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Only 11 percent of Chicagoland residents ride transit to work.

Get the latest on projects underway in your suburban community

Apr 2, 2021 | by Maggie Melin Czerwinski

Wondering about walking-, biking-, and transit-related projects currently underway in Chicagoland’s suburban communities?

Well, here’s your chance to find out what’s happening.

During our recent Suburban Action Week event, we heard directly from county staff in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will Counties.

Staff from county departments of transportation, councils of mayors, forest preserves, and other agencies shared overviews of current and upcoming walking, biking, and transit projects in each county.

Additionally, staff from Pace Bus and Metra Rail each discussed how they’re navigating COVID-19 and what’s in store for the future of suburban transit.

Check out recordings of these talks below!

 

COOK COUNTY

Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways staff — Beth Davis, Benet Haller, and Tomo Music — provide overviews of both the Cook County Bike Plan and Cook County Transit Plan. Your input is needed to help shape future county priorities and investments in walking, biking, and transit.


DUPAGE COUNTY

Sid Kenyon, Senior Transportation Planner of the DuPage County Division of Transportation, discusses several upcoming plans and projects in store for DuPage County, including the East Branch DuPage River Trail and DuPage ADA Transition Plan.

 

KANE & KENDALL COUNTIES

Jackie Forbes and Troy Simpson from the Kane County Division of Transportation and Kane/Kendall Council of Mayors share information about upcoming and recently-completed projects in Kane and Kendall Counties.

Projects highlighted include the Longmeadow Parkway Corridor, Randall Road Transit Infrastructure, Raymond Street Tunnel, Fabyan Causeway Bridge, Aurora Transportation Center Bridge/Side Path, Route 20 Side Path in Elgin, and Route 38 Side Path in Geneva.


LAKE COUNTY

Kevin Carrier, Director of Planning and Programming from the Lake County Division of Transportation, and Randy Seebach, Director of Planning and Land Preservation from Lake County Forest Preserves, provide an overview of current and upcoming walking, biking, and trail projects in Lake County and offer a variety of resources, including a county trail map and bike map.

Projects discussed include the Patriot Path (IL 137), Skokie Valley Bike Path Bridge over Lake Cook Road, Quentin Road (US 12 to IL 22), 14th Street (IL 131 to Sheridan Road), Cedar Lake Road Improvement, Buffalo Creek Wetland Bank and Trail, and the Bike Path Wayfinding Signage Study.


MCHENRY COUNTY

Emily Daucher and Ryan Peterson from the McHenry County Division of Transportation and Council of Mayors share transportation trends and details about recent and upcoming walking, biking, trail, and transit projects in McHenry County.

Projects discussed include the Adaptive Bike Share Program (Bike MC for All), Paratransit Bus System Expansion (MCRide), Active Transportation Policy and Bicycle Level of Service rating updates. The county is also developing a countywide pedestrian, bicycle, and trails master plan. Visit the project page to learn more about the plan and share input on where safer walking and biking infrastructure is needed.

 

WILL COUNTY

Cori Crawford, Planning Coordinator from the Will County Forest Preserve, and Elaine Bottomley, Director of Transportation from the Will County Governmental League, discuss a variety of recent and upcoming walking and biking projects in Will County.

Projects highlighted include the Romeoville 135th Street Complete Street, Diamond Will Road Reconstruction, Mokena US 45 Bike Path, Black Road Bridge Trail Connection, Plum Creek Greenway Trail, Rock Fun Green Trail Essington Gap, DuPage River Trail Weber Road Study, Normantown Trail (119th to 127th St.), and Lake Chaminwood I&M Canal Trail

 

PACE BUS

Maggie Daly Skogsbakken, Pace’s Chief Communication Officer, and Charlotte Obodzinski, Pace’s Department Manager from the Priority Project Management Office, review COVID-19’s impact on bus service, how Pace has responded, and upcoming projects, including the Pace Pulse rapid transit service roll-out.


METRA RAIL

Michael Gillis, Metra’s Director of Communications, details the impact COVID-19 has had on rail service, as well as recent and upcoming projects, including the addition of bike cars, new station development, and the South Cook Transit Pilot which is bringing more service and reduced fares to the Electric District and Rock Island lines.

 

In addition to the county and transit updates, be sure to check out the advocacy talks and workshops from Suburban Action Week.

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