On a windy day in 2022, Deborah “Debbie” Suggs’ heart raced as she stood in the middle of the busy street of Roosevelt Road in west suburban Wheaton. Trapped between traffic moving in both directions, her eyes quickly switched between the Target at the shopping plaza across the way and the cars speeding towards her from both her left and right sides.
Suggs, 77, has been a resident of the Marian Park Apartments since 1973. The complex, which consists of 209 units for families and persons ages 62 years and older, sits directly across Roosevelt Road from the shopping plaza.
Suggs, who does not own a car, said she was on her way to get groceries. However, the nearest crosswalk and traffic signal was more than 1,000 feet away, at County Farm Road, a distance she said she shouldn’t have to travel.
And it’s not an easy trip to make for some, Suggs said. “There used to be a resident that did walk down and her walker would get stuck in the mud sometimes or in the grass.”
Despite having seen several neighbors struck by cars while trying to cross the four-lane road directly in of her complex, Suggs made the difficult decision to venture across Roosevelt Road only to find herself stuck in the middle.
With an opening in sight, Suggs took one step but suddenly froze, her heart pounding. She noticed a car coming from her left turning out of the Target driveway. Suggs said the driver was completely unaware of her presence.
“This lady is looking totally the other way and driving. She made the left turn, but she was looking to her right at the traffic,” Suggs said. “I was just praying she wouldn’t hit me.”
When the driver finally realized she was about to hit Suggs, she swerved around her. Suggs said she breathed a sigh of relief. At that moment, a young man ran into the road to pull her back to safety.
“It didn’t make me feel very happy. At that point. I wasn’t worried about safety. I’m thinking this lady probably doesn’t need a driver’s license,” said Suggs. “I was angry that we’re having to put up with such foolishness. It is just not necessary. We matter.”
In Wheaton, there have been a total of 165 car crashes involving pedestrians and cyclists between 2013 and 2023, according to a WBEZ analysis of traffic crash data from the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT).
Of those crashes, a total of 30 occurred on Roosevelt Road, which spans about three-and-a-half miles through Wheaton. However, 13 of those 30 crashes on Roosevelt Road happened along the roughly 1,100-foot stretch — less than a quarter of a mile — between County Farm Road and Fapp Circle, which includes the Marian Park Apartments and St. Francis High School.
Many of the crashes along this stretch involved elderly residents from the complex who were all crossing Roosevelt Road to reach the shopping plaza across the street.
They include 71-year-old James Simpson, who died after being struck by two cars on Nov. 22, 2014, as he crossed Roosevelt Road near Fapp Circle. He waited for traffic to pass in the eastbound left-turn lane when a car coming out of St. Francis High School hit him, unaware of his presence. Shortly after, another vehicle hit Simpson while he was laying on the ground, according to a 2019 IDOT memo obtained through a public records request.
This perilous road has brought the surrounding community together. For years, families from the Marian Park Apartments and St. Francis High School have expressed their concerns about the dangers of Roosevelt Road and demanded action from Wheaton and state officials. They’ve said lives are at stake.
Earlier this year, the city and state agreed to install a pedestrian crosswalk and traffic signal on Roosevelt Road where it intersects with driveways from St. Francis High School and the shopping plaza near Target. But the installation is two years away. In the meantime, residents remain concerned and vigilant about keeping themselves and their families safe when they have to cross Roosevelt.
Beatrice Ndayisenga, who has been a resident of Marian Park since 2015, said she worries for her children when they have to cross the road, especially her son who works across the street during the evenings and returns home at night.
“Every time he left home, I keep my phone on my hands to see the text message telling me ‘mom, I came to work safe,’ ” she said.
As her son’s shift ends, Ndayisenga waits for his return, but anxiety creeps in whenever she hears a knock at the door.
“I hate it. I think maybe it’s bad news, the police is coming to knock [on] the door [to say] he get hit by the car,” she said.
Elsa Hailu, another resident of Marian Park, has known of the dangers of Roosevelt Road ever since her cousin was fatally struck by a car while riding his bike back in 1998.
