Feedback wanted on Cook County long-range transportation plan.
It's back to work and school after a holiday weekend, and there is plenty going on in the world of transportation.
Cook County will host open houses starting Tuesday to gather public input on setting priorities to develop a long-range transportation plan for the county that emphasizes the role of expanding economic growth. The goal is to produce a Connecting Cook County plan that links transportation to jobs and economic development, supports more livable communities and addresses infrastructure needs for the next 25 years, officials said. Read Full Article (PDF)

Advocates: Transit riders deserve a tax break to match drivers who park
November 16, 2014 | Jon Hilkevitch

In a transportation world not firing on all cylinders, people who crowd the roads every day by driving to work are offered nearly twice the federal tax relief for parking costs that is available to commuters who help reduce congestion and pollution by climbing aboard trains and buses. That world, facilitated by the tax code and the actions (or inaction) of lawmakers who voters send to Washington, doesn't look poised to change anytime soon. Read Full Article (PDF)

Tech trends that are shaping real estate market
November 7, 2014 | Mary Umberger

These tech trends will drive the way the real estate industry does business. We wish we had a dollar for every website, app or other electronic wonder that promised to "revolutionize the way real estate is sold." We're still waiting for the revolution to come, but meanwhile, there's no shortage of clever tech developments out there. Read Full Article (PDF)

Cook County Announces November Chicago, Suburban Locations for Long Range Transportation Plan Kiosks
November 3, 2014

Kiosks used to generate and record public feedback for development Cook County’s Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) are in new locations for the month of November.

The kiosks utilize a survey program called MetroQuest which is designed to gather input on various questions related to transportation. Development of the LRTP is now in its second phase, during which people are being asked to define which transportation choices are most important to them and rate potential plan scenarios, ranging from maintaining the status quo to aggressively improving and investing in the overall transportation system.
Read Full Press Release (PDF)

No CTA fare hike, 'slight' service increase in 2015
October 27, 2014 | Jon Hilkevich

The CTA will freeze fares for the second straight year in 2015 and offer a slight increase in Blue and Orange line service aimed at easing crowding, under a proposed $1.44 billion budget that will be unveiled Monday.

The spending plan, which will take effect as Mayor Rahm Emanuel runs for re-election, relies on ridership gains rather than fare hikes to help pay for a roughly 4.5 percent increase in CTA expenditures compared with 2014. Read Full Article (PDF)

Chicago wants to roll out universal app for hailing taxis
October 26, 2014 | Jon Hilkevich

The rapidly expanding rides-for-hire industry in Chicago is undergoing more change Monday. Customers will no longer be able to arrange a regular taxi or a black-car pickup using Hailo, one of a number of transportation smartphone apps that have debuted in the last few years to a strong reception from consumers who appreciate shorter wait times and the ability to prearrange payment using a credit card. Read Full Article (PDF)

Cook County’s Transportation Plan Thinking Big, But Where’s The Money?
October 20, 2014 | Steve Vance

Earlier this year, Cook County embarked on its first transportation plan since 1940, asking residents to weigh in on how and where to improve transportation across the second most populous county in America. That feedback has helped the transportation department to draft a new vision statement – that world-class transportation will spur economic growth and enhance quality of life – plus four scenarios for the future, which the public can vote on in an online survey. Read Full Article (PDF)

Community development improvement in Oak Lawn
October 16, 2014

Read Full Article (PDF)

The many reasons millennials are shunning cars
October 14, 2014 | Emily Badger

There's a lot of evidence that millennials don't drive as much — or care as much for cars in general — as previous generations their own age did. They're less likely to get driver's licenses. They tend to take fewer car trips, and when they do, those trips are shorter. They're also more likely than older generations to get around by alternative means: by foot, by bike, or by transit. Read Full Article (PDF)

Work begins on Central Avenue intersection
October 10, 2014 | Joe Boyle

The long-awaited intersection improvements at Central Avenue and Southwest Highway in Oak Lawn has now begun. A groundbreaking ceremony took place on Oct. 2 in the parking lot of St. Gerald Elementary School, 9320 S. 55th Court, which is adjacent to the intersection. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle joined Cook County Commissioner John Daley at the ceremony. “This corner was a tragedy waiting to happen,” said Preckwinkle.
Read Full Article (PDF)

Rail ridership grew in second quarter, APTA says
September 30, 2014

U.S. public transportation ridership in second-quarter 2014 increased 1.1 percent to 2.7 billion trips compared with the same period last year, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) announced yesterday.

