Planning Programs and Projects

The RTA is assisting Pace to prepare a corridor study examining South Halsted St. between the Pace/Metra Harvey Transportation Center and the Pace Chicago Heights Terminal. Goals of the study are to increase transportation resilience, encourage transit-oriented development (TOD), and improve pedestrian accessibility, sidewalks, crosswalks, access to developments, and connectivity. The study will include coordination with Harvey, South Holland, East Hazel Crest, Homewood, Glenwood, and Chicago Heights.  The study will also offer strategies to prepare the corridor for Pace Pulse service and will identify future high frequency service station locations.

Through this project, Pace created a new ridership forecasting application that utilizes customized market research and mode choice models. Using Pace's South Cook County, Southwest Cook County, and Will County Restructuring Initiatives as the market area for this project, the resulting data and models were used to identify opportunities for service improvements. This forecasting application will be used region-wide in each of Pace's service areas.

Phase VIII of Pace's Regional Call Center takes reservations for dial a ride and demand response services to seniors and individuals with disabilities.  The Call Center provides comprehensive mobility management services that improve the coordination and operation of transportation services and supports county-led coordination services funded by Section 5310

This is the first phase of a three-part plan to implement one of three regional call centers. The center will promote, enhance and facilitate access to transportation services, including the integration and coordination of services for individuals with disabilities, older adults and those individuals with low income. Facilitating the coordination of transportation services for work training work shops and work placement agencies are among the functions of the call center.

The Mobility as a Service (MaaS) app is a two-year pilot project designed to support customer access to one click real-time trip planning throughout Pace's six-county service area for Pace's Fixed Route, On-Demand and Paratransit family of services. Pace partnered with "Transit App "a readily available transit information app to launch a two-year MaaS Pilot project. This award will fund the dial-a-ride and paratransit elements of the project, which primarily serve seniors and people with disabilities.

This employer-based reverse commute shuttle service will provide connections between the CTA Skokie Swift Dempster station and major employers such as Allstate Insurance (over 8,000 employees) in North Cook County in the Willow Road Corridor (Glenview /Northbrook area).

Phase IX of Pace's Regional Call Center takes reservations for dial a ride and demand response services to seniors and individuals with disabilities. The Call Center provides comprehensive mobility management services that improve the coordination and operation of transportation services and supports county-led coordination services funded by Section 5310. This is an existing Section 5310 funded project.

This project is an expansion of Routes 600 Northwest Express and 610 Prairie Stone Express. With this proposal Route 600 will be bi-directional during peak period weekdays to serve reverse riders going to work and school. Route 610 will also add reverse peak trips on weekdays between Rosemont and a new park-n-ride facility planned for the Prairie Stone Complex in Hoffman Estates.

This project funded technical assistance to Pace to enable them to conduct the following studies: The Green Bay Road Flexible Transportation Study in Lake County; the Barrington Road / I-90 Hoffman Estates Circulator and Land Use Study; and the Woodridge Park and Ride Transportation Plan.