About a year and a half after a fatal accident, the South Shore Line plans safety upgrades for a pedestrian crossing.
The South Shore on Tuesday announced plans to install gates, flashing lights and bells at its Hegewisch pedestrian crossing on Chicago’s far southeast side. That’s where 22-year-old journalist Grace Bentkowski was killed in July 2024, when she was hit by a train while crossing the tracks.
Her family had lobbied the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District to make the safety enhancements, staging a walk there in July.
Federal regulations do not require active warning devices at pedestrian crossings but NICTD says a study after Bentkowski’s death recommended them at this one. As part of the district’s 5-year capital program adopted by the Board of Trustees last Monday, NICTD will be seeking proposals for the engineering for the project, and then soliciting public bids from contractors to perform the work. NICTD estimates the total project cost to be approximately $2.75M.