Ridership rose for all three rail modes: Heavy-rail was up 3.2 percent; light-rail, 2.8 percent; and commuter-rail, 3.1 percent, APTA officials said in a press release. Read Full Article (PDF)

Revamp of Loop traffic, bus-only route and bike lanes moving forward
September 29, 2014 | Jon Hilkevich

The Emanuel administration will announce Monday that it is seeking bids to construct three long-planned transit projects aimed at providing faster and more reliable service for hundreds of thousands of daily commuters and city visitors who rideCTA buses and Loop elevated trains in the increasingly gridlocked central business district.

Work will begin early next year on a Central Loop bus rapid transit system, a Union Station Transit Center and a Washington/Wabash CTA Loop elevated station, according to the Chicago Department of Transportation. Read Full Article (PDF)

Bad U.S. roads force "just in time" manufacturers to plan for 'just in case'
September 25, 2014 | By James B. Kelleher

(Reuters) - Some of America's leanest manufacturers share a fat secret.
Companies like Whirlpool and Caterpillar are making costly additions to their otherwise sinewy supply chains to compensate for aging U.S. roads that are too potholed and congested for "just in time" delivery.

Some opt to keep more trucks and inventory on the road. Others are leasing huge "just in case" warehouses and guarded parking lots on the edges of big cities. All that activity raises costs, which are expected to increase even more if roads are allowed to deteriorate further and an improving economy boosts traffic.. Read Full Article (PDF)

New parking policies driving transit-oriented development
September 20, 2014 | By Mary Ellen Podmolik

If you live in a walkable neighborhood, with easy access to public transportation, goods and services, how much do you need, or want, a car and a place to park it? It's a question developers and residents are starting to ponder in some Chicago neighborhoods. Almost a year after the city passed an ordinance aimed at fostering transit-oriented development, projects are underway in a few communities and being talked about in many more. Read Full Article (PDF)

Cook County Begins Next Phase of Gathering Public Input For Long Range Transportation Plan
September 4, 2014

Cook County kicked off the second phase of public engagement in development of its Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) this week with the placement of six survey kiosks at locations around the County.

The kiosks utilize a survey program called MetroQuest which is designed to gather input on various questions related to transportation. In this phase of the survey, people are being asked to define which transportation choices are most important to them and rate potential plan scenarios, ranging from maintaining the status quo to aggressively improving and investing in the overall transportation system. Read Full Press Release (PDF)

Union Station plan could bring relief for Metra, Amtrak passengers
September 11, 2014 | By Richard Wronski

For many of the 120,000 rail passengers who pass through each day, Union Station is either a mystifying maze of ramps and escalators, or a perplexing funnel that forces them to navigate perilously narrow platforms. Commuting challenges include dodging water from leaky roofs and trying not to breathe diesel fumes too deeply. Read Full Article (PDF)

County to help fund major road repair projects in Harvey, Flossmoor
September 11, 2014 | Gregory Tejeda Times Correspondent

CHICAGO | Center Avenue in Harvey and a Flossmoor Road viaduct that provides access to a Metra station will be improved under two measures approved Wednesday by the Cook County Board. In Harvey, officials want to rebuild Center Avenue from 159th Street south to 171st Street. That road provides access to several industrial parks, and heavy trucks have left it worn out. Read Full Article (PDF)

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Cook County seeks input on transportation plan
August 31, 2014 | Kristi DeLaurentiis

Earlier this year, Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle launched a forward-thinking, comprehensive and long-range transportation planning effort known as “Connecting Cook County.” The plan aims to develop a broader vision and coherent strategy for transportation investments by tying them to greater economic growth and by making communities desirable places to live and work. Read Full Article (PDF)

PACE adds commuter routes
August 24, 2014 | By Geoff Ziezulewicz

Commuters have a variety of new route options when taking a PACE bus into Chicago from Plainfield, Bolingbrook and Romeoville. Route 855, which rides the I-55 shoulder between downtown and Park-n-Ride sites in the suburbs, has been split into three new routes, 850, 851 and 855. "The change means fewer stops for customers, faster travel times and an easier time discerning which bus to take during the evening rush," according to a PACE statement, which said the changes were a response to customer feedback. Read Full Article (PDF)

Officials say vehicle-to-vehicle communications could reduce crashes
August 20, 2014 | By Brian Fung, The Washington Post