“I also have teenage boys, so when they cross to the Target, I always just hold my heart — I never know what’s going to happen. So, I never trust the street,” she said.
Some even cross the street with Target’s bright red carts so that cars are more aware of their presence. As a result, residents said the property manager of Marian Park Apartments and Target staff have made a verbal agreement where the Marian Park maintenance staff returns the carts to Target every Wednesday.
St. Francis High School has also taken steps to protect its students when crossing Roosevelt Road. For more than two decades, the Wheaton Police Department has helped students cross Roosevelt Road. According to documents obtained through a public records request, the high school pays approximately $30,000 annually to the police department to direct traffic and ensure safe student crossing of Roosevelt Road both before and after school.
From 2013 to 2023, in total, there have been three documented fatalities resulting from car crashes with pedestrians and bicyclists along Roosevelt Road in Wheaton. The most recent incident occurred in January 2023 when 31-year-old Paige Donahue, a pedestrian making her way home near Crest Street, was tragically involved in a hit-and-run incident.
Donahue was a close friend of Suggs’ daughter, Chantise Davis.
“Precious angel, I still have a voicemail [from her] that I listen to periodically,” said Davis. “We just don’t want their lives to be taken, you know, in vain. And we’re not looking for handouts. We’re looking for a solution.”
The greatest benefits of a traffic signal
Residents of the Marian Park Apartments have been involved in discussions about the dangers of crossing Roosevelt Road for many years.
“Ever since people have seen people get injured or hurt or killed on the street, there’s always been conversation among residents,” said Suggs.
IDOT held a public meeting on Nov. 27, 2018, to discuss proposed improvements for the IL 38 corridor project. Over 90 comments were received at the meeting regarding the proposed installation of a traffic signal and other improvements near the St. Francis High School, Target and the Marian Park Apartments, according to documentation exchanged between Wheaton residents and IDOT officials.
Many of the comments demanded a signal to ensure the safety of students and anyone who crosses Roosevelt Road. However, no immediate actions were taken.
The Illinois Department of Transportation held a public meeting on Nov. 27, 2018, to discuss proposed improvements for the IL 38 corridor project. Over 90 comments were received at the meeting regarding the improvements planned near the St. Francis High School, Target and the Marian Park Apartment Complex.
Jessica Alvarado Gamez
In March 2019, IDOT conducted a traffic engineering study on Roosevelt Road, extending from County Farm Road to Fapp Circle, a stretch along the road right in front of Marian Park Apartments and St. Francis High School, to determine if any location within those limits met the standards necessary for installation of a traffic signal.
IDOT analyzed four intersections as possible locations to install a traffic signal and determined the only appropriate location would be where Roosevelt Road intersects with driveways leading to St. Francis High School, on one side of the road, and to Target, on the other side.
IDOT officials stated in a memo that “the signal may benefit all non-motorized users desiring to cross [Roosevelt Road], however the greatest benefit would likely be to residents of the Marian Park Apartments.”
The city had expressed interest in a different location along that stretch of Roosevelt Road to aid its fire department. However, that location did not meet the minimum requirements to install a traffic signal, based on the study.
Additionally, the traffic signal is considered a “private benefit installation” since the driveways are located on private property. IDOT does not financially participate in any costs associated with private benefit installations due to the possibility of private developments or organizations undergoing a change of ownership.
According to a March 10, 2020, document obtained through a public records request, IDOT officials wrote they would need to establish an agreement with the city of Wheaton to determine funding for both the installation costs and ongoing maintenance.
“The City will have jurisdiction of the north and south access drives of the intersection and will be responsible for 100% of the cost for installation and maintenance of the traffic signal as previously described,” the document stated. “The City may enter into separate agreements with the private entities for reimbursement of any of the costs.”
The cost of the installation of the traffic signal, roadway lighting and any necessary electrical connections is estimated to be more than $800,000, based on 2024 estimated expenses provided by the city.
The estimated total monthly maintenance and energy costs for the traffic signal would be over $600, according to an IDOT spokesperson.
