Metra Lot Resurfacing Means Less Parking

The morning commute in Northbrook just got a little more frantic—at least if you're one of the hundreds of drivers who park in the Metra lot on Shermer Road just south of Walters.

Beginning Wednesday, Sept. 15, the Village of Northbrook will close off approximately 123 slots in the north section of the lot for resurfacing work.

"I always park here," said Azi Ejlali of Northbrook, who was waiting for a train on the southbound platform Monday morning. "When I come late, I can't find a spot."

The lot was packed full by 8:30 a.m. that day, with just a handful of spots open in the southwest corner, furthest from the platform. Ejlali, who works downtown, said she would park at her son's Northbrook office during construction, as she had that morning when she was unable to find a spot.

According to Matt Morrison, assistant to the public works director, construction on the lot will last until Sept. 19, assuming bad weather does not delay the crew. A second phase of construction affecting nearly 300 parking spaces in the southern section of the lot is scheduled for Sept. 29 to Oct. 3.

"Well, that's horrible," Ejlali said, upon hearing the news for the first time.

Morrison advised commuters to park in the lot across the tracks from the west lot or to park in the north lot across the street and adjacent to Trattoria Oliveri. There is an additional, small lot behind Village Hall on Cedar Lane where some spots can be found, he added.

"What we've suggested people do is, first and foremost, make sure they allow themselves enough time," Morrison said. "We will have people out on the first day of each phase of construction, helping direct people where they need to go, helping direct people where they can park, where they can't."

Morrison said Village staff would be on site beginning at 5 a.m. Sept. 15, to make sure no one was parking in the northern portion of the lot designated for the first phase of resurfacing. Any cars still parked there would be towed, he said, but added: "That is our last resort."

Schroeder Asphalt Services will be doing the work, at a cost of $232,625, Morrison said.  The resurfacing project will include drainage improvements, pavement patching, repainting of pavement markings and replacement of parking space number signs.

"It looks a little shabby," said John Hayes of Round Lake, who was waiting for a train from Northbrook Monday morning.  Significant portions of the lot are cracked and cratered, and potholes dot the surface.

But Hayes said he wasn't worried about finding a spot while the lot was closed. "People will adjust," he said. "It has to be done. It's progress."