Pilsen Intersection Where Bride-To-Be Was Killed To Get Safety Improvements

PILSEN — Almost a year after Marcela Herrera was killed in a hit-and-run in Pilsen, city officials said plans are underway to install a pedestrian island and other safety improvements on a section of South Ashland Avenue.

Last week, Herrera’s loved ones started a petition calling for a pedestrian island at the intersection of South Ashland and West Cullerton avenues, where a driver fatally struck the 22-year-old last July just weeks before her wedding.

Since then, other neighbors said they have been hit by a car or are concerned when crossing that intersection, said Diego Garcia, who called Herrera his best friend. As of Thursday morning, the petition had gathered 600 signatures.

City officials announced at a community meeting Wednesday that pedestrian islands and other safety improvements on Ashland Avenue, from Cullerton Avenue to 18th Place, are underway.

These include a pedestrian island at the intersection of Cullerton and South Ashland avenues, as well as several curb bumpouts, expected to be installed this fall, said Carl Schwarzer, assistant chief traffic engineer for the city’s Department of Transportation.

The upgrades come after Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez’s 25th Ward office asked the city to complete a traffic study last fall, said Lucia Moya Calderon, the alderman’s chief of staff.

The ward office then allocated $75,000 in menu money for a pedestrian island at the intersection where Herrera was killed. After reviewing traffic and crash data and meeting with neighbors, it recommended installing curb bumpouts that will be funded through the city’s Complete Streets program, Schwarzer said.

The pedestrian island and a curb bumpout at Cullerton and Ashland avenues will be permanent and made of concrete.

Meanwhile, curb bumpouts at the intersections of Ashland and 19th Street and 18th Place will initially be painted and plastic posts will be installed. The city plans to upgrade them to concrete bumpouts this fall, said Allison Porton, a consultant for the city’s Department of Transportation.

“Unfortunately, the process takes time because it has to be a collaboration with neighbors and schools. It is our goal and commitment to make sure that tragedies like the death of Marcela never happen again,” Sigcho-Lopez said.

Several neighbors at Wednesday’s meeting welcomed the much-needed upgrades for the high-traffic avenue, which is blocks away from St. Pius V School, Cooper Elementary School and local businesses.

However, they called for additional upgrades along Ashland Avenue, especially at the intersection with Cermak Road, which is used by Benito Juarez Community Academy students and families. Those improvements would be key for families who move into Casa Yucatán, a 98-unit affordable housing project at the intersection of 21st and Ashland, some neighbors said.

The city has initiated a traffic study for the intersection of Ashland and Cermak, Moya Calderon said.

For months, Herrera’s loved ones have called for justice, urging authorities to find the driver who fatally struck the 22-year-old and injured her fiancé, Mauricio Leyva. An investigation remains open, but there have been no updates in the case, police said in an emailed statement Wednesday.

Herrera was a beloved community organizer, friend and budding entrepreneur, remembered by loved ones for her smile, love for music and nurturing and giving spirit. In the months since she was killed, friends and family have realized justice goes beyond finding the person responsible for her death, Garcia said.

“Justice also looks like road safety improvements. Justice also looks like this not happening to other neighbors,” he said.

Neighbors want the petition and a rally they’re holding Sunday at Dvorak Park to serve as a foundation for others to call for changes needed to improve the city’s infrastructure and for policies that do not fail young people, Garcia said.

Damian Gomez, a high-school student killed in a fatal hit-and-run in Chicago Lawn this spring, and undocumented women like Herrera should be able to live long, happy lives, Garcia said.

“When we lose young people in the neighborhood, it should not be business as usual,” he said. “We should be stopping people in their tracks. We should be getting louder and bolder.”