The City of Elmhurst has been looking into options for a new electronic sign to be installed on the Palmer Drive overpass for both northbound and southbound traffic. The electronic sign would replace the banners that are currently displayed weekly on the Palmer Drive overpass bridges. Currently, the City makes the space on the bridge available for local organizations to announce community activities with banners. The City continually receives requests from more and more organizations to post their information; however, due to staff time to install the banners, only one group per week is allowed to display their message or event.

Installing an electronic sign would provide several benefits. In addition to allowing more community messages to be displayed each week, the city would also have the ability to display public safety announcements when needed, such as amber alerts. Worker safety would also be improved by no longer having to close lanes of traffic to change banners.

The City has made arrangements with a vendor to test a temporary electronic sign rental unit for southbound traffic from the evening of Wednesday, September 26 through the end of the day Thursday, September 27 (weather permitting). The City is undertaking this test to determine if the sign fits with the character of the area and to gather public feedback. While the temporary unit will be installed higher and will be larger than the proposed permanent sign, it will provide residents and City staff with an idea of how such a sign may look. The City will be displaying sample messages on the temporary sign to highlight its capabilities.

The Public Affairs and Safety Committee is seeking public input on the sign. The public is invited to drive or walk by the temporary sign and let the City know your thoughts by emailing your comments to cityadmin@elmhurst.org.