Among the highlights from CMAP executive director Randy Blankenhorn, CMAP hosted a U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) roundtable to discuss implementation of MAP-21 and freight, the Chicago Tribune and Herald-News published CMAP letters on congestion pricing in our region, the University of Illinois at Chicago announces U.S. DOT Secretary Ray LaHood as keynote speaker of upcoming UIC Urban Forum, and the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) program in the news. Subscribe to get Weekly Updates by e-mail.
First Off...
U.S. DOT roundtable. Today, CMAP is hosting
a roundtable with U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) Deputy Secretary John Porcari and stakeholders from the region and state to discuss implementation of Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21), the two-year transportation reauthorization bill, and freight. Congestion pricing campaign. The
Chicago Tribune and
Herald-News published CMAP letters urging Governor Quinn, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), and the Illinois Tollway to commit to congestion pricing in our region. The traffic management tool applies supply and demand principles to help manage highway resources more effectively, as described at
www.cmap.illinois.gov/congestion-pricing. To support this effort, please contact CMAP principal planner Erin Aleman (312-386-8816 or
ealeman@cmap.illinois.gov).
UIC Urban Forum. This week, the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) announced U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood as the
keynote speaker for its annual
Urban Forum, "Metropolitan Resilience in a Time of Economic Turmoil," on December 6. I serve on the Forum's Board of Advisors and will moderate an afternoon panel on interjurisdictional competition.
Policy Updates. We covered possible implications of the
impending fiscal cliff on federal transportation funding programs, as well as a new U.S. Government Accountability Office
report on local funding sources for the federal New Starts program, which supports transit expansion projects. We also described potential ramifications of the recent U.S. elections on the
water sector. And we summarized some
current legislation in Springfield.
Other News and Announcements
LTA in the news. John McCarron
described the
Green Healthy Neighborhoods land use plan under development for the neighborhoods of Englewood, Woodlawn, and Washington Park through CMAP's
Local Technical Assistance (LTA) program. The City of Chicago, LISC/Chicago, Teamwork Englewood, and Washington Park Consortium are partners on this project, which was also mentioned recently in the
Huffington Post. The
Journal & Topics and
Bugle newspapers highlighted the upcoming open house for the Niles draft
Environmental Action Plan. The
Daily Herald featured an article on the Village of Lakemoor's draft
comprehensive plan, which envisions a new Town Center for the community. Two LTA grant-funded projects were also featured in the news. The
Times of Northwest Indiana described the selection of a firm for development of Lansing's comprehensive plan, and the
Northwest Herald previewed this week's public meeting for the development of the Village of Algonquin's
downtown plan. The Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) also
blogged about a number of LTA projects.
NARC seeking case studies. Through next week, the National Association of Regional Councils (NARC) is
seeking case studies of livability efforts.
MPC panel. MPC will host a roundtable about the
future of interjurisdictional collaboration on December 13 from noon to 1:30 p.m. at 140 S. Dearborn Street, Suite 1400, Chicago. At the event, MPC, CMAP, and the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus will release a new paper identifying related policy reforms and best practices.
Trib on transportation. The Trib quoted CMAP's Kermit Wies in an article about the five-year-old
I-355 extension. The Trib also covered the recently released
Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed
Elgin-O'Hare Expressway, one of five new major capital projects recommended in
GO TO 2040. The article quotes CMAP's Matt Maloney.
CMAP Blogs
Green Signals. CMAP’s transportation operations blog featured an upcoming webinar on system engineering for adaptive signal control technology webinar.
Soles and Spokes. CMAP’s bike-ped planning blog highlighted a new web program from the Regional Transportation Authority and Active Transportation Alliance, “Drive Less, Live More,” to encourage active, sustainable travel. We also featured a Chicago Architecture Foundation lecture on the City of Chicago’s “Make Way for People” program, which promotes strategies for placemaking, walkable neighborhoods, and economic development.
Reminders
EI2 rebates. Energy Impact Illinois (EI2) is offering rebates up to $1,750 (an estimated 70-percent cost savings) for upgrades you can make to improve the comfort of your home. For more information, contact Emily Plagman at eplagman@cmap.illinois.gov. To see if you qualify for the rebate, please call 1-855-9-IMPACT. CMAP's Dan Olson and the Center for Neighborhood Technology - Energy's Anna Markowski were recently featured on CAN-TV discussing EI2 rebates.
IDOT survey ends December 15. IDOT is conducting a public survey regarding the potential for a managed lane in each direction on the I-55 Stevenson between I-355 and I-90/I-94. CMAP is encouraging IDOT to make congestion pricing an integral part of its design and engineering for additional lanes on I-55 and on the I-290 Eisenhower.
Green infrastructure call for proposals. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency announced a third round of Illinois Green Infrastructure Grants (IGIG) for stormwater management. Applications are due December 14, 2012.
Events
Niles open house
December 4, 2012
4:30 to 7:00 p.m.
Niles Public Library: 6960 W. Oakton Street, Niles
Hosted by the Village of Niles and CMAP
More information
Round Lake Heights public meeting
December 4, 2012
6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
Round Lake Heights Middle School: 2000 Lotus
Drive, Round Lake Heights
Hosted by the Village of Round Lake Heights and
& CMAP
More information
UIC Urban Forum
December 6, 2012
UIC Forum: 725 W. Roosevelt Road, Chicago
Hosted by the University of Illinois at Chicago
More information
Blogs (Weekly Updates) 
