News for July, 2012
Friday, July 20th, 2012
On June 22, the US Department of Transportation (US DOT) approved a $10.4 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program grant to the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) project. The grant will complete a $370 million rail improvement funding package that was established through CREATE’s groundbreaking public-private partnership between the US DOT, State of Illinois, the City of Chicago, Metra, Amtrak, and the Association of American Railroads (AAR).
These TIGER funds will contribute to the completion of fifteen planned infrastructure improvement projects, eight of which are concentrated along CREATE’s Western Avenue corridor. Five railroads–Burlington Northern Santa Fe, Canadian National, CSX, Indiana Harbor Belt, and Union Pacific–as well as a Metra line to Joliet and an Amtrak line to St. Louis are concentrated along the busy corridor. TIGER-funded system updates will benefit all of these rail lines by replacing hand-thrown switches with automatic ones, installing a computerized Traffic Control System, and constructing connection tracks between the different lines. These improvement projects will reduce congestion for both passenger and freight lines, resulting in increased rail capacity–good for businesses–and more efficient transit trips–good for commuters. Chicago has been a national leader in rail transit for more than 150 years. Reduced delays and increased rail efficiency in this critical transit corridor will help ensure Chicago rail’s continued vitality.
Map of CREATE projects
CREATE projects have already made significant progress in congestion mitigation: freight delay has decreased by 28 percent and passenger delay by 33 percent as a result of past improvements. The upcoming projects will be equally effective (when compared to a system with no additional improvements), with delay reductions projected at 50 percent for freight and over 60 percent for passenger rail.
CREATE's role in national rail
I believe that this example of strategic investment through the federal TIGER grant—enabling improvements in movement through the city, creating connections between housing and job opportunities, and providing for economic prosperity within the Chicago region. If Chicago takes this opportunity to make more strategic investments in transportation infrastructure it will become a national model for urban transit success.
Governor Quinn underscored the importance of CREATE to the economy of the region with his recent announcement of the next phase of Illinois Jobs Now! capital funds, which will encourage employment and economic growth by improving the state’s transportation and basic infrastructure systems. CREATE will receive $211 million of the $1.6 billion package, to augment the TIGER funding and complete the key 15 projects for increasing the transit efficiency and safety that are currently planned. Highway improvements will receive $817.3 million, and mass transit and general rail upgrades will receive $799.5 million.
One of 78 CREATE projects in progress
Quinn’s commitment to improving transit mobility is heartening. I hope that more decision makers and stakeholders take notice, and continue to implement transit-friendly legislation. Chicago has the opportunity to lead the nation in transportation sustainability –let’s make it happen!
Posted in Advocacy, Chicago, Economic Development, Going Places, National, Regional, Staff Blog, Transit Funding, Transit Policy | No Comments »
Thursday, July 19th, 2012
On July 23 and 25, Neighborhood Development Services, Inc. will be hosting an Equity Express “train-the-trainer” workshop for sixteen local community organizations in the Cleveland suburb of Ravenna, Ohio, sponsored by NeighborWorks America. While the workshop will follow the established pattern for Equity Express—participants analyze their own budgets to identify potential saving areas (specifically financial planning, energy, transportation, food, telecommunication, and recycling) while learning how to describe the saving process to their communities—the workbooks used and the topics discussed will be tailored for local budgets. CNT Social Ventures Associate, Adam Mays, and his team have compiled data on utility rates, communication expenditures, transit fares, and food costs within greater Cleveland. This detailed information will allow Mays to focus his training on the specific needs of the conference attendees.
Chicago participants in Equity Express save an average of $125 dollars each month, and both NeighborWorks and CNT hope that, by training leaders of local community organizations, low-income residents of Ravenna will experience similar savings.
Posted in Energy, Equity Express, Featured Portfolio News | No Comments »
Monday, July 16th, 2012
CNT continues to engage municipal decision makers in discussing the benefits of using the Housing and Transportation (H+T) Affordability Index to provide residents with greater overall affordability by improving connections between housing and transportation planning and policy. On June 14th the National League of Cities (NLC) invited CNT’s Stefanie Shull to speak about, “Using the Housing and Transportation Affordability Index: Nuts and Bolts for Cities.” Shull’s presentation showed how the H+T Index can be used in a variety of applications, from public outreach to performance evaluation to resource allocation. CNT looks forward to strengthening the partnership formed at this event, and to continuing to help communities create strategies for affordable and livable neighborhoods.
