Planning Programs and Projects

This project produced a transit-oriented development plan for the three Berwyn Metra station areas along the Metra BNSF rail corridor between Harlem Avenue and Ridgeland Avenue: LaVergne, Berwyn and Harlem Ave.

The RTA is assisting the City of Berwyn to make transit-supportive amendments to the zoning regulations along the Harlem Avenue corridor from Roosevelt Road to Pershing Road. The result will include code revisions that foster a pedestrian-friendly development style along the corridor, preparing it for future Pace Pulse service. Revising the code along Harlem Avenue is a recommendation for the City in the Central Harlem Avenue Corridor Study.

The project funds pedestrian-related improvements along Ridgeland Avenue between 102nd and 111th Streets, which is served by the Chicago Ridge Metra station and Pace Route 384. Improvements include a new crosswalk, pedestrian signal countdowns, pavement striping, pedestrian railroad safety gates, ornamental lighting, way-finding signs, and bike racks.

This project will construct new sidewalk on the east side of Wolf Road between the Prospect Heights Metra station and Willow Road. This will connect to a previous phase of the multi-use path on Wolf Road that goes north from Willow Road to Palatine Road. The project also includes the installation of pedestrian signals at Camp McDonald Road.

The RTA is assisting the Village of Homewood to prepare a transit-oriented development plan for downtown Homewood and areas surrounding the Homewood Metra and Amtrak station. Leveraging the ongoing station renovations, the goals of the planning study include identifying strategies to attract investment and development, retaining existing character/historic preservation, and increasing access to transit services in the downtown. With a locally-driven planning vision, the Village hopes to continue to foster Downtown population growth, identify new uses for vacant buildings, increase transit ridership, and increase the number of people visiting and spending time in Downtown Homewood. 

The RTA is supporting Equiticity, an independent nonprofit 501(c)(3), with advancing development of a community mobility center in Bronzeville, near the 51st Street Green Line station. The RTA will assist with identifying community perceptions of existing public transit; with understanding transportation’s impact on environment & personal wellbeing; with gauging the receptivity to climate-friendly mobility modes, gauging the demand for shared bikes, e-bikes, e-scooters & e-vehicles, and with obtaining feedback on design and implementation of the hub and its services. 

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.