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Hello, friends and partners in transportation!
It’s time for another update from your regional planning agency, CMAP. I’m Mike Sobczak from CMAP’s communications team, where I focus on transportation and infrastructure initiatives shaping our region. Have a project or story idea to share with the CMAP community? I’d love to hear from you at msobczak@cmap.illinois.gov.
In this issue, we’re spotlighting the investments, research, and planning efforts that are moving northeastern Illinois forward — from CMAP’s new regional freight assessment to progress on the 2026 Regional Transportation Plan.
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Investing in mobility: progress on the 2026 Regional Transportation Plan
CMAP continues to advance the 2026 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) — the long-range blueprint for how northeastern Illinois will invest in transportation through 2050. To date, the agency has engaged more than 40,000 residents across all 7 counties, with over 1,500 completing the RTP questionnaire. Common themes include concerns about speeding, congestion, and transit access, as well as strong support for greater investment in transit, walking, and biking infrastructure.
CMAP is also developing a long-range financial plan to ensure the RTP remains fiscally constrained and to guide investment priorities. This work includes refining revenue and expenditure forecasts, assessing financial risks, and investigating new funding strategies such as sales tax modernization, tolling, or road usage charges. To explore options further, CMAP has published two policy briefs:
In coordination with transportation partners, CMAP has also identified 137 Regional Capital Projects totaling more than $80 billion in anticipated construction costs, with interstate and transit rail reconstruction accounting for roughly two-thirds of that total. A draft benefits report and interactive map of these projects are now available online.
Interested in learning more? Watch CMAP’s recent presentation on the 2026 Regional Transportation Plan, shared at the October joint Board and MPO Policy Committee meeting.
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We want to share your stories
We’re seeking people who represent the rich diversity of travelling around our region today — and their journeys ahead. CMAP is looking for volunteers to participate in interviews and be featured in materials supporting the upcoming 2026 Regional Transportation Plan. We want to hear your story and showcase the unique ways you move throughout northeastern Illinois.
Whether you ride the train, bike to work, use accessibility features to move safely and independently, or drive or walk your kids to school, we want to feature real people across our region who bring our transportation system to life.
What to expect
Participants will take part in a short, informal interview and photography session where our team will capture your lived experience in action. Your story may appear in the final RTP or on CMAP’s digital channels.
Transportation moves everyone
We’re interested in featuring people from all backgrounds, ages, abilities and geographies across Illinois. All are encouraged to apply.
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CMAP is hosting a first-of-its kind State of the Region event — get your tickets now!
CMAP invites government, civic, and business partners from across northeastern Illinois to a State of the Region event the evening of November 4th at the Old Post Office in Chicago. This interactive, immersive event will celebrate CMAP’s 20th anniversary and the launch of The Century Plan, a vision for northeastern Illinois for 2060 and beyond.
This is a room you’ll want to be in! You'll enjoy:
- Connections with hundred of attendees including elected officials, policymakers, and civic and business leaders from across northeastern Illinois
- Performances showcasing the talent, art, and culture of the region
- Food, drinks, and inspiration for the future
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 CMAP Executive Director Erin Aleman testifying on potential revenue options to support transit to the Illinois House Executive Committee
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From crisis to commitment: next steps for transit funding
As the Illinois General Assembly reconvenes this month, the future of northeastern Illinois’ public transit system is at a turning point. CMAP projects that the region faces a funding shortfall exceeding $1 billion by 2029 — a challenge that temporary fixes can no longer mask.
CMAP’s latest analysis, grounded in the Plan of Action for Regional Transit (PART), underscores that residents expect more, not less, from their system. Achieving that vision requires bold, sustained investment — including modernizing the sales tax to reflect today’s economy — and a long-term funding framework that stabilizes operations, strengthens governance, and ensures the region’s transit network remains a cornerstone of opportunity for decades to come.
To help inform state deliberations, CMAP Executive Director Erin Aleman recently testified before the Illinois House Executive Committee on the agency’s analysis of potential revenue options. She also outlined these recommendations in a recent Crain’s Chicago Business op-ed.