Posted in Featured Portfolio News, H+T, Transportation and Community Development | No Comments »
Thursday, July 12th, 2012
The rain garden monitoring research conducted by CNT and Hey and Associates (Hey), published in the recent report, “Monitoring and Documenting the Performance of Stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs),” was featured in the July/August edition of Stormwater (SW). The article, “Rain Garden Monitoring,” cites the originality of CNT and Hey’s research and emphasizes the impact it will have on the future construction of green infrastructure elements within urban areas. As the detailed summary in SW’s article suggests, rain gardens are easily implemented and will effectively infiltrate large volumes of stormwater. Municipalities, property owners, and stormwater managers can use the data and processes outlined in the report to inform future construction of urban rain gardens.
For more information, contact Ryan Wilson, Stormwater Program Manager.
Learn more about CNT’s stormwater program>>
Posted in Featured Portfolio News, Natural Resources | No Comments »
Tuesday, July 10th, 2012
The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) has proposed a variety of solutions to help alleviate congestion on I-290—all of which include adding more lanes to the highway. While highway expansion may help to fulfill the goal of reducing travel times across the Eisenhower (it didn’t in the case of the “Hillside Strangler”), it presents environmental, community, and fiscal concerns that must be considered in the planning process.
Oak Park is one of the neighborhoods that would be significantly impacted by this highway expansion, as it could result in a loss of park acreage as well as the destruction of several residential neighborhoods, including a historic district. Oak Park is recognized as a leader in environmental initiatives around the region and many Oak Park residents have shown interest in exploring sustainable options during this planning process.
With 200,000 cars driving on I-290 everyday, this highway is a key gateway connecting the western suburbs to Chicago. The Eisenhower was not originally designed to carry this volume of drivers at once, however, and it is currently one of the most congested highways in the Chicagoland area.
An image from CTA demonstrating the heavy traffic along I-290.
According to the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning’s (CMAP) figures, east-bound lanes are jammed for more than nine hours a day; and west-bound lanes for more than seven hours a day. During peak hours, expected travel time between any two locations tends to be more than twice that of free-flow hours. And while the highway drivers are suffering from painstakingly long commutes, residents of Oak Park living along the highway are dealing with elevated noise and air pollution.
According to past studies by the American Lung Association, 33 percent of Oak Park villagers live in diesel hot spots, meaning they are exposed to higher levels of diesel emissions than are generally considered to be safe. Oak Park residents are worried that noise levels and air quality will worsen with highway expansion and that the expansion will further isolate the Village’s north and south-side residents from one another.
Finances present an additional concern. This project is estimated to cost between $600 and $800 million over the next decade. These costs include not only expenses directly associated with building more highway lanes, but also the cost of bridges, retaining walls, overpasses, and El tracks that will have to be renovated to fit the wider expressway.
Despite the issues of pollution, community reconfiguration, and financing, there is a support group for the expansion. For example, CMAP’s GO TO 2040 plan asserts that the potential benefits of the expansion —reducing traffic congestion, eliminating multiple left-hand exit and entrance ramps, and creating a car-pool friendly HOV lane—outweigh any associated detriments. These benefits are still theoretical and, when completed, the project may do little to improve highway commuting.
One of the favored alternative plans among Oak Park residents and CNT staff is to expand the Blue Line, which already runs near many of the neighborhoods affected by the proposed Ike expansion; more research is needed to determine if that solution would benefit the community. Oak Park already has ample train services, with access to CTA buses and trains as well as the Metra. But for commuters who live west of the Forest Part terminus, driving is the only option.
Current transportation options in Oak Park. Map originated from a draft of I-DOT’s Environmental Impact Statement.
In 2011, 220,762 commutes were taken on the Blue Line entering from the Oak Park Station, 13,000 more rides than 2010’s figures. As it is, the Blue Line currently diverts an approximated 24,550 transit commuters from highways. According to IDOT’s own studies, expansion of the Blue Line and improvement of bus service could reduce between 7,000 and 11,600 auto trips annually. These figures show that transit ridership is becoming a more favorable option for commuters and that transit expansion could reduce road congestion.
