Noble Square residents say cars from Kennedy Expressway are crashing into their front yard, IDOT won't help

Residents in one part of Chicago's Noble Square neighborhood say they've been dealing with cars careening off the Kennedy Expressway and crashing into their front yard for decades, and the state won't help.

One homeowner who spoke to CBS News Chicago Investigators said she's been raising concerns for more than 20 years to state and local officials, with no result.

Allison Stirzak has a patchwork of fencing between her front yard and thousands of cars that go zooming by daily on the Kennedy.

"This is what I'm living with and this is what I'm trying to prevent," she said. "Every time we fix it, another car hits it, and they usually don't have insurance or they drive off."

Earlier this month, she found an SUV wedged between her front fence and a massive light pole, leaving a gaping hole behind.

"I could walk onto the highway for about a week. IDOT never came out to fix it," she said.

Stirzak said the proximity to traffic makes her nervous "every time."

She and her other neighbors say their condo association can't afford to pay roughly $4,000 to fix the fence every single time there's a crash.

"I would bet a ton of money that it will happen again by the end of summer," said neighbor Megan Murphy.

They just want some protection. They say it's not just pedestrians who are in danger, but drivers too.

"Cars have barreled right through here. A man passed away. He came through the fencing, hit the tree," Strizak said. "I mean, I've been asking for 22 years to have some help."

She said she's gotten empty promises from her aldermen and state lawmakers over the year, and the Illinois Department of Transportation told her it could take as long as seven years to come up with a permanent solution.

CBS News Chicago Investigators reached out to IDOT and got a swift response. A spokesperson said crews would be out soon to fix the chain link fence there, and they were. But IDOT said they will have to conduct an analysis for a long-term solution and to determine if a "roadside barrier" is warranted. Neighbors desperately hope it is.

"I would say if they could just think about how scary and… jarring it is, quite frankly," said Murphy. "it's only a matter of time until something happens."

IDOT said the analysis to determine whether they can put up a barrier should be completed in a few weeks.