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Welcome to the Transportation newsletter
The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) created this newsletter to share important updates, information, resources, and tools to help improve the ways people travel in northeastern Illinois.
Transportation policy and programming are essential elements to CMAP's work. It touches everything we do at CMAP. We continuously collaborate with our partners to deliver transportation data, analysis, and modeling to keep you informed and help strengthen quality of life within our region.
In the first Transportation newsletter, we’re highlighting regional projects intended to reduce congestion and freight delays, as well as updates about ongoing efforts to build consensus around important transportation initiatives in the region.
Do you have something you’d like us to include in a newsletter? Email us at communications@cmap.illinois.gov.
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Major railroad project to reduce freight and traffic delays
CMAP Executive Director Erin Aleman joined U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, Gov. J.B. Pritzker, and numerous transportation partners this week to break ground on a major project to untangle one of the most congested freight-rail chokepoints in northeastern Illinois.
The groundbreaking ceremony celebrated the first half of the 75th Street Corridor Improvement Program. The program will help reduce freight and traffic delays, bolster Metra service, and improve connections for drivers, pedestrians, and residents throughout Chicago's South Side.
Work on the Forest Hill Flyover Project represents the largest project to date funded through the CREATE program, a public-private partnership that has worked since 2003 to improve rail lines and chokepoints in the region. The ceremony also kicked off construction of the 71st Street Grade Separation project, which will eliminate a crossing where the CSX railroad intersects with 71st Street.
Aleman emceed the event at the CSX Forest Hill Railroad Yard in Chicago, highlighting how the projects will improve quality of life and make travel more reliable for residents in northeastern Illinois. Aleman was joined by Pritzker, Durbin, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, and many other transportation leaders in the region.
"I want to focus on who we’re doing this work for," Aleman said. "It’s about people. It’s about making sure that our transit system can move people reliably to where they need to go faster and affordably. It’s about making sure that our goods make it to the places that they need to go so that businesses can operate, so that households can have the resources they need to live."
Pictured above (from left to right): Gia Biagi, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Transportation; Jennifer "Sis" Killen, superintendent of the Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways; Illinois Rep. Mary Flowers; Erin Aleman, CMAP executive director; and Ian Jefferies, president and CEO of the Association of American Railroads.
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Building regional consensus to shape the future of our region's infrastructure
CMAP held its latest collaborative meeting to convene our federal, state, and regional partners and discuss how the region can maximize the many funding opportunities available under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).
Ryan Thompto, principal policy analyst for CMAP, shared the key takeaways CMAP employees learned during individual meetings this summer with implementing agencies in northeastern Illinois. He shared the importance of regional coordination when identifying projects and applying for the numerous competitive grant programs funded by IIJA.
Representatives from Metra and Pace shared insights from their joint effort to apply successfully for a $20 million federal grant that will help finance upgrades to the Harvey Transportation Center, a multimodal facility in the City of Harvey that serves Metra and Pace riders throughout the south suburbs. A representative from the Federal Transit Administration also shared best practices that agencies and communities can use when considering IIJA grant applications.
CMAP has hosted meetings all summer to talk directly with our partners and align priorities to maximize IIJA funding for projects that can lead to bold and sustainable solutions to our region's transportation challenges. We look forward to sharing more this winter about the competitive projects the region can pursue together.
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New data can help communities understand their emissions
Transportation is a key component to a sustainable and resilient region going forward. Today, the transportation sector is the largest source of emissions in Illinois. And CMAP's newly updated greenhouse gas emissions inventory shows that transportation emissions increased by 2 percent between 2010 and 2019, reinforcing the need for renewed action in that sector.
For the first time, CMAP recently released individualized data summaries by county, community, and Chicago neighborhood that provide a snapshot of emissions from the building, transportation, and waste sectors. These summaries are designed to equip communities throughout northeastern Illinois with the information they need to help the region reach its shared goal of reducing emissions by 80 percent by 2050.
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Help raise safety awareness by sharing these ready-made messages
National Pedestrian Safety Month in October celebrates everyone's right to walk or roll safely and reminds drivers of their responsibility to stay alert for pedestrians, cyclists, and other vulnerable road users.
In recognition of National Pedestrian Safety Month, CMAP — in close partnership with the Illinois Department of Transportation and other transportation partners — is bringing attention to this issue and the collective work being done to address it.
We've created a series of safety messages for social media. Please download this shareable content and post to your social media, newsletters, and other channels to help create a culture of safety in your community.
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ON TO 2050 plan update reflects changing conditions in northeastern Illinois
Conditions undoubtedly have changed in the four years since CMAP unveiled ON TO 2050, the long-range plan for northeastern Illinois. The region has seen a global pandemic disrupt economies, deepen inequities, and change the way people move throughout the region.
CMAP updates the long-range plan every four years to better reflect current conditions in the region. The newly approved ON TO 205O update addresses numerous changes to help guide planning and decision-making in northeastern Illinois and shape the future for its nearly 8.6 million residents.
Highlights from the updated plan include:
- How the experience of the last four years reaffirms ON TO 2050’s principles of resilience, inclusive growth, and prioritized investment.
- Important changes in our forecasted population, transportation investments, and funding resources.
- Where we go from here, and how we can put the recommendations and strategies into action.
- The progress made. It reiterates the key goals regarding prosperity, environment, community, governance, and mobility.
- The determination of regionally significant projects. It identifies capital investments in our region’s expressways, transit system, and arterials.
Public comment also is a crucial component of the update, which reflects the input and perspectives of hundreds of stakeholders, including residents, advocates, community organizations, counties and municipalities.
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Local governments to receive $250 million in Rebuild Illinois funding
The sixth and final $250 million installment as part of the historic Rebuild Illinois capital program is being made to counties, municipalities, and townships to address local transportation needs.
Rebuild Illinois is investing a total of $1.5 billion spread out in six installments to advance projects throughout the state. Projects include road and bridge improvements, traffic signal upgrades, new storm sewers and bike paths, sidewalk replacements, and other long-term maintenance needs. A complete list of the latest local agencies and awards can be viewed here.
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