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CMAP begins regional freight assessment with release of The Freight Landscape
CMAP has launched a four-part assessment of northeastern Illinois’ freight system — the network of trucks, trains, ships, planes, and delivery vehicles that keeps the region’s economy moving. The first report, The Freight Landscape, introduces freight as a key factor shaping the region’s economy, environment, and transportation network, providing foundational data and insights about how goods move through the region. In 2023 alone, nearly 700 million tons of goods valued at more than $1 trillion moved to, from, or within the region, supporting over 210,000 jobs across 14,000 establishments. The next report in the series, focused on system performance, will be released in early 2026.
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Shaping the next federal transportation bill
With the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act set to expire in September 2026, CMAP is working with regional partners, civic and labor organizations, and peer metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) across the country to outline shared principles for the next federal transportation reauthorization. Together, we’ve developed One Regional Voice 2025, a statement of priorities calling for robust, durable revenues, enhanced safety, efficient transit and rail, maintained bridges, performance-based programming, multimodal freight, technological innovation, resilient systems, and policies that recognize the unique needs of major metropolitan areas.
Similarly, CMAP joined MPOs from other large U.S. regions to advance common principles for reauthorization, including prioritizing safety, preserving core highway and transit programs, balancing formula and competitive funding, targeting investments to the nation’s economic engines, and streamlining project delivery.
These efforts reflect a united call for a strong federal transportation package that ensures stable, predictable funding and empowers regions to meet the nation’s evolving transportation needs.
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Get ready to apply: New call for STP-L projects opening soon
A new call for projects for the Surface Transportation Program–Local (STP-L) is coming soon. This program provides federal funds for local transportation improvements, helping communities invest in projects that support safety, mobility, and regional priorities. Each subregional Council of Mayors — along with the City of Chicago — administers its own STP-L program using locally established methodologies that align with regional planning goals. Interested communities are encouraged to contact their planning liaison through their respective Council of Mayors to learn more about eligibility, timelines, and application requirements.
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Shape the future of transportation in Lake County
Lake County need your voice to plan for tomorrow’s roads, transit and paths.
The Lake County Division of Transportation has launched a virtual open house to provide information and collect input to develop Envision 2050, Lake County’s next long range transportation plan.
Visit the virtual open house through October 21 to hare specific areas of concern and desired improvements through an interactive map, complete a survey to rank your top transportation priorities and more.
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CDOT seeks public input on Chicago’s Electric Vehicle and Mobility Framework
The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) is seeking public input to help shape its Electric Vehicle and Mobility Infrastructure Framework — a key initiative to reduce transportation emissions and advance environmental justice. CDOT has launched two short, anonymous surveys (available in English and Spanish) to gather community perspectives on future charging infrastructure and a curbside pilot program across the city. Your feedback will help guide planning and ensure equitable access to clean, reliable mobility options for all Chicago residents.
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From our partners across the region |
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Breaking ground in Franklin Park: Improving access, safety, and connectivity
State, county, and local officials in Franklin Park — including CMAP Executive Director Erin Aleman — celebrated the start of a transformative reconstruction of Franklin Avenue. The project will reduce congestion, improve safety, and enhance livability for residents and businesses in Franklin Park, Bensenville, and surrounding communities. By creating new ramps that give trucks direct access to the interstate, the project will ease traffic on local roads, cut pollution, and strengthen one of the region’s key industrial corridors.
This collaborative effort — led by the Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways in partnership with the Illinois Tollway and local municipalities — marks an important step toward the more efficient movement of goods and people across northeastern Illinois. CMAP was proud to support this project by programing millions of dollars from the federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) program.
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Illinois announces new multi-year transportation investment program
Governor JB Pritzker and Illinois Transportation Secretary Gia Biagi recently announced a new multi-year construction program that continues the momentum of the state’s historic Rebuild Illinois capital initiative. The plan represents a major investment across all modes of transportation — including roads and bridges, transit, waterways, freight and passenger rail, aviation, and bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. See what’s in store for our region!
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