CATS RELEASES DRAFT TRANSPORTATION PLAN, SEEKS PUBLIC COMMENT
CHICAGO – The Chicago Area Transportation Study (CATS), the metropolitan planning organization for northeast Illinois, released today its draft recommendations for the Shared Path 2030 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) and is seeking public comment, according to Executive Director Aristide Biciunas.
The CATS draft RTP recommendations establish guidelines for long-range transportation improvements for the Illinois Department of Transportation, the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority, the Regional Transportation Authority, the Chicago Transit Authority, Metra, Pace and other transportation providers.
The plan establishes integrated regional transportation strategies and priorities to secure over $60 billion in funding for system maintenance, improvement and expansion over the next three decades, Biciunas said. The draft RTP recommendations also take into account safety and environmental concerns, community needs, land use changes, available resources and cost.
In addition, CATS has analyzed data from the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission showing that the region’s population will grow from 8.1 million people in 2000 to 9.9 million by 2030, a 22 percent increase. "There will be more people, more jobs and more households to accommodate with a well-coordinated and integrated transportation system," Biciunas added.
CATS has been working with citizens, local officials and transportation providers over the past year to develop draft RTP recommendations. "Now it’s vital that residents let us know how well the draft plan recommendations meet their needs for highway, rail, bus, freight, bicycle and pedestrian modes of transportation to get around the region and back home."
The draft 2030 RTP recommendations fall into three areas:
·Regional Strategies promote planning policies across all forms of transportation in the region. "They help us to manage and operate the system more efficiently, safely and securely," Biciunas said.Examples of regional strategies in the draft RTP recommendations include making sure that bus and train schedules are coordinated so that riders can transfer between different modes of transportation and that highway traffic lights are timed to keep vehicles moving.
These strategies also must comply with environmental regulations including air quality standards for the region. In addition, regional transportation strategies are integrated with land use plans for different communities so that development needs and travel needs are coordinated.
·Strategic Transportation Systems provide guidelines and strategies for maintaining and improving different types of transportation systems that are already in place, such as arterial roadways (large through-roads that connect communities and counties), bus and train facilities and service, freight service, and bicycle and pedestrian pathways.Maintaining and improving existing facilities usually takes about 80 percent of all the money spent on the system. Draft plan recommendations put strong emphasis on improved coordination within the system and increased choices for travelers throughout the region.
Recommendations for mass transit also would add to existing facilities, extend service to new areas, expand capacities and connections, help make bus and train options even more attractive than driving, and make bike and pedestrian options a more routine part of travel.
Expressway recommendations include support for more auxiliary lanes, carpool priority and new interchanges in growing areas. They also promote increased use of the latest Intelligent Transportation Systems such as variable sign messages, real-time traffic and road condition monitors and electronic toll collection systems.
In addition, there are guidelines for managing commercial freight transportation, such as reducing truck and train interference with auto traffic.
·Capital Projects in the draft 2030 RTP recommendations propose priorities for many expansion and new construction proposals to help accommodate growth and changing needs in the region, Biciunas said. "These major construction projects have price tags to match, and will be pruned in the months ahead, reflecting the limited amount of dollars available to meet projected costs."
He said the top proposals will be those that improve the performance, mobility and accessibility of the transportation system to provide a variety of choices for the region’s travelers, and that gain consensus on community or environmental concerns and a level of popular support.
A set of projects proposed to improve downtown Chicago circulation and multi-modal connection is called the Chicago Transit Hub. One proposal, the Circle Line, would connect most of the existing CTA and Metra rail lines with a new rapid transit line about two miles outside Chicago's central business district.
A new West Loop Transportation Center would complete a subway loop beneath downtown Chicago and provide connections to local, regional and inter-city trains. The Chicago Transit Hub also would bring Bus Rapid Transit to downtown using new buses with many doors for quick boarding, dedicated street lanes and traffic signal priority for speedy service.
Projects also are being considered to add capacity to the region’s existing major highways and rail lines. There are proposals to upgrade Chicago’s "L" system to offer airport express service between downtown and O’Hare and Midway airports.
Proposals also would add new stations on the Green and Yellow lines and extend the Yellow Line north to Old Orchard Road, the Red Line to 130th Street, the Orange Line to the Ford City Shopping Center and the Blue Line to the western suburbs.
