already started and is expected to continue overnight into Wednesday around the Chicagoland area, according to a press release. “Our Snow Operations team is monitoring this storm closely and is prepared to manage snowfall throughout the day,” Kristi Lafleur, executive director, Illinois Tollway, said in a statement. “We ask our customers to be patient, drive safely and give our snowplows the room they need to clear the roads, especially during this evening’s rush hour.” Northern Illinois is expected to get 3 to 6 inches of snow from noon until 9 p.m. Some areas could see totals greater than 6 inches should thundersnow …
Sunday, February 17, 2013
A number of Des Plaines police officers may be disciplined following an investigation by the city into grant money that supported overtime pay, TribLocal reported.
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Sunday, February 17
An investigation into information provided for a grant, which funded overtime pay for Des Plaines police may result in several officers being disciplined, and one may be asked to resign, TribLocal reported. The Des Plaines police commander responsible for overseeing the data submitted for the grant retired in April 2012, and the Illinois Department of Transportation suspended funding in August 2012, the Daily Herald reported.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Find out which bridges in the Des Plaines area are labeled as "structurally deficient."
President Barack Obama proposed Tuesday night a "Fix It First" program to address the nation's crumbling infrastructure—like roads and bridges—in an effort to improve citizens' quality of life and bring jobs to the United States. There are nearly 70,000 "structurally deficient" bridges throughout the United States that require "significant maintenance, rehabilitation or replacement," according to the Transportation for America website. In Illinois, 8.5 percent of the state's bridges are "structurally deficient." The state is ranked 35th worst nationally for the overall quality of its bridges, according to the Transportation for America website. Locally, there are a handful of bridges that are highlighted as structurally deficient on …
Friday, December 21, 2012
Fatalities on state highways increase this year and agencies remind drivers to be safe.
Traffic fatalities on Illinois roads have been increasing this year — the figure so far is 937 — prompting the Illinois Department of Transportation and the Illinois Tollway to urge drivers be safe as millions of motorists hit the road this holiday weekend. The Illinois Tollway alone expects 15.7 million vehicles on the tollway system during the Christmas and New Year holidays, starting today through Jan. 2. Both the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and the Illinois Tollway are reminding drivers to be safe over the holidays, an especially important message given the increase of fatalities this year. Over the last three years, traffic fatalities have been under 1,000, said Josh Kauffman, Illinois Department of Transportation (…
