The GO TO 2040 comprehensive regional plan includes a series of detailed tables with over 200 recommended actions, identifying the relevant organizations that are expected to lead these implementation action areas. 

As described previously, CMAP has initiated an update to the GO TO 2040 plan in accordance with federal law.  While its four themes and 12 recommendation areas will not change, the update process allows CMAP to enhance the alignment of GO TO 2040 recommendations with responsible parties to reflect progress, restructuring of federal programs, and other variables since the plan's adoption in October 2010.  CMAP staff conducted significant outreach through the agency's Working Committees to update the plan's implementation action area tables; relevant materials are available at www.cmap.illinois.gov/about/2040/update.

Update Process

This process was undertaken over several months between late 2013 and early 2014 by CMAP and partners in a series of phases:

  • Identification of implementation examples:  In September and October 2013, staff coordinated both internally and with the Working Committees to identify numerous examples of how the region has implemented the plan's recommendations.  This effort helped inform Moving Forward 2013, CMAP's third annual GO TO 2040 implementation report, which was released in early 2014. 
  • Classification of each implementation action area into categories:  In October 2013, staff conducted an internal review to determine the high-level status of each implementation action – classifying each as "retain," "revise," "complete," or "delete" – and provided a brief rationale for each classification.  These classifications were shared with the Working Committees in November.
  • Red-lined text edits:  Staff developed specific text edits, including the deletion and the addition of implementation actions, in November and December 2013.  These were shared with Working Committees in January 2014. 

Update Outcomes

Many text revisions to implementation action areas were relatively minor and included updates to reflect legislation and programmatic changes, removal of dated information, and slight rewording to improve readability.  There were also a smaller number of more substantive edits, including the removal of actions that were completed over the past four years and the addition of new actions.  These new actions reflect the evolution of CMAP's stance on certain policy issues, as well as the emergence of new policy issues. 

The more substantive changes include:

  • Manage and Conserve Water and Energy Resources:  The updates in this section reflect the implementation and completion of the Energy Impact Illinois program, as well as the ongoing implementation of recent initiatives.
  • Reform State and Local Tax Policy:  The original GO TO 2040 implementation actions in this section called on the region to convene a task force to consider various policy issues.  That recommendation was met through CMAP's Regional Tax Policy Task Force, which issued its report in January 2012.  The new implementation actions for the recommendation section grow out of the Task Force's deliberations.
  • Improve Access to Information:  The edits to this section reflect CMAP's experience with the MetroPulse website and the evolution of CMAP's work with The Chicago Community Trust to develop regional indicators and distribute data to communities.
  • Invest Strategically in Transportation:  Recommendations related to congestion pricing were revised to acknowledge the completion of recent studies and to emphasize the implementation of congestion pricing on new and, eventually, existing expressway capacity. 
  • Create a More Efficient Freight Network:  The section on federal freight policy has been revised and expanded to reflect progress made under the 2012 federal transportation authorization bill, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21).

The draft GO TO 2040 plan update and its appendices will be released for public comment in summer 2014, during which meetings will be held throughout the region to solicit feedback.  The CMAP Board and MPO Policy Committee will vote on adoption for the plan update that October.