Beyond "L" improvements, nearly every commuter rail line would see upgrades to existing track, improved signal equipment, new track and stations. Projects to serve new passengers include upgrades on the Rock Island line with a probable extension to Minooka, and upgrades along the Heritage Corridor line, on the Metra Electric line with a possible extension to the proposed South Suburban Airport and upgrades on the North Central Service line.
Other commuter rail projects to better serve new passengers include extensions of the Southwest Service line to Manhattan and possibly Midewin; the Milwaukee District line to Huntley, Marengo and possibly Rockford; and the Milwaukee District North line to Richmond and Wadsworth.
The Union Pacific West line has an extension to Elburn already under way. A Union Pacific Northwest project proposal includes an extension to Richmond, and there is a proposal for the Burlington Northern line to extend to Plano.
To increase capacity on the region’s tollways and expressways, some projects propose adding lanes to reduce congestion. These include widening the Northwest Tollway, the East-West Tollway and parts of the Tri-State Tollway, Illinois Route 394, I-80/90 and the Elgin-O’Hare Expressway.
There are additional lanes proposed for I-57, I-80 and I-55. Another proposal on the table would add lanes on I-290 east of I-88 to accommodate high occupancy vehicles such as buses and carpools
Other capital projects to improve existing system capacity include proposals for the same kind of Bus Rapid Transit service proposed for downtown Chicago with specially designed buses, dedicated street lanes and traffic signal priority for speedy service. These proposals include an Ogden Avenue Transitway, a Cermak Road Bus Rapid Transit line, and a DuPage County "J" line.
Brand new project proposals to accommodate growth and changing travel needs and provide access to the region’s largest job centers include a Southeast Commuter Rail Service serving Chicago, southern Cook County and northeastern Will County, with possible connections to the proposed South Suburban Airport.
Other proposals are for completion of the Elgin-O’Hare Expressway and west O’Hare Bypass and a new Northwest Transit Corridor. New transportation corridors are proposed to help communities manage economic growth and change, such as a Mid-City Transitway serving the west and south sides of Chicago.
Others include commuter rail service along the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad line in western Cook County connecting Midway and O’Hare airports, as well as along the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railroad right-of-way serving communities in Lake, Cook, DuPage and Will counties.
Major projects include additions to the region’s highway network to establish new and efficient auto, bus and truck transportation corridors. One new corridor proposal would extend Illinois Route 53 north into central Lake County and connect with a new highway between Waukegan and the Wisconsin line in McHenry County.
This corridor would also extend I-355 south from I-55 to I-57 and continue on to I-65 in Indiana. And finally, the proposed Prairie Parkway would create a new transportation corridor on the outskirts of the metropolitan area that will experience strong development pressure in the coming decades.
Please review the CATS Draft 2030 RTP Recommendations booklet in this press kit for a listing of projects and maps. Also please review the CATS 2030 Reporter Newsletter for a list of times and TV stations carrying a 30-minute program, "Traveling to 2030," between April 10 and 16 on the draft RTP recommendations.
It will be run by WJYS-TV on broadcast Channel 62 and on all cable and satellite system channels listed in the CATS 2030 Reporter Newsletter (see attached). The program also will be carried over-the-air on W34CK, Channel 34, between 6 and 8 p.m. on April 10, 11, 13, 14 and 15. Viewers may call 800/227-0971 to comment on draft RTP recommendations.
In addition, CATS will hold community meetings from April 21 to May 1 to further public understanding of the planning process and transportation strategies and to gain preliminary comment on the draft RTP recommendations. See the attached 2030 Reporter Newsletter for a schedule of community meeting times, locations and a variety of ways to submit comments.
Citizen comment on the planning process and recommendations is vital, Biciunas said. CATS must receive comments on the draft 2030 RTP recommendations before May 9. After reviewing public comment on the draft RTP recommendations, CATS will prepare a final draft RTP that will be available for public review this summer.
For more information, contact the CATS Communications Division at 312/793-3460, log on to the CATS website at www.catsmpo.com, e-mail CATS at SP2030@catsmpo.com or call the CATS SP2030 hotline at 312/793-3466.