Planning Programs and Projects

The RTA awarded the Village of Cary construction funding to develop the Depot Plaza in downtown Cary, as envisioned in the Cary Downtown Strategic Plan. Improvements will include an open-air plaza with artificial turf, shelter for bicyclists and pedestrians waiting for the McRide bus service, ride sharing, taxis, and outbound Metra service,  modifications to the sidewalk to increase walkability and improve pedestrian safety, built in planters to add color and character, and new benches.

The Chicago Department of Planning and Development seeks assistance to conduct a corridor study of Archer Avenue, from Halsted to Cicero, to evaluate land use, zoning and development  opportunities with a focus on areas around the CTA Orange Line stations. The City will use the plan to identify key development opportunities along the corridor, align vision for the corridor with land use and zoning recommendations, and create a strategic implementation plan for the Archer Ave corridor. The study team will include the Chicago Department of Transportation to understand opportunities for enhanced pedestrian mobility and safety, bike lanes and mobility hubs, and ways to leverage the CTA public transit assets. The City desires to increase transportation resilience along the corridor as well as identify strategies to attract investment and encourage transit-oriented development in a way that will attract new retail development and jobs while retaining existing  businesses.

The RTA has awarded $53,628 to the Village of Ford Heights for Phase I engineering needed to improve the sidewalk network, add concrete pads to select bus stops, and install ADA-compliant crosswalks at key intersections surrounding the Pace Route 357. The bus route runs through the center of the village and forms a loop around the future 60-acre mixed-use New Town Center development. There are currently significant gaps in the sidewalk network that connects these surrounding areas with bus stops, and most crosswalks in the area are faded and are not ADA-compliant.

Funding for this project will complete Phase II engineering and construction of pedestrian access improvements along US Rte. 14, IL Route. 173, Marengo Road, and Ayer Street. The project includes new sidewalks, ADA improvements, crosswalks, and a Pace Bus shelter. These improvements will better connect residents to the Harvard Metra Station and the Pace Bus Route 808.

The RTA awarded $55,000 to the City of Harvard for Phase I engineering needed for pedestrian access improvements along Illinois Route 173 from Marengo Road to US Route 14, including new sidewalks, ADA crosswalks, and pedestrian access over Mokeler Creek. Currently, there are no sidewalks along Route 173, forcing pedestrians to walk on the shoulder. At the crossing of Mokeler Creek, pedestrians have to walk in the travel lanes of Route 173 to get over the creek.

The RTA awarded $55,000 to the City of Harvey to complete Phase I engineering required for improvements along Broadway Avenue in downtown Harvey. The project will include transit access improvements such as bus shelters, pedestrian improvements including ADA-compliant intersections, and new roadway bike facilities. These improvements will better provide for a multi-modal downtown Harvey and will connect the new Pace Harvey Transportation Center with Broadway Avenue.

The Village Hazel Crest seeks RTA support to develop an Equitable TOD Plan for areas west of the Hazel Crest Metra station, leveraging the transportation assets in the area to balance investment and begin to deliver community benefits through greater pedestrian, bicycle and commuter activity. The Village would use a new plan to  coordinate Village, County, state and federal resources for the station area, which has experienced disinvestment relative to the  rest of Hazel Crest. Having TOD related investment would also further Village goals to create an Arts District in the study area, with programming and related building improvements to Village-owned vacant buildings, with the intension to convert into an adaptive reuse as a Center for the Arts. Improved pedestrian walkability and added bicyclist safety installments would benefit artists and the overall residential and commuter base living near the Hazel Crest Metra station. Lastly, the Village would like to identify further investment in the area for higher density, high quality multi-family workforce housing that would serve a number of workers with high quality housing near the Metra station, with quality amenities at a reasonable price point that does not exist today.

The Village of Itasca seeks RTA support for zoning code updates that will allow the types of development envisioned in the Village's adopted Downtown Itasca Strategic Action Plan, completed through the RTA's Community Planning program. The Village's existing code needs modifications to modernize the code to better align with best practices and other Village initiatives. Zoning amendments will be centered on downtown Itasca and areas surrounding the Itasca Metra station, and will include such tasks as drafting tables for dimensional standards as well as uses, address parking ratios for mixed use developments, develop unified design guidelines for Downtown Itasca, as well as develop specific guidelines for the Itasca Historic District. 

The City of Lockport seeks RTA assistance to develop an ETOD Plan for the downtown area of Lockport including the area surrounding the Lockport Metra station. The study area encompasses the National Historic District, future growth areas south of the Metra station, north to connect with the Star Innovation District and a changing neighborhood east to Madison, inclusive of the Freshman Center in the historic Central High School. The goals with the new plan would be to update the original 2009 downtown plan to reflect the changes that have occurred over the past 15 years in the central downtown and extend the study area south to capture the underserved Fairmount area and the Taft School District. Both areas are heavily reliant on residential tax dollars which have been lacking. The City would like to build off continued success in the central downtown to identify the future for some legacy properties that could be improved and generate additional revenue in the southern portions of the study area. The City would like to extend the plan north to contemplate changes that will occur as a result of the Star Innovation District and the frontage along State Street on both the east and west sides of the street.

The RTA has awarded $44,000 to the Village of Maywood for Phase I engineering needed for a covered bicycle shelter near the 5th Avenue Metra station served by the Union Pacific West line, heated bus shelters along 5th Avenue as served by Pace, wayfinding signage for the train station, and pavement marking improvements.