Planning Programs and Projects

The RTA, City of Evanston, and Village of Skokie will cooperate in a corridor level travel market analysis to explore the potential need for new intermediate stations on the CTA Skokie Swift (Yellow Line) and extension of the line north and/or south to serve existing and emerging travel markets. The corridor is expected to span all or portions of Evanston, Skokie, Morton Grove, Glenview, Northfield, Northbrook and portions of the far north side of Chicago. This study will complement a recently completed Location Feasibility Study which looked at optimal locations for new stations and a north extension to the Old Orchard Road area within the village of Skokie based on physical feasibility. The travel market analysis will assess the ability of line extensions and new intermediate stations to efficiently and effectively serve current and future corridor travel needs; and their impact on existing transportation services.

This study created a Local Transit Improvement Plan for the Village. This was accomplished by reviewing the performance of existing transit services, determining customer satisfaction with the existing services, and developing coordination among existing services.

This project will fund Phase I engineering necessary for sidewalk, crosswalk, and other intersection improvements along Sauk Trail and Torrence Avenue. Future improvements will fill sidewalk gaps and make ADA and safety related improvements at key intersections along Pace Bus Route 358.

The RTA is assisting the Village of Sauk Village to prepare a corridor study focused on segments of Sauk Trail (from Cottage Grove to Torrence Avenue) and Torrence Avenue (from Sauk Trail to US 30). The goals of the study include developing strategies to: improve pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure and access to transit services, attract investment and development, and reduce motor vehicle speeding and crashes.

This project created a station area plan for the new Romeoville Metra station, a planned intermediate stop on Metra's Heritage Corridor Line. The plan includes land use, circulation and connectivity plans that complement the new station and recommends transit options to connect the new station area to rest of the community.

This project provides new sidewalks, crosswalks, and pedestrian signal heads along a one-and-a-half mile section of Golf Road, improving access to three Pace fixed routes that operate on the corridor (#209, #606, and #757). Several major employers are located on this corridor and it has also been chosen by Pace as a potential Arterial Rapid Transit (ART) route.

The RTA is assisting the Village with updating the zoning code in the southeast portion of the Village, from South Claire Boulevard to the Robbins Metra station. Code updates will allow the Village to realize the type of development envisioned in the Robbins TOD and Industrial Areas Plan, completed with support from the RTA and the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning.

The RTA and the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) assisted the Village to develop the Robbins TOD and Industrial Areas Plan, which examined strategies and locations for potential redevelopment near the Village's Metra station. As part of the Robbins Stormwater Park and Midlothian Creek Restoration project conducted by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, approximately 140 acres of land near the Robbins Metra station will be removed from the floodplain, making it available for potential development. To establish a development strategy for this area, the Village embarked on the TOD and Industrial Areas Plan, which envisions a mixed-use neighborhood with a stormwater park to the north.