The operator of the South Shore Line says it is moving ahead with about $2.75 million in safety upgrades at the Hegewisch station on Chicago's Far Southeast Side, a plan that arrives after months of public pressure from the family of 22-year-old NewsNation producer Grace Bentkowski, who was struck and killed at the stop in July 2024.
What the upgrades would add
NICTD says the project will bring pedestrian gates, flashing lights, and bells to the Hegewisch pedestrian crossing. The district pegs the cost at roughly $2.75 million and has folded the work into its newly adopted five-year capital program. Officials plan to first seek engineering proposals, then put the job out for public bid. Those steps are part of the agency’s route to carrying out the recommended fixes, according to WVPE.
The crossing and the fatality
On July 25, 2024, Bentkowski was hit by a westbound South Shore train after she got off an eastbound train and walked across the tracks toward the parking lot, according to local reporting. At that time, the pedestrian crossing where she was struck had no lights, bells, or automatic gates, a gap her family and safety advocates have repeatedly highlighted in public comments and media interviews, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Family pressure and public response
In the months after her death, Bentkowski’s relatives organized petitions and led a safety-awareness walk from UChicago Medicine to the Hegewisch station, pressing the railroad and local officials to act. The family also filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Metra and said in a statement that they are "very happy funding has been secured" and will celebrate when the physical safety measures are installed, according to ABC7 Chicago.
Engineering, funding, and rules
NICTD ordered a diagnostic engineering study that called for active warning devices at the Hegewisch pedestrian crossings. Engineers are still evaluating whether pedestrian gates can be added safely at the location. The district says it will pursue designs that meet industry standards while it lines up funding and contractor bids for construction, WVPE reports.
Legal fallout
The family’s wrongful-death lawsuit claims Metra did not provide adequate warnings, fencing or other protections at the station and seeks to hold the agency responsible for the conditions that preceded the fatality. Their attorney has said the goal is both to recover damages and to spur safety changes so other riders are not exposed to the same risk, according to CBS Chicago.
What’s next
How quickly the work appears on the ground will depend on the engineering review, the bidding process and the district’s ability to package the project and its funding. Industry coverage notes that NICTD has been putting money into safety along the line and presents the Hegewisch plan as part of a broader push to lower pedestrian danger at grade crossings, Trains reported.