WASHINGTON — For years, transportation wonks have been waiting for automated technologies that will make cars safer and easier to use, cutting down on traffic jams and lowering the risk of deadly crashes. Now we're one step closer to that future: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has unveiled a plan to require vehicle-to-vehicle communications technologies in all new passenger cars. Adopting these technologies, the agency says, could prevent nearly 600,000 car crashes every year once the rollout is complete. Read Full Article (PDF)

Chicago hitches a ride on the 'connected car'
August 18, 2014 | John Pletz

The road to self-driving cars will go through Chicago. In a West Loop office tower, Nokia Corp. has 300 people working on technology that will help cars talk to each other, as well as to traffic signs, smartphones and other devices. In Vernon Hills, more than 50 engineers are working on connecting vehicle entertainment and navigation systems to phones, tablets and the cloud at a new Harman International Industries Inc. research center.
Read Full Article (PDF)

Additional bus-on-shoulder service coming to Stevenson; possible some day on Edens
August 11, 2014 | Richard Wronski, Tribune reporter

The bus-on-shoulders commuting option that began as an experiment three years ago on the Stevenson Expressway (Interstate 55) has proven so successful service will be enhanced and possibly replicated on the Edens Expressway (I-94) Read Full Article (PDF)

U.S. Economy hits a pothole
August 8, 2014 | Don Lee

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - It was a beautiful May afternoon when Donnel Gomes took his week-old silver Mercedes for a spin into the city. He turned onto Broad Street and...kaboom! Read Full Article (PDF)

Transit deserts' don't serve workers, study says
August 3, 2014 | Jon Hilkevitch Getting Around

About 1 out of every 10 people in Cook County, roughly 438,500 residents, live in "transit deserts'' that are cut off from fast, frequent train and bus service, according to a new analysis that for the first time identifies dozens of Chicago-area mass transit dead zones and maps them in relation to major job clusters. Read Full Article (PDF)

Chicago manufacturing 'punching below its weight,' report says
July 30, 2014 | Kathy Bergen and Alejandra Cancino, Tribune reporters

Metro Chicago lags behind many counterparts nationwide in the recovery of its manufacturing sector as well as the exports it fuels, a serious deficit as the city reaches for a bigger share of global economic activity. Read Full Article (PDF)

Cook County to get $4.7 million for construction
July 25, 2014 | Associated Press

CHICAGO — Cook County is getting more than $4.7 million from the state for construction projects, including new roofs for buildings at area colleges.

In a news release, Gov. Pat Quinn's office says the projects — funded by the governor's $31 billion Illinois Jobs Now! program — include physical education and library buildings at Northeastern Illinois University. Also, the roofing system at University of Illinois at Chicago's engineering building will be replaced. Read Full Article (PDF)

First Avenue Bike Path Finally Becoming a Reality
July 24, 2014 | By Jeff Tobolski

There has been talk about constructing a path along First Avenue from Riverside-Brookfield High School to 26th Street in North Riverside to provide a safe route for students to walk and bike to school since 1968.

However, it has been just that; talk. For whatever reason, previous local officials and bureaucrats could never agree on how to get the project off the ground, and so it fell by the wayside. Year after year, students continue to walk through the forest preserves on a footpath trail that they have created themselves, and bike along busy First Avenue. Read Full Article (PDF)

Morgan Street 'L' Station Helping Fuel West Loop Boom, CTA Says
July 11, 2014 | By Josh McGhee

CHICAGO — A section of the West Loop once riddled with vacant stores has become a booming section of the city thanks in part to the Morgan Street "L" Station, the CTA and the local alderman agreed.

Findings from an informal CTA study showed that since the station opened in May 2012, residential and business development in the surrounding neighborhood has continued at a "faster pace than nearly all other markets within the city during the post-recession period," CTA spokeswoman Catherine Hosinski said. Read Full Article (PDF)

Pace Delays Plans For Expanded Service
July 9, 2014 9:12 PM | By Bob Roberts

Pace has decided to “go slow” with plans to increase the number of buses riding the shoulder on I-55.

The suburban bus agency remains committed to the changes. But spokesman Patrick Wilmot said Wednesday that a pair of factors could delay implementation of the changes for between one and three months. Read Full Article (PDF)

VIDEO

Ill. unemployment rate falls again as factory jobs continue to leave state
Posted: Jul 17, 2014 1:09 PM CDT; Updated: Jul 18, 2014 11:52 AM CDT

City must invest in mass transit
July 17, 2014

Officials from Africa’s five richest nations are coming to Chicago at the end of the month to see how transportation can make a city successful. Chicago still has a reputation as a city whose economic strength was built atop an effective transportation system.

