Highland Park OKs tunnel under Ravinia Metra

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Updated: May 3, 2011 2:45PM

The sounds at Ravinia Festival will switch from musical to mechanical next month when construction begins on a new pedestrian underpass.

The Highland Park City Council granted Ravinia relief Monday night from the city's weekend construction restrictions so the concert venue can build the underpass beneath the Union Pacific rail line to safely connect the festival's parking lots to its front gate.

To complete the construction work without impacting the heavy weekday commuter train traffic, Union Pacific and Metra required Ravinia to schedule the work during off hours, including Saturdays and Sundays.

The privately funded $5 million project, which is expected to begin next month, will feature landscaped and lighted dual ramps that lead under the train tracks connecting Ravinia's split property.

Ravinia General Manager Pat Sanders told council members that the current passage from east to west poses a serious safety threat, as concert guests are held for up to 30 minutes at a time on either side of the tracks. In addition to the risk faced by those who skirt Ravinia barricades, Sanders said concerns also arise when the train passes and the gates lift; describing the throngs of humanity that quickly flow across the tracks.

Even though Sanders reported a perfect safety record, it didn't stop the Ravinia Festival Board from undertaking this safety and convenience initiative two years ago. Ravinia has already received its required recommendations from city commissions as well.

Ravinia officials reported that Union Pacific would only allow weekday construction between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., and any work impacting rail tracks must be done on weekends when the railway can be reduced to one track.

Between Sept. 11 and Nov. 15, Ravinia received city approval to work on four weekends with flexibility because of weather, including four Saturdays between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. No pile driving will be done before 8 a.m. or after 7 p.m. The Sunday work is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Construction would then pick up again on Saturdays between Jan. 3 and March 31, 2011. The project is expected to be complete by May 15, 2011, in time for next summer's Ravinia concert season.

Ravinia engineers told the council that the sound of the construction work isn't expected to be much louder than that a motorcycle. The issue, however, is that several homes near Ravinia are located within 315 yards of the construction site. The closest home is 120 yards away on Blackhawk Road.

Blackstone Place will be used to transport materials to the job site.

The city's existing noise and nuisance provisions will apply to Ravinia's work.

Michael Blue, the city's community development director, told council members that Ravinia has agreed to notify area homeowners with regular mailings outlining the construction hours and project status. Updates also will be provided on Ravinia's website, and a telephone hotline will be set up.

Ravinia invited its neighbors to a meeting Aug. 19 to discuss the project, but only two residents attended. The Park District of Highland Park held its regularly scheduled board meeting that evening, however, which drew a large crowd to discuss its pension and salary controversy and potentially lessened the Ravinia meeting turnout.

Mayor Michael D. Belsky said he is concerned with that low turnout and hoped Ravinia would go further so residents don't feel blindsided by the off-hours work.

Belsky pointed out that the neighborhood supports Ravinia's efforts, and the project will be viewed as an area enhancement. But he predicted that residents will still appear at future city meetings to raise construction-related concerns. He suggested that Ravinia provide hotel accommodations to make up for potential nuisance situations.

The council voted unanimously to approve the construction schedule Monday night. At the next council meeting, members must still vote on a minor amendment to the existing planned unit development.

-- STM contributed to this report.

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