The rail crossing at Southwest Highway and Kilbourn Avenue in Oak Lawn will close for 10 days next month to excavate and replace the rail at a crossing used often by emergency vehicles.

From May 14 to May 23, travelers will be rerouted to Cicero Avenue, accessed through Southwest Highway on the north side of the tracks and 95th Street on the south side.

The crossing is just north of Advocate Christ Medical Center, and serves as a “critical route” for ambulances and other emergency vehicles, Demetrios Skoufis, senior legislative and community affairs liaison for Metra, said at Tuesday’s Village Board meeting. He said Metra is working to notify emergency responders and requested extra assistance from the village to do so.

“We’ve done this hundreds of times before throughout our region, and this is not the only crossing in close proximity to a hospital or something like that,” Skoufis said. “It’s Metra employees performing the work to rehab the crossing, which essentially is the removal of all the existing infrastructure.”

Skoufis pointed to other similar projects completed in Oak Lawn, including at Central Avenue in September, 95th Street in June 2021 and Cicero Avenue in April 2015. Two weeks before putting up detour signs at 9 a.m. on May 14, traffic control contractors will install signs warning of the crossing closure, he said.

The $450,000 project on the Southwest Service is part of a larger plan to replace 43 crossings at locations across the Chicago area in 2025, according to Metra.

Lead pipe removal

Oak Lawn is also taking steps to replace about 2,300 decades-old lead pipes to comply with Environmental Protection Agency requirements, with service expected to begin in August.Engineering and advisory firm TY Lin was hired to manage the five-year project. Catharine Richardson, the project manager, told the board the firm is working to receive an EPA loan to cover the costs, which will be confirmed July 1. The village has yet to approve a contractor to replace about 400 service lines this year.

“There’s going to be a lot of questions,” Richardson said. “This is a project where we do go onto private property. In fact, we have to get into people’s homes.”

Richardson said people not interested in having their pipes replaced can go through a process to waive service. Each project is expected to take two days, with the firm and contractors working directly with residents. They will also survey water quality after replacing the pipes.

Homes built before 1986 are those likely to have lead pipes, Richardson said. The first notification letter to affected residents will be delivered 45 days ahead of construction.

“This is a huge investment, and it’s going to be some inconvenience for folks, but this is really an important thing to do,” Richardson said.

ostevens@chicagotribune.com