But if those African officials look closely, they’ll see a regional transit system that is struggling. It needs about $20 billion just to catch up with deferred maintenance and replacement and will need another $13.4 billion over the next decade to keep pace. Read Full Article (PDF)

How to keep the Highway Trust Fund in motion
July 14, 2014

I'm on the highway to hell (highway to hell) … and I'm goin' down all the way — AC/DC

We'll probably learn this week if the U.S. House and Senate intend to live out the AC/DC classic.

The Highway Trust Fund, the federal government's primary mechanism to help the states pay for maintenance and construction of roads, bridges and mass transportation, is running out of money. If Congress doesn't come up with an infusion by Aug.1, some ongoing projects will be stopped or stalled. Many construction jobs are on the line.

About 75 percent of Illinois' multiyear road program is funded by the federal government, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation, which says it has a few months' leeway. Other states will begin pulling back immediately. Read Full Article (PDF)

Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways issues press release:
Accelerated State Funds Allow Cook County to Add More Road, Bridge Projects to Summer Repair Schedule.
June 19, 2014

On the Road with Secretary Foxx
June 2014 | Tina Grady Barbaccia, Editor-At-Large

During his "Invest in America, Commit to the Future" bus tour, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx took a grassroots approach to make the case for a robust multi-year Federal investment for Tranpsortation. Read Full Article (PDF)

Cook County thinks improving transportation boosts south suburban economy
June 19, 2014 | Gregory Tejeda Times Correspondent

EAST HAZEL CREST, Ill. | When Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle spoke before a gathering of south suburban municipal officials Thursday about improvements to the south suburban economy, she made sure to have Transportation and Highways SuperintendentJohn Yonan with her.

Because as it turns out, much of the accomplishments Preckwinkle cited for the south suburbs were actually assorted road repairs and reconstructions that she says will improve access to businesses located in the area. Read Full Article (PDF)

CTA: New rail cars expected in 2019
June 11, 2014 | By John Hilkevitch

The first of more than 800 new rail cars will begin showing up on CTA train lines in 2019, according to an announcement Wednesday that pushes back the agency’s already-­‐delayed next-­‐generation train. Read Full Article (PDF)

Tribune: Proposal to let agency borrow to boost Chicag-area freight-rail capacity
June 11, 2014 | By John Hilkevitch

A proposal to create a dedicated funding source to better handle the growing volume of freight moving through the Chicago area was presented Wednesday to the chief planning group for the metropolitan region. Read Full Article (PDF)

Western Springs gets $468,000 grant for bike path
June 3, 2014 | Jane Michaels

Western Springs has been awarded a $468,000 grant to pave a pathway from Ogden Avenue and Wolf Road through Bemis Woods, connecting to the Salt Creek bike path. Read Full Article (PDF)

Divvy sets new single-day ride record
May 27, 2014 | Staff report

The Divvy bike-sharing program set back-to-back records this past weekend for the number of rides recorded in a day.
The program logged 12,863 rides on Saturday and 16,259 rides Sunday, according to the mayor's office. The prior single-day record was set earlier this month at 12,796 rides, the office said. Sunday's record came the same day as Bike the Drive, an annual fundraiser that shut down Lake Shore Drive to car traffic for five hours. Temperatures reached 83 degrees at O'Hare International Airport that day. Divvy riders bought more than 6,900 24-hour passes Sunday, officials said. The previous record of 2,687 passes was set in September of 2013, according to Bill McCaffrey, a spokesman for the city.