The Regional Transit Authority (RTA) Cook-DuPage Corridor Study, conducted between 2005 and 2009, evaluated mobility problems along I-290 as well as their potential solutions, many of which include transit. Those of us engaged in transportation issues at CNT would like to see these alternative options, and their ability to connect commuters with job centers, more fully evaluated in IDOT’s final plans.
The absence of both an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and an alternative option in IDOT’s initial proposal is concerning. The alternative option is required by law to be submitted in draft form to the EPA during the initial stages of planning—not towards the end or the middle. While IDOT is planning on submitting its first draft of an EIS in the fall of 2012, with public hearing of it in the spring of 2013, we think they should get their homework done sooner.
“Cap the Ike”—an alternative vision for Oak Park proposed in 2003 to deal with congestion, noise, and air pollution associated with I-290. This plan that would build green space and roadways over the Eisenhower has not been mentioned in recent debates about this issue.
With the recent passing of the MAP-21 national transportation bill, which is increasing the availability of federal dollars funneled to states to support non-automotive transportation development, now is the optimal time for exploring alternative solutions for congestion reduction. Extending train lines, improving bus services, and creating more bike paths are all viable ways to maximize transportation availability while reducing automobile reliance. Oak Park residents and environmentally-conscious commuters along the I-290 corridor should maintain their persistence and not let Chicago’s landscape become increasingly cluttered by highways.
Posted in Chicago, Going Places, Regional, Staff Blog, Transit Expansion, Transit Funding, Transit Ridership | No Comments »
Tuesday, July 3rd, 2012
On Friday, the transportation bill was passed by an overwhelming majority in both chambers. In the Senate, the bill passed by a bi-partisan vote of 74-19, and in the House, all but the 52 Tea Party Republicans voted for the bill. The “compromise bill” is not ideal, and many reform provisions included in the approved Senate bill were taken out in the conference committee – but there are some victories.
The new, $127 billion bill will last 27 months. It provides funding for transit at about the same level as current law and the transit program continues to derive the majority of its funding from the Highway Trust Fund. Importantly, the bill continues direct suballocation of highway funding from one of the main highway programs – the Transportation Mobility program to metro areas over 200,000. The dollar amount is about the same as before but the percentage share for metro areas dropped from 62.5% of the program to 50% – a change we argued against – but the house wanted zero suballocation so it’s a partial victory. Details on a new $500 million program for projects of national significance are not clear, but it seems to be modeled on the popular TIGER grant program – although funding will be reserved for projects at the $50 million or higher level.
The Transportation Enhancements (TE), Safe Routes, Recreational Trails, and Scenic Byways programs were consolidated into a “Transportation Alternatives” program, with funding cut by 1/3 of what the previous programs received. (50 percent of the funds are to be suballocated to metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) with over 200,000 population, while the remaining 50 percent will be distributed by the state as in current law.) The states were given several ‘outs’ on this program including opting out of the program entirely under certain circumstances, including using all of the funds to repair damage caused by a natural disaster – tornadoes, hurricanes etc. Keeping a bicycle and pedestrian program at all was possible only because advocates turned up the heat last week and you made your voices heard.
A new pilot program provides $10 million for transit-oriented development planning, which allows communities to do station area planning, but there is no special TOD capital program. However, the bill does not restore parity between transit and parking tax benefits as the Senate bill did. This means the transit benefit that expired on the first of the year will remain in effect. Its expiration reduced the maximum monthly pretax benefit to $125 from the $230 it had been since the President’s stimulus package of 2009.
