This article appeared in the Glen Ellyn Sun, April 13, 2007
(c) 2007 Glen Ellyn Historical Society
Driving etiquette near the tracks:
stop, honk and go
by Midge Anderson
Drivers approaching Glen Ellyn from the east on either Roosevelt Road or St. Charles Road are likely to notice that they are climbing a steep hill on both roads. Railroad trains don’t cope well with steep grades. So, when the railroad (then called the Galena & Chicago Union Railroad) first came through Glen Ellyn in 1849, the tracks were laid down a natural valley between these hills along what is now Crescent Boulevard.
By 1890 the name of the railroad had changed to the Chicago and Northwestern and the tracks approaching downtown Glen Ellyn were relocated a short distance to the south, with the unforeseen consequence that they now interrupted the natural flow of storm water drainage through that area. To solve the problem of large collections of standing water on the north side of the tracks, the railroad built a culvert under the tracks to provide a way for the water to escape.
Sometime later the Village fathers decided that this culvert could provide a way for cars to get from one side of the tracks to the other without the inconvenience of a grade crossing. The storm water was directed into underground storm sewers and the culvert was paved to allow cars to drive through it. Of course, the railroad didn’t have a two-lane road in mind
This photo of the Taylor Avenue underpass was taken about 1902, soon after the completion of this project which was designed to allow for the natural flow of water that had been dammed when the train tracks were moved in 1890. The view is from the south side of the tracks looking north. Note the small station platform which gave commuters another place to board the train in those days.
when it built the culvert. So, to this day, cars must take turns moving through the Taylor Avenue underpass.
The angle of the streets approaching the underpass is such that drivers can’t see if cars are waiting at the other side. For many years the only traffic control device here was a stop sign at each entrance. Drivers would stop, honk and then proceed through the underpass. It worked fine most of the time, but not without a fair amount of noise pollution for the nearby homes.
Today’s traffic signal can be inconvenient, but it definitely has eliminated the occasional confrontation between two cars whose drivers managed to honk simultaneously.
Midge Anderson is a member of the Glen Ellyn Historical Society. Glen Ellyn Remembered is based on information and photos from the Society's archives.