Improved bike routes coming to Chicago suburbs
By Angie Leventis Lourgos, Tribune reporter, May 25, 2014

Transportation experts say northeastern Illinois is on the cusp of completing a system of bicycle routes that could soon allow safe and nearly continuous biking across the region — from Indiana north to Wisconsin and west past the corn fields. Read Full Article (PDF)

Chicago among safest U.S. cities for pedestrians
BY ROSALIND ROSSI Transportation Reporter May 20, 2014

Pedestrians are less likely to be killed in traffic accidents in the Chicago area than in most of the nation’s big cities, a new study indicates. Read Full Artcile (PDF)

County Roadwork Planned In Northbrook, Wheeling, Rolling Meadows
Posted: Monday, April 28, 2014

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle recently announced the county’s annual road construction program would focus heavily on restoring pavement damaged by this winter’s severe conditions. Three roadwork sites were identified in Northbrook, Wheeling and Rolling Meadows. Read Full Artcile (PDF)

Cook to focus on winter’s toll on suburban roads
April 29, 2014

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said last week that the county's annual road construction program would focus heavily on restoring pavement damaged by this winter's severe conditions. Read Full Artcile (PDF)

Peotone airport could break ground as early as 2016
April 25, 2014; by Keith Benman

Ground could be broken on a south suburban airport at Peotone as early as 2016, with the Illinois Department of Transportation using accelerated procedures first employed on the go-fast schedule for the Illiana Expressway, according to IDOT Secretary Ann Schneider. Read Full Article (PDF)

Quinn Announces Bike, Walking Trail Improvements in Cook County
April 22, 2014; Posted by Amie Schaenzer (Editor)

Gov. Pat Quinn announced earlier this month a $52.7 million investment in community transportation projects throughout Illinois.

The investment will support more than 400 jobs through 71 projects, including bike paths, walking trails, historic preservation and streetscape beautification projects in communities across Illinois. Read Full Article (PDF)

Southeast Chicago residents awaiting proposed Red Line extension to 130th Street
April 20, 2014; by Gregory Tejeda Times Correspondent

When Peggy Salazar, of the Slag Valley neighborhood, needs to travel to downtown, her commute is longer than that of many suburban residents who live farther away. Her community has only one Chicago Transit Authority route that leads downtown. It’s a No. 30 South Chicago bus route that works its way from the Hegewisch station on the South Shore line at Brandon and Brainard avenues north to the Red Line train line at 69th Street.
Read Full Article (PDF)

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Cook County provides forum for transportation opinions
April 13, 2014; by Kristi DeLaurentiis

Regional needs like transportation funding and other infrastructure investments seem to be getting lots of media attention lately. On the Illinois side, Gov. Pat Quinn’s Northeastern Illinois Public Transit Task Force recently recommended how to improve the region’s transit system, and to improve the current state of disrepair of roads and bridges. In Indiana, the stories are similar. Read Full Article (PDF)

Transit Funding Plan Unveiled
By Richard Wronski, Tribune reporter, April 3, 2014

A coalition of transportation advocates supported by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle has recommended raising new tax money in Cook County to help pay for billions of dollars of mass transit improvements. Read Full Article (PDF)

Chicago metro leads nation in major business investments: Trying to stand on ‘big shoulders'
March 16, 2014; by Jospeh S. Pete

Chicago metro leads the nation in new investment because of talented workforce, central location, access to markets, and world-class transportation. Businesses are choosing to invest in the Chicago metro area more than anywhere else in the United States. Read Full Article (PDF)

Cook County Seeks Feedback on First Transportation Plan Since 1940
by Steven Vance; Posted March 7, 2014

Cook County has begun the process of creating its first transportation plan since its 1940 highway plan. The Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways is collecting feedback from residents on present and future transportation needs.
Read Full Article (PDF) or Read Online

 CMAP Weekly Update
Posted February 28, 2014

Connecting Cook County. Cook County kicked off the development of its long-range transportation plan, Connecting Cook County, on Tuesday. The plan will evaluate multiple modes of transportation, including public transportation, bicycling, cars, and trucking corridors. Residents can share input on-line or at rotating kiosks throughout the county. Read more in the Chicago Sun-Times.

Cook County seeks public's input on transportation plan
February 28, 2014 12:00 am, Times Staff

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle has set in motion the development of a plan that will look at the county’s transportation network and its impact on economic growth and quality of life over the next 25 years.

Called “Connecting Cook County,” the Long Range Transportation Plan will be developed over the next 18 months. Cook County’s last comprehensive transportation plan, now more than 70 years ago, identified the corridors for the today’s Chicago-area expressway system. This LRTP is expected to set an agenda through 2040...Read Full Article (PDF) or Read Online

Illinois Chamber of Commerce - Chamber Dispatch
Infrastructure Council Supports Connecting Cook County
Posted date: February 27, 2014, Posted by: Benjamin Brockschmidt

Cook County is developing a plan, and we’re excited.