The bill requires regions over 1 million people to develop a performance plan that outlines baseline conditions and targets for each of the performance measures developed by USDOT. It also requires a description of the projects funded and how such projects will help to meet the goal. Unfortunately, in increasing the TIFIA program (loans and credit enhancement for innovative finance or public-private partnerships) from the current $122 million per year to $750 million the first year and $1 billion the second, the bill eliminates current program objectives and makes this a first come, first served program, rather than performance based. This is immediately most useful to agencies that either have a proven source of dedicated revenues from future projects, such as ports, airports and toll highway authorities, and to a handful of regions that have passed or might soon pass a dedicated revenue source for mass transit investments
All of the safety provisions from the Senate’s bill were successfully adopted into the new bill. The first of these provisions is an incentive grant program to encourage states to implement laws addressing teen drivers, distracted and impaired drivers, and occupant protection. Additionally, DOT is required to issue new safety standards addressing occupant protection in vehicles to improve seatbelts, roof crush strength, anti-ejection window glazing, tire pressure monitoring, and rollover prevention. Furthermore, interstate buses and trucks will be required to install electronic-on-board recorders (EOBRs) to improve safety by ensuring hours of service (HOS) rules are followed. Several child safety measures such as consumer information on the performance of child safety seats in front and side impact collisions and improvements on the latch that anchors the seat to the vehicle, were also included.
The Senate bill had included a rail title for the first time, including eligibility for passenger rail projects but the rail title was removed all together. Additionally, the Senate bill had included a national freight program but that also was struck. A national freight policy and goals, however, were established and national freight plan is now required.
This bill comes with several other problems. One of the most striking changes is that there is no dedicated funding for road and bridge repair, while under the current law roughly 32 percent of funding is restricted to repair. It also eliminates the current priority for toll revenues to go to projects that provide alternatives to single-occupancy vehicle travel. The bill also directs the transportation Secretary to suspend environmental reviews of highway and transit projects costing less than $5 million and makes other changes to “streamline” the process that was established under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. Moreover, we lost the Senate provision to design federal aid roads to accommodate all users (Complete Streets), which is a big disappointment.
One of the biggest surprises (in a good sense) of the bill is that it did not include provisions to advance the Keystone XL Pipeline project. As an environmental bonus, the Act included the Gulf Coast Restoration fund (otherwise known as the RESTORE Act) which provides for 80 percent of civil penalties (estimated at $5 – 20 billion) related to the BP oil spill to be used to clean up coastal eco-systems.
Overall the bill is not what we had envisioned, and it seems the Senate bill was highly compromised to make this “compromise bill.” Be on the look-out for a piece on how this bill impacts cities in general and Chicago in particular.
Posted in Advocacy, Going Places, National, Staff Blog, Transit Funding, Transit Policy | No Comments »
Tuesday, July 3rd, 2012
I-GO, Chicago’s own car sharing organization, celebrates its 10th anniversary this year! Initially just a small pilot program funded by the City of Chicago and the US Department of Transportation, I-GO now serves more than 15,000 members. Vehicles are available in over 40 diverse neighborhoods throughout the city, as well as five suburbs, making it easy for residents throughout the region to enjoy the benefits of car-sharing.
In conjunction with this momentous anniversary, I-GO will host a panel discussion, “I-GO at 10: Where Do We Go From Here? The Future of Multimodal Transportation,” on Wednesday, July 11 at the Union League Club of Chicago. The panel will feature Gabe Klein, Commissioner at the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT); Timothy Papandreou, Deputy Director of Transportation Planning in the Sustainable Streets Division of the San Francisco Municipal Transit Agency (SFMTA); and Sharon Feigon, CEO of I-GO CarSharing. I-GO Board Chair and sustainability expert Julia Parzen will moderate the event. Each panelist will give a short presentation outlining their vision for the evolution of urban transportation both within the Chicago region and throughout the country. Read more »
Posted in Featured Portfolio News, I-GO, Transportation and Community Development | No Comments »
Monday, July 2nd, 2012
Bill Eyring's (second from right) retirement celebration brought in wonderful stories of his time spent greening the Chicago region and June 28 was officially named "Bill Eyring Day" in the City of Chicago.
In CNT’s 34 years, we have very few retirements, but on June 28th CNT celebrated Senior Engineer Bill Eyring’s 17 years with CNT.
Bill Eyring’s long and productive relationship with CNT actually began in 1980 when he still worked at a consulting firm with architect Jonathan Boyer. CNT President, Scott Bernstein, was collaborating with the firm on a project to collect and recycle biomass from Chicago’s west side. The project never materialized, but the meetings formed the foundation for a rewarding working relationship between Bill and CNT that has now spanned more than three decades. Read more »
Posted in Featured Portfolio News, Natural Resources | No Comments »