Suggs said discussions about a traffic signal were on and off until the death of Paige Donahue in 2023. After that moment, Mercy Housing and Marian Park circulated an online petition urging support for installing the traffic signal. “We cannot continue to have residents and/or students injured or killed crossing the road to go to and from school, or a resident crossing the road to go get groceries and other living essentials,” the petition read. But things didn’t go anywhere.
“We are not going away this time”
On Feb. 26, Wheaton residents and community members united at city hall for a city council planning session dedicated to discussing the installation of the traffic signal. The room was crowded with residents, actively taking notes and nodding as they listened closely to a presentation city officials put together about the signal.
During public comment, a few parents of St. Francis High School students encouraged city council members to visit the school and join them in crossing the road together.
“If you can have a cup of coffee one morning, and just watch the kids arrive to school, you will quickly see how dangerous it is,” said Warner Cruz, whose daughter, at that time, was a freshman at St. Francis High School. “I beg you to really try to figure out a solution for us here.”
Wheaton Mayor Phil Suess listened intently as each person spoke at the podium.
“We’re not blind up here. I mean we see what happens. We know the issues [and] we know the challenges. One of the biggest challenges, quite frankly, [is that] Roosevelt Road is a state road. It’s not under the jurisdiction of the city of Wheaton,” said Mayor Suess. “That has been one of the biggest undercurrents to this whole discussion for a number of years and that needs to be recognized.”
The city council approved a measure to proceed with installing a traffic signal where Roosevelt Road connects with the driveways to St. Francis High School and Target, but only under the condition that private funding is secured.
State Sen. Seth Lewis, R-Carol Stream, had already filed an appropriations request for a grant of $1.25 million to the city of Wheaton to fund the installation of this traffic light and any other additional improvements.
“When I got involved, this project wasn’t new. It had stalled many times in years past with the city of Wheaton [and] with IDOT,” Lewis said. “We’ve never gotten this far before.”
This spring, the Senate Appropriations Committee met in Springfield to discuss his request. Hundreds of Wheaton residents supported the bill, including Suggs, who was there in person and told lawmakers about the urgency of the situation.
“I’ve seen bodies laying on the street. One body was mangled and one of the senior citizens, before she could even get off the road, a car came along, hit her, and broke her leg,” Suggs said. “The time for action is now. Lives are at stake and every day of inaction brings us closer to another tragedy.”
According to Lewis, $250,000 made it into the 2025 state budget. He said his next step is to get the traffic signal installed sooner.
St. Francis High School has also pursued several grants and loans to help fund the installation.
At the Wheaton city council planning session in February, Phil Kerr, president of the high school’s board of directors, said a donor has promised a $750,000 loan and a bank has approved a $500,000 loan.
Kerr said the school has also applied for a $200,000 safety grant and an additional $10,000 grant. In addition, the school plans to generate additional revenue through school fundraisers and auctions, he said.
“Our goal is to talk about saving these kids that are out there. Every one of those accidents has the possibility to cause a fatality.”
However, according to the city, the earliest the traffic signal can be installed is in 2026, as additional capacity improvements must first be made at County Farm Road.
These capacity improvements are part of IDOT’s Roosevelt Road Plan between Winfield Road and County Farm Road, which calls for the addition of right- and left-turn lanes to reduce traffic congestion.
As for immediate next steps, the Wheaton city council plans to have the city manager meet with members of IDOT, St. Francis High School, Target and the Marian Park Apartments to work through an agreement to move forward. In addition, the city is currently waiting for an updated letter from IDOT of the total costs of the traffic signal.
“We are not going away this time,” said Ndayisenga, a resident at the Marian Park Apartments. “We have taken the time to get to know one another at Marian Park, and we have reached out to community allies. Our community is invested in seeing this through.”
Donahue’s case is still under investigation. Anyone with any information about this incident should contact the Wheaton Police Department at 630-260-2199 or tips@wheaton.il.us. Anonymous tips can be shared at 1-800-222-8477.
Jessica Alvarado Gamez is a Roy W. Howard Fellow for WBEZ. Follow her @AlvvJess.