In January 2013, the Infrastructure Council was at a local meeting in the South Suburbs where Cook County President Preckwinkle was speaking. She discussed how business was absent from infrastructure issues, only speaking up to complain and not actively helping to improve our networks. We spoke up and challenged her, saying that business is here as a partner to work toward goals, not be a cheerleader that only appears when government makes the transportation investments that are their responsibility...Read Full Blog Post Online

Preckwinkle seeks long-term transportation plan
By Tina Sfondeles, Posted February 27, 2014

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle on Tuesday announced the development of a long-term transportation plan that will include input gained from an online survey and public kiosks sprinkled throughout the county.

“For too long, Cook County sat back while decisions impacting our residents were made by others,” said Preckwinkle about the need for a comprehensive transportation plan, which was last developed in the 1940s. “We can no longer continue to make one-off transportation investments. We need a coherent strategy.”... Read Full Article (PDF)

View VIDEO :: Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle demonstrates how survey kiosks will gather public input for Cook County’s Long Range Transportation Plan, at the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. SOURCE: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

Preckwinkle launches start of Cook County 40 year transportation plan
Posted February 27, 2014

Today, Cook County President Preckwinkle named her 17-member Advisory Committee on transportation that will help devise her plan for Cook County's transportation network and its impact over the next 25 years. Preckwinkle named Michael Tang, CEO of National Material LP, and member of Preckwinkle’s Council of Economic Advisors, to chair the Advisory Committee...Read Full Article (PDF)

Public input sought on transportation priorities
By Jon Hilkevitch, Tribune reporter 5:19 pm, February 25, 2014

Cook County residents and business owners are being asked to weigh in on setting transportation priorities for future projects – from roads to bicycle paths and pedestrian walkways – and to tell officials about existing strengths and weaknesses involved in navigating the county-maintained network.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced a long-range strategy on Tuesday aimed at developing stronger links between transportation, economic growth and regional planning.

A transportation plan will be created over the next 18 months and serve as the blueprint to spur more economic growth and improve the quality of life for county residents over the next 25 years, Preckwinkle said...Read Full Article (PDF)

Seeking Your Feedback on the Cook County Long Range Transportation Plan
Press Release; For Immediate Release February 13, 2014; Contact: Mary Jo Follert

Cook County has partnered with the village to offer a convenient opportunity to share your feedback on its long range transportation plan. Beginning February 26, at the Prairie Center for the Arts, stop by to try out the MetroQuest kiosk...Read Full Press Release (PDF)

President Preckwinkle Launches Long Range Transportation Plan
Blog; By Communications Staff at February 25, 2014

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle today set in motion the development of a plan that will look at the County’s transportation network and its impact on economic growth and quality of life over the next 25 years...Read Full Blog Online or View PDF

What are your transportation priorities? Tell Cook County
By Marni Pyke

Want less congestion on Route 14? Or fast public transit to O’Hare from Palatine? A way to safely walk or bike between home and work? Now’s the time to submit your wish list as Cook County begins work on a long-range transportation plan.

“We want to look at transportation from a variety of perspectives from public transit to cars to pedestrian access to rail corridors,” Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said Tuesday, adding the plan is intended to spur economic growth and build livable communities...Read Full Article (PDF)

Posted 2/25/14

President Preckwinkle Launches Long Range Transportation Plan

Public’s Input Will Help Shape Findings, Cook County’s Path Forward

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle today set in motion the development of a plan that will look at the County’s transportation network and its impact on economic growth and quality of life over the next 25 years.

“We can no longer continue to make one-off transportation investments. We need a coherent strategy. The County should invest in transportation as a way to foster economic development and create communities that are desirable places to live and work,” Preckwinkle said. “With more than half of the metropolitan region’s population, jobs and businesses, Cook County should be a leader in planning, prioritizing and aligning resources. We want to ensure Cook County’s transportation investments are sensible, coordinated, and support growth.”

Called “Connecting Cook County,” the Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) will be developed over the next 18 months. Cook County’s last comprehensive transportation plan, now more than 70 years ago, identified the corridors for the today’s Chicago-area expressway system. This LRTP is expected to set an agenda through 2040....READ MORE

Posted 2/25/14

VIDEO

Watch President Preckwinkle explain what #connectingcook #LRTP will achieve in the next 18 months. Also gives an overview of @metroquest which will be a prominent way we hear from all residents in #CookCounty on what they currently value in transportation priorities and where they want to see change.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eQDo2MN77g