WHEATON, IL — September 10, 2026 — On Thursday afternoon, after nearly three decades of documented danger crossing Roosevelt Road, more than 100 Marian Park residents and community allies gathered to again call on the City of Wheaton to commit to moving forward with a traffic signal and pedestrian crossing.

The numbers tell the story: since the first documented cyclist/vehicle fatality at the crossing in 1998, there have been three fatalities, 11 recorded pedestrian injuries, and dozens of vehicle crashes every year.

In February 2023, residents of Marian Park—the people who live with this danger every day—began organizing with their fellow member institutions of DuPage United to demand action on pedestrian safety.

Three years of resident organizing has helped secure $250,000 in Illinois state funding toward a proposed traffic signal and pedestrian crossing, which has an estimated total cost of $840,000. To date, the City of Wheaton has committed $0.

“Have you ever seen someone hit by a car?” long-time resident and Marian Park leader Debbie Suggs asked the crowd. “I have. More than one. I have held my neighbor’s hand while waiting for the ambulance.” Twenty-eight years ago, it was Ms. Suggs who witnessed the first documented fatality within 100 yards of her home. Her neighbor, Haileab Asgedom, was struck by a car while riding his bike. Mr. Asgedom’s daughter, Mehret Asgedom, described him, “My father taught us that we were always a part of a community. It was our job [to] make it better. … My father, if he were alive today, he would be here. [He would tell us,] you must do good. You must bring the light and put a light here, be a light to our community.”

As schoolchildren—who joined the rally after being dropped off by the school bus—gathered alongside, Ms. Asgedom asked the crowd, “What path shall our actions take to pave for the road of the faces of tomorrow?”

Ms. Suggs described how traffic and safety issues have increased over the years after a major shopping center opened across the street more than 30 years ago. “There have always been a number of my neighbors who do not have cars and walk to get to work, to buy groceries and other daily necessities.”

Current Marian Park resident Keyanna Ray noted that she’d never seen an intersection quite like this one. Crossing the street, she said, “shouldn’t be a matter of life and death. … This is a public safety issue.”

For three years, Marian Park residents have done the work of organizing, meeting with elected officials, testifying in Springfield, and bringing the state and city to the same table. Marian Park and fellow DuPage United leaders are asking the City of Wheaton to make the commitment necessary to get this project done, specifically to:

Commit to signing the intergovernmental agreement when it is issued at the conclusion of Phase 2 of the Illinois Department of Transportation’s three-phase development process, allowing construction to proceed without unnecessary delay.
Commit within the next 12 months to identifying gap funding for any portion of the project that is not funded by the State of Illinois.

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) Phase 2 is currently projected to conclude in late 2027 or early 2028. Under the current timeline, construction could begin with Phase 3 at that point—provided the City of Wheaton signs the required agreement without delay.

For DuPage United leaders, the issue is straightforward: people need a safe way to cross Roosevelt Road.