Oakton Street Project

Thank you for visiting the Oakton Street project webpage.

The Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways (DoTH) is committed to ensuring that those who live and work in the County are part of our planning process. Bookmark this page or join the mailing list to stay up to date on the project.


COOK COUNTY WANTS TO HEAR FROM YOU – PROVIDE YOUR FEEDBACK ON PROPOSED MODIFICATIONS TO OAKTON STREET

Oakton Street Public Information Meeting

Date: October 10, 2024
Time: 5:30 – 7 p.m.

Location: 
Oakton Community Center 
4701 Oakton St. 
Skokie, IL 60076

This meeting featured the opportunity to learn about upcoming modifications directly from the project team. If you have questions about the public information meeting or would like to submit comments or questions about the project, please contact Jennifer Palma Skrebo at OaktonStImprovements@gmail.com.

For media inquiries, please contact Natalia Derevyanny at Natalia.Derevyanny@cookcountyil.gov.

Public information meeting materials are available to view here:

Oakton Public Information Meeting Exhibits Boards

Oakton Public Information Meeting Fact Sheet

Oakton Public Information Meeting Roll Map


PROJECT OVERVIEW

DoTH is proposing modifications to Oakton Street in the Village of Skokie. This 1.8-mile corridor located between the intersections of Skokie Boulevard and McCormick Boulevard provides access to vital institutions in Skokie, including schools, parks, recreation centers and numerous businesses.

The proposed changes include modifying the existing lane configurations on Oakton Street to provide one travel lane in each direction, a center left turn lane, on-street bike lanes, on-street parking along much of the corridor, and spot changes such as curb extensions, pedestrian refuge islands and others. This project will also include roadway resurfacing, updated pavement markings and improvements to CTA bus stops.

This multimodal corridor project aims to improve safety and access for all users, including pedestrians, people biking, bus passengers and drivers.


KEY COUNTY GOALS FROM THE LONG-RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN

  • Prioritize transit and other transportation alternatives
  • Maintain and modernize what already exists 
  • Promote equal access to opportunities

TIMELINE


COMMENTS

We welcome comments to the project team. Please email Jennifer Palma Skrebo below and reference Oakton Street in your message:

OaktonStImprovements@gmail.com.

The official comment period will close at 11:59 p.m. on November 7, 2024.


EXISTING CONDITIONS

Approximately 20,400 vehicles per day travel along the Oakton Street corridor which connects downtown Skokie on the west end of the project limits with Evanston on the east. Most of the corridor consists of commercial and residential properties, with the roadway transitioning to include industrial properties east of Crawford Avenue. There are neighborhood parks and schools throughout the corridor and connections to Skokie Valley Trail on the west and North Shore Channel Trail on the east. 

The existing roadway configuration provides two 11-foot lanes of traffic in each direction with intermittent on-street parking along most of the corridor. Left-turn lanes exist at all signalized intersections and a center, two-way left-turn lane east of Hamlin Avenue. The existing right of way width is generally 80 feet wide.

Sidewalks are present along both sides of the road for the entire project. Several cross streets are marked bike routes.